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!