Cathy’s Blog

Christmas is a wonderful time of year - families gather together, work is forgotten, snowmen are built and copious amounts of chocolate are eaten. But, let’s face it, for most it is probably the most stressful time of year too. Last minute panic buying of gifts and food ensue and then you have the extra people to cook for on the day itself. You can, however, make life a little easier on yourself by making sure you have all the right cookware you need in place before the event.

Some believe that the whole global warming theory is just that - a theory. They believe it is a scam made up to extract more money from the public by forcing us to buy into eco-friendly products. Others fear the loss of the Polar bear and London being under water. Regardless of our feelings about this issue we cannot argue the fact that we need to preserve trees for the quality of our air - whether for global warming needs or not. This is the prime time of year for paper to be wasted through Christmas cards so why not try being frugal this year by sending ecards to your friends?

He’s popped the question, you’ve squealed with excitement and accepted his proposal and once the partying and celebrating is over, you settle down to the serious business of searching through endless wedding venues to locate your ideal place for your nuptials.

It’s not as easy as you might think. Of course, you could do an internet search and try to narrow it down by county. Or you could use ‘type’ of place for your search criteria eg. weddings in castles, weddings in hotels, weddings in country houses etc. It usually pays to have something in mind before you begin your search as their are hundreds of possibilities. Alternatively, you could contact your local registry office for a list of local venues that are licensed to carry out civil wedding ceremonies if you do not wish to get married in a church.

A newly expectant mother will say all the usual things - I just want my baby to be healthy, I don’t mind what sex it is, yet, providing the family are generally healthy and no problems expected, the subject of most conversations with the mum to be’s friends will be along the lines of what baby names are top of the list.

Every year we see a plethora of advertising, all aimed at children and what is the latest must have for Christmas. All advertised creations are plastic and bright in colour - in other words, cheap to make, eyecatching, short lasting! This year, why not go for something a little more traditional and tempt them with some educational toys too?

All those with children will know whats it’s like when it comes to Christmas. There is an unending Christmas list of all the latest must haves, from Barbie dolls to Transformers for the little ones because they’ve been brainwashed by the constant tea time TV advertising to every electronic gadget under the sun for the older ones. But what if you want to also add something a little more sentimental to the pile under the tree? Somethig you know they will appreciate keeping until they are older? Well, photo books are the answer!

Long gone are the days when our photos had to be printed out on paper by a specialist and we had no idea what they looked like until they arrived through the post. These days we have the digital cameras so that we can see, adjust or delete pictures at will. Once we have decided on the ones we like we can then download them straigth onto a PC or digital photo frame but in a new twist we now have the option of photo books!

It has to be said that it’s the small companies that are being battered worst by this reccession. They may not have the dame overheads as a bigger company but they also have a much smaller profit margin and therefore less room to be able to afford to lose custom. But losing custom is what is happening as people pull in their belts ever tighter and the only way to stay afloat is to seek out some proper business finance before things get to the desperate stage.

Christmas time is filled with thoughts of family gatherings, gifts, food and drink. However, there is also a growing money spinner for those that arrange corporate events. Of course, these types of events take place all year round in a bid to foster team spirit between employees and sometimes they are arranged purely as a thank you when a company has had a good year.

Without a doubt, the current financial crisis has left everybody feeling very nervous. Jobs are no longer for life and savings are not guaranteed anymore. Even borrowing with anything other than a guarantor loan is virtually impossible.

It can be extremely frustrating to find that even though you have a job with a regular income, it can be very difficult to get credit of any sort and this can lead to embarrassing situtions - especially for bigger, more important things such as a deposit on rented accommodation.