Tag Archives: bargain

Wilko’s Foodie Gifts for a Fiver

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This year Wilko’s have launched an exciting and purse-friendly line of gifts with something for everyone. We picked a selection of our favourite gifts for foodies which are bound to fly of the shelves in the lead up to Christmas. With bargain prices and a focus on quality these gifts are set to impress

Inferno Spice Set

 For anyone who likes to add a little zest to their cooking the Inferno Spice Set contains 4 full sized bottles of different seasonings. Charred chilli onion, Flaming chilli parsley, Inferno garlic chilli and Sizzling chilli salt. The product is a well packaged and the perfect gift for anyone who likes to get experimental in the kitchen. Priced at £5 for 4 bottles you are getting a lot of bang for your buck.

Day of the Dead Skull Filled with Hot Sauce

This Skull is not just impressive to look at, but will add heat to many a meal. We loved the look of the skull and with 750ml of hot sauce you’re sure to be supplied for a while. Originally priced at £7 per bottle Wilko have recently dropped the price down to £5 and whats more, once the sauce is done the skull is a fab novelty to add to any household and looks way more pricier than a fiver.


Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix with Skillet

 Make your own cookie with this skillet set. Included is a chocolate chip cookie mix and an iron skillet. This is perfect for someone who likes to get creative in the kitchen and the iron skillet is worth more than £5 alone.
All of the above gifts and many more are available to purchase in store.

Charity Chic in Downley, High Wycombe

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Iain Rennie Hospice at Home service, provided by Rennie Grove Hospice Care, offers essential palliative and end-of-life care based around patients and their families, both day and night.

Charity Chic in Downley, High Wycombe

I know several people whose relatives have been nursed by these exemplary nurses and carers, nursed at home which is the wonderful concept of this charity.

One of their main fundraising arms is the charity shop. The Iain Rennie Hospice shop in Downley High Wycombe is just one of many. Downley is a village with a fantastic sense of community and a great deal going on, and is perched on the top of a hill to the west of High Wycombe, with a five minute walk to the Chiltern woods one side, and a twenty minute walk into town on the other.

Charity Chic in Downley, High Wycombe shopwindow

Mandy Dowling runs the shop with the help of invaluable volunteers and Mandy’s award winning window dressing is a lesson to us all.

 

Inside is an Aladdin’s cave of Charity Chic, all donated, so that Mandy is never sure what will be brought in, which is part of the fun of working in a charity shop.

 

I found amongst many other ‘buys’ a pair of shoes, New Look. £5.00. Just the thing for clubbing. Slightly out of my age range, but only slightly, I say, hopefully.

 

More appropriate perhaps is the Laura Ashley Jacket for £5.00.

 

Charity Chic in Downley, High Wycombe lauraashley

I found two beautiful slender white vases for £2.00 each and photographed them beside a neat black bowl with white dots. Sophisticated with clean lines. Mandy and I put them on top of a glass fronted cabinet that had been sold to someone who is going to upcyle it, in a distressed style. It was only £20 and I can’t believe I missed it.

Charity Chic in Downley, High Wycombe twovases

Candle holders are my ‘thing’. These are often brought into the shop but these I left for someone else. I have no more room, and Dick would leave home if they came through the door. These are new, and priced at £4.00 each.

Charity Chic in Downley, High Wycombe candleholder

Christmas is coming and the shop is festive, with most of the decorations and Christmas bric a brac for sale. I found these little ‘friends’.

Smiley Face is £1.00, the glamour-puss bear is £2.00 and the book, The First Snow of Winter by Graham Ralph is a snip at 50p. (lovely book. I read it while I was standing there)

Charity Chic in Downley, High Wycombe childrensgifts

Over the last few weeks, Mandy and her staff have been snaffling up cafetieres for the Words for the Wounded LitFest Day on 18th April. Look at my haul thus far. Priced at £3.00 each.

Charity Chic in Downley, High Wycombe cafetieries

And yes, there are those magical moments you hear about on Antiques Roadshow. Mandy tells me of a dusty old painting that came into the shop and which could have slipped through their hands. But a bit of a rub (much like the gennii’s lamp) and a name appeared – Victoria Crowe who Mandy googled. It sold on ebay for £500.

 

To make a donation to Rennie Grove Hospice Care: www.renniegrove.org/donate or to volunteer www.renniegrove.org/volunteer

For further information: www.renniegrove.org/standards 

 

There are so many more Aladdin’s Caves out there, doing good whichever way you look. The customers get a fabulous deal, and hours of fun browsing, and the charity gain much needed money. Contact us with tales of your favourite charity shops/stalls and the buys that have brought you pleasure. Contact margaret@margaret-graham.com

 

 

 

Bargain-Hungry Mums Find Deals Online

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More than 80% of mums are shopping online for themselves or their children at least once or twice a month – with 16% doing so once a week or more.

And they are making use of all of today’s technology, including smartphones, tablet computers and even work PCs, to ensure they do not miss out on a bargain.

More than half of the 1000 mums surveyed (52%) by flash sales website Casabu (in association with Mumsnet) always compare prices when they shop online, with 86% admitting they like to “feel they are getting a bargain” when they buy.

In these price-conscious times, mums are looking to keep their outlay on items such as children’s jeans and T-shirts to the absolute minimum. Some 66% want to spend less than £10 on a T-shirt while 98% would spend less than £20. Almost half (49%) would spend less than £10 on children’s jeans and 94% would pay no more than £20.

Even on their children’s birthday presents, mums are looking to keep costs down with 69% saying they would spend less than £50 and 46% less than £40.

A quarter of mums surveyed (26%) said they had spent between £100 and £200 on items such as clothes, toys and books for their children during the past month, while a further 32% had spent between £50 and £99.

The survey revealed that 16% of mums shop online once a week or more often for their children or themselves, a further 25% shop once or twice a fortnight and another 40% at least once or twice a month.

Mums are making use of all of the modern technology at their disposal with 94% shopping online from their home PC or laptop, 44% using their smartphone or mobile, 31% using tablet computers and 26% their work PC or laptop.

Some 78% of mums said they would definitely or quite likely buy children’s clothes online in the next month, 76% would treat their child to a new toy, while 69% would buy for a children’s birthday party.
Rachel Oxburgh, CEO of Casabu, said: “This research confirms that mums are looking for great deals on exciting brands and that they will make use of the full range of technology available to ensure they don’t miss out.

“Flash sales on sites like Casabu will often start at 8am which means mums on the school run might be packing their child’s lunchbox with one hand while snapping up a bargain with their smartphone in their other hand.

“Mums still want to dress their children and themselves in quality brands, but economic necessity means they want to find great deals. For example, rather than spending £50 on a pair of designer jeans for their daughter almost half of mums surveyed are looking to spend less than £10.”

Berlin Offers Best Value For Fashionistas On A Budget

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Berlin is Best Value

German capital is most affordable whilst New York’s cut-price clothing couldn’t offset its pricey hotels

 

Berlin was the most affordable shopping destination of the top ten fashion cities in the world, according to the latest Hotels.com Hotel Price Index™ (HPI®). The iconic style capital, New York was ranked as the most expensive despite its popularity amongst retail tourists for securing brands on a budget.

 

The Index, now in itseighth year, chronicles the actual prices paid by travellers in 2011 in more than 142,000 hotels around the world.

 

As the pound continued to strengthen against the Euro, the German capital provided the best value forboth the cost of its hotels and its fashion. The average cost of a hotel room was only £73, allowing British shoppers to make the most of their budget in the popular Berlin style scene.

 

Tokyo (£102) and Barcelona (£104) were the second and third lowest priced cities providing spendthrift style alternatives for savvy shopping tourists. The retail tourist’s staple destination, New York, was undeniably the most expensive at an average of £173 per night, despite providing some of the most affordable shopping.

 

City Country

Average room rate in 2011

Average room rate in 2010

 % Rise or fall
New York United States of America

£173

£166

4%
Singapore Singapore

£136

£123

11%
Paris France

£125

£122

3%
Hong Kong China

£119

£101

18%
Rome Italy

£116

£114

2%
London United Kingdom

£115

£114

1%
Los Angeles United States of America

£111

£104

7%
Barcelona Spain & Canary Islands

£104

£96

8%
Tokyo Japan

£102

£103

-2%
Berlin Germany

£73

£75

-3%

 

How to successfully shop the sales rail. {Fashion}

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Here at Frost we love a bargain. So we asked fashion advisers at John Lewis how to successfully shop in the sales. We hope this guide stops any post-purchase blues.

John Lewis Fashion Advisers will be tailoring their appointments throughout the end of December and January to accommodate customers who want to find gems amongst the sales rails. The expert Fashion Advice team will be on hand to share their secrets to sale shopping, helping customers find stand-out pieces which fit, flatter and function. Fashion lovers will be advised on colour palettes, staple pieces and how to get the most for their money.

Head of Fashion Advice Amanda Slader says: “The key to savvy sales shopping is planning rather than impulse buying. Sales provide customers with the opportunity to build up a staple wardrobe of basic and classic pieces, as these are always the best bargains. It is important to remember to make sensible choices, for example, choosing a timeless little black dress is a much better sale choice than a piece from last season’s trend. Size does matter when shopping the sales as customers shouldn’t have to compromise on a good fit for reduced price.”

Amanda’s ten hot tips for shopping the sales:

1. Take inventory. Before you leave the house and hit the sales, inspect your wardrobe and make sure you know what you have and what you are missing.

2. Be strategic. Make a list of what you are hoping to find in the sales and try not to get sidetracked.

3. Wear flat shoes and comfortable clothes. You are likely to be on your feet and in and out of fitting rooms all day so it’s important to be dressed accordingly.

4. Keep it classic. Aim to build a staple wardrobe. It’s important to remember that a little black dress is a future classic and a much better investment than last season’s statement trend. The sales are a great time to pick up other timeless classics such as a trench coat by Aquascutum, figure flattering day dresses by LK Bennett and a camel coat by Hobbs. Also be on the lookout for great basics such as a fitted pencil skirt and tailored jacket from Reiss, great fitting jeans or the perfect pumps.

5. Complement your existing wardrobe. Take into account the cut, colour, shape and style that suit you. Make thoughtful purchases that reflect your signature style; the sale is not an excuse to drastically change your look.

6. Try it on. If it is not a good fit then it is not a good buy. It is always worth asking if there are more sizes in the stockroom if yours isn’t available on the shop floor.

7. Be thorough. Try everything on before buying and have a look to make sure you are aware of any faults before you make your purchase. Unless you are willing to repair it yourself it is not a good investment!

8. Check the returns policy. If you don’t have time to try anything on it’s important to know if you can return or exchange the item.

9. Avoid the lunch hour. Lunchtime is shopping rush hour! To avoid stressful shopping it’s best to hit the sales before or after work and at the weekend.

10. Accessorise. The easiest way to update your wardrobe is by accessorising. Statement jewellery by Adele Marie and John Lewis Collection will make an outfit look on trend and bright bags by Ted Baker and Aspinal are good ways to breathe new life and colour into your wardrobe.