Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Friday, 28 November 2014
Christmas Gifting Dilemmas
The children have written their letters to Santa. Mister A has a list as long as the Bayeux Tapestry - Lego Minecraft, XBox games and the likes. Little E has a list of toys from across 4 consecutive pages of the Argos catalogue - she got bored so Mister A just made a complete list of everything across the Frozen and Doc McStuffin pages for her. I'm sure they'll get lots of goodies from Santa - where we'll store them is a worry though! The house is already brimming with millions of toys that 'we still use' 'you cant throw those away!' - there's a never ending sea of unloved toys. Even so I've just doubled up my Clubcard vouchers to £80 and bought a load of new toys top add to the collection.
The biggest issue for me is the hubster. It was his 40th birthday in October so I took him on a surprise trip to Monza to see the F1.
It was amazing but I feel like Christmas will be a total let down for him now. Last year I got him one of those coffee makers from Tesco Direct - you know the ones with the pods. I think he managed two cups of coffee before I broke a piece off it by accident and it's never worked since. I was thinking about a watch but it's a bit 'meh' that isn't it - I mean I cant afford an expensive designer watch and I'm sure he wont want to wear an 80s style Casio digital. So what do I get him? More clothes? The cupboards are full! An over priced experience day? Grrrr I just don't know!!
Then there's my mum and dad - they have everything already! So I'll end up buying my Dad some CDs and my mum a new make up bag full of here favourite bits.... BORING!! There's nothing original out there these days - I'm well and truly stuck!!
I'm not sure I'm creative enough to go home-made but I'm lost for inspiration! Can anyone help?! Link to any helpful posts in the comments!
Wednesday, 11 September 2013
How to Make a Bit of Extra Cash for Christmas
It's only 15 weeks until Christmas and already I'm in a panic about where we are going to find the extra cash for the festive season. There's the presents, the food, extra petrol for visiting all the relatives, not to mention the trip to grotto and the obligatory works night out! Money is tighter than ever so I wanted to share some great ways of making a bit of extra cash for Christmas...
Claim Cashback on Your Purchases
Let's face it, we're all spending, but some of us area little bit savvy when we do. I am a huge fan of Quidco. I joined at the start of the year and already I've earned £150. Every time I shop online I head to their website first to get an idea of the best deals then, provided I head to the stores website via their site, I earn cashback! It's particularly good when you're buying any type of insurance product or a deal with a tie-in like a mobile phone contract or a broadband deal but the pennies soon stack up on all the little purchases too. I'll be doing all of my Christmas shopping using the app so come January I'll have some extra money to look forward to.
Complete 'Paid For' Surveys
The internet offers huge amount of balance-boosting opps. I joined Yougov.com and Toluna.com many years ago - they reward you for your feedback and reviews either by cash or store vouchers. Once you’ve registered on the website, you get sent surveys that match your personal profile. Generally you can earn between 10p and £2 per survey dependent on the time it takes to fill out - it's a gradual earner but it feels like free money to me.
Become a Researcher
You may not have heard of Any Question Answered (63336.com), but they are often on the lookout for internet researchers. It all works when a customer asks a question via text from their mobile phone - it’s the researcher’s job to hunt out the answer and reply online. It's a fab way to earn some extra dough - you can choose your own hours and the questions you answer, and can earn around 30p for every question you answer correctly. Check out their vacancies page for more information.
Review Unsigned Bands
If you love music then check out slicethepie.com - it's a music website that pays 'scouts' to review unsigned bands. It's so easy: just sign up, listen to a track, rate it and write an honest review based on lyrics, harmony, vocals, melody, arrangement, instrumentals etc (you only hear it once so you have to review it then and there). To start with you get $0.15 per review (around 9p), but the more reviews you make the more you get paid – experienced scouts can earn 25p per song. It's well worth a look for any music lover needing some extra pennies.
Clear Out Your Clutter
Chances are you house is full of hundreds of things you don't need any more, whether its cds, toys, clothes baby gear now that your kids have grown up, we all have bits that are surplus to requirements. This is the ideal time to take a step in to the world of car-booting. Take a weekend out of your busy schedule and dedicate you time to pulling everything together ready for one early Sunday morning of selling. It's a fab way of earning some extra money for very little effort. However if getting up at the crack of dawn isn't your thing then try music magpie - they'll buy all of your old computer games and DVDs and they'll even give you cash for clothes!
So there you have it - 5 ways to make some mular with very little effort required. What are you waiting for - go now - go and spread your little extra earning wings!
So there you have it - 5 ways to make some mular with very little effort required. What are you waiting for - go now - go and spread your little extra earning wings!
Monday, 19 November 2012
Why the John Lewis ad isn't romantic in the slightest...
We've had some top class ads for them over the past couple of years which has left us all anticipating the next. My ultimate favourite being the More Than A Woman ad from 2010. I was heavily pregnant with Little E when it graced our screens and I literally shed a tear EVERY time I saw it - genius on there part I'm sure you'll agree. So yes... I love the ads... yes... I know the quality is great but in all honesty the ads are just a nice thing on my TV - I couldn't shop there regularly - I just don't have John Lewis money.
Anyway.... I digress...
The reason I'm writing this post is that I keep hearing how beautiful the latest ad is. "It's so romantic..." yadda yadda yadda.
Well it's not.
You see I'm of the opinion that that "romantic" snowman is just a typical idiot bloke. Yep - next time you watch it I'm sure you'll see that I'm right. You see I've watched it a couple of times now and what I've now realised is this.
The snowman waits til the sun goes down...
she's non the wiser about his liaison with 'another bird' (he's totally checking out the robin's red breast) #justsayin
He heads off to the city (probably to meet the lads) all happy and smiley having the time of his life without a thought for Mrs Snowman...
then he does the walk of shame home and rocks up the next morning (probably hungover) with a crappy gift. That's not romantic!!!
Romantic would have been him just handing over the scarf he was wearing and not using the shopping trip as a cover up for drunken night out!!
There... I said it.
Now you can all gasp and throw things at me. That is all.
Tuesday, 22 November 2011
Cheap Christmas Maternity Dresses - all under £40!
This ASOS Maternity V Neck Pleated Waist Knitted Dress is available in 3 colours (also in Black & Stone) but this fab blue version is only £17.50 and certainly won't break the bank. With it's flattering neckline and 3/4 sleeves this will suit any shape and have you standing out in the crowd this Christmas.
If you've got a great set of pins and fancy getting them out for your party then why not try this ASOS Maternity Jersey Wrap Bust Dress - it's only £15.00!
If bright colours aren't really your thing but you still want to follow the fashion then lace is huge this season. This Dorothy Perkins Black Lace Tunic would be perfect with black tights and it's a bargain at £17.00. If you fancy a splash of colour you could team it with silver or even red accessories.
This amazing electric blue Picchu Butterfly Sleeve Dress as worn by Jenny Falconer is now only £29.00 - that's a massive £66 saving!
If you fancy going for a Christmassy red then have a look at this Mothercare Short Sleeved Ruched Jersey Dress - it'd look fab with black tights and accessories and it's in the sale for £28.00.
Or maybe you fancy this ASOS One Shoulder Dress with Corsage for only £20.00 and it's also available in Black for the same price!
If you love a bit of embellishment then maybe the George Embellished Dress is for you. It's available in 3 colours (also in Berry and Black) but I think this Plum version is perfect for dressing up with gold accessories and it's only £16.00.
Mamas and Papas have a nice selection - my hot pick is this Silk Mix Dress in chocolate brown. It's half price at £25.00 and would look fab with matching shoes and gold accessories.
Block colours are in this season so take a peek at this Red Herring Brown and Black Block Maternity Dress from Debenhams. It's stretch jersey material will keep you warm and comfortable but firmly at the top of the style stakes and this one is priced at £32.00.
Finally, I love spots this season so this Little Black Maternity Dress from JoJo Maman Bebe is one of my favourites. It's £39.00 and can be dressed up or down for any occasion.
So that's my top 10 dresses under £40 for Christmas 2011! If you see something you like, let me know. If you need anything specific then give me a shout on Twitter or Facebook - I'm always happy to help you find a bargain!
Sunday, 20 November 2011
WIN a Luxury Hotel Chocolat 'Truffles To Share' Advent Calendar
Last week I was sent this A-mazing Hotel Chocolat Truffles to Share Advent Calendar to review. I know - I have the worst job don't I?! Obviously the arrival of said advent calendar left me in a bit of a quandary, you see I've always been told from a very early age that you must NEVER open door number '1' until the 1st December. But this is a review - what's a girl to do? Obviously I waited patiently for a good few hours but December never came. This meant that I had to crack the calendar open 2 weeks early - poor me : (
With two luscious truffles behind each window, there’ll be no bickering, just harmonious sharing and a blissful run up to Christmas.
Hmmmm... a blissful run up to Christmas? I'm not quite sure we'll manage that even with this lovely calendar! Anyway, so as they said, each calendar door has 2 truffles behind it. This is perfect for our house as Chris and I always 'share' an advent calendar and he usually gets slightly peeved when I eat 99% of the chocolates. Truffles to Share means that we both get a truffle each this Christmas... ok well it doesn't because I have ate 'my' truffle from the first 6 windows - just to taste all the different flavours!
The 6 flavours are:
Gingerbread Truffle - yum!
Salted Soft Caramel - my favourite of them all!
Mulled Wine - *hic*
Cinnamon Praline - not to my taste *runs off to swap all the cinnamon ones with Chris delicious caramel ones*
Milk Praline - delicious!
Simple Dark Truffle - scrumptious!
It really is THE greatest advent calendar I have ever had the pleasure to gorge on *wipes chocolate from mouth* and guess what - now it's time for you to get your hands on one too!
*WIN*
All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is tell me what you do when you get to door 24, Yes, I want to know how you spend your Christmas Eve - just because I'm nosey like that! So leave a comment below telling me how you'll be spending your Chrimble Eve this year and I'll select one random entrant to win this fabulous prize!!
Bonus Entries:
Bonus Entry 1
Head over to the Second Time Mummy Facebook page - make sure you 'like' the page and then leave me a comment saying:
I want to win a Luxury Advent Calendar with Second Time Mummy - you've got to be in it to win it! http://bit.ly/tBCcpJ
Bonus Entry2
Head over to Twitter and share the competition by tweeting:
I've entered @second_time_mum's @HotelChocolat Comp to win a Luxury Truffles to Share Advent Calendar - you should too! http://bit.ly/tBCcpJ
or share using the Twitter button below.
or share using the Twitter button below.
Bonus Entry 3
+1 this post by clicking the button below : )
Make sure you leave a comment to confirm each bonus entry!
Good Luck!!
Buy one now: Hotel Chocolat Truffles to Share Advent Calender
Product Dietary Information:
Vegetarian - This product is suitable for
vegetarians.
Nuts - This product contains nut ingredients.
Gluten-Free Recipe - This product does not use
any gluten in the recipe, however, it may contain traces of gluten**.
Egg - This product contains egg as an
ingredient.
Milk - This product contains milk as an
ingredient.
Alcohol - Alcohol is present in this product
Soya Allergy
All our chocolates may contain traces of soya lecithin. This is an important natural emulsifier in chocolate, that keeps it smooth and prevents the ingredients from separating.
* Peanut and Nut Allergy
We cannot say our products are nut free (sorry), as all are made in an environment where nuts are present. We have added a dietary symbol to products with nuts in the recipe.
** Other Allergies (including Gluten and Lactose intolerances)
Cereals containing gluten, milk products, fruit containing sulphur dioxide and sesame are all handled within our factory. Further information is available detailing when these are used as an ingredient in a product, unfortunately, we cannot guarantee all products are free from traces of these allergens.
Prizedraw closes at midnight on Friday 25th November 2011. Winner will be selected at random. Find more prizes at ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions. Loquax Competitions
Monday, 20 December 2010
Christmas Crumble
It's less than a week until Christmas Day. My house is a mess.
The only food I've bought is a turkey crown and a tin of Quality Street. The only chocolates left in the Quality Street tin are toffee pennies and golden finger thing-a-me bobs (the one's I don't really like but I'll eat anyway come January when there's no other sweet things in the house because I'm supposed to be dieting).
The snow came, it's still here - too soft to build snowmen but too hard to crumble to allow the car off the drive (see there was a crumble in here after all!)
I'm cold and I can only find one glove.
Half the Christmas presents are lost in the post somewhere, the other half have been 'seen' by Mister A - my fault for putting them all in a big box somewhere I thought he couldn't get to!
I forgot to put the bin out so it's still full and now there's nowhere for all our Christmas 'mess' to go.
I have to cook on Christmas Day and I can't even have a glass of wine whilst I'm doing it (bloody medication).
On top of all that, I know that as soon as Christmas is done with I'll be 6 weeks off going back to work.
Monday, 13 December 2010
Tried & Tested: Great Family Gifts
Sodastream (RRP £54.99)
SodaStream, the nation’s favourite sparkling drinksmaker relaunched earlier this year and is set to be the most sought after gift this Christmas.
The new SodaStream comes in a range of stylish designs and colours and is the ultimate gift for kids and adults alike, making your own pop is festive fun for the whole family and the perfect way to add some extra sparkle to Christmas holidays and New Year parties.
What our reviewer said...
"I have always wanted a Sodastream ever since I was a kid so reviewing this was like dream come true. Embarrassingly, I always thought you had to plug a Sodastream in so I when I saw there was no plug I thought it was damaged - silly me! We had great fun making our own drinks and they tasted good too.
I was a bit concerned that all of the drinks would be full of sugar but as well as some classic old school flavours like Cream Soda and Dandelion and Burdock there are also some sugar-free varieties too. What a great family gift idea."
Salter Customisable MyScale (RRP £30.00)
A great gift for foodies looking for the latest in kitchen scales. The Aquatronic™ measurement system ensures accurate weighing of both liquids and dry ingredients. The removable top cover allows you to get creative and insert a picture or design of your own or if you can use the selection of interchangeable designs that come with the scale.
What our reviewer said...
"This will probably sound ridiculous but we actually have these scales hanging on our kitchen wall. We've put our own picture in it and now it's on the wall we always know where the scales are! (There's a website where you can go and create your own designs and print them off). This is a fab product and I'm so glad we got to review it. It has a build in clock, an easy wash top, but critically you can 'zero' the scales when you've got a bowl on it and to make things easier for me you can switch between imperial and metric measurements. As a family, we love to bake and the kids think it's hilarious that their picture is on the 'weigher'. Now they keep asking if they bake all the time! ' I think its brill and I may even buy my sister one for Christmas - sssh don't tell her!"
Disney Sing It: Family Hits
and Disney Sing It: Party Hits
Disney Sing It: Family Hits features beloved songs and videos for the whole family to sing along with from popular all-time classic Disney films including Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book as well as contemporary favourites from films like The Princess and the Frog, The Lion King, Aladdin, Cars and more.
Disney Sing It: Party Hits features songs and music videos from today's top artists including Justin Bieber, Black Eyed Peas, Jonas Brothers, Jordin Sparks, Owl City, Paramore, Selena Gomez, Ashley Tisdale, Kelly Clarkson, One Republic and many more. In addition, Demi Lovato, assists players by providing various ways to be a better performer. This will include basic exercises from breathing and pitch, to more advanced exercises such as learning how to harmonize in a duet.
Both available on Sony Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii
What our reviewer said:
"We love Sing It games in our house and these are brilliant. It's a great way to get the kids singing. It's family karaoke and because they are all well known Disney tracks everyone can join in (no excuses!) We pitted adults against the kids for a Sing It battle. I thought we had in in the bag on 'The Bear Necessities' but the kids won! We're off to a party New Years Eve and these are coming with us. The family hits are are great if you have younger children and if your kids are more Camp Rock 2 and you like a bit of the Black Eyed Peas then you might want to try the Party Hits. Either way there'll be fun all around. Fantastic!!"
Saturday, 11 December 2010
Christmas Maternity Wear from only £6.00!
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| Black Cross Over Maxi Dress £30.00 |
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| Corsage Mesh Dress £35.00 |
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| French Connection @ ASOS Sequinned Vest Dress NOW £45.50 |
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| Mama.Licious @ ASOS Franca Woven Dress NOW £22.00 |
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| Mamas and Papas Necklace Top NOW £18.00 |
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| Mamas and Papas Silk Prom Dress NOW £30.00 |
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| Mamas and Papas Rose Print Top NOW £12.00 |
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| Tie Back Dress NOW £10.00 |
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| Lace Trim Dress £21.99 |
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| George Sequinned Vest Top NOW £6.25 |
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| George Lace Maternity Dress NOW £8.00 |
Friday, 10 December 2010
Little Donkey
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