Uk's Smartest Shopper

The Results

Well I didn't win. Sad face. 

However .......

• I hadn't thought I was good enough to even enter!
• I didn't expect to get to the final 10 out of 600 .
• I learnt so much putting together the entry and learning about how to submit a You Tube video ( Steep Learning Curve!)
• I got this far having only been writing for a short time and it has spurred me on to do more.
• I realised this Thrifty lifestyle and Budgeting Nonsense is actually really important to me! Who'd have thought it?
• I had a trip to London with no kids and my OH had to drive the kids to Cornwall without me - Oh yeah ( only a parent will understand my complete and utter joy at that.)

The interview was nerve wracking for me. I've been a Mum at home for the past 9 years. The closest I've got to an interview are the ones I go to at school to hear how my kids are behaving  doing. I did treat myself to a dress to wear, although it only cost me £20 from Dorothy Perkins and will do for Christmas too....see , thrifty through and through!!  I dressed it up with a smarter belt, dusted off my black blazer and court shoes of old and looked half way presentable. Although I must admit to changing into the shoes in the loos in Pret a Manger round the corner from the interview as I can't walk in them anymore, more of a stomp and a trip. I had what I call my London Underground Shoes on! Shhh don't tell. I'm a country girl at heart. I also got caught in a heavy rain shower and the Bakerloo Line was closed for the day so I had to do some last minute panicking re planning of my route.

Despite all these last minute glitches, the team at  Savoo were welcoming and professional as always once I arrived. A lot of time and effort had gone into this day and competition and you could see it meant as much to them as it did to each one of the finalists. It was great to meet some of the Savoo team again and to meet a couple of new faces on the interview panel. The panel consisted of a couple of fabulous bloggers .Check these ladies out if you haven't already, but beware you can easily lose a day or two in their blogs and not notice! Miss Thrifty and A Thrifty Mrs. The other two on the panel were Simon, the managing Director of Savoo who is fantastically encouraging and welcoming at all times and Mark Lockley from The Guardian. He has also written a book called How to Pay Less For More. Some fabulous hints and tips on a huge array of topics from him!

I don't know what they thought of me. I don't know how I came across. I hope I presented myself well. I know my mind goes blank at times and I kick myself afterwards, but you know for a mum of 3, emerging from a decade at home. I don't think I did too bad!

So , congratulations to the worthy winner ,Annie , You will have a great time working with Savoo. What  dealings I have had with them so far they have been nothing short of professional and extremely encouraging. I shall look forward to following your new blog and money saving ideas with avid enjoyment! 

Savoos Uks Smartest Shopper Finalist

The final 10 - wish me luck!

I am off today for an interview having got to the final 10 in the competition run by Savoo to find the UK's Smartest Shopper! I am excited beyond belief and a bundle of ole nerves as you would expect. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to get this far when I entered. 

So , wish me luck and I'll let you all know how I fare on my return from my family hols in Cornwall this week. If you are interested here is part of my entry . We had to write a series of 150 word answers to various savvy shopping questions, a 1000 word blog post on how being a savvy shopper has changed you and a you tube video.

My children are 5,9,and 11. I naively thought that when they grew up I would have more time, energy and money. When reality dawned a few years ago I began to try and change what I could and cut our cloth according to our means. Rather than being daunted and weighed down by this prospect, I viewed it as a challenge and had a sense of relief that I didn’t have to bow to the pressure of the marketplace anymore to buy, buy, buy. I felt that I was taking the control back, instead of being swept along by the great tide of consumerism and being one of the crowd.

As a parent there are many pressures thrown at you, the undercurrents of which are to spend. You are expected to feed your children well and dress them beautifully. You are expected to educate them well and buy them the latest toys and gadgets. You are expected to house them in an immaculate abode and whilst doing this you must be presentable and fashionably attired at all times. Cost, cost, cost. The pressure to spend can be utterly relentless.

Not once when my children were very young, did I see a programme or article on how to make a meal last two days or how to make soup from leftovers. Not once did I see a programme about toy swaps, or stylish charity clothes finds. All the programmes we have seen emerging like this have been within the last few years.

Once I started on this path I realised that the possibilities were endless and I became intrigued with finding ways to live well on a budget.

We are in a stage of our lives where money is not particularly tight, but children are expensive and our money is earned by long hours of hard graft. It would be foolish to fritter this away. Being thrifty becomes a way of thinking, almost second nature after a while. What it doesn’t mean is being tight or measly. It is about being wise with your money and being in control. That is a good feeling I can tell you! Even my children have noticed and say ” You only buy things when they are on offer Mum”. I take that as the highest form of praise. What we save on our grocery shopping can go towards a nice holiday in the summer, or the new car we might need.

One of the biggest changes I have seen in the last couple of years is the rise of the charity shop. I must admit to not being the biggest fan of shops like Primark. I question the quality and sustainability of it. Although, the financial attractions of it I do understand and that is a big draw for us all. However, I would say give the charity shops a go. Style is not about buying the most expensive designer item or what everyone else has. It is about being unique and comfortable in what you wear. There is something relaxing about a day rummaging in the charity shops. There is a seaside town near us that has so many charity shops they run annual coach trips to the town from up country for people to come and trawl through them! I have found Darcy Brown clothing for my little girl, lego wear for my boys, jewellery and jackets for myself, homeware, cut glass, the list goes on. I go to jumble sales and car boots. I give my children £1 each and they love to find a treasure to buy.

The other change I have made is I do more of my shopping online. For clothing I will go and look in stores, decide what I need, price it up and then source it cheaper nine times out of ten online. This may be through vouchers or codes or from discounts being offered that are exclusive to the online site. I keep an eye on the online discount outlets and sites. If there is something I want coming up I am one of the first on it when it goes live! The early bird and all that! Grocery shopping online is my next big drive. I am intrigued by MySupermarket as this sources out the cheapest prices for you as well as highlighting the poor deals, saving you pennies yet again!

I have begun to take on board the environmental issues of our spending too. It is easy for me to buy myself a cheap top for a couple of pounds, discard it after a few wears because ”well it doesn’t matter as I only spent a couple of pounds on it and I can buy another." So the cycle goes on. I am trying now to look more at how I can recycle what I have finished with by selling items on E.Bay or donating them. I have learnt that cheapest doesn’t always equate to best buy. Look for quality and sustainability. It often works out cheaper in the long run and better for the environment. My last sale of items this year on E.Bay resulted in enough money to purchase an ipad. What a result!

The whole “being wise with your money” has become a necessity for a lot of us with the current climate and it is easier to talk openly now about our thrifty finds and ways. This is a way of us taking back the control and feeling like we can do something about getting the style of life we want on the budget we have. It is just being in the know. Finding the places and ways to shop. Learning how to set and stick to a budget. Becoming savvy about the savings that there are to be had.

I don’t think I am there yet. Like any self respecting woman, I am suspect to the odd impulse buy and temptation in the form of beauty products needed yesterday!

However, I would say, and hope, I am well on my way to becoming a savvy shopper and a Thrifty Mum!

Savoo - Saving you money.

A Day In London.

Last Saturday I managed to extract myself from the rigours of family life to attend the Savoo Saveup Conference in London. Despite it being a brutally early start for me to get there, it was a very inspiring day and an opportunity to meet other Bloggers who are motivated by similar things. 

As I have mentioned before I always put effort into finding ways to get quality items, whether it be clothes, beauty products, groceries or general items at the best possible price. Savoo is a commany that promotes this kind of savvy shopping with deals and discount codes. Savoo.co.uk was launched in 2009, and is dedicated to offering consumers the best user experience while working closely with merchants and agencies to promote deals in a controlled and transparent way. 

Savoo also personalises the vouchers to your needs. This means you let them know your shopping preference and they will pass on deals and vouchers in those particular stores. It saves you being bothered by offers you have no interest in! Ideal. I have had a link to their company in my side bar almost since starting my blog - do check them out here. 

I also found more out about My Supermarket. This is a great site that scrapes the online major supermarket sites twice daily to find the best deals that are available on products and passes them on to you. You can be certain then that the prices you see on their site are the most up to date. They were featured and recommended on This Morning last week! 

They have no preference or leaning toward where you shop so you can be certain that what they recommend is simply the best price. They root out all the bad special offers that really aren't that special too!  Watch out Supermarkets is all I can say. The consumer is the winner here. 

I came home very inspired and full of ideas of how to pass money saving ideas on too. All I need now is a few more hours in the day!

Savoo are also running a great competition at the moment. Do take a look and enter. The prize is absolutely fab . Link is here to the full details.

Have a fabulous weekend everyone. X

Wednesday Beauty Buys

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant

I do have sensitive, dry skin and struggled for years to find a brand that I was happy with . Although I can be a little more flexible now with the make up I use ,the creams I put on my skin can cause reactions that can unsettle my skin for weeks . When trying a new product I will look very carefully at what is in them and always ask for a sample first so I can test it before I buy a full size product.

Dermalogica is a brand that is excellent for sensitive skin and I find does not dry it out. I use a lot of products from this range and have done for many years now. I had wanted a daily scrub , but find many of the products available simply too rough for my fair skin and left me red and sore. Dermalogicas daily microfoliant does not do that - it is gentle enough to be used every day and does leave my skin smoother and brighter.

 I find to provide an even base for make up , using a gentle microfoliant is essential.  For me it is just not possible to use a harsher scrub every day - I might get away with it once a month . 

I follow this microfoliant with Dermalogicas skin smoothing cream. You don't need to overload your skin with good quality products.  I learnt this the hard way. If you are having problems with your skin breaking out it may be that you are just putting too much on it or using it too often. I find a thin layer of a good quality cream that your skin can absorb is much better for it than piling on loads of cheaper creams  that sit on the surface of your skin. A bottle of dermalogica can last me months . I get mine from Look Fantastic as you can get great discounts as a member. Check out Savoo for their codes for money off vouchers to be used at Look Fantastic as well. I've learnt over the years that it is actually more cost effective to buy a slightly more expensive product and use it all, than to buy lots of cheaper ones that you never finish and you can always get it cheaper by shopping around.

And the science!! The benefits of using a microfoliant/gentle scrub are that it gets rid of dead skin and impurities that can lead to a build up in your skin that in turn can lead to blemishes and blackheads. It also improves the skins ability to renew cells to help make your skin refreshed and glowing and tightens the skin which can help combat the early signs of ageing....yes please!

To use, after cleansing, you just add a little to wet hands and create a creamy paste. You apply to your face in circular motions for about a minute and then rinse with warm water. Simple. I've tried to show what it looks like dry and wet in these photos.

There are some really good microfoliants/scrubs out there and I have linked to a site below that gives a review of their top suggestions - do you use any of these? What are they like?

InfoBarrel

The Look

Do you use a scrub/ microfoliant? 

How often do you use it?

*(This post is not a sponsored post.)