Bargains, bargains, bargains!

So tonight I decided to go to Ryan's - we hadn't been in a long time and I had a coupon - in fact, a bunch of coupons - so I clipped one. The coupon was for 2 free kids' meals with an adult meal, which worked out great. Dinner for me and two ravenous kiddies came to $10.37 with tax. You can't beat that!

See, I'm a born bargain hunter. If I can get a bigger size for the same price, or find something on clearance that fits, I'll do it. Most of the records I bought growing up came from the bargain bin or second-hand stores or rummage sales. I had a pristine copy of Madness' album 'One Step Beyond' including the free promo 12" of "In The Rain" that I picked up for 50p (about a buck) at a jumble sale, along with a Harris Tweed jacket that just needed new lining for 10p (about 20 cents). So my whole day was centered around bargains. One of my private pleasures is to go into Publix and head straight for the closeout section. This morning I headed to Publix, because I needed a box of Band-Aids (or sticking plasters, as I should say in my English voice). Why, you might ask, did I need a box of Band-Aids? Because yesterday, I was busy chopping up cabbage to make some slaw with a big knife (more like a machete), and the tip of my thumb got in the way.


Ever tried to staunch the flow of blood from your thumb while trying to open a wall-mounted first aid kit, remove gauze and open it (this was NOT a band-aid situation) and then apply it and start some tape, cut it, and stick it to your thumb, all the while trying not to howl loudly? And then get right back on with chopping? With a clean knife, naturally.

So... I went into Publix, availed myself of first aid items for the home, and headed to the closeout section, to see what I could see. Lots to pick from, but my choice? A box of 6 (count'em!) SoyJoy bars, Mango Coconut flavor, for $3.00. Yum-O!

Later, I went into a thrift store and picked up a Christmas CD (yeah, it's October... the mood is starting to strike), actually a double CD with a bonus CD-rom entitled 'The Perfect Christmas'. Perfect? Well, I'm not sure about that, but it does have some great tunes on it, including but not limited to The Barenaked Ladies' version of 'Do They Know It's Christmas?', Sarah MacLachlan's 'Song For A Winter's Night' and Tony Bennett doing 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town'.Well worth 3 bucks, I trust you'll agree. I also picked up an old copy of Real Simple magazine which had articles about.. guess what? - getting things for free.

I admit it. I'm a cheapskate.