Did You Miss Me?

A somewhat belated Happy New Year (although right on time for Chinese New Year)!

I haven't really been anywhere, but I am back in the blogging world with a bang. My new Thrift Queen logo is now on the blog as is a link to my rapidly growing Etsy shop. I shall leave you to become re-acquainted with promises of thrifty makes and vintage finds to follow soon :-)

Not So Silly String

String, wondrous string, has many a use and is a Thrift-Queen firm favourite... Attach bacon on the end for crabbing; Use it for tying up parcels; Take it out for a fly attached to a kite, Handy for holding back weeds and unruly plants, Play cats cradle and French skipping; Use it as a plumb line or to plant straight rows of vegetables; Or a ball of it makes a perfect cat toy.

Bring back string!

Thrifty Weekend

June, for me, is the start of the pre Summer holiday saving. With this in mind, cheap activites are a must. But it's always good to vary days out.

London's Time Out is a fantastic site for ideas of free places to visit and sights to see. The Thrift-Queen's top picks for this weekend in the capital include:

Naked Bike Ride

• London's World Naked Bike Ride - a liberating nine mile cycle past major London landmarks taking place on Saturday 9th June and it's FREE to watch.
• Open Garden Squares - This weekend 200 private gardens are opened for the public to snoop around.With gardens such as Downing Street and HMP Wormwood Scrubs on the list, the £9 ticket price sounds like an absolute snip.
• London Green Fair - Regent's Park opens it's gates to the largest FREE eco fair with exhibitions, music, and fabulous family areas.
• Or why not attend one of the many FREE performances of the Spitalfields Summer Music Festival starting this Friday (8th June).

English Country Garden

Summer Poundland Bargains

 After the success of the Thrift-Queen's 2011 post 'Winter Poundland Bargains', a summer version seems a must. My favourite seasonal products include:

• Union Flag decorations - for the Queen's jubilee and the olympics
• Kids outdoor summer toys - waterguns, frisbee's etc
• Disoposable BBQ's - *mega bargain*

Freebies: Free Hugo Boss 3D Glasses

Let's face it, we all love free stuff. It gives you that wonderous feeling of getting an utter bargain, even if you don't really want the item in question in the first place.

I quite often encounter free give-aways, so figure why not make them available to my lovely Thrift-Queen readers. Today, for example, I stumbled across a pair of FREE limited edition Hugo Boss 3D glasses. Handy, if that's what floats your boat.

I have already ordered some, because you never know. Just Click Here to fill in your details on their page. Available as long as stocks last.

I'm Baaaack!

After a house move, an epic re-decoration project and a month and a half with no internet access, the Thrift-Queen is back! Full of purse friendly tips galore, my 'Hand-made 2012' updates and plenty of pictures of the beautiful thrifty items we've been filling our lovely new house with.

As ever, check out my twitter @Queenthrift for daily updates on the best daily #hotdeals to be had or feel free to drop me an email at thrift-queen@hotmail.co.uk

Meerkovo Village Parade Success

Happy New Year Thrift-Queen Readers!!

This morning I realised I needed pet insurance for my adorable cat, Dizzee. So I decided to CompareTheMarket.com and not only came away with a cracking deal, but also a free Meercat toy. Amazing, thoroughly recommend! Below, is my 'Meerkovo Village Parade Success' for you all to enjoy:

Merry Christmas

Just to wish all my Thrift-Queen readers a very Merry Christmas. Posts to look forward to over the next few days include 'My Thrifty New Year's Resolution' and 'What To Buy In The Sales'.

Mince Pie Madness

Thrift-Queen's Bargain Alert: Home Bargains are selling boxes of Mr Kipling's 6 Mince Pies for 25p! So you really can have your pie and eat it. Lots of it!

Pre Christmas Weekend Deals

With Christmas only a week away, we all need a bit of thrifty goodness in our lives, and thankfully there are some cracking (no pun intended) deals to be had. No need to break the bank, just read on for my weekend's favourite money saving potential Christmas gifts, as sourced from HUKD.

Stuck for a present idea for your bachelor brother of hard-to-buy-for husband? Head to Currys and pick up a Whoopie Pie Maker for a mere £7.99 reduced from £34.99. This 'idiot friendly' pie maker is perfect for pot pies, fruit pies, quiches and more. Simply combine ready made dough with fresh, frozen or canned ingredients, and cook. It's cheap and easy to use, an ideal gift.

Thrift-Queen Misprice Alert: News of another brilliant supermarket pricing mistake. Tesco's are selling Binatone B350 Sat Nav's for £6. They're usually priced at around £60 on Amazon, this is a misprice worth investing in. Some stores are also selling Logiteck Ultra Flat Keyboards for a bargain £1.25.

If you've managed to not spend all your money on Christmas gifts, why not make a thrifty investment in summer 2012 with this elegant Stone Falls Water Feature. It is currently being sold at B&Q for £20, reduced from £199.98. An absolute snip! Tight on space? They're also selling a smaller Bubbling Barrel Water Feature for £10, reduced from £99.98.

Know of any other amazingly thrifty deals? I'd love to hear about them. Just comment below, or on my Thrift-Queen Facebook Page.

Have Yourself A Very Thrifty Christmas: Decorations

Looking to save money this Christmas? Look no further thanks to the Thrift-Queen's thrifty Christmas tips, starting with decorating.

When decorating your house, it's important to remember less is more. It is easy to get caught up in the spirit of Christmas and end up having to live in a glitter-tastic, sparkling frenzied house. But equally, decorating doesn't have to be elaborate or expensive to look fabulous. Some people like to decorate the whole house - inside and out - whilst others decorate one room or only the tree. Whatever your preference, avoid the wrath of the recession and get thrifty. Below are my top three thrifty tips to achieve a beautiful, yet inexpensive, festive home.

• Be Natural: Add some free natural cheer to your home. Use ivy to wind round your banisters or drape over the mantelpiece. Pine cones make excellent Christmas tree decorations. For a more elegant look, they can be sprayed silver or gold. Or why not fill a bowl with them as a simple table centre piece. Tree branches arranged in a tall vase can look stunning as a decoration or as a Christmas tree alternative. Add colour and hang some pretty baubles on them.
• Get Kid Creative: If you have young children in your family, encourage them to help with decorating the house. Make paper-chains, use empty toilet rolls to make fairies and cut snowflakes out of paper. You could even let them loose with a can of fake snow to spray window. Disney's Family Craft website is an excellent source for cheap and easy Christmas decoration ideas. My favourite is Santa's list, with a twist; using a painted thread spool (see below.)

•  Make Existing Decor Seasonal: At Christmas I like to make other things in my house look festive. I decorate candles and mirrors with tartan ribbon, and add candy canes to fruit bowls or scatter them on my dressing table. Instead of a table runner, I alternate candles and either pine cones or nuts in a line. It makes the table look festive yet elegant. When I bake, I make Christmas shaped cookies and display them on a cake stand in the kitchen. The key aspect of this thrifty method of decorating is to use what you have and dress it up with either garland, ribbon, pretty beads or some other Christmassy items.

Budget Cath Kidston Wallpaper

 I LOVE all things Cath Kidston, but I find a lot of her products to be quite expensive. But panic not! A British wallpaper company, Eden, make a range of purse friendly wallpapers called Millie which have a charming likeness to some of Cath Kidston's most sought after designs, but for over half the price!

There are several websites that stock these style-savvy designs. One of my favourites, wallpapersandborders.co.uk sell the above featured Red/Cream Rose Millie Flower for an amazingly thrifty £10.99 per roll. It would make a beautiful vintage feature in any room. For fans of the floral look, I've found that Focus DIY sell a variety Millie wallpapers, including Millie Blue, which features small red roses on a sky blue background.

The Thrift-Queen also recommends the website wallpaperdirect, which sell a few varieties of Millie wallpaper. Specifically, they do an exact copy of Cath Kidston's now discontinued blue polka dot wallpaper, Blue Spot for £15.99 per roll. So now there is no excuse not to have beautiful rooms on a budget.

Hello Again

Hello again Thrift-Queen readers, apologies for my blogging absence. In the past ten days I have had an offer accepted on a beautiful new house and I've also organised and hosted my son's 6th Harry Potter themed birthday party (I feel old). Which was a roaring success.

New thrifty related posts coming soon 'Moving House Doesn't Have To Cost The Earth' and 'DIY Children's Birthday Party For Less Than £60'.

Hot UK Deals

Just a quick Thrift-Queen recommendation: Hot UK Deals is an amazing community website which searches the best money saving deals to be had. They find and share the best deals, promotional codes, special offers and vouchers from on and off the web. A perfect site to visit before embarking on Christmas shopping. Go on, get yourself a bargain.

My favourites deals at the moment?

1. Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard. £7.99 at Staples.
2. Muddy Fox Hustle Mountain Bike. £25 in store at Tesco.
3. Binatone F350 UK SatNav (with full 12 month warranty). £27.98 at Argos.

It is no secret that I love a bargain, but I love a freebie more. I am happy to report there is even a section for this! Other great deatures include competitions and deals in your local area.

Frighten That Spider Away

Common house spiders are useful for getting rid of annoying insects in the home, and are probably more scared of us than we are of them. I, personally do not have too much of a problem with them. But if you are a bit more on the frightened side then this thrifty tip, recommended by Thrift-Queen reader Jennie, is for you.

My son collected an enormous amount of conkers this autumn, which are now collecting amount of dust in his bedroom. So why not put the conkers to good use? Spiders are terrified of conkers, believed to be something to do with the smell.

Place one conker in each corner of a room and keep spiders at bay. An inexpensive, but effective tactic.

Freebies: Free Race Day for Armed Forces

On Sunday 20th November, 2011, Exeter Racecourse are holding a FREE race day for members of the armed forces. There are 2000 free places available on a first come, first served basis. The event, which is a fundraiser for Help For Heroes, has been named the BAFFTAS (The British Armed Forces Families Thanks & Awareness Sunday). More information on the event is available at The East Midlands Reserve Forces Website.

Families are welcome to accompany members and each free entry will be entitled to bring a guest for just £7.50 (half-price) and children under 17 years will have free entry too. There will be six races to watch and many other activities to participate in.

To reserve free tickets (subject to availability) or take advantage of pre-booking discounts, book online via Exeter Racecourse using promotion code EXEH4HNOV20. Military ID or British Legion Membership will then have to be presented with ticket on arrival to guarantee free entry.

The Thrift-Queen recommends as it's free and for a worthwhile cause.

Make Your Own: Bath Oils

At this time of year there is nothing I love more than a relaxing hot bath. Unfortunately this means I tend to go through bubble bath by the bucket load. So why not get thrifty and make your own bath oils.

Wait until you have a nearly empty bottle of perfume (I usually have a few of these hanging around because I can't bear to throw away such beautiful bottles). Aftershave would work for a more masculine scent. Then prise open the lid, fill with baby oil, replace the lid and shake.

Next time you fancy a bath, add a few drops to the running water and relax. Stylish and eco-friendly, a Thrift-Queen favourite.

Freebies: Freecycle: A How To Guide

Following the success of a previous Thrift-Queen post on how to buy on eBay [Thrift-Queen's eBay Buying Tips and Tricks], I had had a request to write a How To guide for Freecycle, which, once you get to get grips with, will become a major asset to your every day life.

Freecycle.org is one of my favourite thriftful websites. It is an eco-friendly, convenient, and money saving site, that allows the user to keep their house junk free. Winner! Freecycle groups work by matching people who have items they want to get rid of with people who can use them. The only catch being you have to collect the item from the person offering it.

Getting started can be a trifle confusing, but follow my simple step by step guide and you'll be Freecycling in no time.

Joining

• Freecycle is a Yahoo Group, so you have to apply to have access to the group. To ease the application process, I'd recommend opening an email account and registering with Yahoo.
  
• Next, visit Yahoo's homepage and click on Groups, which will be listed down the left hand side.
  
• A search bar will open, allowing you to search for the Freecycle group you wish to join. Freecycle groups are divided according to area, the results will show you if there is a more than one choice for your area. There are no restrictions on the number of groups joined.
• Type in "Freecycle" followed by the area, i.e the town you live in, and then click on your chosen result.
• At this point you should click to join group and then a) amend contact info: choose which email address you would like messages to be sent. It doesn't have to be your Yahoo one; and b) select your choice of message delivery. I hate for my inbox to be filled with Freecycle messages so always opt for the web view only option.
• Your request may not get approved right away. Sometimes it has to go through the group mediator first.

Using

All items posted on Freecycle must be legal and free. You can give items away or OFFER, which must be followed up with a TAKEN post (when collected). You can also ask for a specific item by posting a WANTED message. This should be followed up with a RECEIVED post.

Once you are a member of the group you will then be able to see the message postings. You are usually required to offer an item before you can request one, but make sure to read all the rules and requirements.

Your Freecycle group homepage will give you the option of Messages or Post. Click Messages to view what is being offered and click Post to post a message. A specific subject line format is expected when posting messages and messages might be deleted if this is not adhered to. The format is ACTION: Item (Area). For example:

OFFER: Drum kit (Bournemouth)
TAKEN: Drum kit (Bournemouth)

and
   
WANTED: Ear plugs (Whitley Bay)
RECEIVED: Ear plugs (Whitley Bay)

 
The post, or message, should then outline what you have/want, a brief description of the item, where you live and collection time preferences (if any). If you see an offered item that you would like, make sure you respond as quickly as possible as some Freecycle members operate on a first come first served basis. When you post an offered item, it is up to you how much time you allow people to respond. I usually wait 24 hours to make it more fair. It is also up to you to choose who to give your item to, but bear this in mind when responding to another members' offer. A sentence of why you want the item can help your chances of being chosen.

If I have missed anything, or not explained myself clearly feel free to leave a comment on this post or send me an email to thrift-queen@hotmail.co.uk and I will try my best to help. Good luck and happy Freecycling!

An Egg-cellent Tip

 

I do a lot of baking and cooking with egg separates. I tend to use egg whites for making meringues or egg-white omelets and egg yolks for baking biscuits or cakes. In doing so, I throw away the part of the egg that's not needed - not very thrifty at all. So you can imagine my delight when discussing this with a friend, I find out that you can freeze the egg separates! Simply freeze in a suitable container and then when needed defrost in the fridge, bring to room temperature and cook. An egg-citing tip that the Thrift-Queen can't wait to try.

Fruit-tea (fruity) Fresh

Instead of buying expensive drawer liners or lavender pouches to keep your clothes smelling clean and fresh, get thrifty and pop a fruit flavoured tea bag in the drawer. The fruity fragrance will infuse beautifully into your clothes and you'll save yourself money in the process. Thrift-Queen winner! This purse friendly solution also works well with peppermint tea bags in smelly shoes.