SHOPPING
My wife and I pretty much buy everything except groceries from https://www.amazon.co.uk/. We have Amazon Prime, so delivery is "mostly" free, and "mostly" next day.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201910360
Even clothes - buy online. If you don't like it, just return it. https://www.gov.uk/online-and-distance-selling-for-businesses/online-selling
https://www.marksandspencer.com/
is similar to Woolies - generally better quality clothes, but not always the most
fashionable.
Mens non-iron work shirts from Charles Tyrwhitt:
- https://referme.to/derekb-81 <- affiliate link (costs you nothing)
- https://www.ctshirts.com/ <- official website (always look for discount codes though!)
Primark and Matalan are at the lower end, imo, but may still
have good value clothes, especially for kids and special occasions.
For ladies clothes try https://www.apricotonline.co.uk/.
Try https://www.hotter.com/gb/en
for shoes.
Supermarkets: I like Morrisons, especially for meat. In no particular order other supermarkets are:
Tesco, Asda, Sainsburys, Aldi, Lidl, Co-op, Waitrose, M&S. Some are better value for money than others. Some
are just cheap. Most of the supermarkets
will have online deliveries, which is great for the bigger, heavier stuff. (BTW, supermarket petrol prices tend to be lower
than other garages.)
Furnishings : https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/
is always good value - at least to fill the gaps until your more expensive tastes
https://www.johnlewis.com/
kick in.
While you're setting up home, you might find getting used stuff
will help the initial budget. Try:
and Facebook marketplace.
Hardware and DIY: The three main chains are:
Wickes https://www.wickes.co.uk
– tend to be a bit more geared for contractors, but will supply anything from ready
to kit kitchens and bathrooms, to nails and screws.
B&Q https://www.diy.com/
- this is the go-to place for the weekend DIY-er. Some of the bigger stores may
also have a dedicated section for trade customers.
Homebase https://www.homebase.co.uk/
- as well as the paints and tools, you may find more soft furnishings here than
at the other two.
When it comes to cooking, there are several companies that will
send you a recipe box with all the ingredients needed to make yourself a great meal.
Mindful Chef - https://www.mindfulchef.com/ - provides recipe boxes that are absolutely delicious,
healthy and easy to cook. Because the meals
are quite easy to prepare – and the recipe clear and simple to follow, these Mindful
Chef boxes might be a good way to start your kids preparing meals for the family. They have a range of frozen meals as well if
you don't feel like cooking from scratch. We get a box once a month as a treat but
I reuse the recipes as they're fab. I also
like that they include ingredients and methods we might not be familiar with, so
it opens up ideas for other meals and techniques.
Naked Wines - https://www.nakedwines.com/content/about/about-us - because everyone needs a regular supply of good
wine. You pay in monthly to become an Angel and you’ll get a box of wine delivered
to your door when you’re ready for it. The
wines tend to be better quality, but perhaps less expensive than you would pay at
the supermarket. Not only can you buy wine, but some quality bubbles and spirits
as well. There are several other wine clubs
(for example Virgin Wines) but we encourage you to use Naked because their products
are all from independent winemakers who make a big difference to their local communities.
Skincare - you might find that your skincare needs will change
in the UK, I know mine did! These are the two companies I use and highly recommend,
and it has to be said that on the rare occasion that I go for a proper facial, I
always get comments on how amazing my skin is (in spite of the wrinkles) and it's
all thanks to these two: https://uk.lizearle.com/ and https://www.balanceme.com/gb/about-us/
. Good for men and women!
TopCashback - https://www.topcashback.co.uk/home - money back on purchases made through their site.
I use this site mostly for things like car hire on our travels, and we have had
some really nice dinner dates thanks to the cashback received.
Flowers: https://www.bloomandwild.com/ and https://www.waitroseflorist.com/ are both really good for sending flowers. https://www.freddiesflowers.com/ is nice if you like having fresh flowers at home,
they're pricey but the flowers last for ages, and you can decide when to receive
deliveries.