Five simple tricks to help you spend less

Winter is an expensive time for most people, not only because of Christmas, but also because the changing season reduces some of the potential for free days out - sitting on the beach in the pouring rain when it's below 5 degrees? No thanks. However, for our household, the Winter months are cripplingly expensive, and here's why; Christmas, eight birthdays of immediate family members, two MOTs and services due and one car insurance renewal. Ouch.

For this reason, I have developed some coping mechanisms to help ensure that we can enjoy Winter without overstretching ourselves or ending up with hefty credit card bills as Spring time blossoms. To help spread Wise Old Rabbit mantra, I will discuss my top five tips for minimising your outgoings without reducing your festive spirit.

1. Plan your meals and buy only what you need
This will take you just ten minutes of thinking time with a pen and paper, and the benefits are numerous. Not only will you reduce your spending on impulse items, you will also be less likely to reach for the take-away menu when you get home as you will never find yourself facing an empty fridge with an empty stomach. 

2. Leftovers for lunch
It doesn't really take a genius to calculate that packing your own lunch will cost a lot less than buying a £3-£5 sandwich meal deal each day. The flaw in this theory is that in order to take your own sandwiches to work, you need the inclination to wake up early and make them (as sandwiches made the day before they are due to be eaten are invariably vile). I can only imagine that there are a lot of households where that just does not happen... However, this simple solution will allow you to have your sleep and eat it... if you like. When you make your evening meal, make an extra portion and re-heat it for lunch the next day. This meal is likely to be more satisfying than a cardboard packaged sandwich, and will certainly cost you less in the long run. 

3. Spread your Christmas shopping
The most expensive and stressful way to do your Christmas shopping is to allocate all shopping to one Saturday in December spent in a hellishly busy town centre. You will not find everything you need and in desperation will end up spending a fortune on over priced tat such as crystal ash trays and rhinestone embellished bubble bath. To avoid this horrendous fate, start your Christmas shopping as early as you can bare. This doesn't mean that you have to go to your local shopping centre every weekend, just search the homeware / clothing clearance isles in your local supermarket each time you go and keep an eye on Amazon's daily deals. Keep a little notebook with you, or a list on your phone, of each person you need to buy for and every item you have built up so far. Your Christmas shopping will be over and done with before you know it.

4. Pot luck parties
Nights out drinking with your mates can be the route of the best stories and fun times. But, repeat this ritual once a week (or more frequently), and not only will the experience become monotonous, but you will also find yourself all too often overdrawn. Far from suggesting a cut back in socialising, I simply urge you to be more imaginative with your plans. Choose a host, and split the supplies for an evening in between each attendee. There should be a person responsible for each of the following; starter, main course, desert, drinks and cheese. This is a much cheaper way of hosting a great dinner party and can be every bit as fun as a night commencing at your local weatherspoons...

5. Mid week date night
Setting aside some time just for you and your other half is always important, and never more so than when the Winter time blues start to creep in. If you usually go out to the cinema or for a meal on a Friday or Saturday night, try switching to a mid week date night. Voucher cloud (the app discussed here: http://wiseoldrabbit.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/the-best-bargainista-apps.html) frequently has 2-4-1 or 25% off deals at an abundance of chain restaurants. Many other non-chain restaurants offer mid-week deals to fill their tables, or cheaper early bird menus. Team this with an Orange Wednesdays code for your local cinema and you have a fantastic date night for a fraction of the price!

I hope that this post will help some of you to manage your outgoings over the expensive festive season. Above all, please remember that you time is worth more than any gift. Give it generously to those who you love and enjoy a few days break from the stresses of normal life.

Until next time... spend wisely, give generously,

The Wise Old Rabbit

*Review* Zoella Blissful Mistful Fragranced Body Mist

Long before the notion of creating a blog myself ever entered my mind, I became an avid subscriber to many different video bloggers (vloggers, if you will). I started my youtube subscription collection with a wonderfully talented lady by the name of Kayley Melissa who creates fantastic tutorials focused on all aspects of hair and beauty, but mainly on imaginative and beautiful hairstyles for the viewer to recreate. Kayley comes across in such a personable way that it makes me wish I was her friend; a trait which leads nicely on to the subject matter of this post - Zoella.

Zoella is a hugely popular British beauty blogger from Brighton. Like Kayley, her approach to vlogging is captivating and I can catch myself watching her back catalog of videos for hours on end. When it was announced that Zoella was to launch her own beauty range, I was eager to try the products. My research lead me to discover that Zoella had produced a fragrance for under £10 the wise old rabbit in me jumped for joy! And so, for you dear readers, here is my review of Zoella Blissful Mistful Fragranced Body Mist, £8 for 45ml.

Let's begin with the packaging - this delightful spritz is presented in a little glass bottle adorned with white polka dots and topped with a rose gold lid. Its exterior is so beautiful I am sure any girl would be happy if presented with this as a gift. 

The scent is described as a "super feminine blend of fresh and floral notes". I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the scent is not at all sickly-sweet but is instead a nose-pleasing blend of girly notes reminiscent of palma violets mingled with a light musk. In my opinion I feel that Zoella has created the perfect balance - a scent light enough to be suitable for daytime but adult enough to suit anyone.

Despite its price, and its insistence on not being a "perfume" this fragrance lasts surprisingly well! I wore the fragrance all day and only felt the need to re-apply after cooking our evening meal.

In short, Blistful Mistful is a little bottle of sunshine. I am delighted with it, and can only hope my wonderful family read this and decide to put the rest of Zoella's pleasing products on my Christmas list... (*HINT* - the candle please...)

Before I go, if this post has encouraged you to seek out the wonderful ladies discussed here (and I really hope it has), allow me to link their youtube channels below. 

Kayley Melissa - www.youtube.com/letsmakeitup1

Zoella - www.youtube.com/user/zoella280390

Until next time... spend wisely, give generously,

The Wise Old Rabbit

Autumn Favourites

Sad as I am to see the warm Summer evenings fade away and become replaced by chilly nights which seem to start at 4pm, I am always comforted by the beautiful reds, golds and greens donning the majestic tress of our countryside. Moreover, the bright cool days provide the perfect partner to a long walk, a chance to re-energise and blow away any dark clouds forming over your mood.

It is with this attitude towards the darker months that I approach this post, to elude to some of the bounty of Autumn ever present for those of you willing to scope out a bargain. I have attempted to categorise my post to allow to you match your reading to your mood.

Food

Spatzle
September saw the return of "German Week" at Lidl, and my local store is still stocking many of the goodies. My all time favorite German purchase is dried Spatzle. This yellow delight is a kind of egg pasta, which is more dense than the traditional Italian version. Although it is often served with cheese sauce, I find spatzle is the perfect gravey-mopper to accompany sausage casserole, Hungarian goulash or any other kind of stew which you might normally have with mashed potato. At 99p for 500g, it is a must try.

Cabbage
Be it green or white, this Autumnal staple is a delight in salads or stir fries and can also be served with more warming dishes such as curry or casserole. Meera Sodha's best selling cookbook 'Made in India' provides a beautiful recipe for Simply Spiced Cabbage which transforms a plain white cabbage into a tremendous side dish, delicious eaten hot or cold. Whilst I fear it would breech some kind of copyright to put the recipe here, I urge you to buy this book if you are partial to a curry. The recipes are easy to follow, the ingredients are simple to find and the results are absolutely mind-blowing.

Butternut Squash
Peel it, cube it, season it, roast it, devour it. I love to eat this sweet, orange delight along side roast potatoes in a roast dinner, or just dipped in garlic sauce. Butternut squash is also beautiful mashed and served as a lighter alternative to mashed potatoes, or stirred through a cheesy risotto.

Beauty

Boots Essentials Curl Creme 250ml, £1.89
I am what a good friend of mine would refer to as "a curly girly". My hair is naturally curly, a trait I have grown to embrace (in contrast to my teenage self who would straighten the hell out of my hair, daily). In the Summer, and in fact whenever I can get away with it, I will scrunch Boots Essentials Styling Mouse Curl (£1.10 for a large fuchsia bottle) - which I SWEAR by - through my damp hair and allow it to dry naturally. However, this approach is not possible on freezing mornings when I must leave the house before my hair has had time to dry naturally. In these desperate times, I mouse up, blast my hair with the hairdryer until 70% dry and then reform my curls with the help of this wonderful creme. I rub the product between my fingers and twist my hair from the bottom in medium sized sections. I then use the residue on my hands to smooth down any frizz around the top section of my hair.

Natural Collection Blushed Cheeks, £1.99
As my sun kissed glow fades, a blusher is essential. I love this particular product not only for its fantastic price, but also for its build-able quality. This blusher is perfect for adding a light glow for work, or layering to produce a more dramatic look for nights out.

Seventeen Stay Pout Lipstick, £4.49
I feel that Summer months lend themselves to a more subtle make-up look, while Autumn and Winter months permit a more dramatic look. For me, Autumn is the start of red-lip season. I prefer a matt look, which this product provides, and my only requirements beyond that are great colour and minimal smudge. Tick, tick, tick. My favorite shade is Infared and I urge you to give it a try as it is every bit as good as No 7 Stay Perfect Lipstick which is more than double the price.

Miscellaneous

Half Price Sainsbury's Homewear
Since the season change, Sainsbury's has had a lot of offers on their homewear including half price bedding. As I changed over from my Summer to my Winter duvet, I felt I was over due a new bedding set. I purchased a beautiful blue and white chevron style set for just £10. Sainsbury's also have a beautiful new range called "Nature Trail" which provides comforting soft furnishings and finishing touches in warm green, brown and orange woodland colours. In my experience Sainsbury's clothing and homewares are always excellent quality and well priced. Even better than that, all large Sainsbury's stores have a clearance isle where bargains can often be found - so make sure you hunt around to find yours.

Matalan App
I am not entirely sure when Matalan launched their app, but I have only recently discovered it myself, and it is absolutely fantastic. Once downloaded, you log into the app using the number on your Matalan Reward Card (which is free for those of you who do not already have one), and can access exclusive discounts as well as the usual rewards, such as birthday vouchers. Better still, there is nothing to print or to remember to carry with you, as you can simply show the cashier your voucher code from the screen of your phone. I have already taken advantage of a 20% off code and will certainly be checking in for more whenever a Matalan is nearby.

Until next time... spend wisely, give generously,

The Wise Old Rabbit

First The Worst, Second The Best

How many of you read that title and then muttered to yourself "...third the one with the hairy chest", a few I hope, otherwise I really will have to reconsider those counselling sessions...

Anyway, far from British playground rhymes or unsightly body hair, today's post is actually about SECONDS. Not wishing to dust off my A Level Physics and talk to you about units of time, I will instead be discussing Factory Seconds, which are items of a production run that contain tiny flaws or imperfections and so are sold at a discounted price.

While I do not suggest that you stock your kitchen cupboards with chipped crockery and bent cutlery, Factory Seconds from high end ranges where only perfection is accepted, really are worth scoping out. Seconds can be less than half the price of the original piece, and often have flaws so tiny that they are imperceptible to anyone less than expert in the range.

After growing tired of attempting to entertain my friends using crockery from my student days (which, at last use, consisted of three plates of different size and two bowls) I decided to invest in a dinner service which I truly loved. It is common to hear fashion writers talk about "investment pieces" for your wardrobe, but when it comes to the kitchen (something that you use EVERY DAY), investment is the key. However, I would not be living up to my mantra if I did not encourage you to invest your money in a real bargain. For me, investment doesn't mean pouring cash into something, it means making your decision or choice as future proof as possible. If you are going to buy a dinner service, you don't want it to look dated and tacky in 5 years time.

Here are a few tips to help you make your choice;

• Don't go for an ultra modern pattern
  If you choose to get pale pink and mustard striped plates with a bicycle motif because you absolutely love the look of it now, believe you me, it will look different in a few years when the 'popular' colours change.
• Food looks best on white plates
  I love to have accents of colour in my dinner service, but food really does look best against a white background. If you love patterns, get a few patterned serving dishes or a tea pot. If you can't bare a plain white plate, go for something with a pattern around the edge - for example a circle of colour around the rim.
• Make sure it is dishwasher proof
  Even if you don't have a dishwasher now, if you love cooking, you WILL want one in the future. Once you are accustomed to a dishwasher, you will never, ever want to wash anything up, least of all every single plate that you use.
• Not everything has to match!
  In fact, I am a great believer in an eclectic look - for one thing, no one else will ever have the same mix as you. In my opinion, the worst thing a kitchen can be is over designed, and the same goes for a dinner service. Whilst I want all of my dinner plates to match, I also want my set to be practical, welcoming and feel like my own. If that means that my table is not laid with glasses, plates, cutlery, serving dishes etc all from the same range and in the same style then so be it! It is also worth baring in mind that if you insist on one particular range or brand you really do limit yourself when it comes to bargain hunting.

And so, to start my journey from bring-your-own-plate host to dinner service owner, I headed to one of the best places to source crockery in the UK - Stoke on Trent. Since the 17th Century, this city in Staffordshire has been renowned for its industrial scale manufacturing of pottery, with crockery giants such as Wedgewood and Royal Dalton establishing themselves there. This is in part due to the availability of nearby clay suitable for pottery and in part due to the abundance of coal in the region, oh so important for an industrial revolution. Sadly, in recent years much of the pottery production has been pulled from the region and out sourced to China. However, many factory shops still remain in the city selling an abundance of high quality seconds at a fraction of the price of the original pieces. A list of the factory shops in Stoke on Trent can be found on the following website http://www.visitstoke.co.uk/ and once you have navigated to one, you can usually ask for a map which will show the others.

I also feel that I must mention that the Emma Bridgewater Factory can been found in Stoke on Trent. It is in a truly beautiful renovated Victorian factory, offering factory tours, pottery classes and a place to get a cup of coffee. It is well worth a visit, although I must warn you that the seconds are not hugely reduced at the factory, so you are better to purchase your Emma Bridgewater seconds elsewhere.

I had done some research before we decided to make the two and a half journey to Stoke, so I knew what kind of things I wanted to look out for. I loved the range Sophie Conran did for Portmeirion, but when it came down to it, I felt the dinner plates were too ridged and would be annoying to eat from. Instead, we opted mainly for Sophie Conran serving dishes and our main plates are actually from a range Gordon Ramsay did for Royal Dalton. I also got other, more colourful, pieces from Spode and Tala and have a few items from Le Cruset (also seconds, but not purchased in Stoke).

If Stoke is too far for you to travel, I urge you to have a look online at outlet villages or factory shops near you. There is a Portmeirion Factory Shop about half an hour away from our home, and I have used it to top up our collection and buy gifts many times. Factory shops often have "deal weekends" where a certain range will be cut price - we once stumbled into a 50% off all Sophie Conran glassware day and the car was considerably heavier on the way home. Ask in the shop if they have a mailing list, they usually do, and if you sign up you will receive emails alerting you to any sales or offers.

I mentioned above that I have purchased many gifts from seconds shops. This is not something of which I am ashamed, and I urge you not to be either! All of the seconds I purchase are of very high quality (or I wouldn't buy them) and they are usually unmarked, so no one would know they are seconds. Furthermore, if a friend of mine would be offended at receiving factory seconds from me, I would have to reconsider how much of a friend they truly were.

Until next time...spend wisely, give generously,

The Wise Old Rabbit

Bargain Baby Buys

I love to hear from my readers, and when I got my very first Facebook like the lady in question requested some ideas for saving money on baby products (incidentally, I would love you to Like me on Facebook, so please click here if you feel the desire to do so!). Although I have not mentioned it before, I am a very proud parent to a beautiful two year old girl. My previous non-disclosure with regards to my little princess has been deliberate, as new as I am to the blogging world I wanted to keep some separation between my personal life and my rabbity alter ego. However, the time that I have spent in front of my computer keying out wisdom has been wonderfully therapeutic and fulfilling to the point where I feel some blurring of lines is perfectly acceptable to me. Whilst I do not intend for this to become a parenting blog; I am delighted to be able to share some of the tips and tricks overflowing from my brain with regards to lavishing your children with the luxury you want for them, whilst maintaining a realistic budget to enable you to save for their future - which believe you me, is more important than all the designer push chairs or baby clothes in the world!

Before I start, I would like to reprimand the baby brands out there who sadistically exploit the new parent's desire to always do the best for their children. You do not need branded, specifically designed tupperware in order to make and store the best meals for your babies, neither does it make you a bad parent if you choose not to spend £150 on a swinging crib which is useless as soon as the baby can sit. Shame on you all, a new parent's heart is full enough with worry without your scaremongering.

Now that I have that rant out of my system I shall begin. I have attempted to arrange this post into an order illustrating methods for purchasing the best bargains and specific highly recommended bargain products.

Sources of Great Baby Bargains

• Car Boot Sales
  This may seem obvious to some, but if you are a new or expecting parent and have not yet started frequenting your local car boot sales, I urge you to do so. We bought our high chair for £5 at a car boot, and whilst it looked a little tatty, once cleaned up*, we never looked back. It was heavy and did not fold flat, two things that led me to believe this highchair would be a temporary solution until a more streamlined version went on sale at Mothercare. HOWEVER, the very things that made me consider it cumbersome, made the chair perfect. It was so heavy there was no danger of it ever being tipped over, and as for not folding flat, I'm afraid I hardly ever bothered to put it away, so frequent was our use of it. The legs could be lengthened and shortened and the chair used with or without the tray meaning that our daughter could sit at the table with us. A similar style of chair would have cost around £100 new. Car boots are also great places to get children's bikes, baby walkers, push chairs, toys, books and baby clothes. I urge you not to feel cheap buying second hand baby clothes. Children grow out of ages 0-3mth, 3-6mth and 6-9mth so quickly that hardly any wear is caused to the clothes. This means that for 20-50p per item you can get some practically new clothes. Get to the car boot early so as to have the best pick of the bargains, and bring your baby along. In my experience the gentle rocking of pram over grass sends even the most cantankerous child to sleep within minutes.
• Gumtree
  I have discussed the virtues of Gumtree before, but it really does come into its own when searching for bigger baby items. Go to Mothercare and pick out the style of pram, push chair, cot, changing table etc that you like and then see if you can source them on Gumtree. We got a beautiful cot with movable sides on Gumtree for £20 and it is currently stowed in our attic, should we decide to reproduce again.
• Local Facebook Buying Groups
  You can usually find a Facebook buying group specifically for the sale of baby and children's items in your area. These are great places to pick up large bundles of second hand clothes and toys. However, these sites should be used cautiously; when you go to pick up your items make sure you have a good look at them before handing over the cash, and don't be afraid to walk away from the purchase if the item isn't as much of a deal as you thought it was going to be.
• TU clothing at Sainsbury's
  The children's clothing range at Sainsbury's is absolutely fantastic. The quality is every bit as good as the more expensive Next, Boots or Mothercare brands, and the clothes are wonderfully colourful and fun. There are two other brilliant things about Sainsbury's clothes - firstly, they always have a sale rail somewhere and the clothes here are usually half price. Secondly, it seems that every bank holiday weekend they have a 25% off clothes event, making their beautiful items even more affordable.
• Home Bargains
  Home Bargains is to me what taking selfies is to Kim Kardashian - without one the other would not survive. My cleaning product purchasing habits are not the only thing keeping Home Bargains in business - their baby isle takes a hammering from me too. You can often get branded baby wipes (I love the Pampers Fresh Clean Wipes), nappy creams and children's medicines for a fraction of the supermarket price. More than that, their baby gift range is wonderful. Beautifully presented boxed socks for 79p, appliqued fleece blankets for £3.99 and Disney toys, teethers and feeding sets for pennies.

Brilliant Bargain Baby Products

• Sainsbury's Little Ones Dry Nappies
  I have heard many parents wax lyrical about Aldi nappies, but as our local Aldi opened after our daughter was dry, I have never tried them myself. I can however, strongly recommend the Sainsbury's version, which are about 1p more per nappy than the Aldi ones. They go on (and stay on) easily, absorb every bit as well as Pampers, and do not leak. Incidentally, they are half the price of Pampers. What more could you want? 
• Sainsbury's Little Ones Pull On Junior's
  I don't subscribe to the theory that pull-up nappies are a requirement of potty training, but these are brilliant for changing very active babies when they first start to walk, as most changes can be done without requiring the child to lay down. In my experience, these are much better than the Pampers Easy Up Pants as they can be easily opened (and re-sealed) at the sides. At 18p per nappy, verses 32p for the branded ones they are a bargain not to be missed.
• Tesco Loves Baby 64 Fragranced Baby Wipes
  I do prefer to get the Pampers wipes from Home Bargains as mentioned before, but if you are unable to get to a Home Bargains, these are a great alternative. They are as functional as a baby wipe can be, cause no irritation to sensitive skin and have a plastic clip style seal to stop the wipes from drying out. Perfect!
• Tesco Loves Baby and Toddler Soft & Gently / Gentle Shampoo
  As far as I can tell, this is exactly the same as Johnson's Baby Gold Shampoo, and it is half the price (unless the Johnson's stuff is on offer...).
• Sainsbury's Little Ones Botty Wipes
  These are, basically, flush-able baby wipes, or wet toilet tissue if you like. They are half the price of the Andrex version and smell amazing! They are perfect for potty training, or just generally for messy children.
• Tommee Tippee Explora Easy Drink Cup - 260ml
  This is THE BEST non-spill cup. It has a heart shaped valve which makes it really and truly non-spill (providing that the adult who fills it screws the lid on properly!) I have seen this product for some silly prices, but I bought mine in Wilko for £3, which it still is today. In fact, if you want anything Tommee Tippee branded, Wilko seems to be the cheapest place to find it.

I feel like this post could go on for ever, but in stead I will leave you with one more parting piece of wisdom: download the Aldi app. Go on, do it. Do it now. Right now. Aldi have some FANTASTIC special buys for babies, children and parents ranging from books and toys through to nipple cream (which I hear is fantastic). If you have the app, you are pre-warned about the special buys that are coming, so you can be sure not to miss out,

Until next time... spend wisely, give generously,

The Wise Old Rabbit

*A small side note - when cleaning second hand items such as toys or high chairs which have a lot of scuffed or dirty plastic, a cream cleaner (like Cif or the non-brand equivalent) on a dry cloth and some elbow grease will bring it up beautifully. This is a tip from my mother, for which I am repeatedly grateful.

DIY Eye Make-Up Remover (NITMM)

Time for another NITMM (Not Interesting To Most Men) post! Let me assure you, whilst your boyfriend may not find use for this post, you certainly will and your wallet will like it too!

I was once bought Boots No7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make-up Remover as a part of a gift set, and let me tell you, it is brilliant. It easily wipes away all make-up, including waterproof mascara and long wear eyeliners. HOWEVER, this product is £8.50 per 100ml, and its viscosity means that you will power through this little bottle in a flash. With my mantra, £8.50 is too much to spend on this product without feeling horribly guilty every time I open my bathroom cabinet. 

And so, for you and me, I began a search for an alternative. Surprisingly, I did not find the alternative adorning Lidl's shelves, but instead through an adapted Pintrest post I stumbled upon whilst eating my lunch. Instead of wasting your money trying out every budget eye-make up remover on the market, why not try making your own. This process is ridiculously easy, and I promise, once you have moved over to this homemade delight, you will not look back.

I decided to use my spent No7 container to create my new remover, so the following will make enough product to fill an 100ml container. Scale up and down as you wish.

Ingredients
60ml x Tap water*
20ml x Baby Oil
1tsp x Tear Free Baby Shampoo

*Whilst I say tap water, as I live in an area which suffers terribly from hard water, I actually used water from the Britta Water Filter.

Method
In a jug dissolve the shampoo in the water, then transfer into your bottle. Add the baby oil, then shake well before each use.

Pounds and Pennies
I used Tesco Loves Baby & Toddler Soft & Gently/Gentle Shampoo which is £1 for 500ml and Johnson's Baby Oil which is £1.25 for 300ml. As these two will allow you to refill your No7 container over ten times, your homemade solution works out at less than 3% of the cost of the shop bought version. 

As a side note, if you wish to use up your left over Baby Shampoo, it is brilliant for clarifying the hair and removing product build up, so just place it in your shower tray and use it for every other wash.

Until next time... spend wisely, live generously,

The Wise Old Rabbit

Brands I Buy and What I Pay

While I am a huge fan of no frills supermarket buys and Aldi or Lidl brands, there are some things which I always buy branded. Most of these are long shelf life items, so I tend to buy them in quantity when they are at their lowest price. Taking advantage of sales and special offers really is a quick route to luxury on a shoestring. Since I left home and became a frequenter of supermarkets I have been monitoring my favorite brands in order to stock my shelves for the lowest price. In order to help you do the same I have listed some of my staples and the price I pay.

Surf Essential Oils Powder Tropical Lily & Ylang Ylang - 45 Washes
£5 - 6 

This is the best washing powder for heavenly scented clothes, towels and sheets. At its normal price of £9, it is miles beyond my sending capacity. However this washing powder is frequently on offer for between £5 and £6, which I am happy to pay; and so, with a little forward planning, I never wash with anything else.

Comfort Concentrate Fabric Conditioner Exhilarations Blueberry & Jasmine Twist - 33 Washes
£2

In case it is not obvious, I am a big fan of beautiful smelling washing. I use this mainly for bed clothes and big warm jumpers, where I want a little extra softness and scent to snuggle up in. Its standard cost is around £3.90, but I have never paid more than £2.

Fairy Pomegranate & Honeysuckle Washing Up Liquid (530ml)
£1
Led, as ever, by my olfactory sense, this washing up liquid makes me happy; and believe me, if I am washing up I need all the happiness I can get. I always buy the large bottles, which can be over £2 each, but I only ever get them when they are on offer (usually 2 for £2).

Fairy All in 1 Dishwasher Tablets Citrus(51)
£5

These usually cost an extortionate £10-15 per bag, so I stock up when they are on offer at £5. To further reduce the cost of running a dishwasher, I do not use these in every cycle. Instead I use the Sainsbury's Basics All in One Dishwasher Tablets which are (£1.80 for 30) on alternate washes. I find if I use a budget brand continually, on about the third wash all of my crockery has a milky residue, but alternating with Fairy eliminates this issue.

Herbal Essences Silk 'n' Shine Shampoo / Conditioner - Dry Damaged Hair (400ml)

£2

This is Herbal Essences in its old-style packaging, and its nostalgic scent takes me back to my school days. The bottles are usually priced at £3, but frequently go down to £2 and sometimes even cheaper (currently £1.89 at Tesco). This is not the only shampoo / conditioner I use, but it is certainly one of my favorites.

Flash All Purpose Cleaning Liquid Cotton Fresh with Febreze (1.3L)
£1-2
Flash is the best all purpose cleaner out there, and this one smells fantastic. I always buy Flash from Home Bargains (the shop for which a whole post will certainly follow one day soon) where it is always between £1-2. Home Bargains is great for stocking "rarer" or limited edition (less popular) fragrances of certain branded products, and my all time favorite Flash was called Newzealand Springs; but alas, I have been unable to find that for quite some time now.

Kenco Millicano Wholebean Instant(85g)

£1.15

Although I am a self confessed "morning person", I can hardly string together a sentence longer than "Good morning darling" before my first cup of coffee. As a serious coffee enthusiast I can certainly say that when it comes to Kenco Millicano you CAN believe the hype. It is hands down the best instant coffee on the market, and every so often the major supermarkets will sell these packets in a buy-one-get-one-free offer, making them just £1.15 each. When this miraculous time occurs, I will be the crazy lady pushing the trolley full of the stuff.

And so to conclude; although shopping savvy sounds like a time consuming business, far from suggesting that you visit every supermarket every week to sniff out the best deals, my only advice is this: if its on offer, buy a few. If you run out of something specific and need to buy it that week, search on mysupermarket.co.uk for your chosen product and it will show you which supermarket currently has the best price.

Until next time... spend wisely, give generously,

The Wise Old Rabbit