Moneymagpie > Blogs > You paid how much?!

Knickers - price vs quality

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 6:23:44 PDT

This week I'm road-testing undies. Are the more expensive brands worth it or are our favourite cheapie brands still the best buys? Firstly I apologise for the rather large gap between blogs. I'm 14 weeks pregnant and (cross fingers) am now through the dreaded morning sickness phase. Which makes me an ideal candidate for this week's blog - comfy underwear. I won't confess to having a large bump yet but it's big enough to render all my underwear a bit uncomfortable, particularly knickers! Top value: Wonderbra - £14 (boy-short style) These were bought from a specialist underwear shop and are the most comfortable, flattering pair ever, without a huge designer price tag. They came in bright pink and black with a pretty bow. They can be worn under anything without fear of VPL and I'm desperately trying to find if they are still available as I bought them in the sale last summer. Not only are they pretty they are cool too. I also bought a thong style pair last summer, which kept their

Bill's story

Tue, 27 May 2008 2:11:01 PDT

I'm going to interrupt road testing to tell you a very personal tale. I hope that me telling it may help other people suffering from the credit crunch. In the summer of 1990 my parents bought a pub in Manuden, a small, pretty village on the borders of Hertfordshire and Essex, right near Stansted airport. It was intended as my Stepdad's retirement plan; he was about to turn 50 and wanted to be his own boss. My Mum, who had just had to have an emergency operation agreed that they should sell our five-bedroom house and 'go for it'. The man who owned the pub we were buying, The Yew Tree, took our five-bedroom house, with granny annex (where my Nan lived), in part exchange for the pub. This meant my parents had to find another £500,000. Because the account books from the pub looked good the banks agreed to lend my parents the money. It took the form of a loan from a local brewery and a business loan from Barclays Bank. During the first summer business boomed, and although the figures

Lose pounds not £££s

Mon, 12 May 2008 7:06:10 PDT

There's one thing money can't buy and that's health, gyms might want us to think otherwise of course. Fitness is big business, some people will fork out over £2k for a piece of equipment that promises them a body like Madonna. But the truth is you don't really need to spend anything to get fit, aside from a pair of trainers (that you probably have anyway), a tennis racket (again you've probably got one gathering dust in the cupboard under the stairs) or even some weights (probably next to the rackets or being used as a door stop in the spare room). There is no short cut though, no machine - however fantastic - can do exercise for you. Here are some ways you, not your wallet, can sweat it out. But before you start any regime check with your doctor first and remember as Octavia, a personal trainer at Cannons also points out to me, "any exercise regime has to be combined with a healthy eating programme. It's a case of 70% diet and 30% exercise". Gym - downgrade your

The Big Apple on a Credit Crunch

Sat, 03 May 2008 5:42:16 PDT

I'm a nervous flyer but luckily my work rarely takes me beyond the U.K. Occasionally I've had to take flights to Scotland and France, but there are times when I simply can't avoid getting on a plane. For a long while now (10 years at least) I've wanted to visit New York but the prospect of the flight had put me off. When a friend was seconded there by his bank earlier this year we suddenly had the opportunity to stay in the Big Apple, finally the lure of a week in what I'm sure would become my favourite city was too much - so we had to book a flight! Being of a nervous disposition I was prepared to pay a premium, convinced that flying with an airline like British Airways would somehow be safer. Thankfully, in the end we didn't need to. Road test: Flight from London Heathrow to New York JFK (Prices quoted were one-way and on the day of our departure - 30 April 2008) Air India £162 ($318) Yes, the idea of flying with Air India didn't really appeal but having left it to the last minute

The ultimate cheap haircuts.

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 4:15:51 PDT

If there's one thing you can't scrimp on it's a haircut. Now I'm pretty anal when it comes to hair. Finding a good hairdresser who doesn't charge a fortune has been a holy grail of mine. I've got really fine mousy hair with a bit a wave, and it can be a bit a nightmare to style, so as much as I'd love a short sharp haircut, I tend keep it long. I'm pretty fussy, too much cut off or too many layers can put me into a bad mood for weeks (I'm not joking as my boyfriend and sister will tell you). Anyway, women spend an average of £27,000 and men £13,000 on their hair over a lifetime. That's a lot of dosh and I've not always been entirely convinced it's worth it. So the last 12 months - and in the interests of the hair-obsessed everywhere - I've been road -testing hairdressers to see whether spending more = better haircut. NUMBER ONE - The designer hair cut - that costs £22.50 I had to go all the way to New York (it was a work trip) for this one. But this was the best of

Ten days of silence (and no spending!)

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 9:25:31 PDT

This is a bit of a long blog, so be warned. I've just spent 10 days on a silence retreat. If you can spare 10 days I'd really recommend it. There are various 'Hollywood' versions where people spend thousands of pounds (or dollars) but they are all the same. For anyone who's looking to take time out, but not have to spend a fortune doing so I'd recommend this one! Details at the bottom. Day one: When I told friends about plans for a 10-day silence retreat they thought I was joking. One, who knew that one of my reasons for going was to put a line between myself and two years of career-induced stress that included redundancy, moving, writing a book and going freelance said 'if you aren't already out of your mind you will be after that'. But curiousity was stronger than fear (I'll admit to being a bit scared about being left alone with my mind, who knows what strange secrets it held) and I arrived at the Dippa Dhamma farm near Hereford to learn the vipassana, a 2,500 year old form of

Ten days of silence (and no spending!)

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 9:25:26 PDT

It never rains...

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 3:22:18 PST

Three horrible things have happened this week, and they are enough to want me to go out and blow my money on whatever I can to feel better! 1) I wrote a book, and although didn't expect to be named on the cover, I've discovered someone else is, which means they will effectively be taking credit for all my years of financial know-how. For what it's worth this person thought up the book idea and asked me to write it and a designer to illustrate it. Apparently she's going to be spokesperson for the book. By the way I gave her loads of notes to explain fianancial products etc - while I was writing it. I even gave her some soundbites too. 2) My boyfriend is being sued by an ex-girlfriend. She says he owes her £1000. He says she gave it to him (this dates back two years ago). She earns a six figure salary and owns a house in central London. We (because I'm paying off my debts) can't even afford a new wardrobe at the moment. 3) My sister's bank charged her £160 for going £47

Debts - there is a way out

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 6:21:26 PST

I'm replying to one of the comments on my last blog about depression and money. I know how it feels, there have been many times when my debts felt like a bottomless big black pit. There is help though, you just have to ask. The best thing I have found is the Consumer Credit Counselling Service. You can go online at www.cccs.co.uk. The service is free and the people there are trained to deal with the emotional and practical issues of debt. They will also help with budgeting and prioritising bills. They can also, free of charge, arrange to speak to any of your creditors and help you make repayment plan. Call freephone on 0800 138 1111.

January blues

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 5:47:49 PST

I'll admit being pleased to see the back of this month! It's been tough what with late payers, a looming tax bill and the need for large amounts of comfort food. Still I've managed to keep the blues at bay by taking up yoga, thanks to a DVD I got at Christmas. How are other people surviving this tough month?