Welcome back to my five frugal things weekly round up. This week has been rather hectic for one reason or another. We have managed to bag ourselves some free stuff, buy some second hand stuff cheaply and made a bit of extra money too.
Here is my round up of my frugal week.
Free stuff
I was looking through my local Freegle group to see if there was a double bed frame available, when I came across an offer for a single dining chair. As it matches the four that came with my dining table (second hand on Marketplace), I was quick to request it.
We always need an extra chair if people come for dinner, so a matching one is perfect!
I love Freegle and Freecycle for the fabulous free stuff on offer. Such a good idea to prevent unwanted items going to landfill, saves the recipient some money and saves someone a trip to the tip or charity shop too.
Cheap stuff
I did eventually find a double bed. It’s a really lovely ornate one, and cost fifty quid on Facebook Marketplace. The purchase is organised, but we can’t pick up until tomorrow.
It comes with a mattress, but I am not taking that unless it’s in very good condition! It looks really nice overall though.
I also found a large chandelier for £4 and a mirror for £3.50, both in the charity shop. These are actually for our bedroom, which is being redecorated. Mr S thinks the chandelier might be a bit low down for him not to hit his head on though! We shall see!
It’s not always easy to find exactly what you want when you have decided, as I have, to buy only second hand. However, it is usually just a case of being a little patient. I don’t mind this, since I pay less and keep my carbon foot print as low as possible by buying used.
New lodger
The reason I wanted the double bed is that our new lodger arrived this week, all the way from New Zealand! My current lodger is also here for a few weeks more, so we have a houseful.
The current lodger asked us to move the small single bed out of the room as she had her own double mattress. She also said that it was really tiny and her legs fell off the end! As the new lodger is even taller, I can’t see her finding it terribly comfortable. It was given to me by my friend from her dad’s spare room and none of us have ever tried sleeping in it.
Anyway, the new lodger seems extremely nice. She is making do with our tiny spare room until the larger room is vacant. Until then I have a houseful of young ladies, one from Poland and the other from New Zealand.
Courgette fest
I have mentioned before that we decided not to have a veg patch this year. We wanted to concentrate on some DIY tasks instead.
I was missing my usual courgette glut, when my daughter turned up with a massive bag full from a relative. So this weekend, I will be making a big pan of soup for the freezer.
I haven’t missed growing our own, to be honest. It’s a lovely hobby, and I love picking delicious things straight from the garden, but there is always so much to do it just becomes another chore in the end. And if people are still going to give me stuff they have grown, even better!
Making money on eBay
On my recent cathartic clear out of the attic, I found two massive bags of vintage gaming comics, given to me by the same friend who gave me the bed.
These aren’t something I have a lot of interest in. I knew some of them were probably worth £10-15, but I couldn’t be bothered to sit and list them on eBay individually. Instead, I sorted them into four lots and started them all off at £15 each on auction. The first lot sold within a few days, to a trader, for £50! He has probably spotted a couple of valuable ones amongst the bundle, which is fine by me. I earn some money, he earns a little more and there is space in the attic again.
An average week for me then! Some second hand bargains, some free stuff, a bit of cooking and some money making too. How has your week been?
Don’t forget to come find me on my YouTube channel, or joint the frugal chat over at the My Second Hand & Frugal Life Facebook group.
I’m linking up with this Cass, Emma and Becky in this week’s ‘Frugal Friday’ linky.
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