Hmm What is new in my house???

Trying to think of the things bought from new or at full price new!

• Mattress for the bed
• A bookcase I have had for 6 years - ex stressed that I buy new in his house! Its the only thing I contributed and took that with me when I left!!
• Weeny Girl bed frame! - I didn't actually buy it so does it count???
• Computer desk cheap cheap from Argos -£12
• Futon - I needed a sofa type thing for the downstairs of the one bedroom house I moved into! About £112
• TV - not purchased by me either!!
• Towels - ASDA and doing fine
• Kettle - Sainsburys basics - about 3.98 3 years ago - doing well as is the cheapo microwave for £25 and toaster for 3.98 as well
• Dinner set - cheapest from Argos - now missing a few pieces!!
• Curtain poles - needed to get curtains up and couldn't wait for freecycle!

Am not including baby stuff/toys  some of which had to be bought new - car seat, specific lightweight buggy for going abroad, cot, crib and mattress - that's it.


Aha - I lie - black out curtains for weeny girls room and also mini table and chairs for weeny girl to sit on - IKEA-  great for crafting, eating dinner, when little friends visit!

All else preloved!!!! donated from friends, freecycled, ebayed - not much is ebayed!!! I love it and have been very lucky - my sofa and chairs are excellent quality, bed though now knackered had done well! I could go on. My only new purchases  - hang on - forgot - washing machine!!! were necessitated by moving out of house with a small baby to a new house pronto. No time and not as easy  to search for  bargains when you have a small small one to look after and go to work full time and do it all on your own!!! I still have these very bland things now. I had no motivation then to seek out bargains with the priority being get settled and juggle work and baby stuff.

I think my suite and kitchen table etc are all great finds!! What are yours??? Have you indulged in anything brand new???


All of my kitchen gadgets - toastie maker, food processor, liquidiser, deep fat fryer are free cycled!!!
Just need a George Forman to complete the set!!!

The law of sod and research!

Well it had to happen - a pine headboard on freecycle - I have emailed for it just to see what happens.... I had to-  I need to test my theory regarding the law of sod. I drove an 80 mile round trip for the headboard I purchased from Ebay. I live in the sticks so I am not adverse to travelling to save money - taking overall costs into account of course. Two days later up pops the precise item I have been trying to snafffle on freecycle for ages always being beaten to the post- also beaten on the divan or bed frame post too. and in a village only a few miles down the road!!! I do need a bed and hope the new divan base comes soon - one day my frame will give out while I am sleeping or Roo is bouncing on it and we will prob go through the ceiling!!!

Have emailed other institutions regarding PGCE's for next year - School centred training. Good to find out. I really cannot afford to get into more debt before I have sold the house.  And what is wrong with 40 for a career change!!!! 40 years young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Gammon, pineapple , baked potato, peas and sweetcorn for tea - cheap gammon. I need to remember to split the pack before freezing . There are only two rounds (for a pound) in the pack and one is enough for Weeny Roo girl and I.  Oh with mayo dollop and mustard dollop- mustard kept away from pineapple which was left over from the sweet and sour pork on Tuesday. We will eat the rest at pudding tomorrow.

At work today I introduced a client to the benefits of free cycle and other frugaling sites. He mentioned that he found it hard to feed himself on benefits and we discussed food- I said what about soup but he refuses to eat vegetables preferring to go for the cheap and nasty burgers and sausages and other frozen food (despite not having a freezer hence free cycle) from Heron and Farm foods for approx 50p a pack. He even went as far as to say that for two days a fortnight he has been unable to buy food. He had best make chums with the cheap veg then!
My meal tonight if I don't count stupidly defrosting the extra gammon round was probably around  £1 - 1.20 - one largish potato, one portion of peas and sweetcorn from large cheap frozen bag of peas and of sweetcorn, one slice of pineapple ( this was by no means essential and was a left over and could be left out easily) one gammon steak at 50p and a few dollops of condiments! (you could even pinch sachets- as I used to  when on the dole may moons ago -from the condiment boxes in restaurants-  tuts at self and shakes head)

Ahhhh the silence and some free cycle!!

Well after the boring changing of the bank accounts I picked up a freecycled small three drawer chest of drawers and hit Lidl! Only spent £25 but need to pick up yoghurt's and cat food, children's toothpaste and some fruit not a great deal of fruit apples maybe and whatever is cheap! - should get away with only spending £30 this week  Ahhhh bread flour - sold out at Lidl - Over a pound a bag at other stores so plumbed for the 99p stuff - only 1kg rather than the 1.5 bags but no choice. Will keep monitoring!!!! Roo is at the beach - I sent her off on her own for some fun am sure she Will be fine -very sensible three year old  - not really away with friends - mine not hers so I have enjoyed a lovely cup of coffee and some uninterrupted blog reading.  Have  admin for work work to do later so will be busy and bored senseless. I do hope I get some sort of other job/direction soon  this current post is sucking my soul away!!!!!!

The freecycle item was much like the ret of my furniture - nothing interesting all rather bland- all second hand hand and given to me/ free cycled. Its every where!! I have alot of that cheap mock pine effect stuff. None of it has cost me a bean however so I am not complaining. It has no character, personality - it is all bland and very plain but gives me somewhere to put the books, photos. I don't really have Nick knacks anymore they were deemed non essential during one of the my house moves and as such boot sold, gave to charity. I would love a dresser however to collect and display my own particular brand of crap!!!

One day maybe when I am resettled again.... shame I will say tarrah to the kitchen - excellent space and lots of room for a dresser.......... ho hum soon I hope