Miss Thrifty

Like M&S, Debenhams is going big on sales and heavy discounts in the run-up to Christmas. Check out the Debenhams website for the full range of offers.

I’m looking for new luggage at present: it’s horribly expensive and up until now, we’ve been the grateful recipients of our parents’ cast-offs. (Why do parents buy so much luggage?) However, the old case that I dragged off to America decided to divorce its trolley handle en route; hauling the thing around four states was most irksome. Lesson learned…

…So the Debenhams suitcase above, which weighs 3.2 kg and stands 42 cm high, has caught my eye. It has been reduced from £110.00 to an extremely attractive £20.00. Perfect!

Ben & Jerry’s is half-price at Morrisons right now. It’s £1.80 for one of the larger, 500ml tubs.

Sadly, my local Morrisons didn’t have any ‘Cherry Garcia’ in (sniff), but I went for this sorbet one instead.

The best part? My husband’s away, so I get to eat it all myself. I give thanks to the higher powers that have arranged for this happy conjunction of events.

Ciao, Fashion Queens! The latest issue of Grazia magazine (not the one above; this one has Madonna on the cover) has vouchers for a range of high street clothes stores.  

The magazine costs £1.90; the vouchers, on page 103,  give you 20 per cent off purchases at Uniqlo, Wallis, Oasis, Faith, Principles and Flannels. So if you spend £10 or more, you’ll be saving money. And you get a magazine out of it.

The vouchers are valid until 27 October 2008.

This hair clipper set from Tesco is only £6.99. It comes with the different sized combs, so that you can select how short you want the hair to be, plus other accoutrements such as scissors and a comb. Not only is a good price - cheaper than a paid-for haircut! - but it saves money in the long run too. Once you have one of these sets, the need to visit the barber flies out the window.

I should add that I don’t cut my own hair with clippers. No no no. I do cut my husband’s hair with one of these sets, and I can honestly say that it is a terrific investment. It takes minutes, and it’s easy to do.

Once upon a time I used to send him out to my own preferred salon in Mayfair, at £55 a pop, to have his follicles tended to by a stylist called Rachel who “understood his hair”. Looking back, I can’t quite believe I insisted on this: not is £55 a very expensive men’s haircut, but my husband and grooming go together like a cat and water. He would have been happier with the clippers all along.

Anyway, this set can be ordered from Tesco’s website and I’d get in quick, as the line is about to be discontinued.

Yes, I know it’s not the first time that I have waxed lyrical about Betty Jackson’s range for Debenhams department store, but I do like it. The clothes are nicely thought-out: simple and elegant, with a few special details. (more…)

Who’d have thunk that Woolies would be a magnet for frugal gardeners? It really shouldn’t surprise me - after all, that shop sells everything - but since discovering that it sells good gardening products at rock bottom prices, I’ve become a fan.

If you’re a super-organised gardener looking ahead to your Spring beds, I’d recommend that you check Woolworths out. The plants themselves are hit and miss - a forsythia I bought last year has done diddly squat - but the bulbs and seeds are great value for money. Cheaper than the supermarkets and discount stores, even. (more…)

Sabatier makes the most wonderful knives. The metal is thick and the steel blades are strong and sturdy. Holding a Sabatier it is ten times more easy to fillet a fish, carve a roast or fanny around with baby salad vegetables.

I cherish my block of Sabatier knives, and I thought I should really bring it to your attention that the ironmongery chain Robert Dyas is currently selling  Sabatier blocks for just £24.99 - that’s less than half the standard £59.99 retail price.

For your nearest outlet, click here. Alternative you can order online; the delivery charge is £4.95.

The five knives in the block are as follows:

UK shoppers can get 30% off at Gap, between now and 28 September. Just visit this site, enter your details and collect your voucher. It can also be used at the various offshoot stores - babyGap, GapKids, GapMaternity, certain department store concessions and so on - but isn’t valid for leather, cashmere or sale items.

With thanks to MoneySavingExpert.com.

Oh frabjous day! It’s Final Clearance time at House of Fraser department stores - and there’s a bunch of Guzzini stuff on sale.

If you aren’t familiar with Guzzini: it’s an Italian design company. They make handsome plastic kitchenware, and their products tend to be either futuristic or deliciously retro in design. Like Alessi, but cheaper - and better, in my opinion. I love Guzzini. I love it even more when it’s reduced!  

I can wholeheartedly recommend the two-tone salad set (above), reduced from £20 to £16. I have this set in red, and people coo over it when they come round for dinner. (I know, I know - I’m beginning to sound like Betty Draper. I’m an emancipated female, honest.)

I also have my beady, bargain-hungry eye on the slinky jug, which is available in clear or fuchsia and has been reduced from £10 to £8: (more…)

These sat-navs are beginning to tumble in price, aren’t they? I could really do with one - unless I know my routes back-to-front, I always end up taking detours or getting lost. Mind you, on the occasions that I have borrowed someone’s else’s Tom Tom I’ve felt really bashful using it - the gadget is worth more than my car!

John Lewis have Tom Toms on special right now: £129. Its a ONE XL (covers the UK) and comes with a year’s guarantee. If you order from the John Lewis website, delivery is free.  And Amazon are doing the same model for £119.99. Halfords are doing it for £125; the advantage of buying from them is that if you can’t get your head around the dashed thing, you can take it back to the store and they’ll give you a free demo.

Final note: remember NOT to enter your home address. Plump for somewhere close by, instead. That way, if your car and sat-nav get nicked, the thief won’t know where you live…