Charity Shopping - New to You in '22!

Wednesday2000

DigForVictory said:

I'm all for a real tree but plan like a marine for where from, how to get home, how to keep alive, how to prevent any shed needles staying stuck like shards underfoot in the flooring, and where to plant after. I didn't & was picking needles out of socks for months & the tree died but first marked the soil so it was hard to get other things to grow there. (Freely admit to being a convert to artificial & they last as well as not marking feet...)

I hadn't got one before as I was paranoid my dog/cats would eat the needles that drop off from the tree but I was thinking of going to a local place and asking their advice before I bought one.:)

florianatwobob

We used to have real ones when I was little, with a cat and a dog. 

The needles do get everywhere, we were often finding them still 6 months later even when keeping the bucket it sat in well topped up with water so they didn’t drop.

The cat and dog didn’t eat the tree however the cat did like to climb it and sit in it. He’d also tag team with the dog and pat the chocolate decorations off the tree for the dog to unwrap the foil, hen they’d share their bounty (fortunately cheap chocolate and no side effects). 

The dog used to take baubles off the tree and bring them to you as a present, which was fine if they were plastic ones, it’s when he brought you the glass ones….(they did get moved further up the tree after this development). 

Strangely none of this behaviour happened once we’d swapped to an artificial tree. 

Brie

If the OH suggests yet again this year to get a real tree I might do something extreme.  He bought an exceedingly expensive artificial one a few years back.  Lucked into it really as I think it might have been RRP £200 or more.  He walked into the garden centre about 3 days before Christmas just when were trying to dismantle their display.  Every thing was already half price and then 30% off or something.  He looked at the chap struggling to get the thing undecorated and ready to try to squeeze it back into it's box and offered to buy it off the floor if there was a further discount.  This of course meant the chap didn't have to work so hard and also they didn't need to find storage space to the following October.  £20 end price.  

Brie

Meanwhile I've had a charity shop disaster.....

When we moved to our current abode a few years back I bought a set of lovely turquoise towels.  Turns out this summer OH has announced he's never liked them which was why he had started to use the smaller ones as paint rags.  (see he's not really perfect).  So I made sure the usable ones were washed and packed them up to take to the shop.  No problem with that and it gave me the right to buy something!!!

So I looked around and noticed they had a big bin of cds.  I like to have some in the car so I can howl along with them when I'm driving about so looked for something fun.  Will Young!  I'm not a huge fan but he's got a good voice and there was some good stuff listed so I thought I'll get that - only £1.  But wait!  They were doing a BOGOF!  So I looked around for something else to get and found a kd lang cd - her first record Torch and Twang which I've never owned.  So I looked through everything on the off chance there were more and found her Drag cd.  So I still needed to find another and searched a bit more and found one of Oscar Peterson (top jazz pianist- there were a lot of Jamie Cullen too....).  So great - 4 cds for £2!!  

Didn't get a chance to listen to them for a couple of days but today on my way home from art class I thought I'd pop on the Will Young one.  Shock horror!!!  What was inside the case but a Daily Mail freebie cd of greatest disco from the 70s!!!  Not my shtick at all.  I hurriedly check the other and they are all fine which was a huge relief so I opted for Oscar instead.  Nice and mellow. 

My own fault of course - I should have checked as I've been caught out in similar ways in the past.  But I don't feel too upset as I've got 3 great cds very cheaply. 

Wednesday2000

Actually I think I will just buy an artificaial tree as I don't want loads of needles in the house. I read that you can get very realistic ones now so I think I will do that instead!:)

I am going to look for some garden furniture today in a few second hand stores.

Pollycat

Brie said:

Didn't get a chance to listen to them for a couple of days but today on my way home from art class I thought I'd pop on the Will Young one.  Shock horror!!!  What was inside the case but a Daily Mail freebie cd of greatest disco from the 70s!!!  Not my shtick at all.  I hurriedly check the other and they are all fine which was a huge relief so I opted for Oscar instead.  Nice and mellow. 

My own fault of course - I should have checked as I've been caught out in similar ways in the past.  But I don't feel too upset as I've got 3 great cds very cheaply. 

I always check DVDs (don't buy CDs) in charity shops.
A few weeks ago, I found a 3 film set that I would have bought but when I checked inside there were only 2 DVDs.

Wednesday2000

I found a wicker room divider that I am going to use in place of a headboard for our bed. I saw that idea on Instagram. That was £40 and had free delivery.

I also went past that local furniture outlet store and saw a wooden loveseat for £69 and it was marked down from £200+. I am getting them both delivered in the next few days. Very pleased as I found exacly what I was looking for in one morning.:)

goldfinches

@Wednesday2000 - brilliant find, clever you. I'd love to see how you set up the wicker divider as I'm mulling over some changes I might make to my bedroom in the next few months so all inspiration gratefully received here. 

I've been staying at home on the sofa for the last few days but realised earlier today that I hadn't 'fessed up to my last spend which I see from the receipts was on the 10th! Anyway, I found these cookery books in the Oxfam book shop and bought the Kenwood one on the somewhat flimsy grounds that I haven't yet decided whether or not to plunge for any of the Kitchen Aid publications (you can tell I was coming down with something can't you ). All the others are self-explanatory I think/hope. I also bought a John Grisham that I haven't read on the grounds that it was almost as long as War and Peace so would take a while to get through. The books came to £12.50 altogether which isn't bad for three hardbacks and three good quality paperbacks.



Then I popped my nose into the original Oxfam shop and found this lovely cake carrier, £6.99, sitting on the shelf and snapped it up on the grounds that if I ever want to take a Bundt cake to a party this will be ample.

Rosa_Damascena

Wednesday2000 said:

I found a wicker room divider that I am going to use in place of a headboard for our bed. I saw that idea on Instagram. That was £40 and had free delivery.

I also went past that local furniture outlet store and saw a wooden loveseat for £69 and it was marked down from £200+. I am getting them both delivered in the next few days. Very pleased as I found exacly what I was looking for in one morning.:)

You might want to head to Sue Ryder, West Road (just around the corner from SS). I've had some good furniture finds from there and am pretty sure they sell that article BN.

I am told that inflation has final hit my favourite Havens outlet, now everything is £3.

Wednesday2000

goldfinches said:

@Wednesday2000 - brilliant find, clever you. I'd love to see how you set up the wicker divider as I'm mulling over some changes I might make to my bedroom in the next few months so all inspiration gratefully received here. 

I was thinking of spray painting it white, but then I read the paint can very easily flake off. I might just clean it and use it as is. It is a brown colour at the moment.