Monday 4 January 2016

Free?............maybe not

For the first time for more years than I can remember I won't be scanning through these, which arrived today, working out what we need and the best value, filling in the order forms and sending off a cheque.
Although we will have enough room to grow a few things in Ipswich as long as we don't want a lawn and I'm sure when we move in March one of the first things we will do will be to make some veg beds but I've probably got enough seeds saved for what we will need.

Do you see what it says on the front of the Marshalls Catalogue
Free Seeds
5 Free strawberry plants
Free Trial Probiotic Booster 
BUT does that mean what it says? Oh no.
To get the free seeds you have to buy 10 packets of seeds and pay for 9, getting the cheapest free
To get the free strawberry plants you have to spend over £20 on soft fruit plants, bushes or canes
The free pack of Foundation Trial Probiotic soil treatment is sent with any seed order, it's worth............ 65p. Marshalls are not really giving much away.

I try not to be tempted with offers like these although in the past  I have been known to buy a cross stitch magazine because of the free gift on the front. Not any more - I've enough cross stitch designs to last me a lifetime. There are also so called free offers on most of the garden magazines, perhaps seeds attached to the front cover or an offer of vegetable or strawberry plants for the price of postage. Sometimes these are worth spending out the £5 for the magazine but I don't really think this allows you to say you've got them free.
 No such thing as free when you have to spend first! 

Just seen a trailer for a new series of Shetland starting next week on TV. I'll look forward to that. The first 2 series were based on 4  books by Ann Cleeves. She has done 2 more books so I guess this series will be based on those. I spend the whole time muttering when I'm watching because the books are different to the TV series so I remember bits but not the whole story.

Welcome to Fiona and Val, new followers in the google pictures. Numbers creeping back after that weird blip a few weeks ago when Google had a spring clean and everyone lost people.

Thank you everyone for all the lovely comments. It helps to know people are out there.

Back tomorrow
Sue



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