Being Thrifty in July and August is definitely tricky with the summer holidays, however I'm so glad that I have a summer holiday sinking fund. Even though we are only in the second week of the six weeks holiday having extra money that I put aside has so far been a lifesaver especially for days out. Even though this month we've spent a bit more than usual we have made some savings and investments have been made and a few freebies have also been obtained.
School Uniform
School uniform can be so expensive, I've managed to get it all sorted for B and for £50 less than I budgeted for yippy! So here is how I did it.
- x5 Polo shirts, x2 PE Shorts and x 2 PE t-shirts I got second hand off Vinted which came to just under £20 for all including postage. They were all from different sellers and in great condition.
- School trousers I got from M&S during their 20% off sale. I prefer to get new trousers for B as it's hard to know the fit on him. I also don't want to waste money by buying second hand and they don't fit and having to risk buying more and them not fitting either.
- School shoes and jumpers I got new. The shoes we get cost £29.99 from Amazon and last well. The jumpers are new as he needs a bigger size and they have to have the school logo on.
- PE shoes, socks, lunch bag, pe bag and book bag are all items reused from last year as they are still in great condition/fit.
Summer Sandles
I decided to invest in some sketchers sandles as I find them so comfortable with the memory foam insole. They cost me £29.99 in the sale down from £49.99. Being Thrifty isn't always about going for cheap options but investing in quality pieces.
Vax Spotwash
We needed to clean our sofas, carpet and other soft furnishings and so during Amazon Prime day we invested in getting a Vax Spotwash. We had looked at renting a rug doctor but worked out buying a spotwash was a better investment. A rug doctor was looking at costing £30 for one day whilst we paid £84 for the spotwash that we can use frequently.
No7 Beauty Vault
I purchased the No7 beauty vault off boots this month. I've wanted to try their skincare products for awhile and at £35 for £127.37 worth of products I felt it was a good time to try out the brand. Other than the face and eye pallet I'd definitely use the rest of the products that are included in the set so it's a definite win.
Discounts for carers
I signed up to Discounts for carers to find discount codes for food and drink, shopping, days out etc. Any way we can save a bit of money is worth it to me.
Summer reading challenge
We signed B up for the Summer Reading Challenge at our local library as a fun thing to do over the summer holidays.
Freebies:
* I've noticed some freebies are now charging for postage so I'm only paying for ones that I feel are worth it.
- *The Green Company washing sheets sample. There are enough for 4 washes and postage was 95p.
- Thank you teacher card from moonpig
- Aveeno body lotion sample
- *Simply Cook pots. I got mine for free as I'd not ordered from them in a long time. However for newbies you can get your first box free and just pay £1 postage. It is a subscription so make sure you cancel if you don't want to continue.
- The Bar Tequila mini sample
- Free McDonald's Birthday Donut
- * Grùmm summer skin care bundle. As a member of LNER perks I was able to get the set worth £32 for free and just pay £3.95 postage.
For more Being Thrifty inspiration check out this handy post on how to get free money.
