Five little things that have saved us money this week {24th July 2026}….

Every week I share five small things we’ve done to save a bit of money, make life easier or help us spend more intentionally.

None of them are usually huge on their own, but that’s kind of the point. Those small choices add up over time and give us more room for the things that really matter — whether that’s days out, holidays, home projects, treats we’ll actually enjoy or just a bit more breathing space in the budget.

1) I am absolutely over the moon with this one. 🌜

A little while ago, I shared how we found a bargain storage bench and recovered it in my favourite William Morris Strawberry Thief fabric to match the curtains in our dining room. The curtains were the one big purchase I managed to negotiate when my partner was determined that we needed the world’s biggest dining table. 😁

I’d bought a little extra upholstery fabric when we recovered the bench because I’d always had it in my head that I’d use the leftovers to make a matching table runner. It seemed like a nice way to tie everything together without spending a fortune.

Unfortunately, my sewing skills weren’t quite up to the job. 😂 I did have a go myself, but the fabric frayed really easily and every time I tried to fold the edges over to hem them, more threads seemed to unravel.

Rather than admitting defeat completely, I popped into our local alterations shop to see if they could help. The lovely lady in there took one look at it and said she could turn it into a table runner for £10, which I thought was a bargain.

I’d already looked online and the cheapest table runner I’d found in the right size was £17, and that was for a plain one. For £10, I’ve ended up with one that matches the bench and the curtains perfectly, made from fabric I already had. Sometimes it’s worth paying someone with the right skills to finish a job rather than struggling through it yourself, especially when the end result is exactly what you wanted!

2) You can’t beat a Home Bargains bargain, can you?  We spotted a great deal on Lucozade Sugar Free cans in Home Bargains – three cans for £1, which is brilliant considering they’re usually around 75p each.

We don’t drink energy drinks very often, but when we do, this is one of our favourites, so we couldn’t resist stocking up. We ended up buying a whole tray for just £8.

They are in date until October so we’re over the moon with our bargain! 

So the moral of the story is that when you see a bargain, take full advantage and stock up! 

3) One of the things we lost when we moved house was a proper back garden with somewhere sensible to put a washing line. The only place one would really work here is in the front garden and I’m just not keen on the idea of that.

Instead, whenever the weather’s nice, I’ve started carrying our clothes airer outside and putting it outside in the corner near the back door. I peg everything on because it can get a bit breezy there, but it dries brilliantly and, I’m telling myself that I actually prefer it to a washing line because I can stash it out of sight when I’m finished.

Longer term, we’d like to create a proper drying area as part of the plans for outside, but for now this works perfectly. The washing dries for free, I don’t have to use the tumble dryer and it costs absolutely nothing to make the most of a sunny day. 😁

4)  And while we’re on the subject of washing, I normally wash almost everything at 30°C, only turning the temperature up for things like bedding, towels and bath mats. Last weekend, I washed all of those first… and then completely forgot to turn the washing machine back down again.

As it happened, I had four more loads to do because I’d hardly done any washing the week before while it was so hot, so all of those ended up being washed at the higher temperature too.  Thankfully, nothing shrank or was damaged, but what really surprised me was that I couldn’t tell any difference at all. The clothes looked just as clean, smelled exactly the same and came out no better than they do when I wash them at 30°C.

The dial was quickly turned back to 30°C afterwards! I’ll still wash bedding and towels at a higher temperature, but it was a good reminder that for our everyday washing, 30°C does the job perfectly well and costs less

5)  We’re planning on doing a car boot sale this weekend which I’ll no doubt tell you all about next week if it goes ahead as planned. In the meantime though, I’ve been spending a bit of time this week sorting through things to sell and one of the biggest jobs has been tackling the huge stack of jewellery that my partner bought while I was in hospital earlier this year.

He actually bought the whole lot when our favourite vintage shop was closing down. His main reason for going was that he’d spotted a display cabinet he wanted, but when he got there it came complete with everything inside it. The shop was in its final few days before closing so he paid just £35 for the cabinet and all of the jewellery, which I thought was an absolute bargain.

It’s all costume jewellery and, if I’m honest, it’s definitely not my style. I did keep a handful of the more understated pieces for myself, but the rest is a little more… bold than I’d ever wear. 😂

I’ve spent a few hours untangling necklaces, matching up earrings, cleaning everything up and putting it onto little display cards ready for the boot sale. Hopefully someone else will love it a lot more than I do and it’ll all find a new home this weekend.

Wish us luck!

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