In hindsight, we'd have been better doing the shopping before she went back to university but she was so busy working on the weekends that time seemed to run away from us. It was a good excuse to go over to Nottingham and spend some time with her anyway.
The main things she was looking for was a warm winter coat and some shoes to go with more dressy outfits, she managed to find a coat she liked but wasn't so lucky with the shoes. She did get some boots though.
She also wanted a pair of black jeans which we managed to find straight away. We were really lucky though, lots of the shops were having sales and whilst she was looking amongst one of the rails, she found some blue jeans in her size so she tried them on and really liked them. They didn't have a tag on them so we weren't sure if they were in the sale or not, many people put things down in shops anywhere and non sale items get mixed up with things which are reduced, so she asked a sales assistant how much they were and sure enough, they were in the sale and had been reduced to £4! As if that wasn't good enough, she was told that there was an extra 20% off sale items on Saturday so she actually got the jeans for £3.20, so she ended up with a pair of black jeans and a pair of blue jeans. She also found a couple of tops in that same shop in the sale so she did really well.
Whilst we were in the town I popped into Knit Nottingham, a lovely independent yarn shop. I didn't buy anything but I enjoyed looking around and the assistant was really chatty and friendly. This shop has won awards in the recent British Knitting and Crochet Awards 2017 and I'm not surprised, the people of Nottingham are lucky having such a lovely yarn shop local to them.
I'm not someone who enjoys shopping for clothes, in fact, I'd go so far as to say I hate shopping for clothes, for me. If I'm shopping with Eleanor, for Eleanor, I quite enjoy it, and it was nice to go shopping somewhere different for a change. Nottingham is less than half the size of Leeds but it's still a very busy city.
Explore Nottingham is number 50 on my 50 Before 50 list so I suppose this little shopping trip could count towards that.
Before heading home we took Eleanor food shopping, it's amazing how these students plead poverty, even though you know you've given them enough money already to buy provisions. Ah well, at least I know she'll be eating well again, for the next week at least. And she did okay for food on Saturday evening as we bought her a KFC take out before we left.
Eleanor's always appreciative of things we do for her, she always thanks us there and then but she always sends us a little message afterwards too.
It will only be a couple of weeks now until we see her again if the trip we've got planned comes off.
Bargains! Perfect for a student with all those nasty fees to contend with. 😊
ReplyDeleteWe were paying, though Eleanor's still very happy to get a bargain even if she's not paying for it herself.
DeleteNottingham is my nearest city from home (about 15 miles away) so whenever I go I use the train as it's quite expensive to park. Our middle son went to Uni there and lived there - first in halls, then in West Bridgford, then on the outskirts.
ReplyDeleteFunnily enough our youngest daughter went to Univ of Leeds and we used to spend a fair bit of time ferrying back and forth. We liked Leeds for shopping a lot and still go occasionally. She lived in halls then the rest of the time in the Hyde Park student area.
Another twist is that we'll be going to Leeds again quite often soon as the son who went to Uni in Nottingham met and is now engaged to a girl he met there from Leeds and they're in the process of moving back to Leeds and are getting married next year. My hubby is also a lifelong Leeds Utd supporter and he goes to watch the home games whenever he can get. Funny old world!
It is a funny old world. Eleanor was supposed to be living in West Bridgford this year but has ended up living in halls again for one reason and another. Leeds is such a big city that it has all the main high street shops as well as designer brands and boutiques. I suppose it's good for shopping, though I must admit that I like the shopping experience which York has to offer as there are lots of independent shops there mingled in with the high street names. We live on the outskirts of Leeds so we're more or less in between both cities. Mick's also a lifelong Leeds Utd supporter, he used to go to both home and away matches when he was younger, then he had a season ticket just for the home games and now he rarely goes. He does watch them on TV whenever they're on though.
DeleteI forgot to add, I hope your daughter soon feels better - freshers flu spreads like wildfire but if it's any consolation when my son was there in his student house in W/Bridgford he actually caught .....scabies!!! (I think not changing bed sheets from Sept to Easter was to blame!!). All the housemates got it and then later on the same year he got mumps - even though he had his MMR vaccination as a child.
DeleteThank you. I think she's on the mend now, though fresh waves seem to come around so she might end up picking up something else yet, I hope not. Scabies? Oh my goodness. Mumps too, you don't hear about mumps so often these days with the MMR vaccination but it just goes to show that it's still about. I hope your son still managed to study and that he got his degree after all that.
DeleteI try not to go shopping for clothes, I often pick an item up when out if I like it, often from garden centers. Shopping with my Su is always fun, they look at very different things.
ReplyDeleteI'm the same, I pick up clothes when I need them and that's that. I have lots of tops from Sainsbury's, I like their Tu range and it's so easy to pop an item of clothing in with the shopping. It's fun shopping with Eleanor and I know the things she'll like, I often hold things up for her to look at which I know would suit her and they end up being a favourite.
DeleteI know what you mean about clothes shopping, I'm not a lover of it either. For me it's easy as my husband and 2 sons usually find all they need in Matalan - I write a list and grab a trolley. They can help choose. I get uniform from Tesco and teen 1 trousers from Peacocks. He won't wear other trousers and has passed many to his brother saying they're uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteAt 5'11" I'll always struggle with the length of clothes but there's only so much 'men' tops I can stand (for the sleeve length). Long Tall Sally is ok if you can see sales on trousers. Jeans occasionally Asda or Matalan but really I get fed up looking and being disappointed. Glad you had a nice time. Good news about the wool shop. In Hampshire many yrs ago now, they shut a whole chain of wool shops - Tri-Star Wools. There was a massive one in Doncaster called Best Wools but even that closed. In Kent we were lucky to have 2.
Occasionally we pop to Lakeside outlets in Doncaster when we visit my parents. There's all sorts of shops there though not all outlet prices. Cx
So many shops cater for a 'normal' sized person, whatever that is, but the fact of the matter is that most of us are a different body shape to that 'normal'. As you say, it can be really disappointing trying clothes on in shops when they don't look as you'd hoped. I don't really have an interest in clothes anyway so clothes shopping really doesn't do anything for me. Many wool shops have closed down over the years but more and more seem to be opening up again, which is good news. We have a few outlets near to where I live but as you say, they're not all at outlet prices.
DeleteMy goodness Eleanor did well with those bargains.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of clothes shopping, mind you most of my stuff is from charity shops and the like so I can't really say I ever do go proper clothes shopping!
Lisa x
I think the total cost of a pair of jeans and two tops from one shop was £8.80, you can't say fairer than that. I always shop for undies in M&S and I usually buy jeans from there too as I like their fit. I don't mind paying a bit extra for jeans as I tend to live in them. I buy lots of tops from Sainsbury's and odd ones from here and there as I see them. It's very rare that I set time aside for clothes shopping for myself though, there's always many more things I'd rather be doing.
DeleteAwwww, I remember doing this with both Joanne and Stevie, (Jenny traveled to uni and lived at home). The Bank of Mum and Dad, i'd like to say that it stops at they get older but it doesn't, just gets more expensive, loll.
ReplyDeleteLovely that Eleanor is appreciative of your help. x
Ha ha, the child benefit stops just when you need it most. We used to pop over to York and take Daniel food shopping every so often but like most boys, he didn't want us to go clothes shopping with him. It's a bit different with a girl, a shopping trip can turn into a girly day out.
DeleteI hope that Eleanor feels better soon. She certainly found a few bargains. I don't like shopping for clothes either, just books. xx
ReplyDeleteThank you, she's certainly on the mend now, I just hope it doesn't linger. I'm with you about books, I could spend hours in a book shop and whenever I see one I have to pop in, I can't just pass it by.
DeleteYou have such a nice relationship with her. It looks like you got some nice things and good deals, and had a fun time. I hope Eleanor feels better soon.
ReplyDeleteWe've had our quarrels over the years, believe me, it's not all sweetness and light, but we've weathered the storm pretty well and we do have a lovely relationship now. Thank you, I think she's feeling much better now.
DeleteWhat a bargain with the jeans. I am not a real fan of shopping for clothes either, preferring craft and book shops. Hope Eleanor is feeling better, these bugs aren't always that easy to get rid of.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't believe the cost of the jeans, I was quite prepared for the sales assistant telling us they'd been put on the wrong rail and that they were full price so it was a lovely surprise. I'd choose shopping in a craft or book shop every time over clothes. Thank you, you're right, bugs can hang around for ages but I hope it's on its way out now.
DeleteHaving had an awful cough for weeks that I eventually had to have antibiotics to shift, I can sympathise with Eleanor!
ReplyDeleteI rarely go specifically clothes shopping, preferring just to buy something in passing if I like it (one of my favourite places for clothes is Berwick Garden Centre!).
These germs sometimes take ages to go and doctors aren't keen on handing out antibiotics unless as a last resort. I'm exactly the same, I pick clothes up as and when I see them, it's rare I take a shopping trip specifically for clothes.
DeleteHope Eleanor is picking up with her health, but a lovely way to spend some time with her anyway. I "hate" clothes shopping & some of the styles these days aren't geared for oldies like me at all. I can't believe how inexpensive your clothes are also.
ReplyDeleteGlad you got to see a bit of Nottingham. Take care.
We don't go shopping together very often so it was a change spending the day in this way. I keep seeing little bits of Nottingham each time we go over to see Eleanor, it was a change being in the city centre this time.
DeleteI hope Eleanor feels better soon. Those were great bargains she got! I'm not a fan of clothes shopping for myself either. I, too, would choose carft or book shops to spend my money in!
ReplyDeleteThank you, she's much better than she was so I hope it's on its way out now. I can always find craft supplies or books to spend my money on, I'd rather that than spend it on clothes.
DeleteI'm hoping that Eleanor is feeling a lot better and has a good rest of term! She certainly found a few bargains, which is just great.
ReplyDeleteI love mooching around bookshops ...but I'm not too keen on clothes shopping.
Enjoy your Wednesday, can't believe it's mid-week.
All the best Jan
Eleanor is feeling much better now, thank you. Give me a book shop any time over a clothes shop, I'm with you on that one.
DeleteGlad to hear Eleanor is feeling better, germ sharing is not much fun. What absolute bargains, real feel good factor. Like you I hate shopping for clothes but enjoy going with Rebecca. We still have C & A shops and sometimes their clothes are good. Sounds like you were very restrained in the yarn shop not buying anything! xcx
ReplyDeleteI'm just hoping that Eleanor didn't pass any germs onto me on Saturday. I miss some of our high street stores like C&A and BHS, you're lucky that you still have C&A where you are. I had to be restrained in the yarn shop, the trip I've got planned in a couple of weeks may involve yarn buying.
DeleteI'm glad to hear that Eleanor is a lot better now. Last year's bout of illness that turned into pleurisy must have been worrying. It's good that Eleanor found a pair of jeans that she wanted which she got at a bargain price. I hope she manages to get the other items on her list. I don't like clothes shopping and tend to make do with the basics that I feel comfortable in (Tshirt, jumper, trousers), although I need new shoes and trousers once in a while. I used to go into M & S and get the same style each time, but even this store keeps changing their range of clothes so it takes longer to find something suitable. Our granddaughter sometimes came with me and that was more enjoyable. She's hoping to come home soon as the university give the students a week or ten days time off to do reading. She's looking forward to seeing the family and her friends back here in Sheffield and, of course, we're looking forward to seeing her.
ReplyDeleteEleanor was ill for a long time last year, she just never shifted the bug and it was on her chest, she came home with it at Christmas and it had started as soon as her term started. There's just a pair of going out shoes which Eleanor still wants, I'm sure she'll find some eventually, and she's got some old ones to be using till then. I find clothes shopping a real drag, the sizes vary so much, even within the same shop, and I hate trying things on. I know many of Daniel's friends at uni got reading weeks, and Eleanor's do too, though neither Daniel nor Eleanor have had them, I suppose it's to do with the courses they chose. I hope your granddaughter has settled well at university, I'm sure seeing her will be lovely for you all.
DeleteI always used to catch something after the school summer break. Inevitable sharing a room with 30 - 40 children for 7 hours a day.
ReplyDeleteI've noticed that I don't catch things as easily since I stopped working. Mick's always happy to share his bugs though.
DeleteYour daughter sounds so lovely. Hope she is feeling better by now. I am not a big shopping fan although I did pop into a store and purchased boots on sale today. Have a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDeleteEleanor's feeling much better now, thank you. I think finding something on sale can make a shopping trip more bearable.
DeleteI hate shopping for clothes as well, I tend to drop something in the supermarket trolley when in Sainsburys, I like their clothes and they fit me and wash well too.
ReplyDeleteI'm exactly the same, I've got many tops from the Tu clothing range from Sainsburys, I like the brand.
DeleteEleanor sounded awful last year, thank goodness she wasn't as bad this time around. I hate shopping, unless it's for unusual things and plants. You certainly got some bargains in Nottingham. Your list is getting shorter!xxx
ReplyDeleteI was worried about Eleanor last year, the doctor just didn't seem to be interested, and she was really poorly. She did soldier on though. The list is getting shorter, still plenty left to do though and time's ticking away.
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