How to Get Through The Tough Times The Old Style Way.

kidcat

bertiebots - thats a really good idea with charity shops - I can never find anything in the ones where we live - but if I popped over to the more stylish areas nearby I bet the CS there would be brimming with nice stuff. We livenot far from a footballers wives sort of town so may be worth a wander.

BitterAndTwisted

jackieglasgow wrote: »

Aldi have a nice Sekt too which is the German equivalent of Cava.

I'm not certain but I have this feeling that Lidl have an offer on for bottles of Prosecco at something like £4 a bottle. They usually have some Cava on sale for around the same price. I've tried both and they're really good.

BitterAndTwisted

kidcat wrote: »

bertiebots - thats a really good idea with charity shops - I can never find anything in the ones where we live - but if I popped over to the more stylish areas nearby I bet the CS there would be brimming with nice stuff. We live not far from a footballers wives sort of town so may be worth a wander.

Oh, I'm sure that it will be worth a trip on the bus. A while ago I got onto Yell.com and made a list of all the charity shops in the poshest parts of North and North-West London. I have a couple of favourites and try to pop in when there's something that I need.

One of the things that I've found useful is to PLAN AHEAD. No-one is interested in buying winter coats in August, except me. I once worked in Notting Hill and found a charity shop there which I visited at least three times a week during my lunch-hour on the principle that stuff which was taken in at the weeekend probably didn't find its way on the the racks until Wednesday. Any road, I snaffled up a couple of cashmere jackets for work for about a fiver each.

Ebay is great for things like good-quality shirts and blouses. When I was on the hunt for a decent working-wardrobe I bought some excellent-quality ones and I never paid more than £3 plus postage for any of them BUT I am a happy sniper so I never bid for anything unless it's in the last moments of any auction and never exceed my mental budget no matter how lovely an item is.

It's surprising how few people know what the designer diffusion labels are called and Weekend (MaxMara) things can often be snapped up for tuppence ha'penny as my lovely wardrobe can testify.

gailey_2

Hi guys

well40weeks today still no baby:(

youngest went to nursurytoday no tears:j

lovley sunny day here put eldest in summer uniform.

Got bit stressed today they axed paypal top upcard which I use alltimetoquickly transfer money from things I sold and topay bills sonot too happy, seems rbs keeping peoples money for up to30days before refunding:mad:

might go watchthat superscrimpers as recorded it and bounce about on birth ball.

found really good charityshop fairly close tome some can be hot or miss or well expensive.

Carboots starting up again soon:Dalways get bargainclothes/shoes there.

anyway catch you goys later hope everyones ok.

silvasava

Originally Posted by espresso21
What a fab site. Have been browsing the recipes and other money saving ideas. And thanks for the messages of welcome - you're all a very friendly bunch!
Does anyone know of any cheap places that sell smart clothes? We are required to dress smartly for work but unfortunately that can be expensive. I have an awkward figure - think short and round, and you'll get the idea! - so the cheap places like Primark and Tesco rarely have clothes that fit me. I usually have to buy in places like M&S or Evans to find clothes that fit properly but might have to find cheaper options.

Espresso - also have a look in Bon Marche if there's one near you. Although they are primarily for the more 'mature' lady they do have some really good basics & they often have sales on & their stuff is usually quite good quality. I know that TXMaxx have LOADS but I just get fed up wading through all the stuff thats been put in the wrong section & doesnt fit me! Shame you're not tall as I've got a wardrobe full of smart working clothes waiting for a home that I havn't got round to eBaying yet

mrsspendalot

kidcat wrote: »

Mrsspendalot - I had SPd with my last pregnancy and I know how awful it is, I still have residual issues as a result so can honestly say be very careful now, follow all medical advice to the letter and make sure your MW knows when you deliver - dont assume the info has been passed on - tell her and maybe even have an advice for birth sheet with you to explain it too. Good luck and welcome to our merry band,

Thanks. I had it last time too, from 30 weeks, and that was bad enough. To start with the pain at 17 weeks this time was a bit of a shock as I never expected to be so much earlier. I only lasted a week before having to go home from work. I have some crutches and a belt to help me get about, but it's not as easy as I thought it would be using crutches either.

lauren_1

I must be the only one who clashes my shoes and tights

Winchelsea

Ooooh..... I want some purple tights! (And purple hair - trying to pluck up courage for that one - can't decide if I'm too old as a 1941 baby!)

I agree on the differences in CSs - my favourite is the Oxfam just over Pulteney Bridge in Bath - must be where the classy women live! From my experience of shopping there, I would say that quality clothes definitely wear well and last longer. I'm still wearing things that I bought from there when we'd just moved here 7 yrs ago.

To put our finances in perspective, I was just dusting (yes, me, dusting!) the copy of DH's grandfather's indenture that hangs in our hall. He was apprenticed to a piano maker - if you come across a White and Hicks piano, that's them. Dated 1875, it sets out his pay over 5 years:

1st 7 months - 3 shillings a week
1st year - 5 shillings a week
and so on, up to
5th year - 15 shillings a week (75p!)

Larumbelle

lauren_1 wrote: »

I must be the only one who clashes my shoes and tights

I can't remember the last time I wore any tights at all! If I ever wear a skirt, it's because it's warm enough for bare legs

GreyQueen

...the toothy trauma is over this morning and I can't yet drink tea without spilling it as my face is still half -numb but hopefully that's the end of it. Good job I'm off work for the rest of the day.

:wave:Hello silvasava, espresso21, & mrsspendalot. I'm quite new here too but I just popped in with as much as a by-your-leave (deep shame ).

I also do my recipes in plastic pockets in an A4 folder with subdivisions for mains/ soups/ puddings etc as I can't give my limited houseroom to volumes just because there are one or two recipes in there I like. I have a folder on my pooter called Recipes ( I know, how boring) and save them in there as Word docs and then print them after I've rewritten them in a way which is sensible to me. When I'm cooking, I take the relevent plastic pocket out and tape it to the door of the wall-cabinet nearest the stove. Keeps it in view but out of the way. Anyway, being that they're on the PC anyway, I can just fling them at mates as email attachments, and a good recipe gets about a bit.

ChocClare, have stolen the sticky chicken recipe and intend to have it on the same sheet as your delish Chinese Chicken one. BTW, FarmF*ods have 1.5 kg bags of frozen chicken drumsticks at 2 for £5 at the moment, if anyone's interested (= £1.67 kg which seems good by the standards around my way).

Ceridwen I found out that I can copy-and-paste off the thread and into Word which is easiest for me. However, I have a vague recollection that someone (you?) mentioned she didn't have a printer so maybe not too useful for you? Or is this something everyone else in the world knew already......;)
:beer: Many congratters kidkat and hope the move goes smoothly for you and you're all very happy in your new home.

espresso21 I have to do "smart-casual" for my un-exalted office life which I choose to interpret as plain black bootcut trousers (widely available almost anywhere) and a smart blouse from a charity shop. I usually have to buy my trousers new as have a 34" leg and need a size 18 (should be 16, too much chocolate, must do better ). Blouses and other tops I can get pretty easily. March was a very good month indeed with 2 blouses from "East" from my fave charity shop. Also have a bit of a Per Una habit (ahem) but only indulge it at c.s prices.* As ChocClare says (and I've have loved to have seen your late MIL, sounds like a v.stylish lady), you can do a lot with minor alterations and a few well-chosen accessories.

One of my friend's mother's was one of those on-street market research ladies and she always says you can fake everything accept the shoes, if you're trying to look more affluent that you really are. Fortunately, I am strictly small fry so just have to look presentable. A good tip if you have to do suited-and-booted is to buy 2 bottoms (minimum) of skirts or trousers for every jacket, pre-supposing it's a classic cut and you intend to keep the suit a few years, and that you can afford it, of course.

I like nice fabrics and that mostly (although not exclusively) means the nicer high street brands and getting a hot iron on the linen and linen-cotton blends I favour within an hour of it coming out of the washer. I have an East bias cut tunic-blouse hanging around awaiting my attention now.

Pitlanepiglet, I'm really glad you said that you're nervous of pressure-cookers too as I was feeling a wimp. I saw one explode as a child (can't remember what caused it but the weights hit the ceiling and the contents sprayed up there...interesting clean up problem......) and I have to leave my mum's kitchen when she's using hers as the hissing makes me very anxious.

Mrs VP, don't know if this is of any interest/ relevence, but me and a few others I know dehhydrate empty eggshells in a pan in the bottom of the over (rinsed first) for a few weeks and they'll them crumble smaller and seem even less welcome to slugs and snails.

Pretty pink wine Whilst freely admitting to buying wine because it has a pretty label and falling within a certain (v. low) price band, I acquired something called Silver Bay Point from Mr T the other week. They have red, white and rose and were on special and are British wines. I was thinking about my "wine miles" and thought I could give it a go. Have only had the rose thus far but it was gorgeous, a lovely raspberry sort of thing, very summery but not a fizzy one.

* read a book by the comedienne Jenny Eclair from the library last year whose title escapes me, possibly something about being a grumpy older woman, and it was very funny. One thing which stuck in my mind was that Per Una is the heroin of the middle-aged woman which makes me smile whenever I spot the brand in the c.s.

Charity Shopping out of your usual area. Ahem, if I'm going to be somewhere unusal in shopping hours, I research the charity shops by putting the place name + charity shop into Google and note the details. You never know where your dream bargain might be lurking.

BIOTEX Someone was remarking somewhere up here that they haven't seen this product for ages and neither have I. Then I spotted it today in Savers at 79p/ 250g which is enough IMO, but it never was cheap. Thought I'd give the heads up but not sure if this is a regional or national chain? It's a highstreet discount chemist/ home cleaning shop.

The ironing calls, see y'all later.