Magazines.

I very, very rarely buy mags in the shops as I just don't think it's worth it! I will occasionally, if there's a really good gift with it or if I'm desperate for something to read. What I prefer to do is sign up to magazine subscriptions online. There are regular offers meaning you can get a few copies at a very low price and/or with a great free gift.

This year I've had subscriptions for 3 copies each (I think? Maybe 4...) of Heat and Grazia for £3. I had a terrible time with their customer services as after the confirmation letter & first copy of each, I received nothing. They said the address was wrong and the magazines were sent back - how is that possible when I had received the letter and first magazines?? Anyway, in the end it got sorted out, I got back copies of all that I'd missed (despite not wanting them!) & had the subscription extended so god knows how many I ended up with, about 12 of each I think. I've got them piled up ready to give to the girls to make collages.

I signed up for a subscription to Radio Times, I think that was 6 months worth for £1? Excellent bargain there, I don't particularly want to read them but again they are great for crafts.

Lastly, I have a subscription to Glamour - this is my favourite! I paid £6 for this one and I have no idea how many months that covers. Maybe 6? And I also got a lovely package of hair products from them as a gift for signing up. It's one of the more upmarket Schwarzkopf sets, and I got shampoo, conditioner, deep conditioner and serum which have kept me going for a good 5 months so far. Anyway, I'm always surprised when it arrives as, like if say, I can't remember how many copies I'm getting!

Over the period I've been getting Glamour, I've been really impressed. There's been a few free gifts and even in the months where there isn't a free gift, there's trial sachets and perfume testers inside which I love! I also find it's a bit more 'educated' than some of the other glossies, and has more in-depth articles about more important subjects.

So, December's Glamour just popped unexpectedly through my door and I'm over the moon. I have a letter to take to my closest Nails, Inc counter to get a free nail varnish worth £11. I have a gift card for either £3, £15 or £100 off at Body Shop with no minimum spend. I have a discount card for 20% off at H&M. And I have a sachet of Pantene conditioner, and a tester of Calvin Klein perfume. On top of that, I'm actually looking forward to reading the magazine itself!

Frugal meals! And a cheap trip to the cinema...

We had a treat day yesterday as when S is off midweek we like to have a date day. We did a little bit of shopping and had lunch in a new all you can days world buffet restaurant. It was £6.99 each which included unlimited drinks too and it was lovely. We went there around 12:30 and didn't need anything to eat for the rest of the day! We popped to a local coffee shop for some peppermint tea after to help us digest. That was £3.40 altogether but we realised afterwards the teapots were big enough for probably about 4 cups so we could have easily shared.

Then we went to the cinema to see Annabelle. We usually only go on a Tuesday or Wednesday when it's cheap - but I had a voucher for 2 4 1 entry every Monday this month, plus we had a voucher each for a free drink or popcorn. Excellent bargain! £7.50 total for two tickets and two cups of Pepsi Max. The film was good too, creepy and the baby in it was adorable which made us even more excited for ours coming in a few weeks.

So today, S is back at work, the girls are at their dad's still so I'm alone til about 6pm. I've got housework to do - I've done some of it already - and I've just done lunch and tea - it's leftover day!

For tea we are using our trusty Crock Pot. I've put in:

*1/3 bottle mulled wine - leftover from sometime last week when I cooked beef in it
*turkey - leftover from our Sunday dinner
*1/2 pack bacon - used the other half last week with gnocchi and it needed using up
*small bowl mixed veg - leftover from Sunday dinner
*2 beetroot - leftover from last week
*mug of lamb stock
*handful of chopped onion

And later I will add some veg - probably spinach - and mixed herbs. Great low-cost meal with ingredients a lot of people would probably throw away, and I've now got room in my fridge to defrost meat for tomorrow.

For lunch, I had about 1/3 of a boil in the bag rice left over from Saturday. I fried that in the bacon fat after adding the bacon to the crock pot. Then I added 2 whisked eggs & a handful of chopped onion. Although I hate waste, rice is one thing I would normally throw away if I made too much so I'm pretty chuffed with this low-cost meal.