Thrifty Londoner:
Last week we had the pleasure of talking to Laura Turner, aka the Thrifty Londoner. Laura is a money blogger who runs her own website, thriftylondoner.com, dedicated to educating people about financial security and ways they can save money in London.
Laura very kindly included our Knights Hill furniture shop on her ‘12 Furniture Charity Shops in London’ list. We noticed that 40% of the visitors to our site from last month were redirected from her blog!
We spoke to Laura and discussed the importance of being financially secure and the benefits of being thrifty.
Feel free to introduce yourself:
I’m Laura Turner and I founded Thrifty Londoner nearly six years ago now. It all started as a blog and has expanded into an Instagram page as well. I moved to London when I was 24 and I was on a low salary by London standards. This prompted me to find budget-friendly ways to enjoy the city. I’ve also always been interested in charity shopping and finding bargains.
What inspired you to start the blog?
I couldn’t really find anyone who was talking about saving money specifically in London. I thought that there must be other people in a similar position to me, so I decided to start the blog to share tips and hacks I had found.
I wrote charity shopping guides on the blog to start with which became popular. I also did a series where I would list the best charity shop to visit in South, West London etc. I have also spotlighted charity shops in specific areas like Central London and Camden etc.
Have you found Thrifty Londoner to be successful?
Definitely! I’ve branched onto Instagram which is mostly about general finance, unlike the website which is still dedicated to saving money in London. It’s good to have both because now I have a larger general audience to appeal to on my Instagram whilst content on my website has more longevity.
How did you find out about Emmaus SLC?
I first heard of the Emmaus Merseyside warehouse (which is on my list of charity shops to visit), this is the first time I had heard of your federation. I was introduced to the Knights Hill furniture shop when looking up London-based charity shops on Google.
People move in and out of London very frequently which I believe contributes to a lot of furniture-based charity shops around the city.
Have you ever received feedback from people who have read your blog?
Yes, I have heard from a lot of people who are visiting London who have read my blog and learned about the best places to do charity shopping in the city. I think people like to have a more personal point of view when finding recommendations.
Have you introduced people to new charity shops?
I have received messages from people thanking me for sharing money-saving advice and their experiences visiting charity shops. I once got a message from someone who had bought a vintage piece of furniture in a London charity shop for a great price.
Emmaus SLC supports people who have struggled with homelessness. Were you familiar with our charity?
Yes, a little bit. I know that formerly homeless people work in your shops and upcycle furniture. I think this is a very unique approach.
Are you aware of the homelessness situation in London?
I recently collaborated with the Passage where I shared tips on my Instagram of how to budget money and get of debt. I know homelessness can happen to anyone which puts things into perspective. There’s a lot of damaging misinformation which contributes to a stigma which isn’t helpful for them.
How often do you visit charity shops?
Very frequently! I visit the charity shops in my local area regularly, at least once a week. Where I live there are charity shops close by so if I ever pop out, I usually go in to browse. I think to find the best stuff you need to go to charity shops as much as possible.
Are you buying second-hand items regularly?
I buy anything and everything second-hand, clothing, furniture, accessories, electronics etc. I can be a bit picky with certain items but if it’s something I need I will buy it.
What do you think are the benefits of buying second hand?
I love the unique character you can get with certain second-hand items. With clothing, I try to buy nonsynthetic materials like wool, cotton, linen, silk etc. And with furniture I prefer hardwood. These are rare to find but can be found in a lot of charity shops.
The money-saving aspect is also a huge benefit. You can save a lot of money buying second-hand.
There are other benefits. The quality of second-hand items is usually better and you’re supporting a charity. There are also environmental and ethical benefits. Sometimes I think people can be quite wary of buying second-hand but there are a lot of perks!
Have you picked up a new second-hand item recently?
Yes. I found a handstitched quilt, something I’ve wanted for a long time, but they are expensive to buy new, sometimes up to £100+. I found one in a charity shop that looked new and it was only £7! One of my favourite recent bargains.
One last question, what is one of your top tips for charity shopping?
My top tip for visiting charity shops is to make a day of it. Go with your friends and spend an afternoon visiting them. It can be a fun and affordable day out!
We would like to say a huge thank you to Laura for chatting with us. Please do have a look at her links below to see more of her work.
Instagram: @thriftylondoner