Ok, so last week didn’t go to plan lol!
I went from “normal” pregnancy with homebirth plans to being diagnosed with gestation diabetes (GD) and facing a potentially very controlled /heavily monitored birth, possibly a c-section.
Not quite what I had in mind but I’ve had my sulk, cry and footstamp so time to move on, and get sorted for this little monkey’s arrival, especially has I now have a few weeks less than planned!
So…. yesterday, was our local NCT Nearly New Sale. Gawd I love these things! Basically a hall jam packed with ridiculous bargains, from buggies, cots, sterilisers and safety gates, to baby bedding, unopened packs of nappies, clothes for all sizes, toys and games for all ages…. the list goes on and on!!
The idea is, sellers get their stuff together, label and prepare everything as per the seller instructions on the website, drop everything off on the morning, leave, and then the hoards arrive. I kid you not – I have never seen queues so long!! You go on in, (usually 50p each entrance), are given a huge shopper bag, and it’s on! Grab a bargain girls! When you have scoured everything twice, you join the queue for the line of tills, pay and off you go with your bags of treasure, happy that you have saved a fortune!
I brought home a load of John Lewis cellular blankets (barely used if at all), cot sheets and pram sheets for pennies, jigsaws and some learning games for Kieran (half term is looming!), some unopened school tshirts (yes we’ll be having those!), a gorgeous soft swaddle blanket from Gap and some other bits and piece for the grand price of………….. £13. I estimate, going on my extensive knowledge of the horrendously high prices of baby items, that the whole lot would have cost me approx £80 elsewhere. Happy bunny? Hell yes!
So, that was a good start and helped me tick many more bits and pieces off the “left to get” list, without breaking the bank.
Make sure you get yourself on the website, check out when and where your next nearest event is (you can search by postcode), and get yourself along. The NCT website has a lot of information on what they do, what they stand for, and what services they offer pregnant mums/dads and families so it’s worth a gander.
Now, having been such a frugal Mummy yesterday, I get to reward myself by getting everything washed and arranged in the nursery – hooray 🙂
Moving on: The Wonder That Is An NCT Nearly New Sale!
Well done on your bargains xx
Well done you! I too am a big fan, although my first one totally blew me away as I was expecting a quiet little sale, with tea and cake and instead it was a total scrum with queueing down the street, and friends communicating by phone to cover the entire section as quickly as possible!Our York Big Baby Fair is this Saturday – 16th October – and I am hoping that someone will watch my stall long enough for me to grab a few bargains!
Lol, it can be a bit hectic. The first one I went to I was there as a trader on the sidelines – someone joked about holding the tables down before opening the doors and I thought nothing of it until the hoards start pouring in 🙂
Oh I love NCT sales! I bought most of Oli's Christmas presents from there last year! We had one here in Evesham yesterday but I just didnt have the energy to be fighting back the elbows and the pushing that normally happens – they always have it in a tiny hall! Grrh!! Yay for your bargains!! 😀 x
Thanks Emma, I am rather proud (smug?) about how much I've saved. We have another nearly new Sale next weekend, which isn't NCT but local so worth a look. I may have more moneysaving buys to blog (gloat) about then :p