I am a firm believer in budgeting. Sitting down and working out exactly how much money you have and what you need to spend it on each month. I have a huge spreadsheet that I've been tracking all our monthly incomings and outgoings in for years now and it allows me to keep track of everything. To work out whether I need to find any extra money in a month or whether we can afford to save up for something. Yes, it takes time each month to do that and I do resent having to sit down and work my way through bank statements and make everything balance when I'd much rather be doing something else ... read more
Lidl Back to School Range
I know term hasn't quite finished yet (that's coming soon enough!) but if you're a parent trying to be organised then thoughts are already turning to school uniform for when our little darlings go back in September. Master C will be starting school pre-school come September and so this will be the first year that I will have two children requiring school uniform and hence I'm really starting to see how the cost increases when you need to kit out more than one child. As a bargain lover I'm always on the look out for cheap ways to buy what I need and for a good few years now supermarkets have ... read more
Thrifty Mrs C: 52 Week Saving Challenge
I'm back on the Radio Verulum Drivetime show this evening with my monthly thrifty slot, and one of the things I'm going to be talking about is thrifty new years resolutions. New years resolutions can scare some people, but actually they're a perfect opportunity to help kickstart yourself into a thriftier way of life. It may be that you want to start small and for you the right thrifty resolution might be to start meal planning, or to buy more things secondhand. Possibly to look on a price comparison site and see if you can get a better deal on your utilities bill. Or, if you're someone ... read more
The advice I wanna give to new parents to be…
I found myself the other night sat talking to a friend who is expecting her first baby later this year. It seems strange to think that it's over five years since I was in that position. Five years? Where has the time gone. I was very lucky when I was pregnant with Little Miss C because lots of friends told me about the joys of buying things secondhand for our little baby. I was already pretty thrifty and with only one salary coming into our household I remember planning with meticulous detail what we needed to buy, how much it was all going to cost and where to buy it from to get the best ... read more
Review: Latest Free Stuff App
Free Stuff. Those two words bring joy to the heart of thrifty bargain hunters the world over. And rightly so. After all - who doesn't love getting something for nothing. Some people may be sceptical about the idea of getting things for free. Aren't we all taught that you don't get anything for nothing in this life? Well, that's sort of true, but if you just look at the definition of free as being that you haven't handed cold hard cash over for something, then actually there is still a fair bit in this world that you can get for nothing. I first came across Latest Free Stuff a couple of ... read more
Make do and mend: Charity Shop shirt to summer top #Trash2Treasure
Earlier in the year I treated myself to a sewing alterations course with the lovely Emma from Oh Sew Vintage. Emma makes amazing reproduction vintage dresses and I was luck enough to get to know her through our local WI branch, the Herts Belles, where she is our very efficient secretary. For me, the aim of the course was to learn how I could alter some of the amazing clothes that I find in charity shops that just aren't the right size. When I get a moment I will blog about the course itself and what I learnt, but I'm delighted to say that what I did learn that day has given me the ... read more
Beauty on a Budget – the Braun Silk-epil 9
It can't have escaped your notice that summer is now well and truly here and as such my usual jeans or wooly tights have been abandoned in favour of summer dresses, skirts and cropped trousers. But, as all women, especially dark haired ones like myself, will know, pulling on a skirt or a pair of shorts isn't always that straightforward. Let's not get into a debate about whether or not women should remove body hair, but I think it's an accepted fact that lots of us choose to do so and want to have smooth legs when we head out - especially if our legs are on display. Now I've never got on ... read more
Property – your questions answered #MoneyHangout
I've said it before and I'll say it again - Legal and General's #MoneyHangouts are really teaching me quite a bit. I thought I was quite up to speed on all things property related after remortgaging last year, but actually sitting down and watching their latest hangout on Property has made me realise just how much more there is to know, and also how many problems there are with property in this country at the moment. There is a shortage of houses, especially for families, in certain parts of the country and this means that people are finding it harder and harder to find a home. Knowing how ... read more
Property – Your options explained #MoneyHangout
Property. A house. A flat. A roof over your head. Your place. Home. Whatever you call it, everyone needs somewhere to live and for most of us it is our biggest expense. But finding somewhere to live isn't always straightforward, and depending on what your particular situation is I'm sure there are lots of things you want and need to know going forwards. That's where Legal and General are hoping to help with the next in their excellent MoneyHangout series - Property - Your Options Explained. Just following questions that I've seen asked online recently I know that there are people ... read more
Latest charity shop haul – May 2015
I've not been having as much luck as usual in charity shops of late. Despite lots of looking there just haven't been any items of clothing I really liked and Ladybird books seem to have dried up a bit since the publicity push for the 100th anniversary of the publisher. Still, all my efforts have turned up a few gems - so here's my latest charity shop haul. I'd love to hear about what thrifty gems you've found recently. ... read more