Miss Thrifty

Apologies for the late-running Friday Bargains. Further to my post last week about the trials and tribulations of choosing a new computer when you’re on a budget, my wheezy old laptop decided to force my hand with a spectacularly ill-timed implosion.

I’m now the proud owner of a spanking new Sony Vaio VGN-NR32L, which is sleek, silver and – best of all – runs very fast. I’m also delighted to be the proud owner of a £ key once again. My older laptop was an American one, so it only typed $. This has caused not a little tooth-gnashing, while writing a finance-themed blog.

During the course of my laptop travails over the weekend, this is what I learned about trying to be thrifty while shopping for an overpriced plastic-and-metal cuboid: (more…)

Now I’ve hummed and hawed over this one, because even at sale time, Hobbs isn’t the cheapest shop out there. I’m on a terrific savings binge right now; I’ve bought just one pair of new shoes this year and look! I’m still standing. The idea that I would even venture into my nearest Hobbs is enough to make grab the sides of my streamlined bank statement and chortle with bitter-tinged mirth.

So this entry is more of a window shop than a tip-off for yours truly, because the truth is: I’m a Hobbs shoeholic. Even now, the inclusion of the words “Hobbs”, “shoe” and “sale” in the same sentence sends my heart a-fluttering.

For the uninitiated: Hobbs is a fairly upmarket chain of clothing shops in the UK. The clothes are so-so: there are lots of conservatively-tailored skirts and dresses with matching jackets, targeted at women executives and people who go to posh weddings.

But the shoe section is an extremely well-kept secret. It’s usually at the back of the shop, although you can smell the leather from halfway up. I love Hobbs shoes for these reasons:

1. They are of a very good quality. I’m very particular about footwear (an after-effect of working on a fashion magazine, I suppose) and I can spot cheap, nasty clod-hoppers from a mile off. Hobbs shoes are cut from good, thick leather and are properly stitched. They last for a long, long time. The heels are comfortable. They look expensive. (more…)