Your best ever bargain.

Many years ago a pop up charity shop run by WI had a black beautifully supple childs leather jacket, but had ripped knitted cuffs as though a dog had ripped them or something. I had precisely £6 in my purse (before using cards days) and a son of 4 years. Asked the price with bated breath and they said £5 . I paid and dashed out in case they changed their minds! I hunted in haberdashers to find suitable material to match collar and spent 25pence for material. A good friend who sewed and had a machine that coped with the leather put the cuffs on and my son wore it with great pleasure until it really couldn't do up any longer. I then gave it to a friend with three little boys, who also wore it for some years and passed it on to her sister. Who knows it may be travelling round still. My greatest clothes bargain which gave such pleasure to the children.

Ro60

Just remembered another supermarket sweep. It was a few days after Christmas and we'd been eaten out of house & home.
Popped into Sainsbury's and there was smoked salmon marked down so I picked up 4 packs. When I got home I pondered why the shop was less than I'd expected - only to find, the salmon was at the reduced price but then their system had applied the original discount to buy 2 aswell. Meaning that, they were paying me to take the salmon away!

I check all the offers at Sainsbury's on the nectar site before my weekly shop. I write them all on a slip of paper so I remember to pick up the best bargains.
Recently some printed out coupons at the till gave enough points to cover the cost of the item. Obviously you have to pay for the item but then get enough points to cover the outlay. They repeated that offer about three times so I'm very well stocked in those items - thankfully not something with a use by date!
I remember once when they had a surplus of melons and were selling them for a penny each! There is a limit how many I can eat but I told lots of my friends so they could get them too. Sainsbury's prices are pretty good if you shop carefully and due to the extra points on items I buy regularly I rarely pay full price for some items.

CanadianGran

Kalu, that sounds interesting, what a lovely colour for upholstery. Any photos?

No photos yet as Covid hit and upholstery work is still on hold CanadianGran.
I am quite a dab hand with an upholstery stapler though and I am toying with the idea to reupholster a king size bed base and headboard myself…..as soon as I am in the right mood. ?

After shops reopened after the lockdown I bought from an M &S outlet a pair of 90*90 fully lined heavy weight curtains reduced from over £100 to £5. At the same day I also managed to get 2 winter wool coats reduced from £95 to £15. I’ve also managed to add to my Old Charm furniture collection with a few eBay purchases.

We moved to a new (to us) home 3 years ago and needed new living room furniture - I found two elegant (not the heavy overstuffed kind) leather reclining chairs on Facebook marketplace for £10 each. So comfortable! So good looking! The lady selling them had also recently moved house and they no longer fitted her decor. Win win. And good for the planet too.

My Kenwod Chefette- got free with Greensheld stamps in 1971- and still going strong.

A long grey leather coat with sash, from M&S sales in 76... wonder if it is still going- gave it to Oxfam shop when we moved... (couldn't get into it anyhow- size 12)

Just found a pair of Rohan ladies walking trousers in a charity shop for £4.50p. What a snip, anyone who does any serious walking will know Rohan are a top make. I am very pleased!

We had our kitchen re-done and our Aga had to go as we'd now need one with a different kind of flue. I looked on eBay and there was exactly the right gas-fuelled Aga, barely used (the owner had moved to an area where there was no gas). It was £3,500. A brand new one would have been about £10,000. It's wonderful, still going happily in my kitchen 15 years later. Best eBay item I've ever had!

inishowen

I've been collecting my tesco reward vouchers for a long time and have about £80 worth. I spent £36 the other day on pyjamas, slippers, make up and a book. All Christmas presents.

I save my Tesco club card vouchers to pay for RAC membership each year. Having just bought a new car which comes with free road assistance for a year, I’ll be able to treat myself with something else this year.

About 30 years ago on the first day of Harrods sale I fell in love with an authenticated beautifully framed limited edition print of a Pierre Bonnard painting. Sadly it was £250 = over the length of the sale it was gradually reduced further and on the last day it was £100 in the morning, £5o0 in the afternoon and mine for £25 ten minutes before closing. Probably not to everyone's taste but I have treasured it ever since - I love its simplicity www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/337089

My kilt, £5 in a charity shop. A friend in the same bag pipe band as me, paid £200 for an identical weight kilt made by the same London tailor, and that was considered a bargain ! I keep mum !!

My daughter spent £25 buying a Springer Spaniel from a newspaper advert. I had 13 years of companionship , joy , company, protection from threats, not to mention and alarm clock, the laughs the cuddles and occasionally some mud and at the end a broken heart, but worth every penny. Definitely the best buy.

Don't know if this counts, but my Kenwood electric hand mixer. Bought for me as a wedding present in 1971 and still going strong ...

Germanshepherdsmum that is a such lovely thing to say

I bought a gorgeous red & cream wool coat in a large houndstooth pattern. It was an M&S second & I paid £15 for it I don't know how many years ago. It still comes out every year, it's as warm as toast and I invariably get " Oo what a gorgeous coat, where did you get it?" every time I wear it. It really has been a wonderful bargain.

I've been collecting my tesco reward vouchers for a long time and have about £80 worth. I spent £36 the other day on pyjamas, slippers, make up and a book. All Christmas presents.

As I'm a real bargain hunter I have had loads of really good finds - a large Tod leather bag in mint condition for £5.99, bought it about 8 years ago and it's still beautiful; a Christian Dior man's suit for £5.00; a beautiful black Ted Baker cashmere man's crombie overcoat for £25 (hardly worn, if at all); a Victorian mahogany piecrust occasional table for £10. I love mooching in charity shops and love the thrill of a good bargain!

Kalu, that sounds interesting, what a lovely colour for upholstery. Any photos?

I visited a local fabric centre hoping to find bronze velvet for some upholstery work. Had a look in their Sale area and couldn’t believe my luck, 8M of bronze velvet for £16!

A £99 gent's cashmere sweater for 99p in an M&S outlet store.
DH was delighted.
On the same day also £99, a coat for my DD, at £8.99.
Two ladies followed me around the store, asking if I was certainly going to buy them! Of course I was!!

DH just got a Regatta jacket half price but Im unimpressed by things Ive seen in the shops for black friday The clothes in Next are not even that nice and the designs seem poor, plus so does the quality.

DH is probably my best bargain too! I love shopping at Redbubble where the discounts can be really huge and you can buy things that are unique.

Just remembered another supermarket sweep. It was a few days after Christmas and we'd been eaten out of house & home.
Popped into Sainsbury's and there was smoked salmon marked down so I picked up 4 packs. When I got home I pondered why the shop was less than I'd expected - only to find, the salmon was at the reduced price but then their system had applied the original discount to buy 2 aswell. Meaning that, they were paying me to take the salmon away!

An electric food steamer 99p from ebay it was new in box ,has been in regular use for about 5 years.

The couch I’m currently sitting on. A chum of my late brother bought it, kept it for a week, decided she didn’t like it. I got a £1,500 three piece suite for £150. That was nearly 30 years ago and it’s still in good condition and I still love it.
I have browsed furniture stores and online several times over the last few years, never seen any that I like enough to pay the price asked.

Like others, a DH who can turn an old piece of furniture into a lovely unique painted piece. Many of which were free that we picked up on Freecycle sites. Also, a LandsEnd storm coat that would have cost over £150 new and I bought a new one off eBay for £10 with label inside.