Lifestyle // Charity shop & car boot haul

This week has been a crazy whirlwind of work,housework, and the kind of period that that only Cadbury's can fix (not that I'm complaining,yay recovery!) Thankfully things have calmed down a bit now, and I got out for a few hours to browse my local charity shops and car boot sale.Don't you just love it when you find exactly what you want for a fraction of the price? I've been unsuccessful with my shopping trips recently,but I've managed to pick up a few gems that I'd love to share with you.

I've seen this gorgeous looking cookbook from The Hummingbird Bakery retailing at Waterstones for £13, so I'm so happy I managed to pick this up in a charity shop for only £2.I have a massive sweet tooth and I'm always looking for new treats to bake and discover,even if they don't quite look like the beautiful cakes in the book.The photography and styling is so pretty,there's some definite photo inspiration here.I'm trying to build up a little cookbook collection and I think this book is a great one to add to my repertoire,I especially want to try the Green Tea cupcakes!

Car boot sales are an untapped resource for hidden treasures on a budget,so they're a great place to go if you love a bit of haggling or you're after a bargain.This Werthers toffee tin really caught my eye,I love the bright picture postcard design that instantly takes me back to my childhood.I think everyone's grandparents or elderly relatives have had these sweets on them at some point! I'm always looking for boxes and cases to store my bits and bobs in, and this was only 50p so I snapped it up.I was thinking I could use it to store my many USB cables,trying to find those is like looking for a needle in a haystack sometimes.

These gorgeous shoes are definitely the icing on my shopping cake! I'd been looking for some mid height

black heels that I could pair with anything,and still be able to walk in them at the end of the night.I've never owned a pair of "high end" brand shoes before and these are Kurt Geiger and they were in my size! I think the shoe gods were looking down on me.They are so comfortable and they don't really look like they've been worn very much,a quick scrub and they should be good as new! I'm so glad I carried on looking as I'd almost lost hope amongst the pairs of '80s trainers and mismatched boots.The bonus is they were only £1! A quid! 

Now that Car Boot sale season is in full swing,I'm definitely going to make sure I go to a few.I'd suggest getting there quite early though,because some people were already packing away by 11am.I'm hoping to build more of an autumn/winter wardrobe without breaking the bank too much! Luckily,there seems to be quite a few car boot sales down here,so I'll keep my eye open.

Do you ever go charity shopping or to car boot sales? What has been your most loved bargain?

Lifestyle // What I've bought :Budget haul

Although I've never been a big spender, I'm trying to shift my focus towards buying things that will help me me practice self care and still put a little back in savings.As you know,I love browsing budget stores and buying second hand bits,and it's made a huge difference to how far I can stretch my budget It's easier said than done sometimes,but I'm really happy with what I've bought so I thought I'd share them with you all!

As much as I love Yankee candle jars (vanilla cupcake is a personal favourite),I don't like how they often burn down the middle,leaving loads of wax behind.That's where this wonderful Glade Peppermint Crush candle comes in.Although this fragrance is meant for the Christmas season,it's perfect for anytime of year.I burn this pretty much everyday,and there's still plenty left.It also burns evenly and leave the room basked in a cosy glow (perfect for an after work nap!) The scents smell very realistic,and the mix of sweet vanilla and fresh peppermint really help to clear my mind and leave my bedroom smelling gorgeous.I can't believe I bought it for only 99p from the 99p store! 

I'd been wanting to buy this book for a while,as I'd heard such great reviews about it.With books and most things though,if you leave it a while they really drop down in price.I managed to pick this up from this seller on Amazon for £7.48,and I'm so glad I did. I've been reading the story of how Jack Monroe,a struggling single Mum living in poverty,had to stretch her £10 a week food budget to feed herself and little boy.She started sharing her budget recipes on her blog, and that's where it all began! I'm really looking forward to trying her recipes because they're not intimidating or too fancy,just good honest food.I think the first thing I'm going to try is the Carrot,Cumin and Kidney bean burgers.

I'd been looking for some artificial flowers to jazz up the background of my photos for a while, so I headed to the 99p store to see what I could find.I would love to use fresh ones,but my allergies,and the fact I'm an awful plant babysitter means that that would be a bad idea! They had so many pretty colours to choose from,but I chose these beautiful vibrant red and crisp white ones,so that I can switch it up the mood depending on what I'm writing.They're really easy to move around and style too,I think I'm going to have to get some for my ever changing bedroom.

I know that I haven't bought much,but I guess that's the point of trying to stick to a budget! It's really nice to treat yourself with the little things sometimes,and I think these are going to become a regular feature in my life and blog posts,so why not save some money at the same time?

Are you trying to budget? I'd love to hear any tips you have.