My first attempt at Extreme Couponing

When it comes to the food shop, I'm more of a grab and go kind of girl, stocking up in small amounts. When I attempt to do a big shop, it always seems like a good idea until I get there. Hundreds of stressed people playing dodgems with their trolleys and no shopping list is not a good combination. Half of the time I end up walking out with minimal shopping as I just can't take the stress. 

I work full time so shopping really isn't at the forefront of my thinking. I keep a good home but I have lots of other things to prioritise. 

 I've been watching a lot of the new channel TLC, especially the Extreme Couponing programmes. I'll take any advice on saving cash. Unfortunately for me, it's filmed in America where they are coupon crazy and there aren't so many rules and regulations surrounding how many you can use in a transaction etc. But I thought there must be something in the UK and so set to researching.

I came across several websites such as www.supersavvyme.co.uk, some Facebook pages https://www.facebook.com/ExtremeCouponingUk?fref=ts  and some blogs where people post the latest coupons and vouchers they've discovered. You can't really stock up on staples because there just aren't any shops here that will accept large quantities of coupons (I'm hoping this will catch on soon, especially in these times!) but you can save money off your weekly shop if you check these websites and pages regularly. I managed to print myself a variety of coupons in the last week, and those, coupled with the fact I had two £5.00 off a £40.00 shop vouchers from the last time I shopped at Tesco managed to save me A LOT of money this week. 

As I'd realised it's hard to do a large shop with coupons, I decided to price check the items I had coupons for, in order to maximise the savings. If I it wasn't on offer, I saved the coupon. If I had a coupon for it and it was on offer, I decided to buy it as the savings would be greater.

I created a spreadsheet version of my shopping list and the night before I went shopping I went online and got the prices of my items, stocking up on staples that were on offer in store, I figured it would reduce the shopping for the rest of the month.

Armed with my printed shopping list, which I'm now adding to and using to inventory my stock, I headed to  Tesco. We could only use 1 £5.00 coupon per transaction so we took two trolleys and used the Shop 'n' Scan in store to fill one with up to £40.00 worth of shopping, and the remainder in the other trolley. We didn't buy anything that wasn't on the list (one of our BIGGEST weaknesses) and we knew exactly what we were spending and looking for as I'd checked prices beforehand and totted up what we were going to pay. 

Overall, with coupons and in store savings, we managed to deduct a total of £21.67 off our shopping. AND, because we'd spent £40.00 each in store, we received a 5p off per litre of petrol from Tesco Petrol Station, giving us even more savings. 

I was a complete novice at this and very nervous that none of my coupons would work, but I persevered and I'm astounded at the savings I've made. I'm going to work on my technique and hopefully have many more savings in future! 

Peace & Love

xXx

Girly Birthday Hamper

July is an expensive month for me. Why is it that all important birthdays insist on falling around the same time? I have my own, my mums, my best friends, my best friends mum, my other friends sister... I could go on...I won't.

I'm realising that as much as I'd like to lavish my friends with gifts, I'm only 23 and I'm not earning a huge amount when you deduct rent, council tax and all those other nasty bills. But I can never scrimp when it comes to birthdays. The resolution this year? Make it look more expensive then it is! (I relied hugely on the idea that it's the thought that counts!) 

My own birthday was last week, and so I had several wrappings, tissue paper and boxes lying around. I started with a normal cardboard box, cut the top flaps off and wrapped it in some pink dotty flower wrap that strangely enough, my friend who I made this for, gave me wrapped around my birthday flowers last week! 

It's all well and good having a pretty box, but I needed something to fill it! I'm a big ambassador for Pound Shops, I think they supply a great range of products at basement prices, and if you look properly you can find some really nice small gifts/stocking fillers!

She's a very pink princess type of girl as you'll see from the picture below, she adores Hello Kitty! I grabbed everything pink and tried to make sure there was some sort of theme to the hamper, in this case it was a girls night in. I picked up everything in this hamper really cheaply from Poundland/Primark/Marks & Spencers and Superdrug. I then went on to Hobby Craft to pick up some clear cellophane for £3.99, a helium balloon for £2.49 + £0.59 for the helium, ribbon and the weight. I also grabbed some pink ribbon and some extra pink tissue paper for decoration.

I organised everything as neatly as possible, sprinkling small Love Heart sweet packets in for decoration and then cellophane wrapped the top of the box, bunching the top together and wrapping with ribbon. 

Finally, I attached the balloon.

The verdict? She loved it! She took it home in tact to be able to show her mum (girls!). I spent under £25  and she's received a memorable present which was tailored to her tastes. I'll be using the left over cellophane and ribbon for other small gifts and hampers. 

Peace & Love

xXx

Another day out to the Beach

As the weather has stayed so beautiful in the UK and I don't have a holiday abroad booked, I've been keen to make sure I get out and about and make the most of what England has to offer. 

Intent on spending minimal money, myself and my partner headed down to Camber Sands Beach. I'd been told it is a beautiful sandy beach with dunes and blue water, and it was! It really is a gorgeous beach. BUT - it didn't end up being as cheap a day out as I'd have liked it to.

We decided we would treat ourselves to some lunch when we got there. I figured a cone of chips wouldn't cost me the earth right?

I couldn't have been more wrong. When we arrived all of the car parks were council controlled (I agree this is a good thing if the car parks and beach are maintained from the profits, but there isn't even a life guard on duty and we noticed an extreme amount of litter!). They wanted £5 for 3 hours, £10 for 6 or £12 for all day. I found this very restrictive and expensive, it's not a great car park and the area isn't commercialised like, say Brighton. 

I let this one go and paid for 3 hours worth of parking. I didn't think my partner would last more than this in the sun, typical man.We trekked up and over the sand dunes and there was the beach in all its glory! Picture perfect.

I wanted to get food first so we walked up the beach. There are about 3 cafe/takeaway places and a couple of beach shops. As soon as I saw the menu I knew we wouldn't be eating. They were charging £6.50 for a small sausage and chips. When you times that by 2 and add 2 drinks, plus waters for the day, I would be spending around £20-£25. I can think of much nicer food to spend £25 on! (Think of what you could get from M&S).

The  beach itself was fantastic, and aside from the litter very beautiful and well maintained, but you're a sitting duck, so make sure you pack essentials like water. If you smoke, stock up on cigarettes, unless you want to pay over the odds to the deck chair salesman! 

I'd advise mums to pick up a few inflatables and beach games to give to the children from your local Poundland/world as the beach shops are stocked to the roof with dinghys, bats and balls, arm bands, rubber rings etc and not much more. You can pick up character printed inflatables like Barbie, Peppa Pig or Ben 10 from Poundland and they are of course only £1 each! Much cheaper. 

Peace & Love

xXx 

The most beautiful gift I ever did see...

It was my 23rd Birthday yesterday. We normally as a family go out for a meal and all chip in for the birthday person, or get together and my mum will pay for the food, but this year things are a lot tighter for everyone.

I share the same birthday as my mum and so that's already 2 lots of presents for my 4 siblings, plus money for an event. I wanted to do something this year that didn't put any pressure on anyone. We normally throw parties but I didn't want the stress this year.

Earlier in the week I decided to text my brothers and sisters asking them to each donate £10 towards a buffet of cold meats, cheeses, salad, olives and snacky bits. With all 5 of us paying in that gave me £50 to play with which was dedicated to food, and it was great to go to the supermarket knowing exactly what I could spend, and that people could bring partners/kids without feeling bad, everyone paid the same. With all the deals at Tesco I managed to purchase a fantastic spread and there was plenty left for tea and quite probably lunch tomorrow!

Having a cold buffet meant minimal preparation time. We got to spend a great deal of family time together having water fights and chatting and there was no stress for anyone, especially not when it came to worrying about money for a night out or running up big restaurants bills and that hideous business of splitting the bill and arguing over who ate what. My brothers and sisters spent some quality time with my nephew. They normally wouldn't have the time or patience to, but not having a big party meant they could really take some time with him. It was lovely.

On the subject of tightening our belts, (what else would I be talking about?) my elder brother is the only one of us to have a child, and so things are extremely tight for them, they're a young couple. He texted me asking what I'd like for my birthday. Knowing things are hard for him, I replied just some small girly bits. When I opened my gift I was so pleasantly surprised. They'd made something for me. A lovely personalised mug and heart plaque.

I love that they've taken the time and so much effort to make such a beautiful gift for me. I will honestly treasure them. My nephew was very excited to give them to me and explained what all the drawings were. It really is the thought that counts. I recommend it as a gift as the mug is practical but a beautiful reminder of how important family really are.

Amazon sell mug painting sets relatively cheaply http://www.amazon.co.uk/toys-games/dp/B000GTPIRK and you could reuse the paints by buying more low cost plain mugs to paint. I will certainly be using this idea myself.

Peace and Love

xXx

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside - and not spend any money at all

Being 23, it can be hard to find things to do without spending money. Boredom can set in easily and I'm part of a generation where I expect everything to happen right now.

My partner and I have a week off work and are trying to make sure we do something each day without spending heaps of cash ... because we don't have heaps of cash.

We decided to take a trip to the Beach. We live in leafy Surrey but there are plenty of beaches within driving distance that we can get to. We've been having such beautiful weather we thought why not go for a paddle and spend some time sunning ourselves. We have to make the most of the British Summer!

We packed a picnic, just bits and pieces from the fridge, and off we went. We live by Gatwick so everything is pretty accessible to us.

We drove down to West Sussex to Shoreham Beach and it was absolutely stunning.

Even though it was a blazing hot day the beach wasn't crowded at all. It was fantastic. The sea was a beautiful shimmering blue and it really was just the most perfect place to spend a relaxing afternoon together.

I think the most beautiful thing about this beach is that it hasn't been commercialised (perhaps that's why it was so quiet?). There wasn't a shop or vendor to be seen, just a row of houses with a view to die for. I think this would be a great place for couples with children as there is no temptation to spend money. The only money we spent went on petrol! Well worth it.

Peace & Love

xXx