Review : Elegant Touch False Nails : 143

I am going to be a bridesmaid for my friend this week and initially intended to go to the nail shop and sit awkwardly whilst inhaling acetone and wondering if I can borrow a mask. But then I saw on HotUKDeals (a deal site and app that I would highly recommend to you thrifty mamas) that Poundworld was selling Elegant Touch nails for, you guessed it, a pound! Being as we are due to go on holiday (see previous post) I thought I would save some pennies and give these a try.

I have quite small hands and nails so I bought the XS size which still carried a good variety in the pack (10 different sizes, 24 nails total). I used the style 143 Fench Manicure - American Pink, this has the classic French tip and the nail has a mild pink tone but matches my real nail well. Due to the XS size the tip isn't too long, so although they don't look real (obvs!) they aren't ridiculously long and false looking.

The pack includes the nails, the glue and nail file so you can shape the nail and shorten it if desired. The nails have a tab on the end for easy application and are a doddle to apply. The nails fit comfortably on the finger and once on they feel secure. 

So far I am really happy with these nails and pretty pleased to have saved £20+ by not going to a shop, plus I know my nails won't be as wrecked as they would be by acrylics! I will update this post about wear and tear once I know more! 

Tighter than a gnats arse ...

I didn't really plan it that way but my blog seems to have a co-theme of thriftiness. I hadn't even realised until a friend pointed it out to me! So I've decided to embrace it! Bring thrifty is part of me and if I'm going to keep bringing it up then I thought I would post what it means to me.

Some people think that as I try to be thrifty then I am judging how others spend their cash, not true. I don't really care what you do, I know that when I see something I really want I can get it but that means not getting at the little bits that I don't care as much about. Some people do the opposite and it's their choice. I know that if I started slipping I could go a bit mad with power and spunk loads of money but, personally I would feel so crappy about it after that it wouldn't be worth it!

Some people (weirdly) think I have lots of hidden money. Nope! I have some savings but I'm no means Mr Monopoly . Living how I do doesn't save me crazy amounts of cash but makes the day to day living more comfortable.

That I am a proper tight arse. Again (hopefully!) nope! I get my round in the pub, I buy (what I hope) are nice presents for my friends and family! I actually love spending money, I just don't like wasting money. When you have been without you realise that it's not a enjoyable way to live.

In reality being thrifty has been an offshoot of being organised. I like planning things and when you do, you have to consider budget. Rather than buying something on the fly I would prefer to have chosen what I want in advance. As a result I can compare the products/prices to find what best suits.

Some myths are true, I eat smart price food, I shop secondhand, I have learned to walk away from stuff I want (it's still hard), I shop in the reduced section at the supermarket (not to be sniffed at!), I will compare the prices in the shops and online and I wait for the sales.

Is it worth it? Yup! You do need to train yourself a bit to shop and be alert as to what you are buying and why. But in time it's just second nature to make better informed shipping choices. I hope you haven't found this condescending, I am certainly no expert (there is many a website dedicated to that!) but I am a thrifty gal and I'm not ashamed!

Excuse the photo, it's from my honeymoons, but the only one I could find with a shopping bag! 

Thrifting : Approved Foods (part deux)

So my new Approved Food order arrived in time for Tom's birthday party! Hip hip Horray! I thought I'd share my wares with y'all as it seemed to go down well last time! There are some repeat buys from last time and a few things bought specifically for Tom's party. So let's take a look see, I tried to separate them into boxes of similar items ... 

This is the crisp type box, I got some more popcorn as its really nice alternative to crisps in a lunch box and only contains 101 calories (5/£1)! I got Crinkles (14/£1) and Frisps (5/£1) as a throwback classic lunchbox item! And I bought the bacon streaks(3/£1.20) for Tom's party. There is also tortilla chips (2/£1.20) which I had to crop out, they are the hint of lemon flavour which I thought would make good nachos!

This is a kinda Tom box? I have more of the Organix squeezy sachets (6/£1.99)  as Tom liked them and they don't have strawberry in (woohoo!) in the summer I might try and part freeze one to make slush? I bought more tortillas (2/£1.50) for fajitas etc and they make a good snack for Tom. I also bought more sourdough bread (2/£1.50) as its a great way of keeping bread in the house that won't go off, as we don't always get through a loaf. The other thing are these wee Gullon biscuity things, like little ritz crackers? (£1.49) I thought they would be good for the party as a snack for the kids. I also quite like the plastic tub it comes in, I'm sure that can be reused for something..?

This is the packet box, although I've plonked my Fanta zero (5/£1) in there too! I have lots of jelly and custard (6/£1.50) as we used our last dry custard up and I like having some just in case (in case of what I don't know? Custard emergencies?). I bought the jelly (5/£1.20) thinking it was regular jelly but I think it's a glaze? I will have a crack with it but I think it might be a #fail. I have some dill (6/£1), it was cheap and I'm sure my dad used to use it in a sauce? Must try and find out! I bought the flavour of Simply Casserole (3/£1) that get didn't have last time, which is a sausage casserole, I have tried the ones I bought previously and it was really nice! And lastly I have the mini samosa snacks (39p), I thought I might out these out at the party as an adult snack. 

Ok, this one is jars and stuff. More tomato and garlic sauce (2/£1) #standard, always but it as its handy to have and is generally nice. Bought some Discovery Sour Cream (39p), handy for Mexican which we have really regularly. Bought some tubs of custard (3/99p) for those pesky custard emergencies! I bought a bottle of teriyaki sauce for 39p! Amazing! I would have bought the 3 for £1 but just don't have the space. Either way I'm chuffed! I also bought these Blue Dragon sauces (2/£1) in lemon chicken and sweet and sour. They are two step jars and I mainly bought them as Mr B loves lemon chicken so I thought it would definitely be worth a try. 

And the jewel in the crown of this order... PEANUT FREE PEANUT BUTTER !?! £1.49! Tom has a peanut allergy which I discovered by giving him peanut butter, funnily enough. I'm so freekin excited to be able do some of the cute Pinterest peanut butter recipes as well as just letting Tom have a PB & J!

Lastly we have the sweets and treats. I got some packs of Chuppa Chups lollies for Tom's party bags as they was 3/£3!

The Snickers was in a flash deal so I got 6/78p, the Crunch was 4/£1, Mars 4/£1. I bought the Hershey's shell ice cream topping (£1) as Mr B harps on about having it as a kid so I thought it would be good for a bit of nostalgia. I got some little pastry puff things (2/£1) in a bit of a whim, not sure why but they look nice enough. 

As always I am really pleased with my order. Approved Food continue to offer great value and the shipping seemed really quick this time. A tip I have when ordering is to monitor the 'Feed your family for around £20 a week' page on Facebook as they often get discount rates for Approved Food, using this I got 10% off my order AND 10% off shipping! Get in!

Have you tried Approved Food yet? What's your best buy?

On a totally unrelated note I have put my first video on YouTube! I cocked it up by filming the wrong way but if you fancy a gander https://youtu.be/ZPkrh6U3bEw

Haul Post : Tom & Me : H&M and Primark

I went shopping on Sunday, not looking for anything in particular but I knew I wanted to look in H&M and Primark. They did not disappoint!

H&M

Spider-Man Snapback : £4.99

Mr B is a bit of a geek at heart and this is definitely being channeled into Tom! I really love this cap and the peak will offer a good amount of shade on his face and, in truth, I think it looks trendy! It is also available in Superman. 

AC/DC Sleeveless Tank : £7.99

I would usually consider this to be an extravagance but I just totally fell in love! The colour is more of a grey marl than in the photo, there was crappy lighting. I really like the little rocker style and thought this would be adorable with some black jeans and Vans! They smallest size they had was aged 2-4 (H&M do really strange sizes! But I guess it will last!) so Tom might have to grow into this, although I think it will work slightly oversized.

Star Wars T-Shirt : £5.99

Continuing with the geek chic, we have a t-shirt with different Star Wars ships on. Mr B is all about the Star Wars and I thought they could match, he doesn't know this yet! I think this is a really cool take on the theme, rather than just the logo or storm troopers! It reminds me of Haynes manuals.

Indigo Jeans : £4

Can you guess the price? I bought these as a basic trouser. Tom has a few pairs of more vintage look jeans and I thought it would be nice to have a smarter pair. They are pretty basic but look like a really good quality and have just the right amount of stretch and long legs which bodes well for Tom!

That's all I got in H&M, they had an awesome Jungle Book t-shirt but not in Toms size, so I will keep my eyes out for that. I've also seen a cute double pack of Superman t-shirts that I like the look of and if I see them I will probably get but they weren't  in stock at my local H&M.

Primark

Grandad Shirt : £3 (reduced)

I have been looking for this style of shirt as we have a few weddings to attend over the summer, and I was overjoyed to find it not just in Primark but reduced (what-what!). I bought a bigger fit as I want Tom to wear a waistcoat with it and to be comfy. The shirt looks to be really good quality and I really like the rolled up sleeve detail, it's deco sulu the little things that count! 

Travel Bottle Set : £1

Not that exciting but I bought this for two purposes. 1. I buy the big bottles of Aveeno for Toms eczema and have travel size for me but NanNan has to lug a big one about when she looks after him. I thought I could use the pump bottle to give her a travel option and make life a bit simpler. 2. I have to carry Puritin with me in case of an allergic reaction so I was considering decanting some for a more travel friendly option, I'm not entirely convinced it will be successful but it's worth a punt!

That's all I got for Tom but I picked up some odds and sods for me : 

Shoe Liners : £2

My feet are ruined after years of ill fitting shoes and I am slowly trying to reverse some of this. I've not tried these before but I like the logic of being able to wear these with shoes and I have a pair in mind that are lovely but evil so I'm looking forward to testing these babies out!

Men's Harry Potter T-Shirt : £3 (reduced) 

I bought this on a whim. Harry Potter madness seems to have taken over my family so I thought, why not! I like a men's t-shirt as they are usually quite long and as I am *ahem* fuller figured, my body gives them shape. I like it, it's fun, why not!

Sarong : £1 (reduced)

I bought this as we are going to Spain in the summer and I figured I am going to buy one at some point, for £1 the time is now! It's just a plain pink sarong that I can chuck on when I'm not in the pool and am chasing after Tom! Feels an ok quality, and looks easy to pack. Might even work as a scarf? We shall see...

Acid Wash Jeggings : £7

I have recently lost a bit of weight and so my size 20 skinniest and jeggings kept felling down, a pain in the arse when I'm constantly up and down chasing Tom! So I decided to get these, I've seen a lot of bloggers talking about the high waisted jeans in here, but I could only see them in a 20 (typical!) so I got the wash in these! They are good value, and comfy. I am really happy with them, feel quite trendy! They are a bit more blue than the photo but again the lighting was a bit ass.

Super High Waisted Jeans : £10

I got these too as I have heard lots of blog talk that they are very similar in style to the Topshop Joni jeans, but I have a snowballs chance in hell in getting my arse in them! The picture doesn't pick up that there is a rip in the knee (there I go being all trendy again) so I need to remember to be cautious getting dressed and not putting my foot through it, which I've done in the past! I'm pleased with the fit, they seem to hold in the mum tum, which can only be a good thing!

Batwing Cardigan : £5 (reduced)

This was a pain to photograph! It's folded in half so you can see the sleeve shape, it's s navy cardi with white stripe and it's a very fine knit. I'm not a lover of my arms and at work I like to be a bit covered so this kind of light cardi is perfect for warmer weather. It could definitely be dressed smart or casual and a fiver is really reasonable. 

Bow Hairclip : £1

This is a cute couple pink floral print with an acrylic bow on the side. Tom is fascinated my hair and can get a bit grabby so I like to keep mine up and I like that clips means no hair kinks when you take them out. It's cute, it's a quid, I'm sure I will end up getting more!

That's my lot for today, I could have happily kept shopping but Mr B was getting bored! Have you got any bargains recently?

Thrifting : Approved Foods

Here's for something a little different, ordering food online. I have placed 6 orders from Approved Food and intend to continue doing so as I think the service is great!

 Approved Foods is an online food ordering service with a difference, it is crazy cheap! They have appeared on several different TV shows and publications in which they explain that some of the items have gone past the best before but not use by date (this means that the food is legal to sell and tastes just fine). They also sell stock that some supermarkets haven't been able to shift, which means I have had items from Waitrose and Marks & Spencers. 

Ok, so you place your order by cruising the website and adding things to your basket, they have loads of different deals including deals of the day and some really great multi buys, any BB Dates are clearly labelled. The delivery charge is £5.99 although you can sometimes find discount codes for this. My only bug bear with Approved Food is that you aren't able to book a delivery slot, this is a bit of a pain but I've had deliveries when I'm  not home and they just left it with my neighbour. 

Onto the food ... 

This was today's order and I'm super happy with it. The order totalled at £40, the value of the order was £130, that's a whopping £90 saved! Approved Food sells a variety of items and has just got its licence to sell alcohol. I use the service for my cupboard foods and an order like this will last around two months. 

An example of the types of deals to be had is the naan breads, 12 packs of 2xSharwoods Naans for £1(saving £23) this was a flash deal, which they run deals of this type pretty much daily. We used a pack tonight and it tasted perfectly normal, and tasty!

My next fabulous deal was this Belvoir Cranberry and Raspberry Presse, two for £1.50 instead of £5. I have seen these in the supermarket and always thought they looked really upmarket so I am excited to get this out when we next have a BBQ as it looks perfect for drinking in the sun especially as I'm breastfeeding and can't have wine! 

Next up is the Ambrosia Custard and Rhubarb Compote, six for £1.49 rather than £4. I think these will be great for a quick pudding or to take as part of a lunch for work. I think the price is great and it is always reassuring to see a brand you know!

Ok, now we have Mexican! Me and Mr B love Mexican and it was one of my cravings when pregnant so we pretty much expected Tom to come out with a sombrero on! My loot of 4 packs of wraps (two different types) and 4 fajita stir in sauces came to £5, this is so cheap when you consider how many dinners this can make in comparison to the fajita kits. The wraps are also great for lunches and are less than half of the price in the supermarket. 

My last exceptional deal is these Organix Goodies kiwi, pear and banana pouches, these were six for £1.99. I was especially pleased with these as they don't contain strawberry which really aggrevates Tom's eczema, and they seem to put strawberry in bloody everything! It was a saving of £4 which I wouldn't turn my nose up at. 

Overall, I continue to be really happy with the service and will keep ordering from Approved Food. I would really recommend using the service if you are looking at saving money and want to have good food available to you and your family! And look at the cute bottom of the box!