Having got really fed up with my hairdresser, I fancied going to the nearest thing to a celebrity hairdresser we have in our locality. He trained with, and is a good friend of, the guy who does Kate Middleton's hair. But he's expensive. I had a free consultation (and free coffee) with him a couple of months ago and discussed what he thought I should have. So I made an appointment, but it took two months before I could get in, because he is so busy. The appointment was last Saturday. It was three and a half times the cost of what I would usually spend, and I thought at first it was prohibitive, but at the time I asked the universe for the money.

The week before the appointment I received a) some money for some consultancy work I did, b) I had a week's cat-sitting job and c) a travel refund for a cancelled train.

This amounted to £4.50 more than the cost of the hair appointment. A friend I met after the hairdresser's said I had never looked so good in my life!