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How to | Haggle

Iona Bower July 22, 2025

Whether you’re at a local boot sale or a French brocante, there’s a fine art to talking your way into a bargain. Here are a few tricks to help

1 Be friendly

A smile and a pleasant demeanour go a long way. Aim for affable rather than smarmy though - you don’t want them praying that you’ll just leave. Try to strike up a bit of a relationship before you start haggling; a bit of chat about the weather, whether they’re at the event regularly, the quality of the coffee… You’re trying to find some common ground, something to agree about. That way, when you start bargaining it’s harder to say ‘no’ to you.

2 But play it cool

Don’t be too interested in the item you want - definitely no hugging it to your chest and saying you love it! That just tells them to drive the price up. Peruse the other wares, ask some questions about them, maybe even buy something else, and then open the discussion on the item you really want almost as an afterthought, so you have the element of surprise. 

3 Look for flaws

Have a good look at the item and see if there’s any reason why you might reasonably ask for a discount. Is it missing a piece? Not in its original box? Has a small stain? Politely point that out to the vendor and ask what their best price would be.

4 Know the market

It always helps to have some idea of what you might pay for the item elsewhere. Modern technology can help you here as you can look up similar items on eBay or see if they’re going free on sites like Freegle. If you can find it cheaper elsewhere you have a great bargaining chip. 

5 Know your upper price and start low

Have in mind what the maxium is you’re willing to pay and then start low enough to leave room for some haggling. So if you’re willing to pay £10 start at £5. They might offer it to you for £15. You laugh heartily and say you’ll go as far as £7. Hopefully they then bite your hand off or offer it to you for £10 and you pretend they’re absolutely taking you to the cleaner’s, taking food from your children’s mouths etc etc… but then accept graciously. 

6 Buy in bulk

Most sellers, particularly at car boots, just really want to get rid of their stuff. They might have had a clear out at home and want more space or they might be small business owners who simply want to make room in their storage facility for new stock. Either way, if you’re offering to take more than one thing off their hands, that sweetens the deal for them. Here’s the sneaky trick though… Link the sale of the thing you want less to the thing you REALLY want. So you want their lovely (but expensive) cake plates and you quite like the huge fruit bowl and set of napkins, too. Tell them you like the cake plates but can’t really afford them at that price. Would they consider 50% off if you’re also buying the fruit bowl and napkins? Then they feel that they’re about to lose three sales rather than one if they say no. 

7 Walk away (but leave ‘the door’ open)

This is a master negotiator trick. Claim you aren’t really sure. You might need to consult your partner or call your daughter and check if she actually wants the said item… Then say you might pop back when you’ve done that and go for a little walk. You need nerves of steel for this and to accept it’s possible someone else will snap it up while you’re gone, but it’s a great way to put the seller on the back foot. They think they’ve probably lost the sale and when you saunter back they might be more likely to take an offer.

So here’s the clever bit… You return and tell them you’ve spoken to your daughter/partner/financial adviser and you have permission to spend up to x amount on the item. You might have to hardball it if they say ‘no’ and claim you just don’t have the authority to pay more but often at this point they’ll say ‘Oh go on then’. 

8 Time it well

Turning up early definitely means you’ll see the best stuff, but it’s the latecomers that will get the real bargains. So sweep the event for the things you definitely don’t want to miss out on early, then go off for a leisurely lunch etc and pop back half an hour before it ends. At that point, the vendors will be thinking with dread about having to pack everything back up again and are much more likely to want to strike a deal with someone willing to take things off their hands. 

Once you’ve become adept at haggling for a bargain at boot sales, fetes, jumble sales and more, don’t forget that there are no rules about where you can haggle; you don’t have to be standing in a Souk. Try it in shops and department stores - just ask a supervisor if there’s any flexibility on price or if there might be a sale coming up. Online sales are particularly ripe for discounts - use the ‘chat’ feature or phone their sales line and say you want to shop around or that you’ve been offered a better deal elsewhere and they’ll often come up with an offer. 

Love hunting for a bargain? You can read more about the joys of car boot sales in our feature Fill Your Boots in our July issue, an extract from Raucous Invention: The Joy of Making by Mark Hearld. Published by Thames & Hudson. Photography: Mark Hearld

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our July issue…

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Learn | A Sea Shanty

Iona Bower July 19, 2025

Next time you hear a group of salty sea dogs burst into song, you’ll be able to join in!

In our July issue, we met the all-female shanty singers, Femmes de la Mer (pictured above) and we’ve been humming shanties ever since. Just so we’re all prepared the next time there’s a coastal singalong, we thought we’d learn a sea shanty ourselves, and you’re welcome to join us.

Blow The Man Down is a traditional shanty dating to the 1860s. It’s thought to be about an accident at sea during which the lives of the sailors were put in jeopardy by sudden gales. You can listen to the song here, and then sing along with the lyrics below. Anyone with an accordion is most welcome, too!

Blow The Man Down

Come, all you young fellows who follow the sea (to me!)
(Wey hey, blow the man down)
And pray pay attention and listen to me
(Gimme some time to blow the man down)

I'm a deep water sailor just in from Hong Kong (to me!)
(Wey hey, blow the man down)
If you buy me a drink, then I'll sing you a song (yeah)
(Gimme some time to blow the man down)

Blow the man down, bullies, blow the man down
Wey hey, blow the man down
Blow him right back into Liverpool town
Gimme some time to blow the man down

There's tinkers and tailors and soldiers and all (to me!)
(Wey hey, blow the man down)
They all ship for sailors on board the Black Ball
(Gimme some time to blow the man down)

You'll see those poor devils, how they will all scoot
(Wey hey, blow the man down)
Assisted along by the toe of a boot
(Gimme some time to blow the man down)

Blow the man down, bullies, blow the man down
Wey hey, blow the man down
Blow him right back into Liverpool town
Gimme some time to blow the man down

It's starboard and larboard on deck they will sprawl (to me!)
(Wey hey, blow the man down)
For kickin' Jack Williams commands the Black Ball
(Gimme some time to blow the man down)

Lay aft now, ya lubbers, lay aft now, I say (to me!)
(Wey hey, blow the man down)
I'll none of yer dodges on my ship today (whoo)
(Gimme some time to blow the man down)

Blow the man down, bullies, blow the man down
Wey hey, blow the man down
Blow him right back into Liverpool town
Gimme some time to blow the man down

So I'll give you fair warning before we belay (to me!)
(Wey hey, blow the man down)
Don't ever take heed of what chantymen say (no)
(Gimme some time to blow the man down)

Blow the man down, bullies, blow the man down
Wey hey, blow the man down
Blow him right back into Liverpool town
Gimme some time to blow the man down

Learn more about singing shanties with Femmes de la Mer in our July issue, which is on sale now. Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

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The Joy Of | Window Watching

Iona Bower July 17, 2025

People watching is always a pleasure, but it’s particularly enjoyable done from the comfort of your own home, through your very own window

There’s a pleasant comfort in seeing the neighbours unpacking shopping, fetching in a parcel or weeding the front garden from your window-watching position. Nosy it may be (we’ll happily own that) but it also makes you feel part of a community. There goes Susan on her bike off to work. One gust and that packed lunch in her pannier will be gone… Isn’t that a new postie? Hope she sticks around until Christmas - she looks a sensible sort. What are those workmen digging up NOW? Surely there can’t be a square inch of tarmac they’ve not messed with this year… 

And it’s not just people that are worth taking a seat at the window for. As well as seeing folk you recognise (and, much more interestingly, folk you don’t) a seat at the window might give you a glimpse of wildlife - whether a neighbourhood fox, inquisitive squirrel or flock of birds making their way back to warmer climes. A window onto wildlife is like a TV nature documentary that never stops. 

Perhaps you’re a weather watcher, monitoring the approach of enough blue sky for a pair of sailor’s trousers. Or commenting that it’s ‘black over Bill’s mother’s’. Or maybe you simply like to cloud watch, seeing dragons and castles come and go. 

Window watching is a way of marking the day. The keen joggers, off before breakfast, the school run parents hustling children and cardboard models of Stonehenge down the pavement, the older residents keen to get to the supermarket before the queues, the delivery van drivers, to-ing and fro-ing all day, the toddlers scooting back from playgroup, the dog-walkers off to the park, the evening commuters eager to get home again… All of life is out there, framed by your window, hour by hour. 

As well as making you feel part of a community, a window view takes you out of your small world and into the world of others, literally broadening your horizons. 

And if your view doesn’t offer quite enough for you, the magic of technology means you can always visit someone else’s. You could lose hours on WindowSwap (https://www.window-swap.com/Window), clicking ‘open a window somewhere in the world’ and looking through a window in Cambodia, St Petersburg, Montreal, Melbourne… And you can share your own window view there, too. We warn you - it’s dreadfully addictive for window-watchers.

Why not pull back the curtain right now, see what your view is, and make another link with the world?

In our July ‘Fruit’ issue, our ‘My Place’ pages are all about rooms with a view, and we’ve picked out some beautiful windows for you to gaze out of, including the sea view above by Zia Mattocks. The issue is in shops now.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

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Illustration by Kavel Rafferty

Make | Citrus Slice Garden Coasters

David Parker July 12, 2025

These bright and zesty coasters will brighten your summer garden table and can be made in a couple of hours

You’ll need: Cotton cord of 5 or 6mm thick (you can use cotton washing line or macramé cord). You’ll want about a metre for each coaster; hot glue gun, scissors; sticky-backed cork (from craft shops); fabric paint in yellow, orange and green.

To make:

1 Cut about a metre of your cord, cutting both ends on an angle so they sit neatly.

2 Apply hot glue to the cord and begin coiling it, adding more glue and sticking as you go. Keep going until you have a coil the size you want – about 10–15cm diameter.

3 Once dry, paint the outer coil or two in yellow for your lemon slice. Paint six triangles with spaces between each forming a circle (like pizza slices). Repeat with the green and orange for the orange and lime coasters.

4 When dry, remove the backing from your cork pieces and stick to the underside of each coaster then trim the cork edges.

5 Take your coasters into the garden with a jug of lemonade and invite friends over to admire the fruits of your labour.

This mini project is from our July ‘almanac’ pages which feature seasonal things to note and notice, plan and do each month.

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Recipe | Homemade Lemonade

David Parker July 5, 2025

A refreshing glass of lemonade on a warm day is surely as summery as summer gets

Serves 6

200g granulated sugar

A bunch of fresh basil leaves

8 lemons

Ice

1 Start by making the syrup. Gently heat the sugar, 4 basil leaves and 240ml of water in a small pan over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.

2 Halve and juice six of the lemons and add to 1 ltr water in a large jug or glass bottle. Add the sugar syrup and mix thoroughly.

3 When ready to serve, fill your glasses with a few ice cubes and pour over the lemonade. Slice the remaining two lemons and garnish each glass with a lemon slice or two and a sprig of basil.

Cook’s note: If you find the lemonade too tart, you can sweeten it with a spoonful of honey.

This recipe is taken from our July ‘gathering’ feature, which this month is a cricket tea to enjoy while watching the match. It also includes recipes for Cucumber Skewer Sandwiches, Veggie Picnic Pie, Raspberry & Lemon Cake and lots more for the picnic blanket. The recipes are by Kay Prestney and photography by Rebecca Lewis.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

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Why we love | Going to bed early in summer

David Parker July 3, 2025

Illustration by Guiomar Bohigas

Summer feels like a time for staying up late, but just occasionally it’s worth remembering the joys of going to bed while the sun is still up

  1. It makes you feel briefly like a child again. Remember going to bed when it was light outside, sun still streaming in through the curtains (and you were sure you could still hear your friends playing outside?) You can recapture childhood summers by turning in early, watching the light fade through the curtains and listening to people walking by, the neighbours watering their tomatoes and summer life going on all around you, while you’re in the safety and comfort of your bed. 

  2. You can read by daylight. Going to bed with a book is always cosy in winter but being able to read your bedtime story in the sunshine is really special. You don’t have to stick to reading though; if you’re in bed nice and early you might like to listen to a podcast or ebook, or even take your phone to bed and have a catch-up with a friend before settling down for the night. 

  3. Instead of cosying up, think of it as ‘cooling down’. Have a tepid shower or bath, take a cold drink with plenty of ice up with you and enjoy cool, cotton sheets at the end of a warm day. 

  4. The birds can sing you to sleep. As you’re settling down for the night you’ll get to hear the birds chattering to each other as they roost, too. Download an app like Merlin and you might be able to identify which sorts of birds you have in your garden at dusk.

  5. Early to bed means early to rise! If you’re asleep by 9pm you’ll be able to spring (well, saunter, perhaps) out of bed by 5am and get a head start on the day. Summer breakfasts are always best enjoyed alone in the garden before anyone else has got up. 

In our July issue, Rebecca Frank looks at how to improve your quality and quantity of sleep in summer time. The issue is in shops now or you can order it from our online store direct to your doorstep.

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Photo by Rebecca Lewis

Primer | Cricketing Terms

David Parker June 29, 2025

Anyone for cricket? Learn a little of the lingo so you can keep up with events on the pitch as you enjoy a cricket tea from the safety of the picnic blanket

Badger - a very enthusiastic cricketer

Baggy green - the dark green cap worn by the Australian cricket team since the early 1900s

Cafeteria bowling (aka buffet bowling) - bowling so pathetic it allows the batters to simply 'help themselves' to wickets

Castled (see also 'Yorker', below) - If you are 'skittled out' you are dismissed as batsman pretty quickly. If you are 'castled out' you are dismissed as the result of a Yorker. 

Chin Music - a bowling technique where the ball is designed to bounce and target the batsman's chin or throat

Cow corner - the part of the field between deep mid wicket and wide long on. Fielders are rarely placed there so the idea is cows could happily graze on it during the match.

Dibbly Dobbly - a bowl that is neither fast nor slow and with no special technique

DLS (Duckworth Lewis Stern) method - If rain stops play this mathematical formula determines the winner or whether the match can be played but shortened. The sum is based on analysis of past matches. 

Dolly - an incredibly easy catch that the fielder barely has to move to make.

Duck  and Golden Duck - A Duck is when the batsman is dismissed without scoring. A Golden Duck is when they are dismissed on the first ball. 

Pie chucker - a rather poor bowler whose delivery gives the ball a look of a 'pie' in the air

Yorker - A difficult ball to bat in which the ball hits the pitch close to the batter’s feet. May originate from Yorkshire or come from the (somewhat unfair, we think) 18th century term 'to pull a Yorkshire' meaning 'to deceive'. 

If all that has just got you fancying a Pimms and a cucumber sandwich, you might enjoy our ‘gathering’ feature ‘All Out For Tea’ in our June issue. It’s a menu for a cricket tea including Veggie Picnic Pie, Cucumber Skewer Sandwiches, Homemade Lemonade and much more.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

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Recipe | Veggie Picnic Pie

David Parker June 28, 2025

Everybody loves a slice of pie, and this shortcrust pastry packed full of veggies is certain to
be a winner at any picnic

Serves 8

6 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced 

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced

250g spinach, washed 

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 

1 large butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 1-2cm cubes 

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut
into cubes 

2 courgettes, ends cut off and roughly chopped

1 large aubergine, ends cut off and roughly chopped 

1 red pepper, stalk removed, deseeded and roughly chopped

2 x 320g packs of shortcrust pastry

100g parmesan cheese 

1 lemon, zested 

125g soft goat’s cheese

1 egg

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan and gently fry the onion and garlic for about 10 mins, or until it starts to turn translucent. In the final minute, add the spinach and stir until it wilts. 

2 Add the chopped sage and apple cider vinegar and stir through. 

3 Place the squash and sweet potato in a large roasting tin with 2 tbsp of the olive oil, season and roast
for 45 mins, or until soft. 

4 Place the courgettes, aubergine and pepper in a large roasting tin. Season and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Roast for 35 mins, taking out halfway through to stir the veg, which ensures even cooking and stops them from sticking together. 

5 Combine the two pastry packs into one big ball and divide into one large piece (two-thirds) and one smaller piece (one-third). On a lightly-floured surface, roll out the larger piece into a circle a few millimetres thick, then place into a greased 23cm cake tin, letting it hang slightly over the sides.

6 Fill the base with the cooked onion, garlic and spinach. 

7 Grate half the parmesan on top and add half the lemon zest, then season. 

8 Crumble half the goat’s cheese over the filling, then add the roast peppers, aubergines and courgette, followed by the roasted sweet potato and squash. Grate the remaining parmesan and add the rest of the
zest before seasoning once again. Break up the remaining goat’s cheese over the top. 

9 Crack the egg into a small bowl, whisk it with a fork and use a pastry brush to spread the egg around the rim of the pastry. Roll the smaller pastry piece into a circle and place on top of the pie, pinching the edges together to seal the top and sides. Use your fingers to create a scalloped pattern around the rim. Brush the top with the rest of the beaten egg and make a small 2cm incision in the middle of the pastry top to allow the steam to escape during baking. 

10 Bake the pie for 40-45 mins, or until the pastry crust turns golden. Remove the pie from the oven
and place on a cooling rack. It can be served warm or cold.

This recipe is from our feature ‘All Out For Tea’ from our June issue, which features recipes and ideas for an afternoon of picnicking while watching cricket. As well as this delicious picnic pie you’ll find recipes for Homemade Lemonade, Cucumber Skewer Sandwiches, Sweet Potato & Feta Rolls, Ploughman’s Sandwiches and a Lemon & Raspberry Cake. The recipes are by Kay Prestney and the Photography by Rebecca Lewis.

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How to | Embrace a Heatwave

David Parker June 24, 2025

Image by Getty

For some of us the now almost annual week’s heatwave is the best week of the year. But for those of us who ‘don’t do well in the heat’ it might not feel like cause for celebration. But rather than simply trying to ‘beat the heat’ we’ve found a few ways to embrace it and learn to love a heatwave.

Fake a week in the tropics

If it’s going to feel like the Bahamas you might as well enjoy the benefits of a beach holiday. Set up a paddling pool or plunge pool in the garden, pop some wave sounds on your iPod, grab a trashy novel and pour inadvisable cocktails - if you pop your Martini on a stool beside the pool you can squint a bit and imagine a swim-up bar situation. Bonus points if you happen to have a palm tree in your garden. 

Shift your day earlier

Rise early and you can get your day’s activities done before the mercury goes mad. Get up with the sun, have a cool shower and find yourself at the lido or out in the park with the dog before the day is even begun. Then have a cool walk or do a few lengths and you can be leaving (smugly) well before the middle-of-the-day fools arrive. Pollen count is lower earlier in the day, too, it’s a good time of day for hay fever sufferers to get their stuff done. 

Or shift it later

Invite friends over after dark for supper in the garden, or to a park picnic. By 8pm it’s usually starting to cool down and you may even get a little breeze over your alfresco dinner. Or move your beach barbecue from lunchtime to sundown. Because sunny days are all very well but, as Sandy and Danny said in Grease, “Oh… Those summer nights!” 

Siesta

The southern Europeans know how to deal with a hot day and that’s a nice nap in the middle of things just when your brain is beginning to give up. Podcast or audio book on. Curtains closed. Starfish on the bed in very little clothing. A nap is good for your brain health and wellbeing and, after forty winks, you’ll feel ready to take on the rest of the day, but we also think the fine art of napping is one to enjoy simply for its own pleasures.

Experience summer indoors

On high summer days, it’s often cooler indoors than out, but staying inside also gives you the chance to do things you might not usually do at this time of year… Box sets, books you put down back in February, low-energy DIY projects are all ways to throw yourself into doing very little, in the way you usually do in the ‘slow’ months of winter. We tend to race around in summer, seeing people, doing things, going out. View a heatwave day as something like the opposite of a snow day and embrace the time just doing very little at home. Book a day off work and find some books, films and box sets to get stuck into. 

Do ‘cool’ cooking

Another good indoor heatwave activity is cooking that requires no oven. We’re thinking something a bit more challenging than salads here; this is about taking time to enjoy the activity rather than just flinging cold ingredients onto a plate because you can’t be bothered to cook. Chilled soups are pleasingly delicious. Try cucumber or tomato. If you’re feeling fancy, The Simple Things’ blog has a recipe for an excellent Cherry Gazpacho with Tarragon Oil that requires no cooking at all. Or you might like to make no-bake or fridge cakes so you can get your baking fix without putting the oven on. There’s a recipe for a no-bake Cheesecake that we recommend on our blog as well as a good Chocolate Fridge Cake . Swap your usual cuppa for an iced tea or coffee and sit down with a slab of fridge cake and a good book.

Soak in a cool bath 

Baths don’t have to be a steamy affair. Run a lukewarm bath and escape for an hour with a cool drink and the radio. If you’re doing your bit for a summer water shortage, you can easily make a ritual out of a ‘mini bath’ too. Soak your feet in a bowl of water with a few drops of essential oils added, or take ten minutes in the bathroom to run your wrists under the cold tap and gently splash cool water on your face and neck to feel instantly refreshed and create a ‘wellbeing break’ in a hot day. 

Head somewhere naturally cool

Eschew the beach and other sunny spots for places with plenty of shade. Churches, galleries and museums are often either naturally cool or air-conditioned. And the best bit is they’re usually quiet on hot, sunny days, too. 

Break all the rules

Record-breaking temperature days are like Christmas week - a time for throwing the norms out the window. Embrace it with ice-creams whenever you fancy, move meal times to whenever works for you and if lunch looks like a tomato salad and a slushie at 3pm that’s absolutely fine. If anyone questions your choices, look confused and say ‘Goodness, it’s this HEAT! I just can’t THINK!’ and refill your slushie.

If what you need to embrace a heatwave is a nice cool breeze wafting towards you (like the lady pictured above), you might enjoy reading our ‘looking back’ feature on fans, which we’ve called ‘A of a Flutter’, in our July issue, in shops now. You can even learn how to send coded messages with a quick flick of your fan.

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  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well
Feb 27, 2025
Feb 27, 2025

Buy, download or subscribe

See the sample of our latest issue here

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Feb 27, 2025
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The Simple Things is published by Iceberg Press

The Simple Things

Taking time to live well

We celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.

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