those little treats in life

Hi there,

I'm also trying to cut down on treats and overpay the mortgage this year.

Magazines - I pick up the free Tesco, Boots ones for recipes etc instead of buying them just now. I also use the library to look for books I want before buying them. Free and more satisfying than a magazine full of ads, I find.

Coffees out - oops, still have them. But I do swipe my Starb***s card to get the points. I've also "downgraded" from a latte to a tall filter coffee with free sugar free syrup (if you have a loyalty card) and instead of getting the kids a hot chocolate, they get a free babyccino instead. You also get a free refill with the tall filter coffee so you can take one with you as you leave if you like .

I do find treats like coffees out actually seem more of a treat if you ration yourself with them! Good luck.

Ellie (DFS)

I'd thoroughly agree with both libraries and coffee out as small and [STRIKE]free[/STRIKE] council tax funded / affordable treats. I particularly enjoy an hour's chilling out leafing through magazines in the library. I've also discovered the KonMarie method of tidying which brings a strange joy into my life

Since I quit DT (not a conscious New Year's resolution but I am very glad of it) I have had loads of time and finished reading 8 half-started books that had been lying on the bedside table for months! Plus I feel pleasantly happy outside of the b*tching and carping.

Get a Waitrose card - if you can resist the other things then you can get a free coffee and a magazine, and if you go fairly late then their bread/cakes are usually massively reduced.

I find as I am at home most of the time with our disabled child, that getting out is difficult so a treat for me is to make a decadent traybake - something you wouldn't make every week ,(chocolate is my down fall- even cheap chocolate can be made into something yummy) and have a piece with my coffee!

I have a small monthly budget that I call my personal allowance, that I can spend on whatever I want without feeling guilty. I usually buy wool or fabric or other crafty things, as the feel-good factor of the purchase lasts much longer than a takeaway coffee or muffin.

It must be difficult if you have very little at all with which to treat yourself though. Could you save a certain coin towards treats (20p coins often work well!) in a jar or purse, and once a week/fortnight/month decide what you'd like to spend them on? Even just picking up coppers and any other money you see on the ground could add up to a cheap magazine.

Do you know anyone who buys magazines? Ask if they'll pass them on to you once they're done with them instead of recycling. You could even ask on a local free-cycle group or FB page. TBH I don't normally buy magazines now (apart from the occasional recipe mag), as they are so full of adverts and designed to entice you into buying more!

I prefer buying books from charity shops - the one near me sells all sorts of books, most under £1. Again I tend to go for recipe or crafting books. They had a "4 books for £1" day once and thankfully I was limited by what I could carry!

Treat-food wise, baking might be an option. It's not always cheaper than what the supermarket can make though, especially if you were buying ys items before. A batch of chocolate rice krispie/cornflake buns is cheap and one of my favourite things to make. You don't even need bun cases - just dollop onto an empty cereal bag, cling film or lined cake tin.

Another thing that I feel is a treat is getting out of the house to meet new people and have some "me-time". There might be some free courses at a local tech, or run by surestart, that you could avail of.