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Lining tab top black out curtains quickly and cheaply
My tab top curtains were annoying with the sun streaming in early morning. The curtains weren’t lined so I needed a solution to reduce the amount of light coming in.
As they aren’t normal hook and eye curtains, I couldn’t buy those useful linings that just hook easily onto the curtain rail.
I wanted to save time and money, so skipped the unstittched black out lining, that you can buy by the meter. Instead I:
1. Measured my existing curtains 2. Bought some pre-hemmed blackout linings to fit normal curtains 3. Pinned the linings to the curtains, ensuring that any access fabric was at the tab top end of the curtain 4. Sewed the linings on following the existing stitching lines at the top of the curtains 5. Cut off any extra fabric 6. Hung …
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Gardening special buys at Aldi
My drive to save money on gardening this year is paying off. Instead of spending over £500 to get some work done in the garden, we’ve found out how to do it ourselves….while hard work, we’re getting there as our lawn is looking better and the borders are too.
As part of my making my garden beautiful, I bought some self-watering troughs from Aldi a few weeks ago and am kicking myself that I didn’t buy more. At £3.49 a trough, that price was great, but they’re all gone now. So I am keenly watching what else Aldi has got coming up in terms of gardening bargains for us amateur gardeners and they’ve got another gardening Special Buys on 19 June.
Here are the products that interest me the most.
Essential Lawnmower, £34.99
Aldi’s offering …
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Doff weedkiller vs Roundup – does cheap weedkiller do the job?
In my head to head comparison of weedkillers Doff vs Roundup, I would say the cheaper weedkiller Doff came out on top, as it does the same job for less than half the price and actually seems to do it better over a three – six week period.
I basically have weeds coming through the membrane we laid down in our garden. I bought some Doff from Aldi (£1.99) and Mr Bargain didn’t realise so bought some Roundup (£4.99) and started using it, so we couldn’t take it back. That’s when I thought of my experiment. I divided up the area and sprayed the right half with Roundup and the left half with Doff.
I must admit that in my comparison, Roundup was easier to spray as it had more than one setting, so a …
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£2 products – Glade refills and 14 birthday cards
In Sainsbury’s today, they had Glade Discreet refills for £2 each. Normally they are anything from £2.80 – £3.00, so I stocked up.
I do like this air freshener as it smells good and is….discreet. I prefer it to overwhelming plug-ins, spray or shriveled up gel air freshener. It lasts up to 60 days and we have one in the hall and another in the lounge. I bought the refills for the two Glade Discreet Decor units I have, as they just blend in easily. There are another three types of base unit that you can choose from, including a plug in. Here are the flavours of refill I bought (clean linen and Bali sandalwood and jasmine) and my actual unit.
I also bought 14 cards for a whopping £2. I nipped into the Card …
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Good value birthday cake with the wow factor – Marks and Spencer Checkerboard cake
My hunt for a birthday cake that looked good but didn’t cost lots ended up with this Marks and Spencer checkered chocolate cake that can be personalised and feeds 18!
My kids are getting too old for the themed birthday cakes sold in supermarkets, you know the Cars, Star Wars, Princess type cakes that come in around £7 – £10. So I thought this year I’d try something different.
I love this polka dot cake but haven’t been able to find a local baker to make it and wouldn’t risk trying to bake it myself as would no doubt need more than a few goes to perfect it.
I asked the local cake maker if they could make it and the answer was no as they baked their sponges in large trays.
There are many …
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ALDI’s Chimenea and BBQ Specialbuys – al fresco dining and entertaining
Aldi’s bringing out its BBQ Specialbuys so that grilling and eating al fresco can look good, cook good and not cost the earth.
If you want to stay warm while you’re having a BBQ, Aldi is stocking an attractive Chimenea (£29.99) in store on 1 May, as part of its Specialbuys.
Chimenea
Originating in Mexico for cooking and keeping people warm, chimeneas have grown in popularity in the UK. You can cook on a chimenea, but small quantities, so best to have this for warmth and a BBQ for cooking for friends and family.
As well as looking good, the Aldi Chimenea is a definite bargain as other chimeneas come in at £50+. I popped in to measure the chimenea, and it was over two foot high by one foot at its widest. This one …
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How to use Ratedpeople to find a workman
Finding a recommended workman is easy with Ratedpeople.
I put a new job on today and that’s why I thought I’d write about my experiences with Ratedpeople. I started using Ratedpeople in August 2009 when I needed some garden clearing work done.
I was new to the area and didn’t know who to trust. Yellow Pages or Google give details of companies or individuals but at that time not as many people were reviewing, so I turned to Ratedpeople – a sort of Tripadvisor for workmen, where tradesmen compete for your job and previous customers rate their experience with a tradesman.
In terms of a bargain, I like Ratedpeople as:
1. You can pick how much you have to spend for a job – of course no one is going to tile your roof …
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My visit to HomeSense
Today I thought I’d check out HomeSense, a store that recently opened up here, but is part of a national chain.
Now HomeSense is part of the TJX family, which also owns TKMaxx, and there are definitely similarities.
I would say that if you want quirky, cool stuff for your home, this place fits the bill. I loved the selection of clocks above.
There are some well-known brands there. I saw Christy, Monsoon, Dartington, Royal Worcester and Sabatier.
I also saw some unknown to me brands from the US and Switzerland. After the programme, The Secret of the Discount Stores, I am a bit sceptical about brands at TJX stores, so my eagle eyes are open a little wider when I enter their stores.
There wasn’t as much furniture as I expected but a …
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Savoury bread and butter pudding recipe for £1.07 per portion
I am not a great cook, so this brilliantly easy savoury bread and butter pudding is perfect for a tasty, economical midweek meal or Saturday tea.
The recipe was sent to me by Big & Fresh Eggs. I must admit, I was already a fan as they are great for feeding hungry families due to the larger size of the egg, meaning they are good value. Their eggs are in Morrisons, Tesco and Asda, so I priced them up using mostly own brand products from Tesco and Asda to see how cheap I could make the recipe. See the chart below and enjoy:
Ingredients
- 40g butter
- 1 bunch spring onions, sliced
- 8 thin slices white bread, cut in half
- 100g roast ham, chopped
- 175g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
- 3 Big & Fresh eggs
- 450ml milk
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Save money when decorating your tree and table this Christmas
So have you got your tree up and your Christmas decorations? I have and lots of outside lights too. If you haven’t started or thought about it, don’t despair.
Here are some great tips and ideas on decorating your tree and Christmas table for less this year.
Tree
- A box of crackers can be purchased for a very reasonable price and act as a great addition to any tree. Rest them on branches evenly around your tree and when Christmas is over they can either go into storage or be pulled when the tree is taken down to continue the Christmas spirit into January.
- Large ribbon doesn’t just have to be used at the top of the tree. It also looks great tied in big elegant bows on individual branches as an alternative to tinsel.
