pumpkins not bought

  These are the sort of things that I would be buying practically on a weekly basis right now. But the New & Improved Sadie just takes photos and feels happy with that.

The velvet looking pumpkins on the left I really loved. I spotted them in Home Bargains at the weekend. I love a velvet pumpkin, and if I recall correctly these were £2.99 for three. Three or four, not sure and can't really tell from the pic. They had a small selection of colours, these are the ones that had I been in the market for, would have snapped up.

But I don't need them. I could have recreated them myself from all the faux pumpkins I've recently got rid of. I've also got rid of some velvet fabric that I knew I'd never use. So as soon as I saw them and picked them up, I reminded myself that I've literally just chucked out the ingredients to make my own so there was no reason whatsoever to waste money on these. My mind is focused, so while I may get distracted by the pretties and look at them, the sensible Sadie Voice is there to remind me that we've just cleared out a ton of this sort of thing, don't want to start collecting it again.

But if you wnat some pretty autumnal decor, Home Bargains is not a bad place to look right now. Amongst the tat they have some very pretty bits that look elegant and you could bring out year after year.

These little black and white pumpkins I also really liked. £4.99 from the B&M. Had I not got the harlequin one from The Range minutes earlier I probably would have bought these, but I prefer the one I bought so I'm glad I didn't see them until afterwards. They look good from a distance but close up they are very cheap and plastic looking. Not being nasty in saying that, it's true. In the photo they look good, in real life not so much. But who would inspect them closely, for the money they are great. So again, while I had that moment of 'ooh, they'd look nice in the kitchen', I thought about it and took a photo instead. I'm pretty sure you get 8 in a box, so if you are looking for several at a reasonable price for a autumn or halloween display, then the B&M is the place to go.

It's not the easiest thing to try to train yourself from old habits, but it isn't impossible. I just have to remember how much we've got rid of and how I never want to drown in that amount of rubbish ever again.