Thrifty Ideas for January
As predictable as the Christmas comedown is every January, it’s also the traditional time of year to be extremely skint. After trying to stick to a budget buying gifts, the two weeks before Christmas were a blur of stuffing anything made of pure butter into my mouth and clicking “Buy it now” on Amazon.com. This doesn’t mean you have to ignore your debit card for the entire month of January. There are a few things you can still afford to splurge on that will keep on giving for the rest of 2012.
1. Peacocks’ £30 outfits
The other “P” in the world of value fashion, Peacocks’ is launching its first ever collection of outfits for under £30 on January 15th. The collection includes 10 complete outfits that include coloured skinny jeans (still going strong for SS12), printed shift dresses, maxi skirts and tops (naturally - a pair of jeans does not an outfit make). Available in selected Peacocks stores and www.peacocks.co.uk.
2. Learn how to sew
This might sound daunting to you if you’ve never sewed before or if the last time you held a spool of thread in your hand was back in the ‘90s. However, if you have any inklings of wanting to learn or have always wanted to make your own cushions/skirts/tote bags - January is the perfect time to start. It’s a bit dreary outside and there are months until the next Bank Holiday so you might as well put down that DVD box set (just for a moment) and pick out some fabrics. The Make Lounge offers regular craft workshops where you can learn to sew, crochet, knit, make candles, soap, etc. Am sure you can even request to learn to quilt a replica of your own face using nothing but paisley cloth rags if your heart so desires.
3. Swap your clothes
Bring your clothes to a clothing swap like Mrs. Bear’s Swap Shop and come away with new items for only £5 admission. There are regular ones held at The Britannia Pub in Hackney and the next one is being held in Broadway Market at Fabrications shop, 7 Broadway Market, Hackney, E8 4PH. The items are colour-coded for value/fair swaps (ie. high street Topshop vs. higher end Whistles and Reiss) and you can bring up to 7 items but thankfully sweaters covered in balls, plain jersey tshirts, and other undesirable items are not allowed. Needless to say, do not bring a bag of old lingerie.
4. Get someone else to eBay your stuff
If you fear a starring role on the show Hoarders or seeing yourself featured in the Daily Mail under the headline “HER BEDROOM WAS SO FULL OF NAIL VARNISH THAT YOU HAD TO SLEEP IN THE SHED”, it might be time to consolidate your stuff. eBay can be time-consuming and rather daunting if you are short on time so it might be worth it to look around for a company that can help you sell your stuff for a percentage commission like www.sos-sellourstuff.com.
After a short, but intense, flirtation with eBay seven years ago, I generally try and stay away from being on it too much. From the endless emails from potential buyers, taking photos of your item from every.single.angle and obsessively trying to outbid someone for that vintage powder blue power suit with shoulder pads, it can really be a pain in the ass so it might be worth the investment for a New Year clear out, especially if you have high value items and designer items.
Since this is not me then I will probably see you down at the swap meet dressed like a boho vagrant stuffing snack olives down my gob. Happy January.
Image via tsuacctnt's Flickr.