It’s easy to lose track of how much you’re spending when out shopping for things you love.

Whether it’s a jacket you’ve been staring at in a shop window for the past few weeks or that impulse purchase on the way to the checkout, your tightly controlled budget can quickly be forgotten – and this doesn’t just happen on the high street.

With months of darker, colder evenings ahead, it can become all too easy for energy bills to rise far beyond the expected – especially as there’s no price tag to keep you in check.

So, I want to show you how difficult it can be to keep a track of your spending without any idea of how much things cost.

Below is a picture of my haul from a recent shopping spree and, what I want you to do, is tell me how much you think the total price comes to.

Guess the value of my shopping haul and winI selected some lovely bits to help boost the mood during these cold winter days – a new coffee machine and super cute mug, my favourite perfume, a pretty silver necklace, chocolates, grown up colouring goodies and more.

Try your best to guess the correct total and one lucky reader will win all of the goodies while, for everyone else, it may be a good time to start thinking about ways to keep an eye on your spending.

Thankfully, for those of you wanting to get a grip on how much you spend on energy, help is at hand.

E.ONs smart pay as you go meter allows you to keep tight control on how much you spend on energy by showing exactly how much you’re using in real time.

All of which means you’ll have some extra cash to spend on the things you really love…

Good luck!

EON Shopping Haul

This competition is brought to you in partnership with E.ON. See if you could save money with their gas and electricity deals today. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter

shopping haul

Terms and conditions

The prize is non-transferable and no cash alternative is offered
Open to UK residents aged 18 and over
Competition is closed to employees and relatives of In The Playroom and E.ON
The competition opening date is 19th November, and the closing date for entries is 18th December. One entry per person
Entrants must log into Gleam and leave a comment guessing the total amount the items shown come to
Optional entry methods are to follow on Twitter, Facebook and tweet on twitter, to be specified by the competition host In The Playroom
The winner will be chosen by using a random number generator build into the Gleam widget and will be contacted direct on the email address provided. If the winner does not respond within 7 days a new winner will be drawn.
The winner’s name will be available on request. By entering this competition participants consent to their full name being available by request from In The Playroom
The prize will be sent within 28 days of receipt of the winner’s address
E.ON reserves the right to amend or withdraw the competition at any time without notice or liability
Entry to this competition confirms that participants have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions
This competition is governed by the laws of England and any dispute shall be governed by the English courts.