Top tips for money saving from the Festival of Thrift

The Festival of Thrift is this weekend (27-28 Sept) but if you can't get there, the team have given us some great thrift tips.
Wayne Hemingway, Co-Founder
  • Use and reuse the plastic shower-caps you get in hotels. They work well as coverings for food in the fridge, because they are elasticated and can grip tins and bowls. They also can be washed and reused again many times.
  • Take the bike to work if you can, it saves you a lot of money on petrol and keeps you fit at the same time. Not to mention the less damaging impact on the environment. I take my bike everywhere in London, and am retaining my svelte figure ...even at 53!!!

Gerardine Hemingway, Co-Founder
  • If you've got a great skill such as baking, sewing or joining, why not share and swap with a friend? They might have an equally good skill which could enhance your life and before you know it you'll be multi-talented! I'm always learning from friends and they're always learning from me – plus it can be so much fun in the kitchen.

Stella Hall Festival Director
  • Sites such as Freegle and freecycle are a great way to find new bits for your home, near your home. I'm a big fan of these, and regularly use them. With everything from kitchen counters, to sofas and dining tables on there, you'll be amazed at what you can find. You could deck your whole house out!
John Orchard, Co-Founder and a Director of Marchday, owners of Lingfield Point
  • Keep chickens; they're fun to have around, are easy to look after, the kids love them and you'll never eat a shop bought egg again!

Max McMurdo Shed of The Year and Fill Your House For Free
  • Don't just find some junk and try and bodge it into something using tape and glue, upcycling should be on-trend and stylish. You can still take inspiration from interiors mags then source the materials to suit.
  • Think about joining techniques. It's easy to make your designs work on paper when you sketch them out but consider how you are going to fix them. I'm personally a fan of mechanical fixings like nuts, bolts and screws, remember gravity isnt on your side and the world isn't held together with sticky tape!

Nicolette Lafonseca Hargreaves, Superscrimpers www.archieandtherug.com
  • Don't leave things on stand by, it really does make a difference.
  • Plan your menu for the week, that way you won't panic buy and things will not stay unused and rotting in your fridge.
  • Have a pantry challenge, spend a week using all of those tins and dried products that have sat in your house for too long.
  • Learn to sew, just the basics, sew a button, change a zip, re hem a skirt. Trust me it will change your life.