Savvy sale shopping

Even pronouncing the title of this week’s post left me a little dazed and confused. If, like me, Christmas over-indulgence has left you a little lethargic and mentally foggy then perhaps we ought to organise our thoughts before we hit the sales? What’s in order is a little nest-feathering whilst I get myself back in hand, I intend to stock up on a few home comforts whilst the weather’s still grotty and the fact that I can do it all online with a cuppa is just the icing on the… no, don’t!

Time for some nest feathering…

So let’s get right to it. I have borrowed a couple of excellent tips from Chelsea Jade Arnold to make the experience altogether more succesful and less stressful. Firstly, she suggests making a list of the things you really want or need to find in the sales before you hit them. I suggest doing a Santa and checking it twice, we’ve all come away from a shop with everything but the item we went in for – do not miss a bargain at this crucial time! More importantly, do not miss the chance to buy those quality essentials (I’m thinking pillows, duvets, towels, table cloths…) at a knock-down price. At mydeco.com and other sites you often have the option of setting alerts when items are put on sale.

Dream the impossible dream!

Another fab mydeco.com tool is the wishlist function. Here you can compile a visual pinboard of those items you’d like to buy one day. It’s quick and easy to do from the main site and allows you to see how items might go together. I’ve made a quick one from the sale items here. I also love Pinterest, and if you haven’t let this brilliant website into your life yet, I must beg you to do so now. It’s a great visual record of everything you love and as the pictures link back to the original sites its much easier than bookmarking endless pages. You can categorise your images you wish and share with others… Why not take a look now, I defy you not to become addicted.

Pinterest

Chelsea advises knowing your size in every shop before you venture out which is undoubtedly a good and time-saving idea. Likewise for interiors, if you’re sofa shopping make sure you know the size of the gap – and know what will and won’t fit up your staircase! Want some new chairs for your dining table? Make sure you’ve double checked that three of those extra comfy (extra wide) bargains you’ve spotted will still fit down one side. Likewise measuring curtain drops, spaces for rugs and investigating how much more a tiler will charge you to install mosaic rather than ordinary tiles! As the saying goes: act in haste, repent at leisure! The mydeco.com planning tool is excellent for this and you can also try out a few new looks before you put your back into moving the sofa anywhere.

From mydeco.com member Vovisanija

That having been said,  much sale stock will still be returnable. Make sure you keep all the relevant paperwork and know where you stand with regards to returns before you buy, but if you really can’t decide sometimes you just need to see your bargain in situ, surrounded by things you already know you love.

Try after you buy

There are some things, however, that are guaranteed to please year after year. It’s always worth spending a little more on really good quality pieces or things that you will use day in, day out – or just that you really, really love and have coveted for a long time. For me, this will eventually be a set of turquoise le creuset casserole dishes.

Turquoise le Creuset

Or a (turquoise, naturally…) Kitchen aid.

Turquoise Kitchen Aid

Something most definitely worth considering is designer classics. If you know and love a designer and think you can spot a rising star then buy up, likewise the sales can be a great opportunity to finally splurge on a designer original. Luckily mydeco.com has done some of the hard work for you this year, collating some great Conran pieces. Sales are also a good time to invest in some artwork you might have thought out of your rice range, although maybe not impulse buys!

Conran Duke armchair

Finally, military strategy aside, the sales should be fun. Don’t get so focused on half price goose down that you forget to treat yourself to a few fun bargains. Happy shopping all!