Life Hacks....Thrifty Tips to Keep You and Your Lifestyle well within Budget!!

Hi everyone! I was recently asked to do a post by the lovely people at Most Wanted, the online lifestyle magazine by Vouchercodes.co.uk on my favourite thrifty tips which I could share with my lovely blogger friends, I do hope you find the following useful and maybe some or all of these tips may inspire you to do the same too!

Do think to shop Winter in Summer and Autumn- whilst on charity shop trips this Summer I bagged a couple of winter jackets for just under a fiver each- a Belstaff bomber jacket was £4.95 and a trend led camel wool jacket was found for the same price, both at my local Sue Ryder. Then just this week, inspired by oversized coats on pinterest I found a black and white tweedy version by Next from my local Salvation Army for just £6.99. When the only extras to pay out on are dry cleaning then it's always worth checking out the charity shops a few months before you actually start wearing your finds- the prices tend to be really reasonable and there are definite gems to be found!

Check out your local library for new reads, old classics, your favourite actors autobiography, craft or cookery books- or some chick lit or a psychological thriller to keep you occupied on those rainy weekend afternoons. I've just recently finished reading The Long Fall by Julia Crouch, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and The Broken by Tamar Cohen. You can generally get up to 12 books on a library card and keep renewing them for as long as you need to all for free!

A cheap and healthy alternative to cough medicine and lozenges for a sore throat that I swear by is fresh ginger cut into bite size chunks. Chew until all the juice is released and swallow or spit out what's left, eating at regular intervals. From having a hacking cough and sore throat within 48 hours my cough disappeared and the fresh ginger root cost less than 20p from my local grocery shop!

Check out the men's sections in your local favourite high street stores for good quality wool knits at reasonable prices. As you know from my previous post I recently bought a couple of basic crew neck sweaters from H&M which came in at just under £30 for both and I know they'll be really versatile and stylish for my wardrobe!

Dig out all those faded black jeans, tees and sweatshirts that are languishing unloved at the bottom of your wardrobe and grab some machine wash velvet black dye from Dylon, available at your local supermarket or haberdashery store. You'll have next to new items in just a couple of hours that will be totally revitalised and renewed, giving you new outfit options for the coming season and those old faded favourites a new lease of life!

Before and After!

Before you get rid of those unwanted jumpers and sweaters that maybe moth eaten or too small, cut the sleeves off just above the elbows and put a small slit in the cuff for a thumb hole (optional)  to create an instant pair of fingerless wrist/arm warmers as an extra warm layer for the chilly days ahead. They look great as an extra layer over contrasting coloured sweaters or cardigans and will be keepers in your wardrobe for years to come!

I hope these have given you ideas of your own on how to get thrifty this coming season!! Have a lovely week ahead to you all!

Essential Autumn Basics, Sweaters from H&M

Hi everyone! Firstly I need to hold my hands up to being a very absent blogger, I'm dealing with a lot of personal issues at the moment but I'm trying my hardest to get my mojo back and get back to my favourite hobbies of thrifting and blogging. Of late I do prefer to read blogs rather than publish posts which is how I'm spending a lot of my free time. Thank you to all of you who continue to read my blog and leave comments-it's always so nice to see them and knowing that a lot of you do read my blog and may not comment too means a lot, so a big thanks to you all!

Yesterday was an opportunity to have a quick trip out and indulge in some retail therapy on the high street-in fact just one shop in particular, H&M. I know it's a real favourite for a lot of bloggers lately, not only are their pieces stylish and trend led but the majority of their items are really reasonably priced combined with being good quality for the money.

I was in Regents Street briefly and knew I wanted to go in H&M and have a browse and I was definitely tempted by a few items. I was won over though as soon as I hit the mens section as the sweaters there really were worth a second look. I picked up first this merino wool one in a dark slate grey- in a size small it's perfectly long in the body and sleeves without looking too big and it will go well with skirts and jeans already in my wardrobe. It's an ideal knit too, more fine than thick but it would still look great with a shirt underneath too if I want to layer up. At £19.99 it was a must buy for me:

My second pick was this wool blend berry and navy crew neck sweater for just- wait for it- £9.99!! I was very surprised at the price as it's brilliant value for money and I love how the stripes all match up perfectly around the shoulders and front and back. A nice texture and knit -not too fine and not thick. The sweater also comes in a grey and navy colourway but I went for the berry colourway as I've jeans in this colour I can pair it with this season:

My other find was from the womens section and is a short sleeve fine viscose knit sweater in a light grey colour. For just £7.99 it's ideal for Autumn as an alternative to a grey tee and will be perfect under a blazer or smart jacket too:

I've a lot of bottoms in the way of jeans and although I don't own lots of trousers and skirts I have enough for the wear I get out of them and if I'm after anything else it will be some more blue jeans to add to the growing collection!!

What items are on your style basics wishlist this Autumn? Have you already succumbed to those must have pieces or are you waiting to find the right ones, do let me know!!

Wishing you all a really good week and roll on the anticipated heatwave we're due this weekend- I won't hold my breath though!!