Strictly Budget Bonus!!

Hello,

I'm sure anyone who reads this is bored to death with tails of budgeting, savings etc ( I never expect anyone to read my waffle, it's for my own record really!)

But this weekend  the benefits of budgeting really paid off.

My friend had tickets for the live show at the O2 arena, unfortunately she couldn't make it.
 So 830 pm Friday night  I received a phone call that went like this:

Friend "Are you busy tomorrow night?"

Me     "Ha! No, just staying in"

Friend "Would you like 2 free tickets to see the Strictly Live Tour at the O2 arena?"

Me    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
 Yes please yes please yes please!!"


The tickets were booked and the car parking and she wouldn't take anything in payment. We gave her cash for the parking but she refused cash for the tickets.

The celebrity dancers and their partners

It was AMAZING!! We both had such a good time! BTW another great thing was that my husband was on his weekend off, it was like it was meant to be ! 

Now, where did budgeting come in? Without budgeting I would't have saved money from our food budget and squirelled it away "just in case" I wouldn't have a small amount of cash hidden somewhere else and I wouldn't have been able to afford a fabulous treat. With the small bit put by we could afford the petrol, the parking and a bite to eat. In the old days we would have had to turn this treat down  as we simply wouldn't  have had the spare cash or we would have tried to find a credit card that wasn't up to its limit!
This really brought home to me how our attitude  has changed and that by careful planning when something  nice like this comes along, we can treat ourselves. Yay!

Now, any suggestions on a thank you for my friend? I have said it repeatedly but would like to make a gesture : - )