Baby prep and thrifty finds

As you may already know I am a serious bargain hunter. I do not buy things full price unless it really is necessary or for a special occasion. I love to have nice things around me and like things to coordinate, match and be organised. However I will always wait to buy things in the sales (mainly online - less stressful!) from my favourite high street stores such as Paperchase, Cath Kidston, Next and Marks and Spencers. I also love thrifty purchases, rooting in charity shops and attending table top sales - although I am a cold/wet weather-wimp so I prefer indoor things at the moment! Do you have regular shops that you buy from in the sales or does sales shopping make you run a mile?!

The packed lunch I prepared for us

 I had heard about a nearly new / second hand baby sale happening today and thought it would be good for Pete and I to go. I'm 28 weeks pregnant today and there's still a few bits to buy on my 'essentials list!'. Well actually they're 'essential posters' - two rather large sheets of card with everything listed down the left hand side of the sheets. Then when I have bought something I print out a picture and stick it next to the item with the cost and where I got it from. It's really helped to keep things in check so as to not buy too much or forget what we have and also to keep an eye on our budget. Does anyone else have any money saving tips to share to do with, well, anything?!

Yeay! We got the cot mobile!

We had our packed lunch as we were sat outside the baby sale waiting for it to open! Then we went in and wow there really was so much stuff everywhere. Clothes rails with lots of baby clothes, boxes under the tables stuffed with items selling for 50p and table tops covered in practically everything a baby / child could need. People were carrying huge carriers to take away their many purchases and it was really busy. Pete and I had already decided that what we would do was a) set a budget of £20 and b) focus on getting things from the 'essentials list' and a select *other few items* we would like to get as well. It worked a treat! We looked at all the stalls and everything there but focused on finding 'the' items. We were really happy to find the Fisher Price Precious Planets Projection Mobile, for £10 the Fisher Price Laugh Learn Cookie Surprise for £3 and the Leap Frog Spin and Sing Alphabet Ball for £4. They're all in fantastic condition and if we had bought these items new and full price it would have cost nearly £100! I am also collecting a second hand Fisher Price Rainforest Gym this week which I won on Ebay for £10. Does anyone else have any baby stuff/buying advice for me?!



The purchases!

 I thought people might like to see this too! It's a sheet of wrapping paper that I bought which I thought would be nice framed in the nursery. After an Ikea frame trip, I'm really impressed with how it's turned out. I always look at wrapping paper especially in posh shops like Liberty and Selfridges to see what designs they have and what I could 'craft' with them. I have a couple of other designed sheets that I am going to cut the pictures from and stick on cards. Has anyone else any 'alternative' uses for wrapping paper? Do you have crafts you'd like to try but not done so yet? Do you like following on line tutorials or are you a give-it-a-go type of person?

Wrapping paper picture

 Last but not least! I got this new 12x12 scrap book kit in a charity shop this week. I was dubious as to what the quality might be like as it was in a mucky and sealed box but for £1.50 I thought it was worth the risk! Luckily, it was and it's really lovely quality. I have completed 3 scrap books previously and one is still ongoing. One has pictures from my childhood, another has my friends in, the third is a USA holiday one which includes photos and memorabilia like entrance tickets and leaflets from places we visited and I've not yet finished an Australian holiday one. I was just thinking the other day that I'd like to do another one in the near future so I shall put this safely away until then. Have you tried scrap booking? Did you use a theme and what types of things have you included inside?

Bargain scrapbook find