The £10 Christmas – 8 years on

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The £10 Christmas is back again, and I can’t believe it’s 8 years since we started it. I have not mentioned it on the blog for the past few years, but with the festive season about to begin, I thought I would let newer readers know what it is.

The £10 Christmas

What is the £10 Christmas

The £10 Christmas is the budget that the husband and I set every Christmas for each other. We started it 8 years ago, when we decided we would rather put our money towards Christmas days out, and festive breaks away with the kids. Now that the children are teenagers, and festive days out are getting few and far between, we are still sticking with our £10 Christmas.… Continue reading

Luxury and Affordable Christmas Gifts for Adults

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There is no getting away from the fact that Christmas is well and truly on the horizon, and whilst you won’t find me putting my tree up before the middle of December, one thing that I like to be is organised. The kids have presented me with their lists, one via whatsapp, and one via the good old traditional method of pen and paper, and the buying for the kids has commenced.

Unique Christmas Gift Guide

But friends and family don’t tend to come with a list, so I may have to get my thinking cap on. Over the past few weeks, I have been sent a variety of products that are unique yet affordable.… Continue reading

Sticking to your budget this Christmas

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Sticking to your budget this Christmas

Sticking to your budget this Christmas

If you’re dreading January already, the credit card bills, the scrimping and saving for Christmas, then now is the time to do something about it. You don’t have to accept Christmas debt, you can take steps to create and stick to a sensible budget for this coming festive period.

Work out how much you are going to spend

Think about everything you’ll have at your disposal. This includes the points balances on loyalty cards, unused vouchers, and stamp schemes if you’ve been using any. And of course your salary. When you’ve totted everything up, then you can work out how much to allocate to everybody, and don’t forget travel, food and drink expenses.… Continue reading

The Very Christmas Party and a Tween Wishlist

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A few weeks ago Katie and I were invited along to Very for a VERY special Christmas event. It was a chance to get in the festive spirit, and see some of the items that would be available online this Christmas.

Very Christmas Party

Whilst I do shop at Very from time to time, I really wasn’t aware of the huge variety of brands that they stock. Even selling one of my favourites, Cath Kidston.

very 13

Katie loves looking at clothes, and she was happy browsing both the children’s and adult clothing section. She picked out this unicorn top and fluffy blue jacket, and I only wish they did this in my size too.… Continue reading

Travel Inspired Gifts from Uncommon Goods

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With Christmas on the horizon you might be one of those organised people who have bought, wrapped and are sat at home feeling smug. Or like me you could be scratching your head wondering what to buy friends and family. If you have anyone who is travel obsessed, I have picked out 6 travel inspired gifts from Uncommon Goods to help you this festive season.

Travel Gifts from Uncommon Goods

One

These cork globes are not only practical but stylish too. Perfect for tracking your adventures using the five pins included, though of course you can always buy more if you love holidays as much as we do.… Continue reading

Advent Calendars for Tweens, Teens and Adults

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There is no getting away from the fact that advent calendars seem to be a huge part in the run up to Christmas, and it seems nowadays you can open those 24 (or if you are lucky 25) doors and find pretty much anything behind it. I have selected 5 calendars that are available this year suitable for tweens, teens and adults.

Advent Calendars for tweens teens and adults

Mad Beauty

This has got my 11 year old daughter’s name written all over it. The Mad Beauty calendar is filled with 24 items of make up which includes eye shadow, lipsticks and nail polish. The full contents are listed on the back of the calendar, so no peaking if you want it to be a surprise.… Continue reading

Christmas Gift Ideas for Men – Star Wars, Tech, Wine

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I like to be pretty organised for Christmas, and tend to start my shopping once the kids go back after October half term. I usually have a pretty good idea of what to get the kids, and to be honest they do present me with a rather large list. But when it comes to buying presents for the males in our family, I find myself getting a little stuck. Do you stick to the traditional pack of socks, the Lynx gift set, or a set of beers from around the world.

Christmas gift ideas for Men

This Christmas I am going to take a little inspiration from some of the gifts my husband received for his recent birthday.… Continue reading

Smiggle Advent Calendar 2017 – Review and Contents

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*Please click here for the review and contents for the Smiggle Advent Calendar for 2018*

*This post does contain pictures of the full contents of the Smiggle 2017 calendar* 

*I am also giving away a Smiggle advent calendar here*

Tis the season to start thinking about advent calendars, and my 11 year old daughter has already started her campaign to find the best one. Being a stationery addict she is of course drawn to the advent calendar from Smiggle. The calendar promises 25 days of stationery surprises, as well as offering a great competition to win a whopping £500 Smiggle shopping spree.… Continue reading

10 Top tips for visiting Winter Wonderland in Manchester

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Last night we were invited to the Press Evening of Winter Wonderland Manchester. As it was our 4th visit I have shared with you our 10 top tips for visiting Winter Wonderland this year. You can also read my review of last years event here.

If you have older kids make your way towards the back of Winter Wonderland. Here you will find the bigger rides for older children (and 45 year old husbands).

Winter Wonderland Manchester

Wear layers as I find it gets quite warm inside Event City. If you have coats there is a cloakroom at the entrance to Winter Wonderland.… Continue reading

Winter Wonderland Manchester opens 10th December 2016

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The summer holidays are fast becoming a distant memory, and now that we are in Autumn it means it is perfectly acceptable to start mentioning Christmas. I *may* have even started to buy a few presents. But Christmas is not just about giving and receiving  presents, stuffing ourselves full of chocolate and drinking sherry. It’s a chance to get together with family and friends, and enjoy the many Christmas attractions that happen each year.

Winter Wonderland Manchester

For the past 2 years we have visited Winter Wonderland in Manchester, which is the biggest indoor Christmas attraction located at Event City (next to the Trafford Centre).… Continue reading