I’ve always been a bit cynical about the one-day-sale websites that have started popping up here there and everywhere. My first impression was that they were selling a lot of cheaply priced Tat that people didn’t need to buy. There’s certainly an element of people getting too excited over these sites. Grabone.co.nz has more than 50,000 people who “like” it on Facebook.

I have, however, seen the other side of them. I’ve noticed that some of the sites like DailyDo.co.nzoffer services (eg dental work and beauty therapy) and tourism days out at really cheap prices. I went on a Kayak Fishing expedition, which I have written about for the NZ Herald. The other customers had bought their tours from DailyDo.co.nz at half the face price.  If you want to do something like this it’s a great bargain.

I’ve had one of the cheapest weekends ever. I was parent help for a Girl Guide camp.  It cost $35 all up for my daughter and myself for food and all materials.  Considering we weren’t eating at home or heating the house for the weekend, most of that was simply taken up with the necessities of life.

Any other weekend we would have been bound to have spent other money, be it going out and being entertained, having a coffee at the soccer grounds, popping by the $2 shop for art materials, or simply doing a bit of shopping.

I must say, however, that this really is a once or twice a year sort of thing. Even I couldn’t do it every weekend. Trying to get 18 girls to go to sleep at 10pm isn’t easy.