Brand Names

Last night I slept on the study floor. I would like very much to add that I think this the best billet in the house. I have a thinnish mattress, peace and quiet and it is one of the warmest rooms in the house. It is also the best for my back. As it was forecast for a cold night I put a duvet under me and over me I put a slanket and a Cosy Pad blanket http://www.lakeland.co.uk/F/keyword/cosypad/product/22694

Neither the slanket nor the Cosy Pad were inexpensive and they are the real deal, the brand names. However I was as snug as a bug in a rug. I was toasty. Around 6am I was woken by heartburn and got up to get something. Just sitting up in the room was incredibly cold! In this case paying the extra was definitely worth it.

I have a kettle. It must be at least ten years old, it is much older than little bear. I spent a fortune on it in a moment of madness. Not only does it still work really well but it is still really fast. I noticed it in Pickering. The perfectly adequate kettle in the cottage took twice as long, or more. During the time I have had this I estimate that my darling uncle has spent more on kettles because he buys the cheapest kettles from Tesco and they do not last (and take longer, and ours is one of those that has a flat element so you don't need to put in enough to cover the element, just the minimum for a cuppa). That was worth the money.

Then there is the matter of my pans. I spent an absolute fortune on my pans - I was almost shaking when I paid for them, and they were half price! However I am confident that they will outlast me.

I think that sometimes it is worth buying expensive, but the judgement call to work out what is worth spending on and what isn't is a hard one. But the above spends comfort me a little for the odd bargains I have that have not worked out quite as I thought.