The Little World

And I do. In my cases I need boxes with plastic model airplane kits in them.

This year I opted for the do-it-yourself-later option. I asked for gift vouchers for the local hobby shop. The good family delivered as requested and I am now cashed up for the next few months – whenever I need paint or tape I can just cash in a voucher

And I could look with some interest at the Boxing Day 10% off sale, as long as I was prepared to brave the crowds.

A hobby shop is unique for this sort of thing. people have Christmas money to spend and as long as you are prepared to open the day after Turkey Day and give some sort of incentive, you can expect a good turnover. I hope that this also included my old workplace – the camera shop – as they need the business. As it happened the shop was not massively overpacked but you had to be patient getting to some of the shelves.

The stock had not changed since Christmas but it did include some kits that meet my criteria; they must be low-priced to start with and they must fit into my overall plan of display. Fortunately some of the items I had marked out for interest in the previous months had sparked no desire on the part of others and I was able to pick a kit at 10% off a low price anyway.

In case you don’t think that 10% is a worthwhile saving, do this mental exercise. Look at something you actually want or need and mentally add 10% to the retail price and see how happy that makes you feel. Now reverse the equation and see if your mood lifts. Remember that many a mickle makes a muckle and you can get a very good 1:72 muckle made by Airfix.