Things I am not going to buy - Day 17: Food that is reduced because it needs using up that day

This could, technically, come under the banner of "bargains", as covered in yesterday's blog.  I wander around the supermarket, or M&S food department, and spot the magic words "REDUCED" on some fresh produce.  That is, of course, one of the trigger words that sets off the bargain hunting instinct, and I am immediately on "bargain alert". 

The magic word!

Now we all know that the shops are over-cautious with their sell-by/best-by/use-by dates, and we all get a bit confused (or is it just me???). 

When I buy food that is reduced because it needs to be eaten immediately, I have every good intention of either cooking it on the day I buy it or the next day, or, of freezing it (if it is meat).  In reality, I take it home, put it in the fridge, and find it a week later, along with the other food I have bought and not eaten.  

Things I am not going to buy - Day 16: Bargains

What is it about a bargain?  I truly believe that it is part of human nature to seek out and snare a bargain, in the way our ancient ancestors used to seek out and snare wandering beasts for their dinner.  It doesn’t seem to matter how wealthy people are, how much they actually want and, more importantly, NEED something, the sight of a “discount” sticker or “sale” notice, brings out the hunter in the mildest of us (and I’m certainly not that!).

Of course, all the big retailers know this and use it to squeeze as much of our hard earned cash out of us as they possibly can.  In the not-so-dim-and-distant past, shops would have JANUARY sales.  We looked forward to that period after Christmas - many starting on Boxing Day or the day after, when we could go out ready to do battle with the hoards for the real bargains.  Shops were selling off their winter stock, and you could pretty well guarantee that you would find the same coat or dress you had bought at full price 3 weeks ago, reduced by 50%.  There was also a mid-year sale in July, when the shops would sell off their summer stock in readiness for the winter woollies to come in, before everyone had been on their summer holidays!  These days, we have come to expect everything to be discounted to the point that we won't buy anything unless it is marked down.  "Sales" are all year round at most stores, and online retailers like Amazon make a big deal out of showing the "RRP" along with their price, and the amount you are saving.  Quite often it is only about 3p, but the bargain hunter in us still loves the fact that we are not paying full price. 

I KNOW it is wrong.  I KNOW I am being duped.  So why is it that when I see things "on offer", I feel the need to buy them!  This applies to clothes, household goods, food, books, gadgets... anything really.  I can guarantee that the clothes that sit in my wardrobe unworn and unloved are ones that I didn't fall in love with and pay full price for - they are the ones that were reduced in price.  My "price-per-wear" works out far lower on items I have paid a higher price for, as I actually WANTED them when I bought them. 

If I make just ONE change as a result of this review of things I shouldn't be spending money on, it should be to stop buying "bargains" unless I have already identified a need for something and the bargain just happens to tick all the boxes (and, importantly, it would have been worth buying at full price).

Things I am not going to buy - Day 15: Indian spices

I love curry, and so do DH and DS.  So much, in fact, that we have a curry every Friday night - sometimes we go out, but usually we have one at home, along with a bottle of wine to celebrate the end of the week (DS doesn't have any wine of course!). 

I really like home made curry, and I like the fact that it can be made more a lot more healthy than a restaurant version where they tend to overuse the oil, and underuse vegetables.  Every now and again I get this crazy idea that I will make a curry feast, and get out my pile of Indian cook books to look at the lovely pictures of all the delicious dishes I plan to prepare.  Off I go to the specialist shops, armed with a HUGE list of all the spices I need - I have even been known to buy whole spices, fully intending to roast and grind them so that the flavour is fresher.  Sometimes, I even get around to cooking an Indian meal from scratch!  I slave away for hours grinding spices and making about 3 or 4 different dishes, plus rice, raitas, naans, etc (I have never actually made my own naans, even though it is apparently "very easy").  The dishes usually turn out to be delicious, and if I'm not cooking for other people, there is usually plenty left to freeze for another day.  However, once I have done all this slaving away, that's it!  I'm not going to attempt it for another few more years.  I can't tell you how many times I have come across lots of little containers of spices in the back of the cupboard that are about 6 months past their "use by" date.  Whilst no-one would die if they were used, the flavour would not be very fresh, so they all go into the bin. 

Cooking curries is another thing to add to the list of "things I will do more of when I'm retired".  I have to admit defeat for now, and not buy any more spices to go off in my cupboard (they smell nice when emptied into the food waste bin tho;!).

Things I am not going to buy - Day 14: Bikinis

I am probably cheating a bit with this one.  Whilst I am likely to find it very hard to suppress the urge to buy some new black trousers or boots, or a lovely, shiny, leather handbag, I am most unlikely to find myself in the position of considering the purchase of a bikini.  It’s a shame really, because my bod, following the efforts I put in to bash it into shape, now looks better than it ever did when I was in my 20s (sorry, I know I keep mentioning this...), and probably wouldn’t look too repulsive in a well-crafted bikini, with large covering bottoms and a supportive top (thanks, Bravissimo).  HOWEVER, I am not Helen Mirren! 

There are definitely some things that just have to stop at a certain age – I’m not quite sure what that age is, but I have absolutely no doubt that I passed it quite a few years ago!  Wearing a bikini is high on that list.  It’s not as though I enjoy sitting on the beach sun-bathing anyway.  I’m including this item in my list just in case something happens, such as I get an invitation onto the yacht of a rich playboy, and I think “I know – I’ll buy myself a nice bikini!” No! No! No!

Things I am not going to buy - Day 13: Travel size toiletries

Alongside the need to have the perfect travel bag, perfectly packed with everything required for a particular trip, with nothing missing and nothing taken along that doesn't get used, is the quest for the perfect size toiletries - little bottles, tubes and tubs with just enough of the lotion/potion/cream/paste for the length of the trip so that the containers can all be thrown away before returning home, leaving me less encumbered on the return journey (and with extra space in the luggage for any additional purchases).


It is only in recent years that it became possible to purchase pretty well every toiletry requirement in doll-size packaging.  Mini tubes of toothpaste, little bottles of shampoo, conditioner, bath/shower stuff, mouthwash, mini deodourants, shaving stuff, wipes for everything... Partly driven by the change in policy by airlines to only allow containers of liquid holding a maximum of 100ml, and by the fact that pretty well all airlines now charge for hold luggage, with the result that travellers all try to manage with only carry-on bags. 



This is, in theory, a good idea, however, as with most things, there are a few potential flaws:

Firstly, it is very expensive to buy items made in small quantities. For example, whilst a 250ml bottle of Sanctuary body wash or body lotion costs £5.50 at Boots (2.2p per ml), the 75ml "travel size" bottles cost £2.50 each (3.3p per ml).  Don't even THINK about buying these items at the airport, as the mark-up is even more obscene:

Secondly, it is wasteful and bad for the environment to use lots of items in small packaging and then dispose of the packets/bottles. 
Thirdly, it is impossible to buy items in exactly the right quantity for a week-end/week/fortnight trip.  You either end up with not quite enough of a product, or too much.  Do you chuck the rest?  That is wasteful.  Do you bring it home?  You then have to remember to use it up. 

Quite apart from all this, I have a bag full of little miniature size toiletries and cosmetics, that I should really use up, because they aren't meant to be kept once opened.  In future, I am going to resort to what I used to do before it was possible to buy all these mini-products, and use the empty plastic bottles that I bought for just this purpose, and refill them for each trip with enough product from the larger sizes that I normally use.  OK, this isn't going to work for toothpaste - don't fancy decanting that into a pot to take with me, so I might just allow myself to keep buying those miniature sizes. 

Things I am not going to buy - Day 12: Heston Caramel Popcorn Ice-cream

There's not a lot that can be said about this.  It is something that didn't exist up until about 6 months ago, and I was persuaded to buy by my son, who adores popcorn.  My son didn't like it.  I have absolutely no reason to buy it - especially as I absolutely loved the taste, and manage to eat the whole of rest of the carton - in ONE go!  Don't think the "calories per portion" quoted on the carton covered a portion of that size!  I think it must contain a drug as it is so addictive.

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Things I am not going to buy - Day 11: Black boots

Along with the black trousers (see yesterday's blog) goes the black ankle boots.  For the 48 weeks of the year that it isn’t summer, If I am dressed and not in my house, chances are I am wearing black ankle boots.  I usually do my boot shopping in secret, as I know my DH will ask me if I NEED another pair of black ankle boots.  I have always answered that a girl can never have too many pairs of black ankle boots.  Not true…

I should take this picture everywhere with me (perhaps as a background on my phone...) and look at it every time I am anywhere near a shop selling boots.  Seriously!