Savvy Savings Rather Than Crazy Couponing

 

I may or may not have mentioned that we are moving house next month. I can’t wait! The new place is twice as big as this one yet only a few streets away. Of course it will look even bigger than it actually is as I just don’t don’t have the furniture to fill it.

As you will know if you’ve read the blog before, I am loathe to pay full price for anything. I shop around, I wait for sales or offers and I grab a bargain when I can. Recently I have realised that in order to get what I need for the new house (we need a dining table and chairs, wardrobes for all as we are leaving fitted ones behind, a cot bed / single bed for Taylor…..) I am going to have to start being more savvy and as part of my new-found determination to save money on my purchases, I am going to become a voucher queen.

Many of you will have seen the coupon frenzy shows where people literally spend hours clipping coupons from newspapers and magazines and in the end manage to get their shopping for basically nothing. I am too lazy for that level of voucher collecting, and doubt it is achievable in the UK like it is in the US so am instead using an online site for vouchers. I’ve searched through several before now and signed up to newsletters etc but have found this discount site to be the best of the bunch. It is easy to search and categorises discount vouchers dependant on how they work ie which ones are voucher codes and which ones are current site offers. There are both online and printable vouchers available from a wide variety of retailers and I have already saved money.

To be honest I had forgotten just how expensive moving house can be. When you include the moving costs, decorating, new furniture, new curtains and everything else that seems to pop up, making savings where you can is the only way to go.

I never pay more for my utilities and services than I need to, I use cashback sites to claw back some of what I have paid out, I meal plan and have managed in recent years to cut our grocery bills significantly. These small changes have saved me hundreds if not more over the years however now is time to give the budget queen within a bit of a shake. Moving two months before Christmas was never going to be easy however with discounts available to take the edge off house move items and gifts, I reckon I can just about keep within budget. I’ll let you know!

Keep your eyes peeled for more posts on moving on a shoestring, cutting costs and adjusting to a new budget that works with our new house.

My question for all of you today is….
What has been your best discount code or voucher saving? Mine was a code for 50% off toys and free delivery for Debenhams a few years ago which saved me a small fortune at Christmas and meant that Kieran had a huge surprise in the form of a vast castle and knight set that him and his Daddy spent hours putting together and playing with.
I’d love to hear about your voucher triumphs!

photo by fishyfish_arcade via PhotoRee

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Living room makeover results

You may remember that I posted a while ago about using prepaid debit cards for budgeting? Basically I was given £100 on a prepaid card by Moneysupermarket to makeover my living room, test out the card, its functions and have a bit of fun. I just had to make sure that anything I bought was under RRP.

And here is the result…..
(Excusing rubbish photography!)

Before the makeover I had a pink print on the wall over the armchair, and white (or not so white) cushions. It looked tired and boring.

My first purchase was this set of cushions from TerrysFabrics. I went for a mix and match effect as I didn’t want a block of colour, but some variety.

Next up were these lovely curtains. To be fair the pictures don’t do them justice. Again these were on sale from a local shop, CB furnishings in Thirsk.

The new wall art was from an Ebay shop, Unique Home Frames Design and to be honest I was hard-pushed to choose as they had some lovely things to choose from. As this was won with a “make an offer” bid it could also be considered under RPP.


A £100 later and a three key bits and pieces have made a big difference.
After the challenge I went on to add a few more things to what has become a labour of love.
This rug was just £36.00 from Achica which is an online site where you can get items at ridiculously low prices. It should have been twice that.

 

This personalised toy storage bag came from Precious Parcels and was also a bit of a bargain as it had 20% in their Sunday Sale which runs every week. It’s great for putting away toys!


Little changes have made a big difference and the room looks much better already. Clearly there is still a lot to do..

The aim for this room is to mount a flat screen on the chimney breast and better utilise the right-side alcove, any ideas on how would be much appreciated, and I am currently stalking pinterest for inspiration. The fireplace needs a tart up and something needs doing with Roy’s computer desk, but the room looks much better and I am grateful to Moneysupermarket for getting me started. The project started on a budget and I plan to continue the same way.

So, what do you think? Any ideas for sorting that far wall? And what do you think of my colour scheme?