June’s Japes

The warmer weather has seen a return to the family picnic. One of our favourite picnic spots is Reculver in Kent, where we recently enjoyed another lovely trip. For those of you not familiar with Reculver, it’s on the North Kent coast and is the site of a former Roman fort, still boasting the ruin of a 12^th century church. The area is also a country park with small visitor centre and has a beach complete with rock pools. Car parking is a bargain, at 20p per hour or £1 for the day! However, the car park is not that big, sometimes resulting in queues. Despite that it’s a great place to visit.

Of course, a picnic isn’t complete without the food, for which I turn to the Tesco picnic range for additions to the usual home-filled rolls and healthy fruit. Their tubs of picnic goodies can be bought on a two for £3 deal, and include pasties, cheese onion rolls, pizza pockets and our new favourite, mini chicken kievs.

Until last year we owned a static caravan, which we kept on an independent site on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. However, following our rural move, we decided to sell up and just in the nick of time it now emerges! When we’d first bought our caravan we’d kept it on a Park Holidays site in Kent, but due to astronomic charges and appalling service, we moved to an independent site – Broadland Sands. Now I’ve heard this once lovely caravan park has been taken over by, you’ve guessed it, Park Holidays – a company that I do not recommend. If we hadn’t already removed our caravan from the site, we would now!

In light of that last revelation, you may like to read Static Caravans Can Move and Static Caravan Update

Finally, having had a couple of years break from English Heritage, we’ve just rejoined using Tesco vouchers. For £30 worth of vouchers, we’ve been able to take out a year’s joint membership (includes up to six children under 19 free), which is great value considering the number of places we can now visit at no extra cost. It’s a great use of Tesco Clubcard vouchers!

How did June work out for you?

Shopping Heaven Is...

Finding an item of clothing on a sale rail that is actually your size!

Stopping for an indulgent treat!

Finding an item of clothing on a sale rail that you’d coveted for ages at an outrageous price, now being sold for a bargain – and it’s actually in your size!

Money-off vouchers – and lots of them!

Being served at the till and discovering that an item that you are purchasing has actually been charged at a much lower price than you’d expected.

Finding just what you were looking for!

Fast, friendly service and hardly any queues.

Bargains, bargains, bargains!

What's your idea of shopping heaven?

Pontin’s – My Bargain Break

A few weeks back, I found myself packing my bag and heading off to Pontin’s at Camber Sands. Not something I thought I would find myself doing, as I’d heard some none too favourable reviews in the past, but my daughter had booked a cheap break, and I’d agreed to accompany her and my toddler grandson on the trip.

My expectations had not been particularly high, partly due to what I’d heard, but also because I knew that my daughter had only paid in the region of £60 for a Monday to Friday stay. The paperwork had stated that our accommodation would be available from 4pm, but as we were relying on a lift there, ended up arriving before midday.

My plan on arrival was to ask if there was somewhere comfortable that we could wait with our luggage, but when I approached reception I was met with a cheery, “Hold on, I’ll see if your accommodation is ready,” – and it was! So by noon we were in our holiday apartment settling in, which gave us, in effect, a bonus afternoon.

Our ground floor ‘apartment’ (requested to make it easier with a pushchair) was basic, but adequate for a short stay. There was one bedroom with a double bed and a sofa bed in the main area, a small kitchen area with new-looking fridge and tired-looking cooker, which actually worked very well. The bathroom consisted of toilet, washbasin and shower that were OK, but we discovered the shower cubicle was broken. However, when we reported this to reception a maintenance man was despatched and a repair made within about half hour, so that was good service

Our main gripe was the bedding. Having paid for the privilege of having bedding provided, it was thin and ‘shiny’ and tended to slip off the beds every night, leaving us a bit chilly. I’m unsure as to whether this was the regular bedding however, as towards the end of our stay, we saw ‘proper sheets’ being placed in the neighbouring empty apartments.

Site facilities are good. There are a number of outdoor play areas for children of varying ages, a pirate crazy golf and a swimming pool, featuring a main pool with slide and a lovely warm toddler pool with assorted floats. Of course, there was also the inevitable arcade and a children’s club, large clubroom, pub and restaurant. Being off-season, evening entertainment took place in the pub as opposed to the larger club, as there didn’t appear to be that many of us staying there. Despite that, every evening there was a quiz (which I actually won one night and was presented with a bottle of wine) a children’s dance session and other entertainment.

My grandson loved the dressed-up characters that appeared at 10 each morning and again at the evening session and made use of the soft play area and toys in the children’s club.

As were we fortunate to have such lovely weather during our stay, we were also able to visit the beach, which just involved crossing the road outside and walking down a short lane.

We went for the self-catering option and, although there was a Nisa at the site entrance, found the shop opposite and the post office/village store further down the road cheaper options for shopping. Although, in its favour, the Nisa did have a £1 section selling useful things such as children’s arm bands.

There is actually a half-board option available, whereby breakfast and evening meal are provided at the Sands restaurant, but even if you do not select this deal, you can buy a three-course evening meal for £8.95, which is worth remembering.

Overall I enjoyed our Pontin’s stay, some of the accommodation is a little tired, but a little sprucing up could make all the difference. The facilities were good, but with over 700 apartments on site, could get a bit packed during high season. We were fortunate that as much of the accommodation was empty during our stay, we had easy access to everything that we wanted to do.

Although we didn’t meet huge numbers of fellow guests, we did see quite a few rabbits (lovely) and a huge number of seagulls, with regards to which I must issue a warning. On our first morning there, we heard a rap on the door. When I opened it there was no one to be seen, however when I glanced down towards the ground I was greeted by the sight of a cheeky gull. It was funny the first time, but wore thin as the week progressed, with this happening several times a day. At no point did we feed the gulls, indeed the site requests that you don’t, but did return one afternoon to find our ‘neighbour’ feeding them – not good!

I’m not sure that I would have wanted to spend a long holiday at Pontin’s Camber Sands, but would certainly consider another short break in the future.

Fancy a trip to Pontin’s at Camber Sands?

Visit pontins.com/holiday-parks/camber-sands  

January’s Highs And Lows

It’s been a strange month. The weather has been freezing cold one moment and unseasonably mild the next. With a general election looming this year, there have been debates on how and even whether there should be party debates and slanging matches have started between party leaders.

I’ve been trying to keep warm in the ‘glorified shed’ (you can keep up with the latest on that at www.ruraljoy.blogspot.co.uk) and despairing as to whether any party leader is actually fit to run the country!

 

Anyway, here are a few of my other highs and lows for the month.

Highs

Discovering a handy website for knitting patterns and wool, as I had been very frustrated at the lack of decent patterns available. My local craft and wool shop only seems to stock patterns that appear to belong in the 1970s and knitting magazines tend to print lots of patterns for small items, with only the odd cardigan or jumper that may or may not be appealing. I was very pleased therefore to discover www.deramores.com where you can sign up for a newsletter giving you access to free patterns as well as purchase reasonably priced patterns and wool. My order was processed and despatched literally within hours and I was very pleased with my purchases.

Grabbing some late sale bargains, including a pair of trousers from Wallis reduced from £30 to £10, a cardigan from Dorothy Perkins down from £25 to £10 and a perfume set from Boots for just £8 as opposed to its original £28! That amounted to £83 worth of shopping for just £28 – well £20 actually, as I used my Boots Advantage points for the perfume!

Receiving my first £5 Morrisons’ Match and More voucher, despite only purchasing quite minor amounts of shopping in the store and targeting offers most of the time, these points still added up very quickly!

Enjoying Father Brown on TV, although why it’s shoved into an afternoon slot on BBC1 I don’t know – it would make great evening viewing. In fact, that’s exactly when I do watch it, as I record it on my Humax box. It has a great cast and if you’ve never seen it I strongly recommend you start watching!

Lows

Finding out that Sainsburys’ online grocery shopping slaps on an extra charge for orders under £40, although I can report that Tesco only put an extra fee on the bill for orders under £25. My elderly mother-in-law particularly wanted to order some groceries from Sainsburys’ and enlisted our help. As she is only catering for herself, we checked that the minimum order for delivery was indeed £25. It was not until we got to the checkout stage, that we discovered the extra charge. Fair enough, there has to be a minimum amount to make delivery viable, but I don’t believe any supermarket should be charging extra for orders above the £25 mark.

The return of Broadchurch to our TV screens has been somewhat of a disappointment to me. I’d read various articles saying that the story was going to be really different and exciting, yet half of the programme each week seems to be going over old ground and dwelling on the court case relating to the last series. I would have much preferred more emphasis on a new story than dredging up the past – I can only hope it will improve as the weeks go by.

Reading ‘Natural Causes’ by James Oswald, which I’m not criticising for its writing or characterisation, but purely saying the plot was not for me. I like a good detective story, but this was too gory for me, with a higher body count than even a series of Midsomer Murders! It has some great reviews, but personally I prefer a little more mystery and a little less graphic content.

In May I …

… have been getting to grips with mastering my new hairstyle. My new cut meant a change in blow-drying technique and even saw me ‘investing’ in a set of straighteners. It called hardly be called investing however, as I picked up a bargain from Sainsbury’s where Phil Smith hair-styling sets were being sold at a 75% discount. For around £7 I bought a handy travel bag containing ceramic-plated mini straighteners with cover and a handy folding hairbrush. A really great buy!

 

… ate lots of Duerr’s Ginger Preserve. It all started when I lost my appetite due to a bug, and the thought of most food left me feeling queasy. As ginger is recommended a stomach settler, I decided to give it a go, and am still totally hooked on it long after recovering from said bug. It’s delicious on toast.

… made lots of lists. Lists of people to notify about change of address, lists of jobs to do on the current house to leave it in order, lists of what is to be stored where during our complicated multi-stage move, lists of food for my mother-in-law’s 90^th birthday bash … perhaps what I really need is a list of lists.

 

…read ‘Peril On The Royal Train’, another great story from the Railway Detective series, penned by Edward Marston. I really enjoy these crime stories set in the golden age of steam and featuring the masterful Inspector Colbeck and the feisty love of his life Madeleine. The tales are very atmospheric – a piece of history and crime combined.

… also read ‘The Missing One’ by Lucy Atkins, which I found quite chilling yet felt compelled to read at the same time. The book demonstrates how keeping family secrets can have far-reaching consequences and disturbing effects.

My March Best Buys

I’ve always found the Hungry Horse chain of pub restaurants very good value, but hadn’t visited one for some time. However, last week I finally got round to having a meal at my local branch, where I spotted a few new additions to the menu. I can now highly recommend the Smothered Chicken Diane – a chicken breast covered in a tasty sauce, served with a large flat mushroom, buttered new potatoes and peas. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal, a bargain at just £4.99.

I also like the idea that Hungry Horse are offering a tiny dessert (a few mouthfuls worth) for those times when you’re really quite full, but fancy a little taste of something anyway. For just 89p you can enjoy a mini chocolate mousse topped with cream – delicious!

One of my more budget-busting craft buys is ‘Enjoy Cross Stitch’ magazine. This comes in a handy zipper wallet containing a selection of aida fabric, embroidery threads, cards, envelopes, ribbons and felt frames, all for just £7.99. The spring issue is available in the shops now.

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The Cost Of Crafting

I enjoy working on a number of different craft projects, including knitting, crochet, cross stitch, tapestry and rug making. But I have to say that it can become quite an expensive pastime if you’re not careful. Ever the thrifty bargain-hunter, I endeavour to enjoy my hobbies on a budget.

In the past, it seemed that knitting garments was a cheap way to kit out the family. My mum knitted me many a cardigan when I was small, which I imagine she did quite cheaply as we operated on a tight budget. Many people used to unpick unwanted knitted garments and use the resulting wool to make new ones, which was a good way of recycling too.

Today wool can be very expensive. I recently spotted a pattern for a lovely jumper that I quite fancied knitting. However, I soon changed my mind when I realised that I needed 600g of the specified wool costing almost £7 per 100g. I could have bought several ready made jumpers at that price! OK, I wouldn’t have had the enjoyment of making them, but I need my hobbies to be cost-effective.

I often stock up on wool when I see a special offer or sale, and for some basic makes wool from Wilkinson or The Works is adequate, though not good enough for a supersoft jumper. I often make small items such as gloves and scarves from odd bits of wool that I have left over. But I really can’t get enthusiastic about some of the more twee knitting projects that I see – what would I do with a collection of knitted cupcakes anyway?

Knitting patterns too can prove a large expense, which is why I tend to buy the occasional knitting magazine. For around £5 I get a number of knitting patterns and often a knitting accessory or a couple of small balls of wool included in the price.

Many other crafts were traditionally used as a cheap way to make things for the home. Think rag rugs, hand embroidered table linen, colourful samplers and a host of sewing projects run up on the trusted ‘Singer’. Now many crafts have become big business, with shops such as Hobbycraft (too over-priced for my liking) cashing in on the trend.

I love cross stitch, but once again the kits can be very costly – even the price of separate aida fabric and threads can add up. I’ve discovered a good trick is to buy the cheap kits from the ‘bargain bins’ regardless of whether you like the design.  I recently bought a few kits at just a couple of pounds each, some from a local craft shop and some from The Works, resulting in enough materials to make plenty of cross stitch cards over the coming year and maybe a small picture too. To get inspiration for the designs I buy Cross Stitch Magazines from time to time, so that I always have a suitable project to work on.

To my mind, although I largely work on craft projects for the enjoyment, I also need them to be value for money, so that I can gain pleasure from them without breaking the bank.

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Say No To Thai Chicken!

OK, so I’ve mentioned before how fed up I am that so many chicken products are made using poultry that isn’t British. (Read the most recent of these rants here) But I struggle to understand why so much chicken from sources such as Thailand and Brazil is still used in food manufacture.

Supermarkets rallied a little following last year’s horsemeat scandal. The amount of fresh meat sourced from the UK rose, be it somewhat slowly in some stores, and many beef products, such as lasagne and pies started to be made using British Beef.

However, many chicken dishes sold in supermarkets are still not produced using British chicken, or even chicken sourced within the EU. Sainsburys’ fresh kievs, goujons etc are all made from British chicken, which is clearly stated on the label. However their frozen ready meals use chicken from Thailand (even their roast dinners that include a whole chicken breast) and Tesco frozen ready meals also use chicken from Thailand and Brazil.

Of course, you wouldn’t notice this at a glance. The chances are that you have been buying these products without even realising the source of the chicken, as the finished meals are actually produced in the UK. To check what you are buying you have to read the small print on the back of the box, where the country of origin is stated.

But at least supermarket own brands are honest and state their sources, even if not in the most obvious place. Some of the big brand names that manufacture frozen meals and meat products do not state the country of origin at all. I have studied boxes produced by Sharwoods, Heinz Weightwatchers and the like, but can find no mention of where their chicken has been sourced. In order for us to make an informed choice as shoppers, we have a right to be provided with all this information, and I therefore believe that it should be law to clearly state the origin of a product’s main ingredients.

In the meantime if I read that the chicken in a product is from Thailand or Brazil, then I don’t buy it. If a product does not state its country of origin, then I still don’t buy it. I want to know that all meat and poultry that I buy in any way, shape or form is British, not only so that it conforms with food safety standards, but I don’t feel we should be importing such items from halfway across the world. Think of the global footprint!

What do you think?

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January’s Random Thoughts

I’ve been stunned to see that in some shops, knocking as little as 50p off of an item appears to qualify as a sales bargain! Not in my book it doesn’t!

Individuals with an ‘L’ in their surname must be rubbing their hands with glee when they become driving instructors. Don’t they realise how unoriginal it is to have ‘WiLliams’, ‘Lawson’, ‘MiLler’ or whatever emblazoned on their vehicles?

If only supermarket aisles were fitted with traffic lights, one-way systems and ‘no parking’ areas, our lives as shoppers would be so much easier!

A sign on one of the hand driers in the ladies at my local Tesco reads, ‘Sorry, this facility is temporarily out of order’. What I would like to know is what is Tesco’s definition of temporary? The sign has been there since last October!

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Sifting Through The Sales

Although the sales started in the shops some time ago, it’s not too late to pick up a bargain or two. In fact, some of my best ever bargains have been bought during the closing stages of sales.

You may have heard me talk about the £3 pair of boots that I picked up in Marks and Spencer or the £5 pair of jeans that I bought on another occasion. This January I’m scouring the stores as usual for last minute finds.

There are still a number of toiletry, make-up and perfume sets on sale in places such as Boots (currently 50% discount, but usually changes to 75% or even 90% as sales progress), Superdrug and some supermarkets. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that these sets are only useful as gifts, as they are handy to just stock up your general supplies of cosmetics and toiletries if bought for the right price.

I’ve purchased a Nivea set containing Express Hydration Body Lotion (250ml), Express Hydration Hand Lotion (100ml) and Hydro Care Lip (4.8g) for just over £2. The usual retail price for these items individually is £3.75, £3.39 and £1.99 respectively, so this was a fantastic saving. This kind of gift set offer allows you to stock up with cosmetics and toiletries for some time to come at a bargain price.

Of course, a big rule of sale shopping is to only buy things that you are really going to use – don’t let a ridiculously low price tempt you into buying something that you wouldn’t normally consider purchasing!

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and trawl those last minute sale bargains.

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So That Was December

OK, so I know the month’s not quite over yet, but I’m saving the last day of December for my 2013 Review.

So how was December for you? Was it a month filled with fun and festivity or chaos and endless Christmas shopping? Was it, in fact, a sad time for reflection – I know I always miss loved ones more this time of year (my dad and two of my sisters).

Whatever you may have done, I hope you’ve had some good times and enjoyed some of the festivities on offer, without breaking the bank. You may have read my Christmas On A Budget blog to help keep costs down, and hopefully the bargain drink prices will help you see in the New Year too.

Amongst my other posts this month I’ve told a tale of British Gas engineers, reviewed ‘Which?’ magazine, had some ‘Random Thoughts’ and reviewed eyeliner – a real mixed bag.

Not quite the scene this December

I’m a big kid when it comes to Christmas, I especially love seeing all the twinkling lights and watching my (not so small) children opening their presents. The added bonus this year was that my seven-month old grandson was around for all the fun too. However, my heart went out to those who were unable to celebrate a traditional family Christmas due to flooding and/or loss of power.

As we all prepare to see in the New Year, I’ll leave you with a few little thoughts, and hope you’ll keep reading next month, and indeed next year.

Best thing I’ve tasted this month: Tesco Finest Belgian Chocolate Assortment, absolutely delicious! Yummy chocolate containing, amongst other things, whole cherries marzipan and nuts.

Best thing I’ve seen this month: People’s faces as they’ve opened their presents.

This month I’ve been reading: Some slushy, feel-good Christmas books including ‘All I Want For Christmas’ by Amy Silver and ‘Sleigh Bells In The Snow’ by Sarah Morgan.

Stop Press! I've just bought Tesco Finest Italian Sour Cherry Pralines for just £1.25 for a 150g box and they are delicious!

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Christmas On A Budget

Christmas can be a magical time of year, but it can also be a drain on already struggling finances. More than ever we’re having to watch our shopping bills and budget as much as we can to get by, in view of rising prices and static wages.

But it’s important to remember that whilst we want to celebrate the festive season with our loved ones, it’s not the amount of money that we spend that counts, it’s the time that we actually spend with our family and friends.

Christmas is a very commercial affair, but there are ways to enjoy the celebrations without spending a fortune.

Now is a good time to check your points’ balances on any loyalty cards that you may have, and make use of these if you can. I recently bought a host of Christmas goodies from Sainsburys using my Nectar points to buy items such as crackers, drinks and chocolate, after discovering I had a balance worth almost £30.

If you’re a Tesco Clubcard holder, then you can use their current points boost promotion to double your points’ value. Just exchange your Clubcard vouchers for coupons to spend in specific areas of the store, to get twice their face value. Categories include Finest Wines, toys, clothing and electricals. You can exchange vouchers up until 20^th December and redeem the new vouchers until 31^st December. I’ve made use of the Finest Wines offer to get a few good bottles in for Christmas dinner – prices in the range start from just £5.99.

You may also have points on cards such as Boots Advantage Card and Superdrug Beautycard that can be exchanged for last minute gifts.

If you don’t own a loyalty card (and why not?) then you can still find some bargain offers around. Here are a few recommended buys:

O’Gradys Irish Cream Liqueur – A great (more creamy, I think) alternative to Baileys at just £5.50 a bottle from Sainsburys.

If you like Archers Peach Schnapps, then a great budget alternative is Peaches, costing just £5.50 at Iceland. You can also find lower cost supermarket versions of other drinks such as ‘Malibu’ as ‘Pimms’.

Love liqueur chocolates? I recommend The Co-Operative Loved By Us Brandy Liqueurs costing just £1 per box! Lovely! Most supermarkets also stock boxes of tasty after dinner mints, that I enjoy much more than the famous After Eights, for just £1 a box.

Enjoy your Christmas without too much expense!

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November’s Random Thoughts

Am I the only shopper that when hearing an announcement in a supermarket to the effect of “Will all department heads now please attend the rumble?” pictures Ant and Dec performing their ‘hit’ song? Perhaps stores should just play “Let’s Get Ready To Rumble” over the tannoy to summon staff and put a smile on all of our faces into the bargain.

Speaking of Ant and Dec, I’ve been watching the latest series of ‘I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here’, but feel that more than ever the definition of celebrity is somewhat dubious. Contestants really seem to qualify for one of two alternative shows, ‘I’m A Has Been Get Me Out Of Here’ and ‘I’m A Wannabe Get Me Out Of Here’. Still I can’t resist watching the victims, sorry contestants, putting themselves through the whole ordeal.

I’ve checked the calendar multiple times, but it’s still definitely November, so why have so many weekly magazines decided to put their ‘Bumper Christmas Issue’ on the shelves this week?

Oh whoopee! Bisto have brought out a special Christmas gift tin of their gravy granules – bet you’re all hoping for one of those in your stocking!

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DS Games – Professor Layton vs May’s Mysteries

Regular readers to my blog may know that I’m rather partial to puzzles and DS games, with DS puzzle games the ideal combination. It’s some time since I wrote a review on any games, so I thought it was time that I reviewed and compared a couple of my favourites.

Many of you may be familiar with the Professor Layton series, where the animated Prof and his trusty assistant (or assistants depending on the story) set off to solve a mystery and encounter many puzzles along the way. I’ve played most of the Professor Layton games, with the exception of the most recent, as I tend to wait for the price to come down – I’m always after a bargain!

I really love the puzzles in Professor Layton games, but I have to admit to finding the stories a little long-winded and tedious, not to mention a tad bizarre. I play for the puzzles themselves, not for all the weird chitchat. I also find it a pain tapping on all the scenes to find hint coins, although I do to try to avoid using these if possible. There are some great puzzles in the games, and I like the fact that they are of different levels of difficulty, worth different numbers of points. Of course, once you have played a game all the way through, you can replay the puzzles without the story, and there are bonus puzzles too.

I also really like some of the fun minigames in Professor Layton, such as creating cunning rail tracks and assault courses for a pet hamster. Despite the dodgy storylines, I am a fan of Professor Layton games.

I was interested, therefore, when browsing on Amazon, to discover another game called May’s Mysteries, which was billed to be another Professor Layton. I promptly ordered ‘The Secret of Dragonville’ at the bargain price of around £3, and was not disappointed.

The game very much has the feel of a Professor Layton, but I found the storyline didn’t drag on so much – there were fewer tedious conversations with characters. There was none of the silly tapping for hint coins either; you earn hints by completing the bonus puzzles that you collect along the way. Many of the puzzles were of a similar type to those in Professor Layton, but there were some interesting additions, such as ‘Hidden Picture’ puzzles, which are somewhat like Hanje puzzles (where you logically work out which squares to shade in to form a picture) and hidden object scenes.

There were a few downsides to May’s Mysteries, however. All puzzles are worth the same number of points although some are so much easier to solve than others. One of the so-called puzzle-types irritated me terribly – the rhythmic game, where you have to tap along in time with a tune. It was the ones where you also had to slide your stylus that got me and I ended up skipping most of these.

But over all I loved May’s Mysteries and will be looking out for more stories.

Can you recommend any good DS puzzle games?

Fairground Rides

I have to admit that I enjoy watching others on fairground rides, far more than I enjoy riding on them myself. Whether it's a travelling fair, seaside attraction or Theme Park, I'm often there to view as opposed to ride.

Don’t get me wrong, there are a few rides that I venture on, but they are what many may refer to as ‘tame’. I’m certainly not a thrillseeker, preferring rides that somehow have a point to them as opposed to just throwing me around and up and down into delirium.

Big kid that I am, I enjoy the gentle boat rides that wind around enchanting little scenes or ‘caverns’, and I really love a ride that involves a bit of competition, such as Tomb Blaster at Chessington. I get really competitive, frantically shooting the targets along our route, aiming (and often succeeding) to get the highest score in our family.

The nearest I get to riding on the more thrilling attractions is the type of ride where you sit in a tub and get thrown around on the ‘rapids’, often getting a good soaking into the bargain – great on a hot day!

As I child, I was often taken to Dreamland in Margate, Kent, Every time we visited I begged my mum to let me go on the roller coaster, but she always fobbed me off, muttering something under her breath about possible accidents. So I resigned myself to riding the swans on the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ track, gently chugging round the Lewis Carroll characters.

I eventually went on said roller coaster in my teens, only to discover I didn’t much enjoy it anyway. The same applied to the other more daring rides that I tried.

As my children came along, I enjoyed the type of rides that we could all go on as a family – although I have to admit, even the little caterpillar roller coaster was a bit much for me!

Thorpe Park used to be great fun before it became home to many of the more ‘dare-devil’ rides as it is today. It was much more my thing to sit on a train that took me on a journey to an island where pirates chucked buckets of water at us (hands up all those that remember this!), as opposed to being blasted by a Tidal Wave.

Today I still visit Theme Parks and fairgrounds on family outings, but with the exception of a few fun rides, you are much more likely to see me there in the role of spectator, as opposed to a keen rider.

Do you enjoy fairground rides?

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The Hop Farm, Kent

Over the years we’ve made many visits to the Hop Farm at Paddock Wood, Kent and during that time it’s undergone many changes.

In the early days of our visits it was known as ‘The Whitbread Hop Farm’ with the emphasis on the Shire Horses, but was later taken over by Southern Water, then Hop Farm Trading.

Over the years many attractions have been added, with some remaining (including various children’s rides) and others falling by the wayside (such as the dubious waxworks display).

This year new owners have taken over the Hop Farm, and admission is now free! In view of this we decided to revisit the attraction, picking a sunny Saturday afternoon for our trip.

It now costs £1 to park your car at the Hop Farm, which is a bargain, in view of the free admission. Once inside, certain attractions, such as the farmyard, play area and crazy golf can be enjoyed at no additional cost, whilst you need to buy tokens for other rides and exhibits. These tokens cost £1 each, with different attractions requiring 1, 2 or 3 tokens.

How did we do this?

The best value of these, to my mind, was the Magic Castle, costing just one token per person. The ‘castle’ is full of optical illusions and fun tricks to try out, before leaving via a mirror maze. Kids will love the driving school and giant jumping pillows, whilst we noticed there is now a 4D cinema, though we have not tried this out as yet.

What is really great about the new free admission offered here, is that it’s now possible to dip in and out of what the Hop Farm has to offer, making more frequent short visits to view a couple of attractions at a time.

On the day we visited there was also a polo tournament in progress, which was free to watch. A full list of events is available on the website www.thehopfarm.co.uk

The only downside of the day was the price of the ice creams. A van parked on the site was charging £3 for an oyster (my favourite ice cream), needless to say I didn't bother buying one!

If you plan to visit from further afield, then you’ll be interested to know that there are camping/touring caravan pitches available at very reasonable prices.

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Preparing For Your Holiday

This time of year your thoughts may well be turning to your holiday. Maybe you’ve already booked a break away, counting down the months, weeks or even days until you go, or perhaps you’re still hunting for that great bargain deal.

Whatever your plans for this year, it’s a good idea to make sure that you’re well prepared.

Renew that passport! Don’t wait until the last minute to check the expiry date on your passport. It’s so easy to forget how long it is since you last renewed it, so double check to be sure. Whether renewing your passport or applying for your first one, I recommend that you use the Post Office Check & Send service. For a fee of £8.75, your form will be checked for omissions and errors, relevant accompanying documents verified and your photo confirmed as passport standard. This prevents your form from being returned to you due to errors, avoiding delays, and includes special delivery of your passport, to further speed up the process. I recently renewed my son’s passport using this service and received his new one within just 10 days.

Ensure you have a valid EHIC – European Health Insurance Card. This is enables you to receive free/reduced cost medical treatment on the same basis as local residents in the countries that it covers (those in the European union plus a few others). But beware! When applying for/renewing your card, take care to avoid the dodgy websites out there that charge a fee for application. When we entered EHIC into the search engine, the first site that came up tried to charge us £29! Remember, the EHIC cards are FREE! Apply for your card using the NHS Choices website, www.nhs.uk/ehic where you just complete a simple form to receive your card – no fee involved.

Prepare to pack. Now is the time to start assembling some of the fiddly toiletry/cosmetic items that you may want to take away. Save sample sachets of face creams etc that you find on the pages of the odd magazine, to pack as opposed to big pots for a short break. Travel sized versions of many toiletries are available to buy, but often cost almost as much as their full-sized counterparts, so either refill any existing mini bottles that your may have, or buy small, empty bottles designed for this purpose from shops such as Superdrug (refillable jar 99p. bottles from £1.59).

Now is the time to get prepared!

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Supporting Markets

There used to be a large, vibrant market in Rochester, Kent, which is quite local to me. For years it was a great place to go, with a large selection of stalls including those selling clothes, housewares, greengrocery, shoes, fabrics, bakery items, tools, meat, haberdashery, books, sweets, toys, pet supplies, electricals and one of my favourites – out-of-date magazines for bargain prices!

I used to love the atmosphere – with some of the characters proving as colourful as the stalls they ran. Sadly, as time went by, the number of stalls dwindled. The market was reduced to half its original size – then smaller still – until this incredible ‘shrinking’ market ceased to exist. I missed it terribly – and still do!

A couple of other towns in the area still have markets, but to a much smaller scale – one lines its high street twice a week (Gillingham), the other sets up in a small car park (Strood). Both of them still have some very worthwhile stalls – just in smaller numbers, without quite the same atmosphere.

The wool, fabric and haberdashery stalls are very welcome as there has definitely been a reduction in the number of these shops in my area. I also love the stalls that sell ex-store fashion lines at great value prices. But I expect that many market traders have been pushed out of business by some of the bargain stores that now exist in high streets, that just weren’t around in the heyday of Rochester Market and its like.

I believe that we should make use of the markets that still exist and support our independent market traders to ensure their survival. Markets can be such fun, original places to shop, with a charm all of their own.

In addition to general markets, you can also find Farmers' Markets (great for local produce), Craft Markets (handy for original gifts) and Antique Markets (you never know what you may find). Whatever type of market you visit, you’ll discover a very different shopping experience to that of the high street.

I’m glad to see there are areas where markets have survived much better – I’ve visited some on recent trips to Great Yarmouth and Norwich for example – but I’d hate to think that these would suddenly disappear too.

So support markets everywhere and help preserve this very traditional, yet fun way of shopping.

Can you recommend a market near you? comments@shoppersjoy.co.uk

My Latest Beauty Buys

A trip to Superdrug this week saw me bagging a bargain or two from the cosmetic counters. Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid Foundation is currently just £4.99 (30ml), offering even coverage but with a light, dewy texture – great for all skin types.

New on the MUA (Make-Up Academy) display at Superdrug is their Pro-Base Conceal & Brighten Kit, which will be priced at £3.50, but is currently on sale at an introductory price of £2.50. The compact contains three natural shades, two to blend to conceal blemishes and shadows, and the other a highlighting cream to boost your complexion, although I think these could be labelled better. A great addition to your make-up bag.

Meanwhile, in Boots, spend £5 or more in store to receive two No7 vouchers, one for £5 off skincare, and the other for £3 off cosmetics. I’ve already spent my skincare voucher on No7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make-Up remover (normally £8.50 without voucher), a hypoallergenic formula that removes all traces of make-up quickly and easily.

Don’t forget to use your Boots Advantage Card and Superdrug Beautycard to accumulate points for future treats. If you don’t have these loyalty cards, sign up for them today.

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Savvy Sales Shopping

I know that by the time you read this, the sales will have been in full flow for some time, but I always find that I get the best bargain towards the end of the sales.

If you had your eye on a particular item, then you may well have had to make an early sale visit to secure its purchase, but for a general bargain the ‘end of sale rail’ is the place to head.

Some of my best sale bargains have included Per Una from M&S jeans for £5 (originally £38), Marks and Spencer Ankle boots £3 (originally £40), an Anthony Worrall Thompson Health Grill £10 (from £40) and a Boots water filter jug system £3 (from £20). All were bought in the final stages of the sales; all were in brilliant condition and have been well used.

Many of you may have been flocking to Boots to buy reduced gifts sets, but in previous years I have found that by waiting a bit longer items have been reduced by 75% or even 90% in the closing stages.

Whatever sale items you buy and whenever you buy them, it’s worth remembering a few guidelines to cut the risk of buying something that you don’t actually want:

- Will you really use/wear the item, or are you just attracted to the bargain price?

- Does a garment actually fit you now? Don’t buy for a size you hope to be, only buy if the look and fit is right now.

- Will a garment stand the test of time, or is it already going out of fashion?

- Is the item in good condition, or if it is being sold with a fault, is it easily repairable? Small holes in the seams of garments or missing buttons can be put right easily and are often well worth the reduction.

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