Today's Bargains

Firstly, thank you to everyone for your congratulations and comments on my weight loss. I did allow myself a congratulatory eccles cake from my favourite bakers in Deal, but otherwise I'm trying to pretty much stick to healthy eating for most of this week because we're having dinner at DD3 and BF's on Sunday. It's a full roast and BF is cooking so will do the potatoes in goose fat. Also I'm taking an apple and blackberry cake and there will be cherry pie for dessert so I'm trying to be careful for the rest of this week.

Otherwise, I've had a lovely busy week. When DD2 received her new season ticket sooner than expected she let me have her weekly explorer bus ticket with 3 days credit remaining and I've been making good use of it. 

On Monday I had a morning in Folkestone but was disappointed that one of my favourite charity shops has disappeared. On Tuesday afternoon, after my slimming club, I went to Deal for a couple of hours, and yesterday morning I wandered around Canterbury. Despite trawling the charity shops in both towns I didn't find anything taking my fancy, although I did buy a metre of pretty butterfly fabric for £3 from a stall at the weekly street market in Canterbury. The ticket expired yesterday, so today I stayed put in Dover...and came up trumps in my usual chairty shop haunts.

For some time I've been thinking of getting a new stainless steel steamer since the knob on the top of the lid has come off mine leaving a hole in the middle. I have to remove the lid by sticking the end of a spoon through the hole and easing it off. Also, the handles on the saucepan part at the bottom are very wonky and I've been afraid that one might break off while it's full of hot liquid. Anyway, long story cut short, I found this one for only £3.50 in the Hospice shop just round the corner. It had obviously been used but is in brilliant condition and I am so pleased with it. 

Bargain number 2 was this piece of fabric for £3.99 from the Heart foundation shop in town. It's approx 2 yards by 44 ins wide and will do fine for making more syringe driver bags.

And bargain number 3 was 2 bags of parsnips reduced from 69p to 49p in Morrisons. 

I also got a nice big swede in there for 69p. I'll chop both the parsnips and swede up and freeze them until it's stew weather. Mind you, we have stew any time of year and dinner tonight was lamb mince with lentils and dumplings. Why I decided on dumplings on a hot day like today, I don't know, but my men enjoyed it and I had my mince with a jacket potato.

So has anyone else got bargains to declare? I'd love to hear about them.