The Time Bubble

I think I might be losing it a bit (note - that is spelt "losing", not "loosing" by the way) because I seem to be making some rather strange mistakes that I would not normally make. For example when I put the shopping away today I put the baby wipes in the fridge and the milk in the cupboard. Hopefully I am not losing the plot, this time I shall put it down to being rushed, hot, bothered and the fact that I still had my sunglasses on which made navigating the kitchen slightly more challenging than usual. There are a zillion and one things to do around here. The washing has reached a new peak since the warm weather came - the children have developed many new and interesting ways to get mucky in the garden. I seem to be constantly running out of clothes. How is it that I do a wash load every day yet a boy owning 7 pairs of shorts can still run out? There's a load just finished sitting in the machine now waiting to be hung out, but it shall have to wait half an...

This is sort of a part two of the shopping blog I posted yesterday. I had intended to follow up in the same day as my blogging average has dropped during the school holidays, but I've not really been up to it unfortunately. One of the things about being a parent is that being ill isn't really allowed. Back in the day I could phone Nielsen, put on a pathetic voice and then go back to bed. When you've got kids you don't have that luxury - they still have to be fed, dressed and taken to school. Fortunately not this week, and also fortunate that Claire was also off sick for two days so between us we've soldiered on but to say it's been a tough few days would be an understatement. I'm not well enough to leave the house at the moment which means any socialising is out of the question for a few days, which is a pity as one friend has his 40th birthday tonight and then there's a karaoke night I had planned to go to on Friday, but can't be helped. Health....

I've done shopping related blogs before but haven't given away all my trade secrets - still here's a few more. Seriously - if you can be bothered, you could save thousands a year just by following my simple advice. It all sounds totally obvious "No shit, sherlock" type stuff, but how many people actually do get the best deal week in week out? Just as a disclaimer before we start - if you are the sort of person who has a well paid job and plenty of money - you probably don't have the time/ inclination to scrabble around saving a few quid here and there - life's too short! This blog is more for people like me who don't work full time, looking after kids etc yet manage to maintain a pretty decent lifestyle on a limited budget. In the past I've done blogs about rip off special offers, multisaves etc so I won't go over that old ground again - you can find them in the blog archive. In this blog I am going to cover shopping around - and in the n...

"I'm a prostitute robot from the future!" The immortal words of Bill Bailey in "Black Books" when trying to work out what a home neck massager was and holding it up to his chest. Well I haven't got one of those yet, but if Homedics foot massager is anything to go by I soon will. Now I have always suffered from both sore feet and a sore neck. Most of my other bits seem to be OK most of the time. Now some years ago I did have a brief dalliance during a single period with a young lady whose speciality was foot rubs. It does seem however that this is not a common hobby of most women - I can think of another activity unsuitable for a family audience that you've got more chance of getting than a foot rub. Thankfully, kindly wifey has indulged me for some years, but what with her recent RSI on the wrist, I've had to reluctantly give her some leave. However, this can now be permanent as she has very kindly purchased me a Homedics foot massager - and he...

A two part blog entry today. Firstly, there are many issues that polarise opinion in the world, and factors that make people compatible with one another. Ever since computer dating was invented, people have been trying to matchmake using various criteria. I am sure you have all seen the ads over the years where you get a list of interests you have to tick - reading, holidays, keeping fit, nights out etc. Maybe you have even tried it. But I have come to the conclusion that there is only one test you'll ever need. People talk about people with Type A and Type B personalities, and countless words have been written on the subject. I myself have spent a good 20 years or more now pondering the issue and indeed wrote an extensive 100,000 word thesis on the subject. However I have condensed this down purely for your benefit into two summary bullet points containing 4 and 5 words each. So my two basic personality types are: a) People who like Marmite. b) People who don't like M...

Lynda wrote in her blog earlier this week about some of the festive goodies in stores right now, and in particular the shocking rip-offs being peddled on certain items. It is indeed true - but not a problem that can't be overcome. I think the problem for many shoppers these days is that their is such a multitude of choice, lack of time, and crowded stores, that people don't have the time or inclination to sort the wheat from the chaff. I have always maintained that it's possible to save £££'s a week on your shop if you're clued up. Now over time the retailers have developed more and more sophisticated ways of parting us from our money. But, I am on to them, all those years of working for Nielsen weren't wasted. Things are always changing and there are some new things happening I have noticed lately which you might not be aware of. I'm going to start by talking about offers, and I'm going to focus on Tesco, not because I want to pick on them par...