Saturday 30 November 2013

Mens under £5 gift ideas

Like many people I have just started my Christmas shopping, although I wish I was one of those that had actually bought everything already.
I mean I do enjoy browsing the shops and online stores to find the perfect gifts but I'm so worried that I'm not going to get everything I need on time or the things I want are going to be out of stock.

I have quite a few guys to buy for and I always find them the most difficult because as much as I like the smell of Linx there's only so much deodorant a man will want to unwrap on Christmas morning!

So here are a few ideas for the men in your lives

1. Tabasco chocolate tin, prezzybox.com £4.95
2. Superhero socks, Peacocks £3.00
3. One minute challenge, Wilkinsons £3.00
4. Harmonica, Mankind £4.99
5. Bath shooting game, Matalan £3.00

Thursday 28 November 2013

I want to read

Since I was a young girl there was nothing I liked better than to get lost in a good book. I can't actually remember a time in my life that I didn't have a book with a corner turned down, sitting on my bedside cabinet just waiting for the evening time when it would have a few more pages turned over.

As a teen I would travel quite far to school so I would often use my pocket money in WHSmith at London bridge station on the latest point horror book (they were my favourite at the time) and even though I would be falling asleep on the train I would still carry on reading.

As a young mum it didn't bother me that my friends were all out clubbing, drinking and having the time of their life because I had my babies and hated going out anywhere without them. When it was their bedtime I would happily put my feet up to watch tv, cross stitch, or read a good thriller (they were my favourite at the time)

In the past few years I've even taken to writing down every book I read so I can see how many I've got through in a year. I don't currently have a favourite and I tend not to judge a book by it's cover. I know some people that would start a book and say they can't get into it so they stop reading it but I feel like I have to finish what I've started! Even if I read 5 other books in between I always finish them all.

I don't know if it's because I've been reading lots of blogs and other stuff on the internet that's taken up my time but lately I seem to have lost my passion for books a little bit. I thought since I've downloaded the kindle app that I would read loads more and although I find so many books that I want to read I just don't seem to spend much time reading :(

I really need a few of those books that you start reading and just can't put down, maybe that will get the spark back! Recommendations on a postcard...

Here are the last books I've read





Sunday 24 November 2013

Under £5 gift ideas

If like me you just loooove Christmas and want to buy gifts for everyone you know (I'm more of a giver than receiver) then Christmas can become a very expensive time of year!!

I have quite a big family and although I don't buy for uncles, cousins etc I do buy for all my siblings, their partners and kids, mum, nan and then there's the man's family. Plus I have a few close friends and their children I buy for, not forgetting a few colleagues and the kids teachers..... it really does add up!

I'm sure if I actually asked everyone what they wanted or if I bought the perfect gift for them, which I would love to do, I would probably end up bankrupt! And it would also mean I would have less money to spend on my own kids.

So I like to search the shops for cheap affordable gifts that are a bit different or maybe something useful that won't end up in the back of a cupboard or given to a charity shop come January.
 
 
Here are a few items for ladies that I found online

1. Cupcake set, Tesco £5.00
2. Mini bubbles, Superdrug £3.50
3. Winnie Pooh shopping list, WHSmith £4.99
4. Set of 3 heart dishes, New look £4.99
5. Butterfly paperweight, Wilkinsons £3.00
 


 
 
Coming soon, gifts under £5 for men and kids.....

Sunday 17 November 2013

Meal plan plan

With my car out of use it's meant I've had to go into the smaller, more local supermarkets and pick up what I need nearly everyday and carry the heavy bags (I do miss having a pushchair to throw all my shopping on) home or struggle on and off the little, packed bus.

I've done online shopping with all the major supermarkets in the past and as I'd recently installed the Tesco app onto my tab I thought I would give it a try.

The first thing I noticed on the home page were the half price, bogof and offers link... I am such a sucker for these! So quickly filled my basket with all those goodies that are not actually good for you at all but oh they do taste good!!

Cupboard essentials, a months supply of toilet roll, cat food and packed lunch fillers soon added up and the basket totted up to over £100.

After having all my shopping delivered I thought about what I would cook for dinner, realising I didn't actually have much of a choice. I missed the whole frozen section during my shopping because I am waiting for my oven to be delivered so whatever I was cooking would have to be on the hob.

I hadn't actually planned very well and although I always have some sort of idea of what I'm going to feed the family I think the time has come to put it down on paper.

I'm thinking a meal plan will make me more organised meaning I don't have to run around after work wondering what to buy for dinner, it should be better financially because less trips to the shops means less picking up those offers on crisps and chocolate that I just have to have, and hopefully I will be trying out some new recipes that I always intend to do but never get round to.

I have seen some blogs with fab recipes so will be looking out for some good, cheap, wholesome meals I can feed the clan.

If you have any tips on meal planning they will be greatly appreciated!

Wednesday 6 November 2013

Changes

You may follow me on Twitter as Tracey@bodyshop and as you can see from the page above I have been working as a body shop at home consultant but I'm sad to say I will no longer be a part of the body shop team (apart from as a customer) and I will just be known as Tracey@tantrums from now on.

I've decided that it's just not working out for me and I can't dedicate my time to make it into the business I envisioned it to be. It was great fun while it lasted but as with everything in life you get out of it what you put in and with 4 children, a full time job and lots of plans up my sleeve I just haven't been putting much into it!

The great news is I get to use all those delicious products for myself and may even have a few I can give as Christmas presents to save on the spending (obviously the unopened ones, half used body butter wouldn't make a great gift!)

It is sad when anything that takes up part of your life comes to an end, especially when you go into it with big expectations but it's all part of life's lessons and onwards and upwards I say! So the future for me will involve lots of photo taking a college course spending more time on my blog and fingers crossed I will be going to university....eeeek!

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