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Sound the Trumpets - A New Blog for the Older Brigade has Arrived!

Tis The Season of Goodwill!

The season of goodwill is upon us!  The shops online and in the High Streets are buzzing with Christmas fare.  There are 3 for 2 and 50% off, etc, enticing us to spend our hard-earned cash.  But I have become more savvy over the years.  I now make a list and stick to it with self-inflicted discipline to keep myself from going overboard.  I learned my lesson the hard way years ago, and now I am one step ahead of the crafty retailers’ advertising. Seriously, write a list. I do mine around the beginning of August (yes, as early as that).  And, bit by bit, I find out what the grandkids have their little hearts set on, except George, who is 7 and will chop and change from one week to the next and start putting money aside when I price things up.  The older grandkids all want money, so that is easy, and I begin to put money away for them from the beginning of the year; believe me, you don't notice it so much. Around October, I look at my Christmas decoration...
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Tis The Season of Goodwill!






The season of goodwill is upon us!  The shops online and in the High Streets are buzzing with Christmas fare.  There are 3 for 2 and 50% off, etc, enticing us to spend our hard-earned cash.  But I have become more savvy over the years.  I now make a list and stick to it with self-inflicted discipline to keep myself from going overboard.  I learned my lesson the hard way years ago, and now I am one step ahead of the crafty retailers’ advertising.


Seriously, write a list. I do mine around the beginning of August (yes, as early as that).  And, bit by bit, I find out what the grandkids have their little hearts set on, except George, who is 7 and will chop and change from one week to the next and start putting money aside when I price things up.  The older grandkids all want money, so that is easy, and I begin to put money away for them from the beginning of the year; believe me, you don't notice it so much.


Around October, I look at my Christmas decorations and decide if I really do need that extra new ribbon or baubles, and most of the time I don’t because I have enough to dress three 6-foot trees!  


From the end of September, I will buy an extra roll of tin foil and a packet of laundry powder, etc, week by week, then come Christmas shop week, I will have the extra cash for those little food extras that you would not normally buy. 


This may all sound a bit boring, and it is, but over the past few years, it has saved me a lot of stress and money.  Everything comes together nicely, everyone is happy, and I  can start the new year without a load of debt.


When you live on a state pension only, you have to budget and keep to your means.  


With that said, I hope you all have a great Christmas, and I wish you all a very happy New Year!


Oh, and to all the people who read my ramblings, thank you, and I hope you have enjoyed the journey of my life as it unfolds from past to present!  

Jan x

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