Makeshift Mummy Makes Do

I would like to introduce you all to a very good blogger friend of mine who is a fantastic mummy, funny tweeter and great writer. I have been helping Kate out with some techy area issues on her blog and in return Kate has written this post for my blog. Kate is @Makeshiftmummy and her lovely blog is: http://www.makeshiftmummy.com/ why not pop over and get to know a little more about her and leave some comments… Thank you for the lovely post Kate, Sonia xx

Hi, hello and hola. I am Makeshift mummy, aka Kate, over from Two Cats, Youngling and Me. I was kindly invited to guest blog by the lovely Mummy Constant here, as she has kindly given my readers an introductory techy tuition – which I secretly hope will continue until we can all become as brainy as she.

Not really knowing what to write, and not wanting to sound all contrived, I thought I would just tell you a bit about me.

I am a late twenty something mother to one toddler (aka Youngling) and owner of two feline friends. We all live in a little town in Hertfordshire and though we are not what you would call ‘wealthy’ we are also not what you would call ‘poor’. We make do. Youngling and I recently became a ‘Single-Family’ after his daddy (Doo) and I separated almost eleven months ago.

Now having managed to get through our first Christmas without spending too much we then hit a bit of financial barrier very early on in the year. Gone are the days when I can splash out on high street fashion and cosmetics and welcome to the era of ebay. Yup I have become an avid saver since becoming a single mother and I am not ashamed to say it.

I haven’t let Youngling go without anything, yet I have spent time and effort searching for toys and clothes that he may like but at bargain prices. Why go the nearest chain store and pay almost double for something you could find at a cheaper outlet? Don’t even get me started on carboots.

As much as I would love to have another baby I know that is most definitely not an option for the foreseeable future. So I decided to de-clutter my house and try to make a little money back in doing so. Along with ebay, I tried a few carboot sales but found them quite demoralising. Some people have such a nerve asking you as a seller to reduce an item from 20p to 5p. Seriously. I don’t think I would have the guts to. In fact I saw a fabulous set of storage drawers, in blue with trucks on it, I thought they would be perfect for Younglings bedroom. However the seller only wanted to sell them as part of a set for £70! Well I didn’t mind bargaining with her at that price, after all I was only after the drawers. Eventually I sent my friend back to see the seller (not more than two hours later) and she managed to get the drawers for me at a bargain price of £6! So if you can barter with people on prices. Even in super markets. Speaking of which do not be afraid of the value label – I will go into that another time.

Another example was that of Younglings second birthday. Daddy Doo and I splashed out on a whole range of Pepper Pig paraphernalia. Those of you with your own Younglings (in the UK) will no doubt have had the walk away in shame of the tantrum when you’ve said ‘no darling we aren’t buying pepper today’. We paid almost £30 for one particular item and since it was for his birthday we thought why not. Less than six months later (which was after the separation) Youngling, my mum and I were walking around a local charity sale and found the exact same item (minus one or two pieces) for only £1! Can you believe it. Well I snapped up the opportunity to grab ourselves a bargain and with a little elbow grease (and disinfectant) it was as good as new. The original expensive item is currently for sale on ebay 😉

So this year I decided if we want something in this life we may as well work to save and then spend a little, it doesn’t have to be a lot, as long as we enjoy the things we get.

To read more about Kate’s money saving tips go to: www.makeshiftmummy.com or @MakeshiftMummy on twitter.