Went with Mum & Dad to Leighton Buzzard today. It's a pretty market town about 15 miles away. Mum was going to pay a cheque into a funeral home (donation in the name of someone whose funeral she can't attend) and I went along for the ride.
Now Mum asked me to go, because she wanted to buy me something from a small, independent clothes shop they have there. It's a shop for women of a certain size... In fact the sizes the clothes go up to, I'm be amazed if the women were still alive! I'm at the bottom of their range, but nevertheless I like the choice.
She said she wanted to buy me a jacket, because we had some run-ins over the snowy period about my lack of suitable outdoor wear. I wear my cape when the temperature drops below 10 (50) degrees, but I couldn't wear it in the snow, because the bottom got all wet. What Mum didn't know was that I had ordered myself a jacket off eBay. Lovely item, arrived this morning, Mum delighted, it's now in her wardrobe until at least next year
So anyway, when we got to LB, the shop has a sale on. Mum advised me to pick whatever I wanted and take it into the changing room then we could decide what I would have instead of a jacket. When I came out she sent me off to Boots next door (it's a chemist - my burn is in the weeping state) and bought the lot for me. £81 of clothes!
I was tearful.
This is of course the first spend of Aunty Alice's money, but it's so wonderful because I can wear my new clothes to Cardiff this weekend.
I got a pair of jeans, a pair of black trousers, a hoodie, a double layered t shirt (GORGEOUS!) a black evening top, a pale pink dressy blouse, and a hot pink bra. I'm so happy.
AND - if that wasn't enough - they're part-funding my trip to Amsterdam. Plan is to go there in March for five nights (Mon-Fri). This includes paying for my passport and the hotel. So me whining on Saturday that I was all wan and weary and left out was just self pity (I did know that, to be fair). Mum had a little chat with me about how proud she was that I put the family first by deciding not to go on holiday with them and the fact I have saved for Cardiff and haven't expected her to pay anything towards it (yet!). She thinks I'm doing really well.
And yes, I think that means more than any money.
Oh and just a teeny tiny thing when set against that, but I've printed out vouchers for 4 separate restaurants for the weekend including Pizza Express and Yo Sushi! (40% off, wow!) It's only a semblance of being frugal, but it appeals to the bargain hunter buried deeply inside the profligate spender.