FIVE AMAZINGLY AFFORDABLE THINGS I’VE BOUGHT THIS MONTH

From £1 to £29

I am a sucker for a bargain, but I also have horribly expensive taste. This tension means I often buy things that are disastrous, and I am trying to deal with that habit. But sometimes I stumble across absolute winners and this has been a good month on that front. So here are 5 things I’ve bought that weren’t expensive but still delivered.

1. Ikea Roedflik Reading Lamp (£29)

In my bid to reclaim the playroom and make it more than a dumping ground for Bunny’s toys, I have switched up the lighting and made everything softer. So soft that she has been complaining she can’t actually see her spellings folder. This lamp was £29 but looks so much more. It’s weighty, it’s a lovely colour and the brass industrial details make it look decidedly un-Ikea. It’s really directional so I’ve positioned it over her little desk and it’s done the job. I genuinely can’t believe it costs under £30.

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/roedflik-floor-reading-lamp-grey-green-80563576/

2. Dunelm Faux-Linen storage ottoman (£25.60 in the sale now!)

Full disclosure, I am not using this as an ottoman. My house has a narrow laundry room and far too much ironing. Genuinely the ironing situation is out of control. I recently did a root and branch sort out of this room and realised I needed a better storage solution for the ironing pile which less of a pile and more of a landfill pit of the kind you see in documentaries about the environmental impact of the fashion industry.

Here is a misleadingly tidy picture of the laundry - (full house tour and pictures on House & Garden here https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/lucy-clayton-kensington-house) you can see that there is no room for a textiles mountain…

So, I’ve bought two of these (they stack nicely) and for now, it’s working. These come in various different colours (all nice) and I think they’d work well if you have a shoe storage problem because they’re roomy inside.

https://www.dunelm.com/product/faux-linen-folkstone-stripe-rectangle-ottoman

3. Mango cardboard suitcases (£22.99)

I have never met a cardboard suitcase I didn’t like. For me, they’re the ultimate children’s toy storage and I have a vast collection which I’m always adding too. They look great together on shelves and are an inherently cheerful idea – not least because you can grab one on the way to the pub and know that your child will have something to entertain themselves which is the key to a successful evening for the whole family. My favourite suitcases are the Liberty ones (not cardboard, but fabric and these days £90+ https://www.libertylondon.com/uk/ciara-suitcase

(I obsessively check if they are in the sale and they never are) although I swear they used to be more manageably priced). Here’s one of ours in situ in Bunny’s bedroom in the Cotswolds:

A great alternative are the Meri Meri x Liberty ones which we use a lot.

https://merimeri.co.uk/products/meri-meri-x-liberty-suitcases

I personally find those open topped baskets a bit depressing for toy storage, and for me they defeat the point (if I’m storing it, I don’t want to still SEE IT ALL SPILLING OUT) I prefer total containment. And yes, that does me we don’t know where anything is/has been squirrelled away and yes that is not ideal.

Mango Home does these lovely striped range, get them in every colour for a rainbow dopamine hit. Earlier in the year I bought lots of a more muted design (much more Liberty – a pretty floral in the exact colours of my smug redecoration) so keep an eye on Mango because I guess they’ll be producing variations on repeat...

https://shop.mango.com/gb/en/p/home/childrens-baskets/small-striped-paper-childrens-satchel_27012909

4. Grace & Stella Undereye Patches (£19.99 for 24 pairs)

I’ve had really posh versions of these, are they better, who knows? What I do know is that I can’t really stomach paying a fortune for a slippery slither of a thing that will stick to my face for a maximum of 15 minutes (it’s usually more like 10 because, who has the time???). Unless I’m going to the Oscars. But until that day comes, I’m happier to slap these on at a price that feels more appropriate for something that is disposable.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B014E2D6BY?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3&th=1

5. Poundland vases: £1

I can’t link to these because, it’s Poundland. The only way to shop there is to pop in regularly while crossing your fingers. I walk past the Portobello Road one every day on my school run and find it irresistible

.

I was in charge of the table decorations for our recent school fundraising event (for the Bursary foundation – I really care about this theme because I had a full fee scholarship, and it changed my life). It was at Porchester Hall which is massive and needs impact, but we couldn’t sink budget on flowers etc because it’s a bloody fundraiser so naturally I turned to Poundland. Miraculously I discovered these pink fluted vases (our colour scheme is pink and red) originally £2 knocked down to £1. I bought them all. We’ll fill them with paper flowers (which took my Mother & I six nights on the trot to manufacture) and which hopefully we can reuse at future events. You can see them ready for action in the pictures!