January's Bargains, Freebies & Wins

Hello! I haven't had any time to blog this half term, we haven't done anything remotely exciting but we have enjoyed eachothers company and that's all the matters. Now I've got a spare moment on my Sunday morning, I can finally share with you January's freebies and prizes!

Because I'm being careful with the pennies I try not to pick up things I really don't need. However, I've started a box of books which I've bought for family and friends and plan to give at Christmas this year. I can't take any photos because they may see them and guess which book belongs to them, but so far, all the books I've purchased have come from The Works in their massive sale, several at only 50p!

Freebies

I had some good freebies drop through the letter box over January I'm pleased to say! I never just get freebies because they're free like some people may do or may think I do. All the free things I sign up for I either genuinely want to try or I already like the product and getting a free sample is ace. Plus it's better than bills!

I got several Bodyform samples plus several vouchers for money off future products in the same range, always handy to add to the handbag and bathroom baskets and the vouchers will be useful too!

Money Wise Magazine

This offer popped up in my mail box and I decided to sign up with them and see what's in the magazine. I haven't read it properly yet but just by flicking through I'm thinking it's pretty good and will inspire me to keep saving.

Dylon colour catcher

I forgot I signed up for this one and I'm glad I did purely for the laughs! I got a red envelope on my door step and thought it was from a pen pal, when I opened it this tiny booklet fell out with this small sheet floating after it. I thought it was really funny sending literally a sheet out for sample but then it is a sample! I haven't used it yet mind you, I'm too nervous!

I'm not sure how I ended up with several La Roche Posy creams but I'm not complaining! I've popped them in my bathroom basket for future use, I haven't finished using my other samples yet and don't like to open them all in one go, it's such a waste.

Another cream I received last month was this Aveeno cream. I saw it advertised on the television and thought it sounded nice so when it popped up as a sample with Magic Freebies I wanted to try it. I really like this cream and I think I'll buy the full sized product in the near future.

Finally I got this face wash from Soap and Glory! I wasn't expecting their samples to even be this size to be honest, normally big companies can be fairly stingy so I was pleasantly surprised! I've not used the face wash yet but I'm sure it'll be fine on my skin and I'll use it again. 

I also got a Purina cat food sample and voucher which I passed on and a Little Dish voucher which I stupidly forgot to use!

Prizes

I was getting a bit fed up with not winning anything after the beginning of December but 3 wins came at once. I won £50 in Iceland vouchers by entering their Facebook giveaways for 3 days in a row, then I won a £50 lingerie voucher with Bras&Honey via a blog giveaway so I was over the moon! I also won a Muggles Tour in London for 2 adults on a blog giveaway too, really pleased.

February has been good for wins so far and I look forward to sharing them with you when the month is out. I've not had quite so many freebies this month because as I said, I don't just grab everything going, I dislike clutter so wait for something I really would like to try. I hope I have a few more goodies to show you by then though! 

Cupcake Mumma

Five Under £5 January

I was browsing through Twitter the other day when I came across Rainbeaubelle's Five under £5. Being a massive bargain hunter I have decided that this is just the new link up I have been looking for. So, lets get stuck in!

This collar was on sale on Ebay for £3.45 and it's lovely. Since Peppa was ill we've had a totally different bond, I wanted to buy her something and as she needed a new collar I bought her this lovely one. I was really pleased when I saw all the sparkles too, she wears it very proudly!

A stashed birthday gift for Midge's birthday this week. This book is full of all sorts of lovely activities that I know Midge will love doing because she is so creative. I got this from The Book People and it was only £3.95.

Another one for Midge and again it only cost £3.95 in The Book People online sale which has saved more than half on the original price. Happy Hannah.

A £3.45 book from Ebay, a little scruffy but I kind of like my books with that old look. What I hate is when people write in them (unless it's a nice note, I like them!) I bought this for an online book club I've joined but I haven't gotten around to starting it properly yet.

Finally, I know it's Christmassy but I was desperate to shut the horrid draught out and when I saw this draught excluder in Aldi in their sale for only £1.99 I had to have it.  It's such a lovely design and fits in the home perfectly so I really don't mind that I've bought a Christmas one!

Do visit Rainbeaubelle and link up your great items under £5

Cupcake Mumma

Recent Freebies, Bargains and Wins! #1

Happy New Year you lovely lot! I'll be writing up my Christmas post soon but I wanted my first post of 2016 to feature my most recent freebies, bargains and wins because I'm hoping to have the whole year full of cheap or free stuff to save money! Hope you enjoy!

Using magicfreebiesuk.co.uk, latestfreestuff.co.uk (you might recognise them from this weeks Dragons Den!) and keeping my eye out on Twitter (follow my other account here for comping and freebie finds!) I've had a nice few bits of free happy post pop through my door in December.

Olay was a great find on Twitter and I totally forgot about it! I was really pleased when it came in the post, love a surprise! This cream is retailing for £9.99 in my local Superdrug so a great freebie win. I've put it in my hamper which I've started again for birthdays throughout the year and Christmas. I got the Candy Crush perfume through my sister and it actually smells lovely. The cream was from a free stuff search and it's really nice.

I hit the sales after Boxing Day and wasn't disappointed. All these buys have been either put in the hamper or under the bed for 2 impending January birthdays! One box of M&M's may have already been eaten!

Before Christmas I was sent a hamper, I think a few people on social media got one and a few bloggers did too. It was a hamper with a Yorkshire theme from Plusnet and was a nice surprise through the door.

My most recent win (I haven't been lucky yet this month) is still from December and was a set of Sims games from a mumsnet Twitter competition, I was well chuffed!

Have you nabbed any freebies? Won any competitions or bagged any bargains recently? I want to know!

Happy (Frugal) New Year!

Cupcake Mumma

A Loyal Customer?

I used to fancy myself as a very loyal customer to one big supermarket: Tesco. The main reason I have always been their loyal little shopper week in week out was actually because it was the only store for many years that I was closest to.

Sainsburys opened when I lived out on the sticks but for me they didn't quite live up to the hype surrounding them. Now these two stores are not much different. I have also tried Asda and for me personally, the less said about them the better.

No it has definitely been Tesco from the beginning for me. Especially with their little blue loyalty cards that make you think twice about leaving them. Think of the points! I've used those points at Christmas and various times throughout the year. Mind you the only reason I have so much at Christmas is because I am incredibly underwhelmed at the amount I see written on my leaflet which promises such goodness to be inside. Not much for a 'loyal' customer.

Anyway, I decided I had had enough of Tesco, as I have before but then I began thinking of 'the points' and ran back like a little girl. Now I am a big girl and I will not look at that damn blue piece of plastic and be lured back..Okay i will sometimes after all it's about shopping around.

There is one supermarket I have never paid that much attention to. Not Waitrose nah ah, they're not made for folk like me. I doubt I could afford a *carrot . Nope I'm talking about Morrisons.

On Thursday the Other Half, Little Man and I hopped on a bus, shopping list in hand with a challenge in our minds: Make this supermarket make us smile. Especially at the final bill in my frugal little hand.

First off we were a little peckish. I don't like to do this often as I find supermarkets can be pretty stingy with their portions, have not great tasting food (not because they're often value range, that stuff is just as good) and really lets face it, it's a waste of money. But we had a spare ten pounds, we were all hungry after dropping Little Miss off and catching the earliest bus that we qued up with the rest of them.

How different was this place? The atmosphere was so much calmer despite there being just as many people being in the cafe as any other supermarket. Morrissons has a slightly smaller cafe department than most stores too. The staff were really friendly which isn't usually a problem for me anywhere else so is just a bonus. The food was really nice. Okay so we only had egg and chips. a cake, burger and chips for Other Half and a baby jar with 2 drinks as well this total came under budget costing around £7.68 I was really pleased because that's the cheapest I've eaten in a supermarket with 3 of us.

After the quick lunch we went off to the real challenge: The food shop. My budget is £60 a week with the hope of having left over cash at the end for the pot in the kitchen in case we need extras during the week. It was hard going around a store new to us, and we were at great risk of popping things in the old trolley just because we were passing through aisle's we didn't need to. Always a danger. Luckily we didn't add anything we didn't need.

The biggest joy for me (as sad as it sounds) was the Free From section. A constant battle for me is getting supermarkets to stock up a decent size section. My local Tesco is getting better, but I still have to travel by bus to another town just to buy some self raising flour. I can't afford everything from a health food store so I keep them for the cheaper basics.

Morrisons had a really good section for Free From food. I was so happy to have naan breads for dinner and to see there would be no more shopping around for me every week. Yey!

At the checkout the lady was super nice, bags were there already and it was noticed when we were low without having to ask more than twice if we 'could have some more bags please?' Usually I take bags with me but on this occasion I totally forgot. At least I have more to stash under the buggy! Their bags seem stronger I noticed as well. Oh, and the best part? My bill came to *drum roll* £44.86!

Of course that £44 doesn't buy totally everything I need. I nipped over to Lidl (usually it's Aldi though) to buy their nappies which are great. Morrissons are good nappies but when I can get just about 2 weeks worth for £4.99 I'm not likely to go elsewhere am I? I was buying £1.99 nappies in the Tesco Value range but another price hike has seen them go just over £2 so I am making a saving. Even after that there was some change for the pot for my bread (everyone had beaten me to it-darn) and anything we run out of as you do.

Thumbs up Morrisons, you have a new customer in me. I'm not too bothered about my Tesco Clubcard when I realise I don't get much from it anyway. So, which supermarket are you loyal to, if any? Or are you loyal to your local town which is even more important at this time? Or do you just go here there and everywhere much like me but have a preferred choice of supermarket?

I'd be interested to hear you views, or even if you totally disagree!  For me though, I am rather happy with my new choice of store.

******

* An exaggeration

* I have posted this purely for my blog. No supermarket has asked me specifically to comment on their store. I'm just a mummy blogger who thinks too much about shopping and budgets!

This Is Dedication:

I'm poorly yet still Blogging. I'm sure everyone does it but it makes me feel special so meh, I'll feel special!
As promised I wanted to share my finds from yesterdays little Charity shop hunt, so here we are:

A children's book for 30p another Xmas pressie

My 'nothing special' fruit bowl but it's nice!

I think this frame will look nice in my bathroom. Very 'Cornwall'

So here's the lovely tiger for Little Mans pressie

The Framed seaside picture is not a recent find but it's something I really like and thought I'd share. I got more Christmas shopping done today and excluding my dear Other Half we only have 4 people left to buy for and only one (my dear Pops) has left me completely stumped (and then there's presents to Daddy from Little Miss and Man...Ideas on a postcard please!)

Which reminds me. My parents went off to Devon last weekend and as I have mentioned before here I am an avid collector of postcards. My Mum very thoughtfully brought back a selection of postcards from her trip but this one stands out as my favourite and as such will be framed for my ever growing 'Cupcake Kitchen'

 Off now to feel sorry for myself. All the best.

Can't Wait To Try Out My New Recipe Book!

My Mother In Law To Be came up trumps today by turning up with this great Gluten Free cookbook, another great find from The Works store, I knew there was a reason I loved them so much! Now, if only they accepted Love 2 Shop Vouchers....

I'm pleased to say I have finally got back my baking bug! It scuttled off some while ago but since I started blogging and seeing all these fab meal plans, photos and how so many people are so adventurous with their cooking I finally feel like I want to cook and bake again. I find it very hard being on a restricted diet. Everyone has a nightmare remembering what you can and cannot eat, you have to always read the labels on your food which always makes uncomfortable in the store, not to mention  it's harder to get the knack of cooking without certain ingredients. I can't wait to get stuck in to this book and look forward to sharing the results!

Also today I managed some great finds in my local charity stores. I got a new fruit bowl, slightly smaller than my very 'out there' pink mixing bowl which will hold a nice big Christmas Truffle! Yummy. I picked up some baby vests as Little Man is growing fast and I hope to pick some more clothes up from a mum on my local Netmums site so another bargain there I would think. I got myself a light up door decoration for our Halloween party next week for 75p and a teddy for £1 which is in really good condition still with tags on so I plan to wrap this up for Little Man for Christmas- Never underestimate what people donate to charity, you can find some great items these days which are indeed perfect for an occasion of any kind. I have no care that people may find my 'odd' or 'stingy' they can go and buy the same or similar object for twice the amount if they so wish!

I also used some of my long awaited Love 2 Shop vouchers today that I had been saving up for since the beginning of the year with Park catalogue. I didn't like parting with them much but at least I can cross a fair few people off my list and I looked out for offers and bargains whilst trying not to compromise too much on quality for the person in mind!

Anyway, will upload my finds tomorrow, for now I look forward to planning my write up to Life Circle Part 3, Writing Workshop and also planning my post for The Gallery whilst struggling with The Scavenger Hunt!
Ta Ta!

Market Day!

I have not enjoyed going to my local market for so long and today I nearly wasn't going to go due to just feeling it was part of some boring, mundane routine I carry around with me every week. I am so glad that today though we went up there because boy, did we find some bargains!

Oh I know, more bargains to brag about, I may just be a little pleased with my finds (only a tiny bit-I promise!) Well, first we came across a lady selling all manner of things baby so naturally I was drawn to this pitch. I picked up a pair of Peppa Pig shoes for 50p which I think are going to be perfect for nursery (pretty shiny shoes just don't survive my daughter and the sandpit!) Then I happened to see one of those great seats which your child sits in and you tie it to a chair so they can sit at the table with you..this was £3 but I also had my eye on a little inflatable bath for Little Man to try as he seems to be quite terrified of the bath at the moment. Anything is worth a try in my house.

Anyway this was £2. I decided to take a long time debating which item I should pick up (knowing the booster seat was my best option but annoyingly drawn to the damn pool) when the lady looked up, saw I was still there and offered me both for £3. Yippee!!! I thought.

I picked up a non chocolate Christmas calender for the upcoming event for £1 inside the market, which is all lovely and glittery, Little Miss doesn't seem to be put off by the fact there are stickers inside instead of chocolate which is nice. We always grew up with both a choccy calender and also a very old (still going through) non choccy calender which we equally all enjoyed taking in turns to open.

We had lunch in Tesco and I got some good pics to share. I think the best bargain however was this 4 man tent from Tesco which was £30...reduced to....£7.50. I think I need a new blog title no?

Me and my Little Man having fun in the tent

Tomorrow I think I might bake something, cook a roast and maybe transform some recyclable objects into robots and Halloween decorations..I think Little Miss will like that. And dearest can finally sort the rooms!
Have a good Sunday

There are those teeth I was talking about!

Tucking In!

Cupcake Mumma x