Persuading me to go to the Queensgate Shopping Centre in Peterborough and spend money in the January sales was never going to be a hard sell.
As someone who has been self employed for some time, the January sales are usually something I avoid. My work making wedding cake toppers is seasonal and by January we are really feeling the pinch.
It doesn’t mean I am not in the mood to shop though! My challenge on this occasion seemed quite simple..
I met up with Jaymee from The Mum Diaries and we of course started our day right by going for breakfast and thinking about how we could complete our individual tasks. Nobody procrastinates like us!
I did consider buying clothes but a) I have clothes and b) it’s not really outside my comfort zone and c) I’m hoping any day now to wake up a size 10 thus making any clothing bought now surplus to requirements.
We thought the best approach would be to go and take a look around Queensgate to see what is on offer for those shopping the January sales. Spoiler; there is quite a lot!
During our browsing we actually found shops I didn’t even know existed especially in Westgate arcade. I will definitely be venturing down there to visit Back To Life – the vintage clothing shop – as well as Style which sells all sorts of gift items.
I headed back to Pulse later the same day to get Bess’s ears pierced and you can read about that soon
Outside of my comfort zone
After some deliberation (call it overthinking if you like) I decided that my challenge could be a great aid to my plan for 2018. New year, new – healthier – me.
I want to learn how to cook! Currently our meals are made using pans which have been handed down to us from various Grandparents or Aunts. Definitely not something I would usually buy.
I headed to Lakeland to see whether they could help. I was in luck!
The Lakeland sales are officially my favourite! So many lovely (not to mention useful) things at massive reductions. It was quite tough to select from what was on offer because I would have used most of it but here is what I chose
1) 2.1 Litre Casserole Dish
Casserole dishes usually favour function over form, but this stainless steel stunner straddles the gap between oven and table effortlessly. With an elegant, streamlined design based on a Korean rice-making bowl, it has a large rim all the way round instead of paired handles, so it’s really easy to remove from your oven. And the construction ensures it’s not a triumph of form over function, either: with an aluminium core fused between two layers of stainless steel, it provides incredibly even heat distribution with no hot spots and great durability. Also, less washing up!
2) 3 Piece Frying Pan Set
I thought that these pans looked and felt really high in quality and they were reduced to under half price! The raised honeycomb pattern on their base elevates your food to keep it from sticking as you cook, and means it won’t absorb as much oil so it’s a bit healthier too.
3) Knife and Scissors
Swap your chopping knife and board for these one-of-a-kind kitchen scissors and change the way you prepare raw fruit, veg – or even meat – forever.
Incredibly sturdy and easy to hold, their spring-loaded soft-grip handles mean they look more like secateurs than scissors and make it possible to cut through even tougher veg like carrots and leeks with just a simple squeeze.
Featuring only one extra-sharp straight-edged, stainless steel cutting blade and a second flat-edged ‘board’ which acts as a stop for the blade to close against, their clever design allows you to chop, slice or dice with a lot less effort, away from the worktop and straight into your cooking pot or salad bowl.
4) Chef’n® Corn Stripper
Every single time I cook sweetcorn on the cob at least one person complains that they prefer it off the cob. Easy solution for them = less headaches for me! I haven’t see this gadget before but I think it’s fab!
I am really pleased with my little haul and the savings were awesome! The total cost of the things I chose should have been £104.96 but altogether they came to a grand total of £45.46
Now I feel ready to face 2018 and get cracking with my plan to learn how to widen my culinary repertoire!
