Groupon Giveaway Winner

 

Costa at home with Tassimo

Last month I blogged about my new favourite kitchen appliance, which I would like to say was not a sponsored blog in any way. However, through the Tassimo UK Facebook page I was lucky enough to be selected to taste test the new Costa range of coffees. All you Tassimo lovers can now get your hands on Costa’s Americano, Latte and Cappuccino to drink at home. So here is my verdict……

The Americano is spot on, a great coffee to drink black or white and as always with the tassimo machine you can + or – on the strength to get it exactly how you want it. The flavour is all there, exactly as you would expect if you were buying it in Costa. It is a large size drink, which for me means “normal” as I tend to drink from big mugs!

The Cappuccino is again exactly as you would expect from Costa. With the milk pod and coffee pod to make the drink each pack makes 8 large drinks. Don’t however assume this is the same as a Costa large, it is a Tassimo large, again, a normal mug size, probably a medium if you were in Costa itself.

Next is the Latte, if you like a good Latte then here we have it, it’s an XL size, the only XL I have yet found with Tassimo, it’s smooth, it’s creamy, it’s the taste I love from a good Costa coffee. Yes this one is my favourite, although I am a Latte lover anyway I know I will always have these in my cupboard.

All in all these coffees taste like they have been picked up from Costa itself. Price wise they are on par with other t-discs for the system, which makes enjoying a Costa coffee a lot cheaper! You can get them online through Tassimo or at leading supermarkets, and you can purchase from Costa too. Have you tried them and what do you think?

NaBloPoMo Fail

I’d like to apologise, I have failed the NaBloPoMo challenge, initially I blogged and missed a day or 2 at the start of the month, but last weekend I came down with tonsillitis and have been out of action all week, sleeping on the sofa, wrapping up warm and getting as much rest as possible. Unfortunately that meant not being able to blog!

On the plus side though, I have, in my short time on NaBloPoMo, enjoyed writing posts again so I plan to continue to post more often!!

So, I’m now almost 100% recovered and plan on continuing with posts after the weekend, but now you know where I have been for the last week!

Groupon Giveaway

Groupon and I have teamed up to offer one lucky winner a £20 voucher, and with deals ranging from restaurant vouchers to last minute travel deals you will have plenty to choose from!

Groupon works with local businesses to promote deals and discounts through online vouchers and offers discounts at both a local and national level. With discounts on shopping & beauty, restaurants & travel and with activities that range from a relaxing spa-day to an adrenaline-filled parachute jump, Groupon has a great deal for everyone. Having never used the site myself before, I was lucky enough to be given a voucher to try out the service too. It’s so easy, you purchase a Groupon voucher for the deal you want at the discounted price and then when the offer closes you get an email with your voucher for the product. I will say I have been sceptical in the past about using this kind of site, but from my experience now I would definitely recommend Groupon and I’ll be checking out their deals every day!!!

So why not experience something new today? To find out which deal would best suit you visit the Groupon Website.
To enter the competition, simply answer the following question:

What would be your ideal Groupon Deal?

Post your answer in the comments below and I will announce the winner next Friday, 23rd November 2012

Terms and Conditions:

· Vouchers are valid for 6 months.

· Competition is only for UK readers.

· Only one voucher can used per deal.

Song Saturday

It’s almost time……….

Ten Things to do before I Die

Ok so I have nicked the idea for todays post from the NaBloPoMo Facebook page, but I thought it’s quite a good one to do, and not as easy as it first sounds so here we go…….

1. Visit Australia including scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef – for some reason I hate going in the sea and having fish round my feet, but really want to Scuba dive on the barrier reef, and have done since I was little.

2. See my daughters grow up into well rounded women – I know every parent assumes this will happen, but in order to do this I have to look after myself and them to ensure it happens!

3. Go on a safari – I love to see animals in their natural surroundings!

4. Have a holiday somewhere with beaches, sea and peace and quite – I’d love to go to the Maldives or other tropical peaceful place.

5. Keep Marine fish – I have a tropical tank, but at the moment space and money restricts me from being able to have a marine tank with the fish I would like, one day though!!

6. Go on a ghost hunt – I’ve always fancied going on a ghost walk, or staying in a haunted house, hopefully I will manage to find the nerve to do it one day!

7. Eat at the Fat Duck – I am amazed when I see Heston Blumenthal cook, I’d love to try his food!

8. Visit Auschwitz – After visiting Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam I would also like to visit Auschwitz

9. Write a book – I have tried many times to write a book and never succeeded, even if it’s never published I’d like to writer a complete book!

10. Be happy – I know it sounds really corny, but the main thing I want in my life is happiness. Whether I achieve anything else I hope that when the time comes I can say I had a happy life!

So that’s my 10 things, what would yours include?

As Time Goes By

I can’t believe how time flies, I really can’t! My daughters are now 9 and 4, I’ve lived in this house for 3 1/2 years and the days whizz by in a blur sometimes. What is it with time though, why is it going so fast?

When I was a kid, the thought of a whole term at school was painful, holidays felt like a lifetime apart and weekends were two whole days of free time. Time wasn’t an issue, I don’t really have memories of my parents rushing around on a daily basis and saying things like “I’ve not got time”. I actually remember at about 8 years old, calling for a friend to play out and her mum told me she was busy but would be able to play out in an hour. I went home and said to my mum “that’s ages”. Whilst obviously the hour passed, it did feel like a long time.

I thought it was just an age thing. As you get older time becomes more important, planning holidays, days out, even the every day things like shopping, all take up time and so you are constantly thinking about time. When I started working in Sales Management in 2007 I really noticed how constantly tracking sales periods made the months fly by. Now with work I am always planning future appointments and so my days are mapped out in blocks of time. The only issue with this is that B has also said how fast time is going. She said it only feels like 5 minutes since we went on holiday in August, and now it’s only 7 weeks till Christmas!

It got me thinking that maybe it IS the fact that we time watch that time flies. With modern day technology time is all around us, mobiles, iPads, Laptops, alarms, cookers etc. Pretty much everything is governed by time, I hate to think how often I look at the clock, I know I have checked it about 5 times so far while writing this post! Even for kids, they have their phones, if B texts a friend she is then clock watching till she gets a reply (another issue in itself but not relevant now), if she wants to watch TV it is generally a half hour program, so by the time she has watched one and H has picked another, that’s an hour gone. I’ve also noticed B will ask how long things will be till they start or finish, and will wait rather than fill 10 minutes doing something else.

Last weekend I was full of cold and on Sunday me and Mr K sat in the house, wrapping Christmas pressies and relaxing. We put on a music channel and I didn’t put on my watch. The only time I thought about what time it was, was when I started to feel hungry and then I went to cook dinner. Do you know what, the day seemed to last much longer! So I actually think that technology means we watch time closer, and watching time seems to make things go faster! I’m actually going to set myself the challenge of not wearing a watch at the weekend from now on and make a conscious effort to ignore time when time is my own!

I’d love to know your thoughts on the speed of time though!

How Much Money Is Lying Around The Average House?

Most people would be surprised by the amount of money that they can find around the average house. Looking behind sofas and in clothes can yield a significant amount of change, while decluttering and going through your home to find potentially valuable items and things that can be sold on in bulk can also result in a windfall. Alternatively, you can consider the benefits of short term cash loans and using pawnbrokers to build money off items that may have been gathering dust in attics and basements.

Finding Cash

The average house contains extensive places where you might find loose change and money. The first place to look should be down the sides of cushions on sofas and chairs in the living room. Move furniture to check underneath, and look inside the lining of items. You should also go through all closets and drawers for any change that might have fallen out of pockets. Old coats and jeans that haven’t been worn for a while may contain loose change, and even the odd note. Check inside the lining of coats if they’re particularly old.

Going through drawers and cupboards throughout the house can also be rewarding, either for finding loose change that can be added up, or for finding old wallets and purses. Particularly check any handbags that might have fallen behind the back of a cupboard. It’s worth going through the linings of washing machines and dryers if you don’t regularly, as they may contain loose change. If you have young children, then it’s also an idea to check under floorboards, under beds, and inside toys. Moreover, check the floor of your car, and your garage, attic, and basement for old boxes and clothes.

While doing so, you may find some valuable goods, as well as bulk items that can be sold on. Decluttering is always a good idea if you want to go through your stuff in the most efficient way possible, and you’d be surprised by the odd things that might have disappeared into a box during a move that may be of value. These things might include wearable clothes, old toys, and even high value items like gold jewellery that you no longer wear. Other items, such as old mobile phones, can be sent away for a cash payment, as can parts from PCs and old laptops. When selling, use car boot sales for bulk items, and take care to present anything that might be more valuable online, or through a specialist shop. This can be a good idea with old furniture and any pieces of art, as well as with clocks and jewellery.

Alternatively, you can take high value items to a pawnbrokers, where you can receive a short term cash advance against their value. At the end of a month, you can choose to buy back the item, or use it to pay off the loan. Cash Loans in Colchester and Braintree, and many other places, have been founded on this kind of approach. Remember, though, that going through a pawnbroker does carry the risk of losing an item, so think carefully before putting anything into a scheme. You can also sell items outright to secondhand shops, and to specialist online sellers.

Rob James is a father of four. He recommends CashInHandPawnBrokers for cash loans in Colchester and Braintree. Rob can be found blogging about the many different aspects of family life.

When do you know?

It’s the big mystery of the human race, what is love, when do you know you have found it and how does it make you feel. When I was younger I used to dream of falling in love, like in the fairytales where the prince whisks the princess off her feet, they get married and live happily ever after.

When I was 18 I met who I thought was my prince, I fell in love and we married after only 7 months. I was happy beyond anything I thought was possible. We were together for almost 9 years and had 2 beautiful daughters together. Unfortunately it fell apart and while pregnant with our 2nd child I became a single mum.

To me the illusion of love was broken at that point. My happily ever after was a myth.

A few years later I met Mr D. We were friends and it progressed into more but only lasted 18 months. I believed it was love. My heart never skipped a beat. I never felt that spark. I believed that was obviously just how first love felt and plodded along.

Fast forward a bit further and I decided to give online dating another go. I’d not had much luck in the past, either through chatting to strange blokes or just never having the nerve to meet someone. So this time I told myself I would do it seriously. I would be 100% me on my profile, not the me I thought blokes might want to meet. I would talk to guys online as me, stop contact if they gave me any reason to think there was something strange about them and actually meet someone I felt a connection to.

After a few days I got a message from Mr K, just saying hi and did I want to chat, I checked out his profile and sent a message back. We chatted online for a few days and both decided we wanted to meet. A week later we had our first date. That was at the end of July and now I really do know how love feels. I know it has only been 3 months, and actually I knew I loved him the moment I saw him, but this is true love and I can now see that the love I thought I felt at 18 was because of the ideal I had in my head not because of true love.

So, when do you know? Well, it might sound like a cliche but you just know! When true love knocks on your door you’ll know it as it will be the best feeling in the world ever!

Too Organised?

Anyone close to me knows I like to be organised, I like lists, I like packing and repacking, I like to know everything is sorted. Last year I was really organised with Christmas and I knew I would do the same this year, because I hate that last minute panic of not being able to find what I want for everyone. It is now 5th November, I have 4 people left to buy for and all the pressies bought so far are wrapped and ready to go. I’m ready and counting down the 7 weeks till Christmas!

Am I being too organised though?

I mean, there’s something about wrapping pressies after the decs have gone up and the Christmas songs are playing. I haven’t even seen the Coca Cola Christmas Ad this year yet! At the moment though, I don’t think I am too organised, I mean I still have some bits to buy and wrap, I have food to think about and plan and to be honest I am looking forward to Christmas so much this year that I don’t think I could possibly be too organised!!

So when do you start getting ready for Christmas? Are you reading this thinking “I’m sorted too” or are you cringing at the thought of Christmas being just round the corner? Have you put the tree up yet?