Category: Lifestyle

1. Summer Gifts Ideas For Your Precious Hubby

   Posted on 11:00am Sunday 28th May 2017

   Summer is on the way and with it our need for new wardrobes, new tans, and new fresh energy levels. Our outlook on life is often elevated in the sunshine, as it allows us to express who we are and what we enjoy doing. We might even begin to plan our holidays around this period and become even more tanned than we are walking to work.

    

   It also requires a different style of gift idea for those who have birthdays around this period. Making the most of the weather is surely a consideration when you’re buying your husband a present.

    

    

   

    

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   It might have escaped you what the best summer gift ideas are until now, but never fear, this list will give you might fine inspiration for gifts any man would be happy to receive.

    

   Track Day

    

   What better way to get a man out of the house than to entice him with a track day? This way they’ll be able to enjoy driving around a professional race track with an expert driver in a car they could only dream of owning for the time being. This will surely help them release any testosterone on the track, and having a natural way to express that is important.

    

   Just don’t be surprised if it’s all they talk about for weeks after.

    

   Summer Wardrobe

    

   Outfitting your man with a summer wardrobe is one of the more thoughtful gifts you can bestow upon them. Gifting them fresh and light threads will allow them to look great in the hot weather, especially if you go on holiday. Purchasing the clothes yourself can be difficult because sometimes you’re not certain what sizes he is and asking him gives away the surprise. Instead, utilizing online stores like the Stone Island sale will allow you to best pinpoint what he’d enjoy, make a wishlist, and then buy him a voucher to collect it.

    

   Beach Wear

    

   Beach wear is an important purchase for your husband. This is because all men, no matter who they are, universally have terrible tastes in swim shorts and sandals. Even fashion icons are likely to look goofy on a beach. It’s just the natural law of things. Apply some of your feminine charms and style him appropriately for your upcoming travels. Just be sure you don’t match, that’s no longer cute or cool.

    

   Fresh Cologne

    

   Buying fresh cologne is one of those gifts that benefits you as much as it does him. Having a great fragrance to sniff all day is a brilliant way for you to feel attracted to your husband, and for him to feel attractive. Opt for some of the more expensive items, it tends to last much longer than the cheaper products and smells absolutely divine.

    

   A Fitbit

    

   If you’d like your man to lose weight, a subtle way of suggesting he does is by buying a Fitbit. This will allow him the chance to try out his new tech toy and lose weight in the process. What’s better is it tracks how healthy your heart rate is, and that can motivate him into action like no nagging will.

    

   Let´s be honest, men are always difficult to buy for but if you do well here, hopefully, you’ll have the sentiment returned when your birthday comes rolling around.

    

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2. Living A Champagne Lifestyle On A Lemonade Budget

   Posted on 11:00am Saturday 27th May 2017

   It's safe to say that once in a while, nearly all of us like to treat ourselves. Some people simply have expensive taste - although if this sounds like you (or me), you probably prefer to think of it as merely enjoying the finer things in life! Of course, if you have the cash to splash, there's nothing really to worry about. However, lots of people are living beyond their means, spending money they don't have on things they can't afford. Sometimes, this results in them turning to questionable measures to fund such a habit, such as taking out precarious loans or borrowing money from family members. Both of these things can easily come back at bite you at some point down the line - but what do you do when you and your family have become accustomed to having nice things 24/7? Everyone wants to be able to cut a fine line between having a little bit of luxury, but not being in massive amounts of debt at the same time. Unsurprisingly, it's all about balance - and here are some ways you can achieve it.
   
   Go crazy for economic swaps
   
   So, you may have a penchant for the occasional luxury treat, be it a pricey designer dress or your favorite bottle of aged wine. But stop and think for a moment as to whether these things are in fact a necessity - and more importantly, whether there are any cheaper alternatives. You may find yourself shunning cheap wine on principle but take the time to try some before making that decision. You will probably find that some of them are quite nice -in fact, you may not be able to even taste the difference if you were to do a blind taste test! You can easily save hundreds in a year from swapping your £20 wine for a £7 alternative.

    

   

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   Look out for vouchers
   
   If you're not using vouchers or couponing yet, why aren't you?! Both have got a bit of a bad name in the media, but looking for discounts doesn't always mean you are tight with money. More often than not, it can simply mean that you are smart! Keep one eye on websites such as vouchercodespro.co.uk, as many major retailers regular post deals on such sites to entice customers. It isn't just physical things you get money off - many vacation providers also put offers on these types of websites, so you can even get that luxury holiday at a fraction of the original price.
   
   Make some sacrifices
   
   Think about what matters to you, and what you could cut back on to splurge elsewhere. For example, if eating good food at fancy restaurants is your thing, but you couldn't care less about the car you drive, ditch your expensive saloon for a more economical hatchback. The cost price AND the insurance will typically be much lower, meaning you will have more spare cash to spend on the things that really matter to you.
   
   

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3. Unique Ways to Include Your Junior Bridesmaids in your Wedding

   Posted on 12:00pm Tuesday 23rd May 2017

   Who can be a junior bridesmaid? Generally girls aged 9 – 14, too old to be flower girls, too young to be bridesmaids, and too important to leave out. They are often siblings or children of the bride or groom, or very close friends or relatives. My girls were both bridesmaids at our wedding and it was lovely to include them in our celebrations.

   No matter how pretty they look in their junior bridesmaid dresses, sometimes it’s difficult finding them enough to do so that they feel like legitimate, valuable members of the bridal party. How can you incorporate special roles to include your junior bridesmaid?

   The Junior Bridesmaid Role

   The actual job of junior bridesmaid has its own, small set of responsibilities. Juniors may participate in pre-wedding parties like the bridal shower (likely not the bachelorette of course) and depending on age, might help with some tasks like assembling favors and invitations.

   Junior bridesmaid dresses are generally a modest version of the bridesmaid attire and the girls usually carry a similar bouquet to the adults, just smaller in size. Juniors attend the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, and at the wedding, they pose with the bridal party in photos, participate in the processional and recessional and stand with the party at the altar. Sometimes they are introduced with the bridal party at the beginning of the reception, and they may be seated with the adult attendants or with their families during dinner.

   Greeting Duties

   You can extend the traditional role of the junior bridesmaids by assigning them greeting duties. They are easily recognizable in their junior bridesmaid dresses as part of the wedding party so guests naturally gravitate towards them. They may welcome guests as they arrive for the ceremony, distribute programs and even help the ushers with seating.

   Ceremony Roles

   Your junior bridesmaids can participate in the ceremony in many ways. If your religious tradition involves gifts or elements, they could act as gift bearers. Some ethnic traditions call for a bell ringer to walk in before the bride, and a junior bridesmaid could certainly fulfill the bell-ringing role. If old enough, they might be readers and if they have special talents, they could perform as musicians or soloists.

   When junior bridesmaids are the children of the bride or groom, it might be appropriate to plan a special ritual that symbolizes the joining of two families – kind of a like a unity candle for the whole new family. There are many joining rituals to choose from, although one involving a child attendant should not involve anything inappropriate for the age (sorry, no wine ceremony!).

   Reception Responsibilities

   Juniors can once again be helpful at the reception with guest seating. They can assist with finding escort cards, and locating tables and seats. They might direct guests to the gift table and card box, or invite people to participate in fun activities like photo booths.

   You can include your juniors in your formal dances, especially if they are your children or siblings. During the parent dances, they could switch in and dance with one of you for a portion of the song. A very mature or confident junior bridesmaid could even propose a toast with a glass of sparkling cider.

   If there is a young lady important enough to you as a couple that she will be asked to be a junior bridesmaid, it’s worth looking for additional and different ways to include her in your special day. Take some time to think how you can enhance her role and she can help add to the celebration and she’ll certainly feel honored to take part in your day.

   

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4. How to collect money online for good causes, gifting or girlie holidays.

   Posted on 10:00pm Thursday 18th May 2017

   It seems like we are always trying to raise money for something, whether it is a friends baby shower, teachers present collection or a hen weekend, let alone fundraising for worthy projects, so there always seems to be a need to find a few coins or a £5 note in your purse. Unfortunately if you are like me (or the queen) you never seem to have spare cash in your purse .... usually because the children "needed" it for a school project or something or other. It is worse when you have the organisers instinct inside you (this may be me) and feel the need to take control but be totally transparent too. 

   Can you really create an online money pot?

   With us being able to do most things online now, it makes sense for you to be able to to pool funds together online rather than in crumpled up envelope in the bottom of a bag. This is where Leetchi.com is rather handy! Founded in Paris in 2009 (the same year as the Lilypad), Leetchi.com has quickly become the leading European fundraising website with over 7 millions of users. The platform is now accessible from 150 countries, in 4 languages and 2 currencies! Leetchi provides an easy, secure and inexpensive way for people to club together online for personal projects, nonprofits or group gifts.... basically anything and everything!

   

   That all sounds great in principle but how does it work?

   We have all seen adverts for products that say in just a few clicks you can get started but with Leetchi, this is really true. With just a few clicks anyone can create a personalised money pot and invite friends, supporters ... in fact anyone, to contribute. Contributions can then be made to the online money pot by simply using their individual credit or debit card. Once the target amount of money has been raised, the organiser can choose when and how they’d like to spend it.

   Does it cost anything?

   We are always looking for the most savvy options and so it is good to know that it is totally free to spend on partner sites or there’s a small 2.9 - 4% bank transfer fee. There is also the added benefit of being able to transfer the money pot directly to the beneficiary via email. It is as simple as that!

   

   Is it easy to set up?

   The whole process takes minutes to set up and if you are usually the one who wears the organisers hat like me, whether it’s charity sponsorship, a present, or contributions to a girlie holiday, then Leetchi is definitely worth looking into with help on how to raise funds online.

   What are you waiting for?

    

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