Sneaky ways to save the pennies

Desperate_Housewife_2-2

Interesting to read people's feelings on 2nd hand clothes. I was clothed in hand me downs as I was the youngest of 3 girls so I got used to it really. I went through a phase when I had my babies and wanted new stuff for them, as time went on I realised it didn't matter all that much and the time spent working to pay for new items was time I couldn't spend with my kids so now I gear my working life round them as much as poss and we all wear charity shop clothes!

I don't care if it has been owned by someone before me, the feeling I get every month when I can overpay my mortgage is better than any retail therapy fix! We have had some right laffs in charity shops at some of the things they sell and the kids have enjoyed having lots of clothes to wear at a fraction of the original cost.

When we were kids we used to hop over the wall to the local school in the school hols and rummage through the school dustbins for stuff they had thrown away, pencils, books, paper etc and I don't know what I would have done if there had been no library because I always had my nose in a book as a kid...still do and still use the library!

rosemary54

if like me you don't have a library nearby then a good site to buy and sell books on is Green met
http://www.greenmetropolis.com/index2.asp

books cost £3.75 mostly with some cheaper and a few heavier ones dearer.you get £3 for books you sell(can add or subtract what you ask for for post or condition of book)

clutterydrawer

Interesting to hear people's views on second hands clothes - personally i can't see what's not to like, I get cheap clothes, the charity benefits, the clothes don't end up in landfill, and the person who donates them gets a warm fuzzy feeling from helping a charity.

We always had new clothes when I was a child and looking back it just seems so wasteful, especially for kids who grow out of everything ion 5 minutes anyway.

Oh and on the subject of books....in case you've not heard of it readitswapit.co.uk is excellent, swap your old books for new ones, for just the price of postage

karren

as kids my mother always took us to jumble sales and I still shudder when i think of it and would never buy at one now.I always felt poor (we never had holidays,car etc either)and it was only when dad retired that he found out that actually we weren't that badly off(both parents in work was unusual then)and that she had squirreled away lots of money to leave to us.He and the rest of the family would much rather have had the money to enjoy when they had good health.

My mother was the same and i never ever felt like i fitted in anywhere!
yet now my daughter loves having her friends clothes but i do buy her new ones too and she adores shopping for them, so we use the friends clothes as playclothes, but if she ever said she felt second best because of this id be mortified!
as the money goes back to them really not on me, as my mother always had enough to put by with the pearl man, but never enough for us 'ie the children from the first marriage' but there was always always enough for the son from the second marriage to have the best!
So i quess her problem was with my dad not me! sorry i just had to get that off my chest!

Confuzzled

rosemary54 wrote: »

I then went to the department store where I got a pair of £89 Planet trousers marked down to £29 :j:j:j:j...don't feel bad buying from shops,you are keeping people in work :T

well done on the sale price of those trousers!

it's not about feeling bad about buying new in shops, i simply cant' afford too most of the time. with my own things i don't have a choice most of the time (though i'll wear mens trainers and fleeces/tshirts etc and can get those at charity shops sometimes) to me though 29 quid is a LOT for a pair of trousers. usually i wait until they are having clearance at evans and see what i can get

recently i got 6 tshirts, a pair of linen blend trousers and a pair of linen blend capri's for just 41quid using a few codes i found on here, i'll be getting around 5 quid cashback too so that's not bad for new items... i have absolutely NO warm weather clothing whatsoever and i've been roasting so i didn't feel i had much choice. this winter the tshirts will be worn under the jumpers/cardigans to help with another layer so i can live with it i suppose

i simply couldn't keep up with my daughters growth spurts buying new even if we had an asda around here so i could buy cheapy george clothing. but as i said we find a great variety here, we have, hmmm off the top of my head, 8 charity shops in a small area that has a large student body and a fairly large affluent sector.

i find that many of the uni students 'skinny t's' are great for my 7 year old, they are a reasonable length on her and because they are so tight on an adult they fit nicely on her!

also because we have a large affluent population the charity shops here are good for clothing. normally i can get gap, next, monsoon and all the regular suspects and i pay around 1-2.50 per item, sometimes you get big name designer clothes too for the kids.

recently they had an 'all kids clothes 1 pound each so i stocked up on some larger sized jeans for this winter. i've had decent luck and here it's nice because all of these shops are so close together

when i was in edinburgh where you shopped for certain items depended on the part of town you were in. ie clothing search in the nice part of town (we lived in a good area for this) and for knick knacks, books etc look in the poor side of town because they are cheaper there!

and yes, i saw a few episodes of mary queen of charity shops and ewwww to those nasty people throwing some pretty hideous things in those bags, i felt really sorry for those women.

rosemary54

Confuzzled wrote: »

well done on the sale price of those trousers!

it's not about feeling bad about buying new in shops, i simply cant' afford too most of the time. with my own things i don't have a choice most of the time (though i'll wear mens trainers and fleeces/tshirts etc and can get those at charity shops sometimes) to me though 29 quid is a LOT for a pair of trousers. usually i wait until they are having clearance at evans and see what i can get

recently i got 6 tshirts, a pair of linen blend trousers and a pair of linen blend capri's for just 41quid using a few codes i found on here, i'll be getting around 5 quid cashback too so that's not bad for new items... i have absolutely NO warm weather clothing whatsoever and i've been roasting so i didn't feel i had much choice. this winter the tshirts will be worn under the jumpers/cardigans to help with another layer so i can live with it i suppose

i simply couldn't keep up with my daughters growth spurts buying new even if we had an asda around here so i could buy cheapy george clothing. but as i said we find a great variety here, we have, hmmm off the top of my head, 8 charity shops in a small area that has a large student body and a fairly large affluent sector.

i find that many of the uni students 'skinny t's' are great for my 7 year old, they are a reasonable length on her and because they are so tight on an adult they fit nicely on her!

also because we have a large affluent population the charity shops here are good for clothing. normally i can get gap, next, monsoon and all the regular suspects and i pay around 1-2.50 per item, sometimes you get big name designer clothes too for the kids.

recently they had an 'all kids clothes 1 pound each so i stocked up on some larger sized jeans for this winter. i've had decent luck and here it's nice because all of these shops are so close together

when i was in edinburgh where you shopped for certain items depended on the part of town you were in. ie clothing search in the nice part of town (we lived in a good area for this) and for knick knacks, books etc look in the poor side of town because they are cheaper there!

and yes, i saw a few episodes of mary queen of charity shops and ewwww to those nasty people throwing some pretty hideous things in those bags, i felt really sorry for those women.

seems to have stirred up quite a hornets nest this subject!

I was really pleased with the trousers as I had been after some like this(basic grey) for a couple of years.I have long legs and no waist so really struggle to get a good fit and unfortunatly only Jacques Vert ranges seem to fit.(most are too short and to fit waist are large on hips)

I have been through the very hard up stage(including trying to pay a mortgage when rates were 16% on 1 wage with 3 kids under 4) so now I am pleased to be able to treat myself now and then .I still save whereever I can and never pay full price.I will wear these trousers for years so price per wear will be very low.

when mum died she had 4 wardrobes full of clothes mostly from cheap shops and charity shops,for what she paid she could have had a great wardrobe of really classy outfits,she drove my sister and me mad!!!

re Mary programme i have helped at church jumble sales(we no longer have them as people did not attend ,only traders looking to rip us off!)and have also had the nappies/dirty undies :mad::mad::mad:a friend in a charity shop says they no longer sell undies as people change their old ones and replace with the new....also happenned in a shop I worked in!

our local town is a market town with lots of old people so no designer bargains there and I don't think Mary's message has reached them at all judging by the state of things!

Confuzzled

rosemary54 wrote: »

seems to have stirred up quite a hornets nest this subject!

well no worries about offending me personally, none taken, promise!

once upon a time i also had a similar problem with trousers (ooh would i love to have that problem again vs the opposite now!) so i understand!

please forgive me if i came off preachy or anything, it wasn't intended as such, though i will say i'm often one of the first to defend charity shops for many reasons, but mostly because i personally suffered greatly as a child because my mother was to snobbish to even consider one even though we were in desperate need of what they had to offer.

for me i've used them over the years regardless of financial need to do so. i find i rarely come on jumble or boot sales (though i do love a good rummage when i get the opportunity!) but charity shops to me are not much different than high street stores. some are better than other for quality and service, some have consistently better stock for specific types of items and some have better staff and store premises than other...just like high street shops!

i've used charity shops as a lesson in compartitive value for my daughter as well as a lesson in the importance of recycling as well. I'm not saying those that don't use them don't care about these things, but i personally have had good ones at my disposal and have found them excellent for proving some important points to my daughter.

at just the tender age of 4 she quickly realised how much further her pocket money would go at a charity shop then something new at the shops. i think for a young child this is a particularly strong point because they are unlikely to have a significant amount of money to spend at either place and 1-2 quid at a charity shop will inevitably provide more solid toys and dressing up clothes etc than the same amount at a regular shop by far!

but by taking her to these shops and showing her these things she's learning to use her own judgement about how we value objects. she's also slowly learning that somethings really do just fine being practical vs trendy and that there really isn't any reason to pay more for these things. she's also learning the value of waiting and the thrill of the (bargain) hunt. she's become very good with her money and whilst she'll still spend the lot on sweeties some week if i allow her too she is so proud of her possessions from charity shops (she has this thing for paintings lol my budding art collector!)

she has saved up and bought things new at the shop but is critical of prices and will tend towards things on a good sale, she's so practical that way and i count my blessings.

i realise this may change when she hits her teen years and if it does i shall gladly give her money i would have spent towards her clothing and she can top it up with her pocket money and anything she earns if she really MUST have that new shirt from monsoon. i think soon enough she'll find that it isn't always worth it (sometimes it is though, i do remember this leather/denim jacket i saved up $100 for one summer, oh how i loved that jacket!) but the fact is she'll come to it slowly on her own vs having one lifestyle or the other thrust upon her.

i'm quite honest with her, i tell her right now i can't afford to buy at the regular shops and so far her answer has always been 'that's ok mummy, i love the things we buy together' i will never flat out say 'no i won't buy you new things' and sometimes i may give her more money towards something than i would have paid at a charity shop if i sense it's really important to her. however right now she's being taught about finding her OWN sense of value amongst a myriad of messages.

we're not big consumers. i had my years when i was first out on my own but i soon leanred the thrill of buying buying buying soons leads to the guilt of debt and for me it wasn't worth it. i chose to break free of my mothers opinions of what i shoudl or shouldn't have, to break free of society's opinons too. but i had to do it on my own and it took me years to do so. i'm hoping that by presenting my daughter with the freedom to choose less i'll be doing her a big favour, even if she does go for the 'more' option at least she'll be able to get more for less even if it's from a high street shop

now i'm honest when i say i'm not judging others, we all have our own reasons for what we do or don't do, but i will defend most charity shops because i personally feel they offer so much to so many people both in money/objects AND life lessons. maybe i was born a few decades too late and would have made a wonderful commune member but hey, it's a big world and it takes all types :T

russetred

Very well put confuzzled.I like your style! My DD is exactly the same and is now hitting her teens with a shrewd sense of how far money can go and far better style sense than her mum.

FairyElephant_2

veggiecar wrote: »

Ants hate lavendar:beer:.
It attracts bees but will send the ants packing!:D

OOHHH! Thanks for this! I'll try making up a spray with lavendar oil in it to spray them with next time.

rosemary54

Confuzzled wrote: »

well no worries about offending me personally, none taken, promise!

once upon a time i also had a similar problem with trousers (ooh would i love to have that problem again vs the opposite now!) so i understand!

please forgive me if i came off preachy or anything, it wasn't intended as such, though i will say i'm often one of the first to defend charity shops for many reasons, but mostly because i personally suffered greatly as a child because my mother was to snobbish to even consider one even though we were in desperate need of what they had to offer.

for me i've used them over the years regardless of financial need to do so. i find i rarely come on jumble or boot sales (though i do love a good rummage when i get the opportunity!) but charity shops to me are not much different than high street stores. some are better than other for quality and service, some have consistently better stock for specific types of items and some have better staff and store premises than other...just like high street shops!

i've used charity shops as a lesson in compartitive value for my daughter as well as a lesson in the importance of recycling as well. I'm not saying those that don't use them don't care about these things, but i personally have had good ones at my disposal and have found them excellent for proving some important points to my daughter.

at just the tender age of 4 she quickly realised how much further her pocket money would go at a charity shop then something new at the shops. i think for a young child this is a particularly strong point because they are unlikely to have a significant amount of money to spend at either place and 1-2 quid at a charity shop will inevitably provide more solid toys and dressing up clothes etc than the same amount at a regular shop by far!

but by taking her to these shops and showing her these things she's learning to use her own judgement about how we value objects. she's also slowly learning that somethings really do just fine being practical vs trendy and that there really isn't any reason to pay more for these things. she's also learning the value of waiting and the thrill of the (bargain) hunt. she's become very good with her money and whilst she'll still spend the lot on sweeties some week if i allow her too she is so proud of her possessions from charity shops (she has this thing for paintings lol my budding art collector!)

she has saved up and bought things new at the shop but is critical of prices and will tend towards things on a good sale, she's so practical that way and i count my blessings.

i realise this may change when she hits her teen years and if it does i shall gladly give her money i would have spent towards her clothing and she can top it up with her pocket money and anything she earns if she really MUST have that new shirt from monsoon. i think soon enough she'll find that it isn't always worth it (sometimes it is though, i do remember this leather/denim jacket i saved up $100 for one summer, oh how i loved that jacket!) but the fact is she'll come to it slowly on her own vs having one lifestyle or the other thrust upon her.

i'm quite honest with her, i tell her right now i can't afford to buy at the regular shops and so far her answer has always been 'that's ok mummy, i love the things we buy together' i will never flat out say 'no i won't buy you new things' and sometimes i may give her more money towards something than i would have paid at a charity shop if i sense it's really important to her. however right now she's being taught about finding her OWN sense of value amongst a myriad of messages.

we're not big consumers. i had my years when i was first out on my own but i soon leanred the thrill of buying buying buying soons leads to the guilt of debt and for me it wasn't worth it. i chose to break free of my mothers opinions of what i shoudl or shouldn't have, to break free of society's opinons too. but i had to do it on my own and it took me years to do so. i'm hoping that by presenting my daughter with the freedom to choose less i'll be doing her a big favour, even if she does go for the 'more' option at least she'll be able to get more for less even if it's from a high street shop

now i'm honest when i say i'm not judging others, we all have our own reasons for what we do or don't do, but i will defend most charity shops because i personally feel they offer so much to so many people both in money/objects AND life lessons. maybe i was born a few decades too late and would have made a wonderful commune member but hey, it's a big world and it takes all types :T

don't know where no 2 son gets his jeans, they are so full of holes that if I were an assistant in a charity shop I would say thanks but no thanks if he tried to donate them!....tells me they are meant to look like that,full of rips and 2 sizes too big!