Every week I share five frugal things that I’ve done during that week just to show you that the small things you do all add up to a great frugal lifestyle where you can learn to live a fabulously frugal life.
Hey! 👐
Ugh, it’s been one of those weeks this week!
I’m pretty much done in and ready to hibernate this weekend with absolutely no plans to do anything other than watch TV shows on Netflix and Hayu that don’t require any brain cells at all.
1) You will NEVER guess what? I’ve finally painted the wall behind my bed which, if you’ve read any of my monthly goals posts for about the last five years, has been something I’ve been wanting to do! It’s not that I’ve been too lazy to do it though, more that there was a problem with the wall that meant paint just wouldn’t adhere properly so it just felt like too big a job.
I ended up buying an expensive primer that promised it would work miracles and it actually did so I now have a white wall finally.
Which means I was ready to buy some artwork to hang above the bed and I knew exactly what I wanted – I wanted a picture of the Bow Bridge in Central Park which I love. There’s some benches that you can sit on opposite the bridge where you can watch the world go by in front of you and it’s honestly my favourite place to sit in the world.
I searched everywhere for a print with the view that I wanted but I just couldn’t find what I wanted anywhere as I wanted the right angle at the right time of year with the focus being the bridge and the lake in front of it. Like this:
I found all sorts of pictures of it but none of them were looking at it from ‘my’ viewpoint.
Then it dawned on my that I had the perfect picture already so why didn’t I just get that printed onto a big canvas. It cost a fraction of the larger prints that I’d been looking at it and it’s absolutely what I was looking for. I just can’t wait for it to arrive now.
2) My newly painted white wall was crying out for a pretty headboard to go with it instead of the old cream one that looked distinctly grubby up against a brilliant white wall (to be clear) it wasn’t grubby – it just looked it. 😇
I looked everywhere and for a padded headboard, it was looking at £70 upwards which was OK but obviously I’d rather have a bargain! As a last resort, I went to a bed store on an industrial state near where we live – it’s one of those places where everything is crammed in so it’s single file and sideways steps around the beds as you try to walk around.
I wasn’t holding out much hope but I managed to find one that said ‘Factory seconds’ on the label but aside from a slight tear in the fabric at the back, it’s absolutely perfect and for £39, it’s a total bargain!
Look how cute it looks!
I’m saving the full reveal for when I have my new print up on the wall.
3) Monty’s had a lockdown haircut – courtesy of me!
He hates getting groomed by anyone but me so I give him a haircut and save a fortune at the same time.
He doesn’t look too pleased with my attempts, does he?
4) Anyone who knows me will tell you that I love a good handbag and I do have a few nice ones that I’ve ‘invested’ in over the years as various treats for milestone birthdays and life events. I sold one last week on Vestiaire (a site where they sell second hand designer goods that have been authenticated so you know they’re not fake) to clear some space as it was one that I didn’t use at all anymore. Because I’d got it for such a good price, I managed to sell it at not much less than I paid for it, although Vestiaire take a reasonable chunk so I didn’t make as much as I would have done with a private sale.
Still, it’s still better than something just sitting on my shelf gathering dust, hey?
It was also Miss Frugal’s 18th Birthday this week so I let her choose one of my other bags for herself and naturally she went for my Vintage Louis Vuitton that my lovely Dad bought me. He gave me some money just before we went to Nice and Monaco for a cheeky trip away and told me to treat myself and I found this little bag in a vintage designer shop just outside of Monaco for exactly the amount of money he’d given me so it felt like fate.
I don’t use it very much at all if I’m honest and I know she’ll take care of it and let me use it whenever I want to so I still have a share in it really.
5) I’ve worked from home every day this week as I’ve been unwell but not too unwell to work if that makes sense. I’ve been poorly for about a week and a half now (it’s not the dreaded COVID – I’ve had the test) and my cough is ridiculous at the moment making me unable to talk for long or sleep for more than an hour at a time.
Anyway, as much as I would have preferred to be at work, I do have an 80 mile round trip to work and back so plus side, I’ve saved on petrol. I’ve also only been out once all week as I’m super conscious that I’ll make people feel uncomfortable if I’m around them coughing, even with a mask on.
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As always, we’d love you to join in with us by sharing anything you’ve done that’s been thrifty or frugal from your week – whether it’s an Instagram picture (#5frugalthings), a blog post or even a video. Just add your link to the Frugal Friday linky at the bottom of this post.
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I’m linking up with this Cass, Emma and Becky in this week’s ‘Frugal Friday’ linky.
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