We have been on holiday. It is good to spend time away from home, away from the phone, away from the internet (although my son would disagree with that, seeking out all the Free WiFi spots he could possibly locate). It is good to see new places, or revisit old haunts, and to spend time with the family. Yes – even the grumpy teenage ones.
It also gives my husband some rare time out and about. In shops, even. This is quite dangerous as, unlike me, he really enjoys shopping. Nothing gives him more joy than seeking out a great bargain. His enforced time off work this winter with his broken leg has been more disastrous for the bank balance than I care to admit: internet shopping can be done from the sofa and its amazing what ‘bargains’ can be found online…
So you can imagine his joy one evening when he came back bearing the fruits of his labours: Cheddars. For those unfamiliar with these delicacies, they are very cheesy cheese biscuits. We all love them – even my son, who can’t stand cheese. Drooling quietly over the two packets my husband took great pride in telling us he’d bought them at Poundland [other discount stores are available…]. Two packets for £1. A bargain! Originally £1.39 each. He had made a saving of £1.78.
I checked them over. They seemed in perfect condition, and the best before date was the end of September, so I could see no reason why they’d be so heavily reduced in value. Still – who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth? We put them in the cupboard to have as a picnic treat on the journey home.
When packing on the Friday night I set them aside, together with some crisps and some chocolate (don’t judge our diet too harshly: we were on holiday! And there were a lot of apples already in the picnic bag…) On the Saturday morning everything went in the car, carefully thought through.
Apart from the picnic snacks.
They languished behind in the cupboard, exactly where I’d carefully put them to one side.
I mean, there’s always something you leave behind, isn’t there? (I also left a nearly-full bottle of shampoo in the shower. I am just too generous for words.)
And they were still a bargain. Even if it ended up being a £1 cost for no benefit whatsoever.