Some more odd things about Bulgaria, Budget, Bargains, Bargaining, and Sofia

First you need an international driving license to drive. A Singaporean license was not accepted by Hertz/Thrifty. However, another friend from Singapore and Indonesia said he had no trouble getting his non European non International license accepted by a different hire car company.

At the aiport you can see the OK taxis which seem to have a monopoly, and yellow cabs are lined up outside stations and main buildings.

No Tipping
Bulgaria, being a former communist country, has a no tipping culture, so what you lose on being cheated you gain on not giving a tip.

Try Bargaining
Taxis tend to ask for double the fare instead of turning on the meter. Try quering the price or asking them to set the meter. You never know.

In Borovets, south of Sofia, a ski area in winter, a walking area in summer, many of the shops and hotels were boarded up and closed in summer. I looked at a hat on a rack of summer hats outside the doorway. The assistant came to help. The hat rack was labelled 12 leva. I turned over the ticket and read aloud, Twelve leva. I stepped back.

She quickly said, "Ten leva!"

Breakfast Buns
The breakfast offerings are strange. What looks like a straightened out croissant, or a muffin, turns out to have a white cream cheese filling.



Juices
A plus is the freshly squeezed juices. My favourite was grapefruit.

In Borovets outside a restaurant I stopped to look at the pictures and translations, chicken soup, as well as omelette, and local specialities. The owner came out to chat me up.
"Where are you from? You want lunch?"
I prevaricated, "Not yet. I'm waiting for a group who went walking."
She beckoned me in, "Just look. Just look." She enthused, "For your group, I offer ten per cent reduction!"

In the capital, Sofia, I had asked if there were any budget stores. In London we have Poundland. And charity shops such as Oxfam, Barnados, St Luke's, selling mostly second hand goods donated.

In Asia in Japan and Singapore you have the Japanese Daeso, everything two dollars, as well as Value Store.

"No such things in Bulgaria," I was told.

However, Lidl offered good prices. Lidl is everywhere in Bulgaria. We saw several in Sofia and more in Plovdiv.

Another bargain shop is Mercari. We found them in Sofia and Plovdiv.

Useful Websites
www.mercari.bg


About the author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. 

Harrow's Hidden Church

I must have walked past the church many times and not noticed it. The Baptist church in Harrow. It is just around the corner from McDonalds, a few yards from Harrow on the Hill station. Just near the statue of Lucy with her skipping rope.

In January two groups held meetings there. Harrovian Toastmasters International speakers club, and the Liberal MP group.

Harrovians speakers met in the sanctuary, which contains a sunken baptismal area, a bit like Jewish mikvah or ritual bath, like a Jacuzzi, but square, and deeper, with steps down. Total immersion.

If you wish to attend a meeting such as the Sunday church service, Harrovian Toastmasters, or another event such as a political or local group meeting, the address is below.

If you walk from St George's car park through St George's indoor mall into the pedestrian open air area of shops, you pass Primark and several shops selling food and clothes and Santander and Poundland. When you emerge into Station Road, with Debenhams on your left, instead turn right towards McDonalds. The next turning containing the station is not station road but is called College Road, presumably because it once led towards a college or Harrow School. The church entrance is only two along but set back behind a metal gate and railings, a modern vertical wall but clearly marked as a church.

Harrow Baptist Church
College Road
Harrow
Middlesex
England
UK

Contrast the modern with the ancient. At the top of the Harrow hill is the old church where the poets and writers would visit and the boys from Harrow school.

Old Harrow on the Hill. Photo by Angela Lansbury. 

Take the bus up from the bus station near the modern church.

Useful Websites
http://www.harrovians.org.uk/
https://www.harrow-baptist.org.uk/welcome.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immersion_baptism
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/02/harrow-on-hill-station-is-being.html

Photos will be added later.

What's cheap and what's not? England, Wales, Cambodia, Kenya, Singapore ... read more

Problem
Where can I go to get good value for money? It can be swings and roundabout, lose on some gain on another. What's cheap and what's not?

I'm going to compile a list of countries with cheap flights, seasons and accommodation, food, attractions. I'm starting the blog today and will keep adding to it. When it gets too unwieldy to read, and the seasons and circumstances have changed. I'll start another post.

You will find bargains and cons all over America, Europe, Asia, Australia.

ENGLAND
SHOPPING
GAIN
Cheap stores:
Poundland.
Poundstretcher.
CLOTHES
Primark.
Charity shops: St Luke's.
LOSE
Some charity shops seem to charge higher prices. Oxfam.
FOOD
Supermarkets:
Aldi.
Lidl.
£1 sandwiches in Poundland, Tesco Express.
Reduced prices in a reduced price area, or through the shop towards closing time - good if you are a night owl and eat late. It's on food which is reaching its 'eat by ...' date.
LOSE
You could find your fruit or hummus has gone off if you leave until tomorrow breakfast time - or even midnight, after the shop has closed and they won't accept a return next day.

CAMBODIA
GAIN
Tuk-tuks or motorcycle taxi are cheap. It is probably cheaper to hire one by the day or week than to keep taking different taxis. We were asked 6 pounds/dollars for one one-way journey but 15 for the whole day.
LOSE
The temple entry tickets are expensive. You can't just buy a ticket for Ankor Wat. About £20 for a day. We might have visited one temple a day, or two, maximum five, with an hour's walking at each if we were determined to get our moneysworth. So a three-day pass for one of us was £60. For two of us £120, paid out on day one - a lot of cash, so you might run out of cash, if they don't take credit cards or charge extra for your use of a credit card. Check the cost in advance. It might go up or down since I was there and you might be getting a reduction.

KENYA
Shared taxis.
Cheap Hostels and homestays. I haven't done this but read about it in Wikivoyage.

SINGAPORE
SHOPPING
GAIN
Cheap or good value department store with huge variety:
Mohammed Mustaphas by Little India.
MUSEUMS
TAXIS
GAIN
Use uber. Sign up and they email regular deals.
Share a taxi from some queues in busy shopping malls and stations.
LOSE
Regular taxis if you go in the Central Business District (CBD for short) especially in peak, hours, and more surcharge for after midnight. Phone for a taxi and some companies charge for an advanced booking fee for a taxi.

WALES
GAIN
Many free museums fun by the government or local council, for example, Cardiff.

SEASONAL
CHINESE NEW YEAR
GAIN
If you head for a shopping mall before opening time on New Year's Day and are first through the door of a family shop or even a supermarket, you might be given two oranges, or offered a reduction because you are the first customer and bringing luck.

RAMADAN
LOSE
You might find no restaurants open during the day. In Malaysia look for or ask for a Chinese restaurant. They are exempt (so long as they are not Muslim).
GAIN
Many mosques and other places offer free food for breaking the fast after sunset.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

A Day Out with bargain shopping at UK's Poundstretcher, Poundland or second hand in Europe

Poundland in Harrow, N W London. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
Where can I buy on a budget when out for the day or away on holiday? Usually I look at goods at stores far away in the UK and think, I'm not driving that far. It's too much time and effort. The cost of the petrol outlays the savings in post and packing. I also have trouble persuading my family that shopping is a valid way to spend a weekend or holiday.

Answer
Later in the year on a bright day, when I want to get out, I am thinking, where shall I go? At this point I wish I had thought to keep a list of stores out of town which have bargains, or items I'd like to see before deciding whether to order on line.

I could make a note of the store, search for a good restaurant or place of interest in the area, then present to the family the place of interest, with my shopping diversion as an optional add on.

UK
What inspired this thought? Today's bargain in the UK.

JACK AND JILL WOODEN BENCH SET | Poundstretcher

Pound stretcher emailed me. Their website lets you type in your postcode and find the nearest store. They are a a discount store. They stretch your pounds, so items can be well over £1.

This is where you will get larger items such as this garden furniture.

If you want a store where everything is a pound, try Poundland.

Poundland in St Ives, Cambridgeshire. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

You'll also find factory shops all over the UK, such as the Denby factory in Derbyshire, and factory outlet shopping complexes. A budget clothing store is Primark.

Charity shops include Oxfam and St Luke's. Oxfam and other charities also have online websites and sell through ebay.

In the UK on line you will find (alphabetically) : ebay;  gumtree; preloved.co.uk ; vented.co.uk; and several more websites.

EUROPE (countries listed alphabetically)

BULGARIA

Mania has many second hand shops in Bulgaria's capital Sofia and other towns .

See 

website: maniastores.bg

Bg stands for Bulgaria, not bargain!

FRANCE
Look for troc.com

GERMANY
In Germany look for flea markets in summer called Flohmarkt. (I typed f l e a. I came back and found spell checker had sneakily changed it to fly when I wasn't looking!)
Markt is German for market.

GREECE
Bulgarian shop Mania has opened a couple of branches in the capital of Greece, Athens.

HUNGARY

Hada has about sixty shops.

ROMANIA
Bulgaria's Mania has moved north into the adjacent country of Romania and opened a couple of shops in Romania's capital city, Bucharest.

In Romania as we drove out through Brasov I noticed stores called Second Hand (yes, written in English), operated by a company called Humana.

Second Hand Humana shop, Brasov, Romania. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

http://www.humana-slovakia.org/en/second-hand-clothes/why-second-hand-clothes

In the UK we had some controversy.  Charities distributing collection bags for collections made for second hand goods. Many donors assumed the goods went directly to needy people, or the charity's shops. Some donors were disappointed, or angry on learning that that the goods were being sold by a third party which took a profit.

Whether you want to support registered charities, discount stores, or just want to buy second hand clothes and goods, up to you.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have several other posts on shopping for bargains and discounts and charity shops in the UK, Europe, and Asia including Singapore. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Lovely lights at Edgware's Broadwalk Shopping Mall

Problem
Where to park in Edgware? It's free on Sunday but quite pricey in the week. You have to decide whether to park in the supermarket's car park or the long stay car park. We were travelling into town and opted for the long stay and assumed we might be longer than expected. We were stuck in traffic jams at the cross roads, and feared that we would not find a space.

Answer
We successfully parked at Edgware car park behind the bus and train station and the Broadwalk Shopping centre for over four hours (cost £4).

Story
I lived in Edgware as a child, with fond memories of eating cannelloni in Dino's every Saturday lunch time with my mother. Alas Dino's has now gone. Edgware now has Nando's and several other restaurants.
In the centre of the car park was an illuminated Xmas tree. Only later, after pausing to take a photograph, did I realise that it changed colour. First I thought it was blue, which looked odd. I assumed it was either Israeli colours, or politically correct.

However, when we returned later in the day, the tree had turned rad.

We drove around the car park and saw it again at another angle. Was it really the same tree? It was white.

Having paid for long-term parking, in order to have lunch in central London, we had time to go shopping on the way back. We then discovered that with the winter lights, the shopping centre is very attractive.

The lights within the shopping mall also change colour, red, magenta, green blue, white, and multi-coloured. Angels in white are at the corner of the central area which has a Costa in the middle.

The shopping mall has a handy mix of shops, ranging from Poundland to Marks and Spencer, Smiths, and Boots. Sainsbury's is at the back.

Tip
1 Poundland has two queues for payment. The one on the left is for self-service checkout.
2 Check for the current free car parking hours - parking used to be free on Sundays.
3 Remember to validate your car park ticket at the machine before driving out. You cannot pay at the exit point. The barrier lifts when you insert a ticket which has been validated.
4 B & K restaurant, my favourite place in Edgware, is closed on Monday. Check their opening times (which varying seasonally according to holidays).
B and K Salt Beef Bar, 11 Lanson House, Whitchurch Ln, Edgware, London HA8 6NL
Phone:020 8952 8204

Action
For opening times, see their website:
www.thebroadwalkcentre.co.uk/

The pictures in this post are of the inside and from the car park at the back.
My photo in a previous post shows a Christmas tree at the front of the mall.
All photos by Angela Lansbury, copyright 2016.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Where to Buy Bargains Around the World

I was looking for a bargain store in Greece because a member of my family has a trip there. I found that according to Wikipedia Greece has branches of Lidl and Carrefour.

I am also planning trips to Hong Kong and Singapore.

Here's my country by country guide:

Australia
Daiso; Kmart; The Reject Shop; Spotlight (discount card gives 10% off on your birthday).

Belgium

Canada
Buck or Two; Costco; Daiso; Dollar Tree; Dollarama; Great Canadian Dollar Store; Hart Stores; Honest Ed's (Toronto); Uniprix; Walmart; Your Dollar Store With More (The Bargain Shop is now My Mark or Red Apple).

China
Daiso (internet sites see http://www.shops-in-china.com: Tmart)

Denmark Flying Tiger
France Monoprix
Germany Karstadt

Hong Kong
Daiso; Living Plaxa by Aeon; Wabash to Seikatsu.
Website gives pages of factory outlets. http://www.hongkongextras.com/_outlet_shops.html
City gate mall has many factory outlet shops.
Street markets such as Stanley Market.

India
Ireland Dealz; Eurogiant
Israel
Italy UPIM
Japan 100 yen shop; Daiso
Macau Daiso
Malaysia Daiso
Mexico Casa Ley; Waldo's Dollar Mart
Netherlands Action; Euroland; HEMA; Zeeman
New Zealand
Philippines Daiso

Singapore 
Daiso (Japanese chain all over Asia); Duty free shops (you must show a passport and/or return ticket ? -  you might have to make a minimum spend and then collect goods from airport on leaving and allow time to go to the office and collect the money owned to you.
Japan Home. Mustafa Centre. (See my post on Where to buy bargains in Singapore, 30 Jan 2016).
NTUC  Fair price supermarket. Popular book store. V a l u Stores (no spaces but spell check keeps trying to turn the word into value). Several 'wet markets' for food.
Online shop through Qoolo - equivalent of UK's eBay.

South Africa Makro; Shoprite; Woolworths
Switzerland Coop City; El Corte Inglés; Manor; Migros
Taiwan Daiso
Thailand Daiso

UK
99p store; Aldi; Argos; Bargain Buys; Cancer Research; Coop; Lidl; Home Bargains; IKEA (Wembley and many more); Littlewoods; Macro (mostly large quantity cash and carry food but also large items such as fridges - you need to show a business card or headed notepaper to get a card); Oxfam; Poundland; PoundGiant; Poundstretcher; Poundworld; Quality Save; St Luke's; Value Stores; Wilko; (£1 sandwiches in: Boots; Tesco). Cheap clothes in Primark. eBay. Amazon.co.uk
Fashion wholesaler UK (sections everything £1, £2, £5);
Food and eating
Wetherspoons pub;Toby Carvery.
The Taste card gives half price meals at selected restaurants.

USA
99 cents only; Big Lots; Deals; Dollar Tree; Dollar General; Family Dollar; Five Below; Fred's; K Dollar; Ocean State Job Lot; Ollie's Bargain Outlet; Target; Walmart. 7-11.

Also check for: Bargain Basements; Charity Shops (UK); Consignment stores (USA); Department Stores; Designer Outlets; Discount Stores; Duty Free Shops; Factory Outlets; Factory tours/Shops; Markets; Supermarkets; Thrift Stores (USA).
FOOD and eating
Look for All you can Eat stores and discount ad in local free newspapers.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer, researcher.
If you know of any others or want to promote your bargain business or website please send me the details.

100-yen shop (Japan) Daiso (China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand) Living Plaza by Aeon (Hong Kong) Watashi to Seikatsu(Hong Kong) Europe 99p Stores (UK) Action (Netherlands) B & M (UK) Bargain Buys (UK) Coop City (Switzerland) El Corte Inglés (Spain) Dealz (Ireland) EuroGiant (Ireland) Euroland (Netherlands) Flying Tiger Copenhagen (Denmark) HEMA (Netherlands) Home Bargains (UK) Karstadt (Germany) Manor (Switzerland) Migros(Switzerland) Monoprix (France) PoundGiant (UK) Poundland (UK) Poundstretcher (UK) Poundworld (UK) Quality Save (UK) UPIM (Italy) Zeeman(Netherlands) North America 99 Cents Only Stores (US) Big Lots (US) A Buck or Two (Canada) Casa Ley (Mexico) Daiso (Canada, US) Deals (US) Dollar General (US) Dollar Tree (US) Dollar Tree Canada (Canada) Dollarama (Canada) Family Dollar (US) Five Below (US) Fred's (US) Great Canadian Dollar Store (Canada) Hart Stores(Canada) K Dollar (US) Ollie's Bargain Outlet (US) Ocean State Job Lot (US) Rossy (Canada) Waldo's Dollar Mart (Mexico) Your Dollar Store with More(Canada) Oceania ABC Stores (Guam) Daiso (Australia) Crazy Clark's (Australia, defunct) The Reject Shop (Australia)

Living Abroad or Holidaying - shopping cheap and quick

Would you believe it - you can shop from John Lewis in the UK anywhere in the world, for about £10 delivery charge on those items which say available for international shipping. I had looked for John Lewis and the system saw my computer was logging on from overseas and up popped sg.johnlewis, but when I hunted for the store no such place existed in Singapore, it was all online.

I was looking for heatproof table mats. You arrive in your second home or rented apartment and suddenly decide you must have some item you have six of at home like coasters and table mats. The trick to searching online is to know what terms to use.

Here's what I discovered:

DAESO
Japanese company, selling items for only two dollars (Singapore dollars) found all over the world:
China, Japan, HK, Macau. Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand.
I went to the branch in the centre of Singapore on basement 4 B4 at Ion, Singapore's equivalent of Piccadilly Circus. For two Singapore dollars I could buy
Bookends (I think it was for one bookend, so $4 for the pair, but still a great price;

At the sales desk I found the cashiers accepted only cash or NETS which is the local debit card.  They had the items I'd been looking for: pads to go under furniture so it doesn't scratch the floors, zips to make my jacket pockets more secure, hangers, floor mops.

UK
In the UK Poundland (Harrow and elsewhere) now take credit cards. (So does Primark, selling cheap clothing store, which usually has gloves and socks for £1, t-shirts and vests for about £5 upwards, often a rummage box of flip flops for £1 or £2, and a sale rail or bargains.

Singapore
DAESO
fishpond.com.sg (free shipping worldwide)
Mustafa Centre (huge 24 hour store) online I couldn't even check the MRT (nearest train station or bus), but I could read about the company.
Qoolo
Spotlight

UK
99p stores
BHS
Poundland
Pound stretcher
Poundworld
Primark
Online:
Amazon free shipping if you join Prime; Ebay (prices and shipping vary; lots of clothes and products from China offering free shipping); Etsy (USA and worldwide; prices and shipping varies).

USA & Canada
Dollar Tree
Dollar Stretcher
Etsy

Australia
Daiso

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Cheap shopping : Poundland, Dollar Stores and Daiso

Everybody likes a bargain. Where will your money go more? Traditionally in many countries you would go to an outdoor market to buy inexpensive food and clothing and markets still exist in many cities, often at the weekend. 

Singapore

Daisy
According to Wikipedia, the last count (2014) showed twelve Daiso stores in Singapore. The stores are located in the following malls: Vivocity, IMM Mall, Plaza Singapura, ION Orchard (Orchard MRT), Tampines 1, Rivervale Mall, Bukit Panjang Plaza, Sembawang Shopping Centre, Chinatown Point, City Square Mall, Parkway Parade and Kallang Wave.  Most or all products are priced at SGD$2.

Mohammed Mustafa
A large store, parts of which are open 24 hours, is Mohammed Mustafa, near Little India MRT, where such a large range is kept that you have a chance of finding some budget items and bins of reduced lines. Because the store started in the Indian continent rather than the Chinese continent, you are more likely to find larger sizes stocked.

UK

At least three major companies specialise in most or all products for £1, smaller items being two for £1 or a bag for £1. 

Poundland - sells homeware, cosmetics and food and garden and car and computer supplies and you can see many of the products, including seasonal lines (such as Christmas decorations) on websites. You can also buy sandwiches for £1.

To compete, you can also buy a budget range of sandwiches if you hunt for them, at Tesco and Morrisons supermarkets and Boots chemist (what is called a drug store in the USA).

For cheap clothing look at Primark. 

In addition to commercial stores, many charity shops sell donated items. Most city high streets have at least one and most have two or three or more. For example: Barbados, Oxfam, St Luke's Hospice.

USA

Look for thrift stores and dollar stores. Also note the words on consignment, shops selling second hand items, sometimes stocked on a sale or return basis.

***

For more bargains, check the editorial and advertising in free newspapers which are dropped on the doorsteps of residences, or stacked up at the entrances to railway stations. London, England, has Metro and Evening Standard. You can also see some of the text and advertising online. If you search for particular stores, you are likely to be sent advertisements, and if you sign up you will be send weekly or daily emails.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, researcher, author, speaker.

Cheapest places to eat in London? C a f f i x; Poundland, Waitrose

The BBC has a video of Caffix which offers everything to eat or drink for £1, in Central London.
New Zealand and Israel also have the same.

You can buy a sandwich for £1 in Poundland, Tesco, Boots.

Also look at the reduced price offers in the Waitrose Food to go section, or the other supermarkets reduced price sections.

Poundland in addition to sandwiches has tins of food such as baked beans, milk, and chocolates. (Plus toothpaste to clean your teeth afterwards.)

Waitrose Cheap Coffee
I shop in Waitrose where many branches offer those regular shoppers who have the Waitrose card a free drink, usually with a purchase of food. Two of us both bought a banana each for 25p and got a free coffee.

I commented that a banana would have cost only 18 p in Tesco (to take away, not eat in). But my companion pointed out that the difference in the price of the banana was 6p.

We had one espresso coffee, and one cappuccino. So, in effect, we had both bought a banana and got a cup of coffee for 6p, which was cheaper than going home for an espresso coffee, if you have a Nespresso machine and buy capsules for about 25 p each capsule.

Wetherspoons pubs have lots of offers varying according to the day of the week and time of day.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-35040662?post_id=10155595000985597_10156317499435597
Affix
45 Newman St, London W1T 1QE
Caffix.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/Caffix-868390126566773/
‪#‎eatfreshpayless‬


Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Speaker and author.

Christmas and New Year novelties: cakes, chocolates, wine

All around the world people are making Christmas cakes. In England the favourite is the heavy fruit cake with white icing topping decorated with little figurines of green trees and red Santas, nowadays skiers. In France the favourite is the Yule log, a chocolate spiral roll covered in chocolate cream.
Here's a visual trip around ten of the best log cakes in Singapore. My favourite is the pistachio green log  cake from the Regent hotel, with it mango filling and little white mushrooms, which a DIY cake maker could model with cream, icing or meringue.

I remember the rainbow cake in Singapore.

(More details about buying of making rainbow cakes in a previous post.)

My favourite Xmas novelties:

Pick A Penguin Cake?
Marks and Spencer Penguin cake
Family fun cake in the igloo penguin cake.
You could also try making your own novelty cake, snow scene topping.
Lots of great DIY cake ideas, recipes, colourful pictures to enjoy here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3311637/Forget-anti-gravity-cakes-season-s-hottest-showstoppers-HIDDEN-CENTRE-cakes.html

Rainbow cakes, like the ones I saw in Singapore (see one of my previous posts); cakes with a short name through the middle, hearts, love you, marry me, and a circular xmas cake. A great snowflake mould shaped like a five point star.

Chocolate Ball
Waitrose recipe books and magazines and website
Cheap luxury look chocolates for a Christmas party from Waitrose.

Lindt reindeer chocolate advent calendar

Waitrose Big Ball Lindt ? Lindor Ball
with truffles

Want Lindt super soft smooth chocolate, more bite size to share?

For a party, or a gift, plates for Stilton. from Waitrose.

Red for romance, and red for Xmas from Waitrose.

 Hearts for romance, from Waitrose.

How to keep the children quiet with chocolates with out a brown mess - white chocolate coins from Tesco, only 50p.

Snowman cake from Prosecco and cake bar in Intu shopping mall in Watford.

To finish your table at bargain prices, you can buy salt and pepper Santa shakers for £1, and a red santa hat chair back cover for the same price.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Author and speaker.

Christmas lights means Xmas shopping, even Xmas stockings for dogs

Cards, presents and souvenirs - whether you are at home or abroad, it's good to have a few extra presents ready. You go overseas for Christmas and there's a last minute invitation. You invite family to a Christmas party and they bring an extra guest.

Suddenly it's the last date for posting presents and cards. Be prepared.

Lights are on already in Oxford Street, London. Too early for some.But Christmas shops are open all year in some parts of the world such as the USA.

Here's what I've seen in Harrow, NW London.

Cheapest presents and party ware, gift wrap, and Santa hats:

Poundland
You name it, they've got it. Budget crackers. Hats. Even a push-on back cover for the iPhone 6 in red, green or purple.

Paper plates, napkins, paper cups, table decorations, red hats. Snowflake pattern suitable for any religion or none.

Reindeer antlers, Red hats, black hats from Poundland in Harrow.

Marks and Spencer
Chocolates and food for Xmas for home, parties and gifts.
An idea from their window display, gingerbread biscuits cut in the shape of Xmas trees. Branches all over the world, including Singapore.

Marks and Spencer in Harrow.

BOOTS the Chemist
The baubles hanging in Boots reminded me of the red and green accessories, scarves and ear-rings they were selling. Red scarves and Santa ear-rings.

Boots in Watford.

CLINTONS
Great pop up Xmas cards.

Clintons in Harrow.

WAITROSE Supermarket, South Harrow
Half price crackers, mince pies and biscuit tins until Nov 10th. The display by the entry door shows the current offers. See the free Waitrose  Weekend magazine free in store for the latest offers as well as recipes, interviews, gardening tips, and lots more.

Tesco had Santa socks even in the smaller Tesco Express in Hatch End.

Christmas stockings for dogs and cats? Yes.

Christmas stocking for your cat from Waitrose.

Christmas stocking for your dog from Waitrose.

What else can you buy on the internet? Christmas theme tee-shirts and sweaters.

All kinds of cookware.


Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author, speaker.

Love leftovers - in the USA take out, UK take away

• A friend on Facebook asked what others felt about white plates versus wooden platters. Here's my view on how the American system helps travellers. I keep in my car a Cool Box (Americans have different brand names to UK) with a couple of small frozen items. (Buy two for a pound from Poundland.) If you forgot to bring a reusable frozen item, buy the cheapest large pack of frozen peas to act as an ice pack. Or ideally fruit or some item you can consume easily whilst it is still fresh although slightly defrosted.

  
  

  A white plate can be checked for cleanliness and has no grooves. Wooden is OK for cold food like cheese. You cannot put wood in a dishwasher.

  Like · Reply · 3 mins
• 

  Angela Lansbury I like the American system of wrapping up your leftovers.You can eat out more often because the cost of your meal out pays for a second meal at home. The tip you pay covers the trouble they take to provide you with another meal. That's worth a tip. In the UK restaurants expect a service charge and a tip but don't give you food to take away. If you get leftover food wrapped up you are not tempted to finish the plate. No waste. The restaurant pays less in rubbish collection. Win win all around.

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  Food to go, ho ho.

Bargains in Britain: free water, free fortune cookies, £1 sandwiches and Pound stores.

What bargain shopping can you do in Britain's towns and cities? Let's look at Watford (which is on the Euston to Watford line if you are starting from central London).

Before setting off from my home office, I had researched online for letter trays. I have piles of paper which cascade whenever you move them. The answer is either letter trays or box files. The cheapest letter trays were in the Post Office or one of the One Pound shops. To my surprise and delight, Watford, where I was going anyway, had not just one, not just two, but three bargain stores which I had never visited, although I am a keen shopper in Poundland of Harrow which has poppy plates, dinner plates, side plates, bowls and mugs, at only £1, beating the price at many supermarkets.

BOOTS

Walking towards the shops from Watford High Street station (not Watford Junction station) on the Lower High Street you pass Boots the chemist on the way to the Intu shopping Centre. In Boots you can pick up a sandwich for £1. Choices were tuna or egg. Surprisingly the egg was slightly higher in calories.

When I got home, I realised I had had in my pocket a previous receipt which I had kept because on the back was printed an offer for 30p off a meal deal - valid most of this month.

Walk through Boots and you come into the lower floor of the Intu shopping centre. In the shopping mall are a free water fountain and free toilets. 

Go up on the escalators one level. You find the second level information desk, which often has a bowl of free fortune cookies.  For inexpensive clothes, look at Primark.

WILKO

Walk up the shopping centre which is on a slope. Take the escalator down and you will see Wilko outside, ground level. This big store has £1 sandwiches. More £1 sandwiches: Chicken and stuffing (the stuffing is pork, in case that bothers you); Cheese and tomato.

The stationery and arts and crafts sections are excellent. I could have bought a Reeves Scraperfoil board with a pen for scratching off the black to reveal a gold animal picture for £1.50. I bought a putty rubber for only 25p.

Box files for £2.50.

The Wilko receipt tells me that I should go to www.wilkohaveyoursay or call 0845 5280 200 and give them feedback for a chance to win a £100 Wilko Gift card.

99p

Walk out to the High Street. A few steps left brings you to the 99p shop.

The 99p shops sells a pack of orange for 89p, a box of small, sharp-tasting seedless grapes for 99p, a box of hair colorant for 99 p, a clipboard for 99 p,  and instead of a bulky, heavy box file I buy a light half depth plastic box file. A tool for getting weeds out from between garden or patio paving stones seems handy, at only 99p.

The 99p shop receipt receipt tells me that for a chance to win prizes I should go online and sign up to their newsletter.

Poundworld
I then walked right and only a few yards further on was the Poundworld, which was shut late on a Friday evening. 

Poundland

Poundland was just shut by the time I got there.

Linens Direct

Returning towards the station I passed one of my favourite shops, Linens Direct. I pass the one in Harrow often. I always look longingly at the beds with matching curtains, and nets co-ordinating with drapes.

Back to the station, Watford High Street. Never mind if I have to wait. I have a £1 sandwich to eat. This morning I picked up a free copy of Metro to read on the train. Sometimes I have two newspapers to read, because the Evening Standard is also free.

So if you're on a budget, or looking for bargains, search online for these bargain stores. Apparently there's also a Poundshop.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3158577/Mrs-Poundland-world-s-thriftiest-millionairess-buys-clothes-Sainsbury-s-husband-rid-flash-Lamborghini-snaffles-free-hotel-shampoo.html

Angela Lansbury, author, travel writer and photographer, speaker.