They're pure wool, absolutely gorgeous! And the best thing was that they were only 20p, for the set! Can you believe that?
I also found some bargain books: The Cat in the Hat (and also his return), and Sarah Waters' Night watch in hardback for me, which were only 10p each. We went with a pocketful of change and only spend about £3 in all, though we all came back happy!
When the weather is warmer, we sometimes go to the major car boot sales out in the country, which can take hours to walk around! These sales are such a good place for bargain buys: we've built up a huge collection of Disney videos this way as they're usually around 50p each (whereas new ones are upwards of £10 in the shops), and always look out for mirrors, beautiful vases, fittings and other household stuff that we can buy for next to nothing.
If you ever fancy trying a car boot sale yourself, here's a few tips to get the most out of it:
- Wear old shoes and trousers: car boot sales can be very muddy!
- Have lots of loose change. When things cost 10p, you don't want to ask for change from a £20 note! Also, it's easier to barter when you have the right money!
- Barter for everything! There are no fixed prices at car boot sales, and sellers almost always tell you a price higher than they will accept (even if it is already cheap!)
- Take carrier bags, as sellers often run out!
- Go very early if you want to find the best sales. Later in the day, such treasures will have already been snapped up!
- Go quite late if you are looking for cheap bargains: as sellers are packing up, they are much more likely to sell you that beautiful green glass vase for 20p when their earlier asking price was £2!
- Similarly, going on a day when the weather's bad will help you bag the bargains, as sellers just want to get rid of their stuff and go home!
Car boot sales are great for buying kids toys too. Last year, money was a bit short so we went to the sales just before the kids birthdays and found loads of great stuff they wanted which we otherwise couldn't afford. Clothes in every shape, size and design are found in plenty, so if you don't mind laundering second-hand clothes, there are designer bargains galore.
If you want to find listings of car boot sales in your ares, try CarBootCalendar.com which features all major UK car boot sales, flea markets and antiques fairs. Friday Ads also have regular listings of such sales and you can narrow your search by postcode.
An alternative, If you prefer to keep your boots clean, is to visit visit ibootsale from the comfort of your own home! You can even list items for free if there are things lying about at home that you want to get rid of.
Do let me know if you're a lover of car boot sales too by leaving your comments below. And if you're a CBS virgin, why not go out and visit one with the kids? It's a very cheap day out!
1 comments
Hi Amanda.....wow I love your blogs, they're amazing! I'll bet you had fun at the CBS...it took me a minute to realize what you meant....we call them 'garage sales' or 'yard sales' in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteWhere does the car part of Car Boot Sales come in? Geoff
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