Shopping for Bargains

Since developing my 'planner habit' there are many things I've learnt. One of these is how potentially expensive a hobby it can be, particularly when certain beauties need to be imported. Even those that are not can often carry a weighty price tag.

This of course means I've been surprised at how I've learnt to keep my planner spends minimal whilst still getting those planners I want.

Firstly, it's not always cheaper on eBay. Yes, occasionally you'll find someone having a clear out and get a genuine bargain, but likewise you can end up paying above the odds after getting caught up in a bidding war or simply because the seller has overestimated what they think they're selling is worth.

Be prepared to shop around. It's ok to look before you buy and get the best price. Initially I bought from Amazon because I stuck with what I knew. A little googling and I soon discovered I could save some pennies.

Don't be scared to price match either. Many shops will price match if you ask, perfect if you've found it for less elsewhere but don't want to wait or are facing astronomical shipping fees. John Lewis in particular are excellent at this, it's where my pretty new fluoro came from!

Listen to the planner community too, they're always sharing bargain finds. Thanks to a tip from a fellow UK blogger (thanks Joanny! Check her out!) I ended up with two new planners from TK Maxx for really good prices. I was thrilled!

Be prepared to stick to your guns too. There's one shop I shan't be visiting again because they tried to tell me the planner in their hand was full price not half price because it was out of stock. They didn't want to discuss this but walked away, which although sad as it's a shop I love made me feel that this is somewhere I won't be returning to. Shame.

So how about you guys, how do you keep costs down? 

For what ails you?

For a long time I've suffered from sinus issues and last weekend I was in agony with sinusitis, so much so I sent Mr S out for medicine which I would normally try and do without. 

Much to my surprise however, Mr S also returned with this: 

A new planner without diary, marked down as a result. Apparently, it was too good to miss and he thought it'd cheer me up. I didn't need another planner but I sure as heck wasn't complaining. It's not unusual for him to pick me up stationery when I'm feeling down.

This got me thinking, a bad day usually results in some sort of new planner supplies; perhaps some stickers or a new pen. The worst day for a long time at work resulted in a trip to the poundshop for supplies.

I don't know about you, but my pick me up is always stationery and planner related. I think it's because it lasts unlike wine or chocolate and I can continue to get enjoyment from it, unlike clothes.

Even if I don't purchase, I'll window shop for planners and think about how much sunshine they would bring into my life and reflect on how much the ones I already have do. 

Sales Joy!

Now you may remember I was a little upset a few weeks back as I'd attempted to buy a domino via eBay which went missing in the post. We're still trying to resolve that at the moment but in the meantime I've been doing a cheeky bit of sales shopping.

As such I landed myself a lovely domino A5 in red for less than £20! I like that the domino is budget friendly compared to some of the other Filofax products, but I thought this was a real steal! 

It's got plenty of space inside and as I'm going to be using this one for work, the week to view layout is perfect for my needs. The cover is lovely and smooth, really nice to touch and the red is a great deep red.

I'm a bit unsure about personalising the pages at the moment, I'm not too sure how that'll look in a meeting or what have you, but I will be personalising my dividers and dashboard as soon as I can. 

Ebay Blues

So I've had a few woes with eBay this weekend. I discovered in addition to the possibility that one Filofax might not be enough, I would not get the Filofaxes that made me believe this. Now, there is of course the very real probability that I was rationalizing the ownership of the beauties I had my eye on in the event of winning them, but alas it was not meant to be!

The first cutie that made me swoon was a delectable Disneyland Paris organiser. Pocket sized and dark coloured it would have been perfect on my desk and for those trips we take to Disney to ensure my loved ones receive their postcards without delay. According to the description there were Disney themed pages, although there were no pictures to go with this so I guess I'll never know. I was pipped to the post in literally the last second by 20p!

The second delight to further wet my appetite for the anticipated Filofax was a Radley one, which not only had a matching purse but actually matched one of my handbags. It was personal sized and came with a pen which is always a win. The little beauty also had a dust bag and was the perfect size for keeping with me when out and about, as well as organising all those dinner dates with Mr S and lunch dates with the girls. I would always be happy to let Radley help me keep my social life in check. Alas this too was not meant to be as the 8 other bidders who were also after this gorgeous item outbid me yet again.

So it seems I am still destined to wait until Christmas, even if that is AGES away. Well ok there are 24 days left, but that feels like ages.

Tesco

Now Tesco would not be one of my usual haunts for stationary items, I often find the choice quite generic but I was not disappointed today. I got this lovely little haul which I'm itching to use.

As I've mentioned several times already I love a good flag post-it so couldn't resist the arrows and they were really easy on the pocket too costing only about 80p. Double win! I thought the speech bubbles would be nice with the stickers I got from Paperchase the other day so of course they went into the bag too.

I couldn't resist these either. The ponies have slightly creepy faces but they're scratch and sniff not to mention loads of fun. I thought the bugs were the best though, some of them have moving eyes which caused much entertainment thus making them a necessity.

Now paperclips are something I seldom use, I just don't find them very appealing but having spent ample time on Pinterest and Etsy over the last few days that concept has quickly begun to change and I find myself drooling over more and more paperclips in funky shapes. Cat ones are next on my wish list! (of course) but I loved these too. Now I've just got to remember they're not too lovely to use!

Hobby Craft

What's that? Hobby Craft are having 3 for 2 on craft materials you say? Oh well in that case it would be rude not to!

That washi tape love was thoroughly indulged with some new tapes today. I was so spoilt for choice it was difficult just to limit myself to the tapes I selected,

These were too pretty to miss out on. The floral ones remind me of Cath Kidston and the black and white ones were irresistable. I love the butterflies!

Mr S's birthday is the day after valentines so I thought these would be perfect for combining the two themes in my planner. That and they're uber pink which is also always a bonus.

Of course I couldn't get tape and not pick up some festive ones. I love these as they're wintery so can be used right through December rather than just Christmas week, not that I'm thinking that far ahead or anything...

All these tapes have got me super excited for getting my planner now, not sure how I'm going to last the time left until I get it. I noticed I need to start shopping around for a punch too, that's top of my to-do list for tomorrow I guess.