Why didn't I know there was a 'new' charity shop in Stowmarket that had been there since last July? An independent, not part of a chain, run by the lady who ran one a few years ago. Her old shop was a treasure trove of junk crammed floor to ceiling. This new one is smaller and tidier and not so interesting.
While in town for fresh food last week I did a tour of all seven charity shops and found nothing at all. Which was very good for a low spending month. I didn't feel the need to venture out for bargains in the January sales either.
I had a bit of a wardrobe/chest of drawers sort out and added a couple of things to the charity shop bag. I'll definitely need some strappy vest tops for summer as I wear them under tunic tops in winter and several are looking very sad as are some bits of underwear. Shades of Grey comes to mind when I hang them out on the whirly!
No shoes will be needed this year as I bought two pairs of the summer shoes that I like in the sales last January. Most of my pairs of shorts are still OK but I always need a new tee-shirt or two each summer as the old charity shop ones get tatty.
It's looking hopeful for a low-spend in the clothes department, both strappy vest tops and tee-shirts are usually easy enough to find in charity shops.
Next winter I'll need a couple of new pairs of leggings - some have been mended too often to survive another winter.
And hopefully not a lot will be needed in the house after last years big spend on the sofa and chair and the much smaller spend on the second-hand nest of 3 tables. (Now I've said that something will probably break-down!) and I bought a new duvet and another 300 count fitted sheet in December so that's another area where nothing will be spent in 2024.
I'm looking for no spend and low spend in all areas for the rest of this month because the heating oil tank will probably need 500 or 600 litres at the end of February depending how cold it is for the rest of the winter months.
Back Tomorrow
Sue
My daughter bought me a pack of strappy tops from. M&S for my birthday last year. I think the light blue and "nude" colours stay "fresher" longer than the white ones, and are just as pretty. I was probably scarred for life by that tv ad in 60s where the Mum without persil sent his child to school in a grey shirt!
ReplyDeleteI'll have whatever colours I can find in the charity shops!
DeleteI think we paid 68p a litre for oil last month but it will go up soon no doubt.
ReplyDeleteI was just hearing about big price rises in oil due to the problems in the Red Sea, but I've not got room in the tank yet for filling so I expect it will be more expensive just when I need it
DeleteClothes which are a necessity I shop for them twice a year, and like you get a batch of t-shirts and underwear. Sometimes I think my wardrobe is pretty gray as well.
ReplyDeleteI hope to find some t-shirts in charity shops before summer
DeleteI try to push everything to it's outer limits now. I've never been a wear it a few times and ditch it person but some of my things are more repair than garment now! I actually have grey as my base colour in my wardrobe. A softer than black or navy neutral
ReplyDeleteI buy whatever colours I can find!
DeleteWe've just topped the oil tank - just in case we have snow - I think a cold snap is definitely on the books. We paid 69p/L. There was more in the tank than I realized, as I hadn't dipped it (2/3 full). More expense here - car insurance (house was due and paid for by Christmas Eve as that was the date we had to insure it for before moving in). Car tax too as we have transferred the car to my name to make sorting insurance out etc easier. Will just have a 6 mth insurance, so that the renewal takes us away from January, when we can do it for the year we always take out.
ReplyDeletePlenty of clothes, but I need new Hotter or Clarkes type shoes for winter wear. Am looking on Ebay as I'm not paying £80 a time for Clarkes!!
I bought a new pair of Hotter boots a few years ago incase they didn't do that design anymore but my originals are still fine so I'm OK for shoes for another year at least
DeleteCheck out the Clark’s outlet online - they have a lot at 60% off.
DeleteHave a look on Vinted, lots of new, nearly new shoes and boots. Lynda
DeleteI found Clarks outlet online last year, too. They have really good offers, have bought a pair of shoes and one of slippers from them.
DeleteI like the appearance of white undergarments but never buy them as they never stay fresh white and soon look dingy. (Obviously, I have had white in the past or how would I know?)
ReplyDeleteI'll get a pack of knickers from Morrisons or Asda - they are usually flowery but get a bit greyish when they've been washed so much!
DeleteWe depended on oil at the farm - gas was not avaiable down our very minor road. The farm paid the oil bill - and it was always expensive although very efficient. In my ninety odd years I have never had gas until I came to the bungalow 6 years ago (I was scared of the bunsen burner at school and am still a bit wary of gas!!)
ReplyDeleteI love your charity shop tours. Friends often call in lovely clothes and when I admire them I find they have come from charity shops - and my goodness me the finds which appear on Antiques Road Show and Flog it that come from Charity Shops amazes doesn't it - especially jewelry. But I always think if it happened to me I would not feel comfortable until I sold the item and gave the charity shop the money. Same goes for Car Boot Sale finds.
I would love to cook on LPG again - miss it, even though the induction hob is easier to clean.
DeleteIt's getting harder to find useful things in charity shops - I'm looking forward to car boot season
Those strappy tops are quite useful as vests in winter, although I do find they go shapeless quite quickly, probably just the way I wash them 😉
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
I've got a couple of thermal vest tops too but it has to be really cold to wear them or I get a bit too warm
DeleteI was pleased to find a stash of T shirts that now fit well (they were too tight so I tucked them away); no need to buy any for this summer now. Excellent. xx
ReplyDeleteThat's good news.
DeleteA tour of seven charity shops is music to my ears.
ReplyDeleteI bought a pair of slip-on pumps in one recently for the summer but found them too stiff - they had a rigid bar in the sole running the length of the shoe.
I dismantled them, took the bar out and sewed them up again.
Result!
Not sure I would have done it if I'd paid full price!
Well done for saving the shoes - I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to do that
DeleteI was pleased with what I bought at the resale shops yesterday. I spent $15 and got 3 warm tops to wear, 1 nice hoodie and a book for my son, 3 books and 4 hot wheel cars for my grandsons, 3 plastic tablecloths for parties, and 2 "thinking of you" cards. The shop where I bought the clothes had 75% off everything as they were cleaning out the winter stuff to make way for Spring!
ReplyDeleteYou found some really good bargains there
DeleteFor me, December and January are high cost months. Christmas buying, oil purchase and homeowners insurance are paid. Come spring and gardening season, I will have a few large projects. I will add trees to my fruit orchard. Plus, I will buy another John Deere mowing tractor. Last year, I managed to bend some of the internals and the repair is functional but not guaranteed to last. Lately, the estate sales seem lack luster. I review sale items online and find nothing I want. I do not even go to the sale.
ReplyDeleteI had all sorts of problems when I had a ride on mower at Clay Cottage after Colin died - I think I drove it too fast!
DeleteI should have enough Winter clothes and shoes to see me through the rest of this season and then plenty of t-shirts for summer, I'd have even more if I could manage to lose two stone!! I bought myself a second pair of Hotter walking boots when they were in the sale at half price about four years ago and stashed them under the bed, I have just switched to those and thrown the old ones away, so maybe these will do me next year as well.
ReplyDeleteBy Hotter boots - not waking boots but ankle length have lasted really well - not sure which year I'm on
DeleteThankfully I don't work in the town now which limits my opportunities for unplanned purchases. I still like to look though if I'm passing.. Arilx
ReplyDeleteI love to do a tour of charity shops in town when I'm there for food shopping - but rarely find anything nowadays
DeleteI like to look for bargains in CS, but only ever found a Kate Spade bag, which was lovely.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to March and car boot season starting again
DeleteIt is so cold here that unplanned purchases are nil. Though today Harvey had to go out and purchase a new plug in. Tomorrow he will be doing a bit of electrical work.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Staying at home is definitely good for the purse and pocket!
DeleteWe are having a year without buying any more clothes or shoes because we have enough.
ReplyDeleteI did WW2 ration quantities and cooking from scratch, and now more of my old clothes fit again.
I don’t often find charity shop clothes to fit, but did well with eBay with hardly worn Guernsey jumpers for our Christmas presents, and two Welsh, Trefriw Woollen Mill, tapestry waistcoats, which are beautiful and warm.
I think modern detergents and fabric conditioners ruin clothes.
I am doing more mending, keeping the sewing tin near where I sit. I have made some old socks into hand warmers, for Make Do and Mend this year. I am trying to look after my shoes more, to polish them regularly and wear them in rotation. It is maddening to find crêpe soles crumbling on shoes which have had little wear.
I like being frugal but something new to wear can really cheer me up in the dreary winter months. I have really wanted a pair of gray wool pants but only find thin synthetics. Standing outside waiting for the bus, then subway, then another bus to go just five miles I need lots of layers!
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to be low-spend for "fun and unnecessary" but will be high spend for home repair. Which is probably by low-spend is more essential!
ReplyDeleteI'm really trying on the low-spend, but I'm finding it a bit of a struggle. There were things I didn't bring with me and I'm tempted to buy, but I'm trying to give it a think as to whether I'll use them or not. I am definitely thinking twice about what I'm spending. It does help that I'm not going out anywhere lol
ReplyDelete