So it may be still 4 weeks until Christmas but I've done most of my shopping. It's not because I love Christmas, am pretty ambivalent about it really, it happens every year etc. My main reason for being organised is budgeting. I find if I drag out the buying process I end up spending loads more than I ever planned to. I hit up the shops today with the aim of getting most of it done and I did. I noticed most of the large high street stores have got some sort of promotion on and there are some bargains to be had. Here are a couple I found today:
- Hawkes & Curtis were offering buy 1 shirt and get 2 free with a single shirt being sold for £69. So that's either three presents for approx £22.50 each or the bulk of a gift for someone who needs smart clothes for their job etc. Hawkes & Curtis do nice mid-range shirts for men and women. With a range of styles, cuts and colours/patterns there is a shirt to suit even the pickiest person. You'll also always find a matching tie and cufflinks to go with any shirt you choose for him.
- http://www.tkmaxx,com had some fabulous footwear on offer from Guess, Dune and Jessica Simpson for £35 to £40 a pair. Considering they normally retail for £90ish this seemed a fairly good deal. I also picked up some lovely DKNY pyjamas for my sister (£16.99) and a Crew top for £24.99 which normally go for nearer £50.
- Boots again had some great deals and were offering 12 points in every £1 spent for purchases over £30 of your Boots advantage card. It's always worth stockpiling points to treat yourself to that bottle of perfume no-one gets your Christmas or for a last minute gift you forgot to buy. I also picked up a mascara and eyeliner from Benefit for £20 in a dual pack. (disappointingly they have replaced their blue Bad Gal mascara with plum!). The sanctuary products were 3 for 2 which always make nice stocking fillers and all of the silly gadgets and mens shaving products were 3 for 2 as well. Growing up with two siblings my stocking has always been crammed full of deodorants/toothbrushes/toothpaste (all of which my brother and sister got as well) from the Boots stalwart 3 for 2 range.
- House of Fraser is offering 50% off Christmas decorations and 30%-40% off some of their higher end ranges (Love Moschino etc). Might be useful for that special gift.
- I updated my Facebook status yesterday moaning that I could not find a decent pair of real leather boots anywhere in the style I wanted. I kept an eye out today and didn't find any I liked but noticed that Jones the Bootmaker had some lovely boots at 50% off. I did find ones I liked for £25 on eBay.
I had some lovely feedback about my blog this week which really put a smile on my face. I didn't really expect anyone to take much notice or actually read it so to hear that someone had actually benefited from tips was great to hear. I have had 744 hits at the time of writing which has chuffed me to bits. Thank you. xx
I love eBay I have to admit and often just browse to see bargains are up for grabs. A lot of the high street retailers have cottoned on to eBay stores and you can get some lovely bits for really reasonable prices. I had a much needed wardrobe clear out yesterday and have listed a few things for sale. Most weekends eBay offers 0% listing fees so you don't even have to pay to list things. Nice easy way to claw back some of the money spent on Christmas presents so you can treat yourself!