Over the last year and a half, ditching the high street in favour of charity shops has played a huge role in my money saving mission. Not only have charity shop bargains helped my savings grow, it’s also allowed me to do my bit for the environment and donate money to worthy causes! However, many Read more
Research suggests we have £30 billion worth of unused clothing lurking in our wardrobes and we’re guilty of not wearing 1/3 of the clothes we own. According to WRAP, if we were to use our clothes just 9 months longer, each item’s carbon, waste and water footprint would be reduced by as much as 20-30%. In Read more
In December, one of my favourite bloggers, Jen Gale, wrote a post for The Daily Mail about how she was refusing to buy her kids any new stuff for Christmas. Jen explained that instead of buying her children things they don’t really need, they would spend time together making handmade gifts and decorations. Personally, I Read more
2016 is here and it’s the perfect opportunity to adopt some new habits for the year ahead! If you’d like to make the world a better place this year, why not make an effort to be kinder to the environment? You don’t have to become a kale-eating, tree hugging hippy, but by adopting a few Read more
Food waste is a huge problem. Each day in the UK, 24 million slices of bread are placed in our bins and the average family bins a whopping £700 worth of food annually. Although 50% of the total amount of food thrown away each year comes from households, supermarkets and restaurants are also responsible. It’s frustrating Read more
Written by Jo Smyth aka @Jo_joblogs this post is the second of a two part series which looks at how self-confessed shopaholics can be that little bit thriftier. Earlier in the week Jo wrote about shopping at charity shops. Today’s post focuses on buying clothes on eBay. Over to Jo… eBay can be your friend and your enemy. Read more
Written by Jo Smyth aka @Jo_joblogs this post is the first of a two part series which looks at how self-confessed shopaholics can be that little bit thriftier. Today’s post focuses on charity shops but keep your eyes peeled for a post about eBay in the next few days! As a self-confessed shopaholic, I love the Read more
Last night Jake and I went out with a bunch of his friends from work for his leaving do. He’s saying goodbye to the world of retail and starting his first graduate job on Monday. Having had very little of a social life recently, I decided I’d make an effort and wear something nice. It’s Read more
A few months ago I was in the paper talking about the benefits of fantastic voucher code websites. But, since I created this blog to help my readers save money, I decided to write a post about the importance of maintaining a sense of self control when using such websites and looking for a great deal. Voucher Read more
Doing a car boot can be a bit of a gamble. Sometimes you can drive away with an empty ride and a few hundred quid in cash, other times you find yourself struggling to fit everything back in your car despite having driven it to the venue with no problems at all. Last Sunday, my dad Read more
It’s common knowledge that you can find out exactly where a dress was from and how much it costs simply by complimenting a girl’s outfit. I don’t know why us women so often feel the need to share all this information as soon as someone says “nice coat” but we just do! And “Thanks! £5. Charity Shop!” Read more
It was only a few weeks ago that I first heard about the homelessness charity Emmaus. I spotted them on Twitter and found myself spending ages looking through their tweets. Bursting with photos of donations, charity shop displays, and stories of the people they help, these guys really are experts when it comes to promoting their charity Read more
Fur has long been thought of as the baddie of the fashion world and as a result, as soon as Autumn comes around our high street shops are filled with faux alternatives. However, these alternatives can be extremely bad for the environment for a number of reasons: If we throw them away once we’re done Read more
I’ve said it myself many times in the past, the way to grab the best second hand finds involves shopping in posh areas. With so many wealthy residents nearby, many of whom probably don’t have the time to faff about on eBay for very little profit, an overwhelming number of quality - and often designer Read more
Up until recently, I wasn’t too keen on the idea that some people buy things from charity shops to sell on Ebay for a profit. After all, one of my favourite things about charity shops is the idea that when an item is sold, it’s going on to a better place. I like to tell myself that virtually every donation Read more
Packed with history, natural beauty, and glorious weather, it’s no surprise that Tunisia is a hit with tourists. However, despite the amazing architecture and vast fields filled with olive trees, during my recent visit to the country, it was clear to see that Tunisia has a serious litter problem, and residents are not happy. *Tunisia certainly wasn’t all bad. Check Read more
I was recently offered the opportunity to become a Zero Waste Week ambassador. In case you haven’t heard of it before, Zero Waste Week is an annual event and runs from 7th - 13th September this year. It was designed to encourage people to think about the amount of stuff they let go to waste while also helping them Read more
This afternoon I helped out at a local charity shop for the very first time. Having already worked part-time in a supermarket for 7 years, I never thought I’d see the day I’d be excited to return to retail, but I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks! I’m lucky to have landed quite a Read more
With the average rent costing £768 in the UK, it’s no surprise that so many people are struggling to save up for a home of their own. After all, how can young people gather a deposit together when most of their wages is being given to their landlord? For those desperate to become home owners, it makes Read more
In the space of six months I managed to save a whopping £6000 towards a home of my own. I still have a long way to go before I’ve saved up the full amount, and while I originally hoped to have £10,000 by the summer, I don’t think I’ll be ready to buy until early Read more
Last night Jake and I enjoyed a gorgeous meal at La Tasca, and seeing as it was Jake’s birthday, we were given a free bottle of Cava (usually worth £20.95!) You can make use of this great freebie too, providing you spend a minimum of £30 during your visit from either the Main Menu or Party Read more
After months of procrastination, I’ve finally set up my own eBay account to sell old clothes. I’ve been meaning to get started for ages but for a while I really struggled to find the time. My parents’ house is currently full of unwanted clothes. My mum has tons of stuff she’s keen to get rid of, I Read more
If you’ve visited my blog once or twice before, you’ll probably already know that I’m a little bit obsessed with charity shops. I enjoy trawling through them on the hunt for my next bargain and there’s nothing better than emerging from the shop triumphantly with something new (or old, whichever way you look at it). I also love Read more
If you caught a recent blog post of mine, Not Fit For The Tip - Can I Upcycle This Abandoned Chair?, you’ll know that a couple of months ago I stumbled upon a broken chair left outside a student house in Fallowfield. The leg was hanging off, some of the wooden bits that hold the legs together were Read more
During a charity shop hunt around Sale today, I spotted this wedding dress in Scope’s shop window. I can’t say I know much about wedding dress designers or how much they cost, but £150 looked pretty reasonable to me. This got me wondering how many people would be willing to wear a preloved wedding dress. Read more
Whether you’re looking to reduce the amount you spend on new clothes, or save the planet one preloved dress at a time, charity shops are the perfect place to snap up unique or vintage bargains for a fraction of the price they’ll cost you elsewhere. If you’re interested in designer handbags, fifties dresses, or simply want to Read more
I’ve seen a few of my fellow charity shop lovers complaining recently that their favourite second hand havens aren’t as cheap as they used to be. They’re not alone. I agree with them and on a few occasions I’ve even joined in with their moaning. I love charity shops and over recent months they’ve kind of Read more
It’s been six months now since I moved back in with my parents and I can’t believe how fast time has flown. In this time, I’ve managed to save a whopping £6000 towards my first home (while paying rent and bills to my parents, by the way). I’m not on a huge salary, but I Read more
During a recent clear out at my parents’ house, I stumbled across this old sketchbook tucked away carefully in a protective plastic sleeve. After slowly pulling it out and turning back each page, I was blown away by the talent that lies inside. The sketchbook belonged to my great uncle, George Joseph Hill, who died Read more
A few weeks ago I wrote about how my boyfriend and I were setting ourselves the challenge of having a Second Hand Valentine’s Day and promised to only buy each other gifts from charity shops. And now Valentine’s Day is here, it’s time for the big reveal and to show you what we bought each Read more
