Frugal gifting and buying second hand

Hey frugalistas, how has your week been? Ours has been mainly wet. We have tried to dodge the showers on our daily dog walks but they have been so sudden and so frequent we all smell a bit of damp dog :). May and June are full of birthdays for us, so this week I have been organising my frugal gifting efforts. I have also had a few trips to the charity shops that have been quite fruitful.

Here are my five frugal things for the past week.

A visit from the Borrowers and some new to me egg cups

Things disappear in our house. Those Borrowers at work, I expect.  Teaspoons are one item that mysteriously decline in numbers until we are forced to buy more. This week I noticed that we only had one egg cup. We definitely had at least four at one point, but those pesky Borrowers must have needed them for a washing up bowl or something!

I decided to have a look in the charity shop to see if they had any and found these cute vintage ones at £1 for the three.  The middle one is my favourite, but my Facebook group all loved the Holly Hobby one. That design did take me back, as Holly Hobby was everywhere when I was growing up.

I really don’t need all the crockery to match. In fact, I prefer lots of pretty, mismatched old or vintage things so I am always keeping an eye out.

New to me shoes

Whilst I was in the charity shop, I found these sturdy and sensible Reiker leather shoes. They aren’t glamorous, but are easy to pop on when I am nipping out. Anyway, I am long past caring about looking glamorous! Give me comfortable shoes any day.

They were £4, which is a bargain as they are nice quality and little worn. I really like this brand; they suit the shape of my feet. Also, because they are good quality and last, they are perfect for buying second hand.

A little maintenance to make things last

On the subject of Reiker items, my favourite pair of boots since we got the dog a year ago and have done so much walking is this pair of boots. They are so warm and comfortable, as well as being waterproof, and I wear them every day.

They were actually second hand a few years ago. I can’t remember the exact price but think I paid £2 or £3 at a boot sale. 

Because I love them so much I was gutted to find the toe of my sock was wet after a particularly soggy dog walk. I thought they might be leaking through the rubber sole, but I couldn’t see where. In the end, I found the water had come through the suede at the top. So I gave them a good scrub and when they had dried I used a can of waterproofing spray on them.

This has done the trick and they haven’t let in any water since. Hopefully I can keep this pair of boots going for another year, but I am certainly looking out for something similar in the meantime.

Second hand gifting fail (?)

As you will know if you have visited my blog recently, I am doing a second hand challenge this year. If it is feasible to buy something pre-owned rather than new, then I’m doing it.

Buying gifts second hand has been interesting but not always easy. I have managed pretty well so far. However, this month is my youngest nephew’s birthday. As a teenage gamer, I thought I could easily buy him a load of pre-loved computer games. However, I needed to consult with his mum as I don’t know what he has already.

She said he didn’t need any more games and couldn’t think of any suitable gift ideas that I might be able to pick up second hand. In the end, because buying someone something that they don’t want makes no sense, I agreed to give him second hand cash! He is saving up for a particular item, which he really wants and will make full use of, so I had to go with the flow.

I’m not sure this was a fail, though. I would rather gift my family things they will appreciate.

Frugal gifting success!

And more frugal gifting! I am seeing a friend this weekend and, as I missed her birthday a few weeks ago, I have a present for her. Since the start of my challenge, and even a bit before, I have been taking cuttings from my house plants to pot up. I thought these would make nice gifts.

This money plant is ready to go to its new home! They are so easy to grow and very hard to kill. They root in some water within a few weeks and don’t need much looking after. If you repot them they get really large. In fact, the mummy plant, itself grown from a cutting, is almost too big now.

So, that was my week of frugal gifting and buying second hand. What have you been up to? 

I’m linking up with this Cass, Emma and Becky in this week’s ‘Frugal Friday’ linky.