For what it's worth, here's a tip. This time of year, there are shops selling gift items at "buy two, get one free" - I'm thinking of Boots, here in the UK. It's always the cheapest one that comes free -obviously. They're not going let you pay for two pencils and take a free electronic game.

However, shoud you be buying more than three, make sure the three most expensive items go through the till first, then at least you're getting one of the expensive ones free. For example, if you've three cheap and three dear things, you want it to go: Expensive, expensive, FREE expensive one; cheap, cheap, FREE cheap one. Not: Expensive, expensive, FREE cheap one; expensive, cheap, FREE cheap one.

In another supermarket the other day I saw bottles of Greene King Abbot Ale, £1.48 a bottle, included in a 2-for-£3 offer. Eh?