I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a smartphone for a while, and tossing up whether to get an iPhone, or an android-based phone. I’m currently with T-Mobile, but I would prefer to be with Orange (I’ve irrationally loved Orange since before I owned a mobile phone, and even bought shares in them at one point).

The phone must also be a light saber

My needs for the phone:

• makes calls
• sends and receives text messages
• stores contact details
• alarm clock
• operates as mp3 player / ipod replacement (lost the last one)
• access to internet including gmail, twitter, facebook
• decent mapping and ‘where’s nearest’
• works in the USA
• light saber app
• shake app
• prettiness

I don’t currently have an account with iTunes and have never owned an Apple product.

The phone must be free and the calls cheap

My needs for the deal are:

• 50+ texts (I’m not a big texter)
• 150+ minutes (the more the better)
• unlimited internet use
• £30 or less per month
• free phone

Basically, I know what I want and how much I’m prepared to pay for it, and I just want the best-est, shiniest phone for the price. I’m also likely to be comfortable spending this amount per month for the next few years. I think I’ve been paying around £25-£30 a month for about the last 7 years already.

shopping around

I had a scout round the deals at Carphone Warehouse and Orange online. I also read as many reviews as I could. I found it difficult at first to work out which was likely to be the best Android phone, but the iPhone was easy to narrow down.

Basically, to get an iPhone 3GS, I need to either spend £45 a month, or spend £125 on the phone. Neither is acceptable, so I’m only looking at the iPhone 3G 8Mb. The best deal with a free phone happened to be Orange. It has:

• 250 texts Anytime Any network
• Unlimited Internet Anytime Any network
• 150 minutes Anytime Same network

This is barely acceptable. And the reviews of the 3G phone seem to say that it’s slow because its an older version. But still, it’s pretty and shiny. In fact, it’s the prettiest and shiniest phone on the market.

For an Android phone, I considered:

• HTC Hero
• HTC Tattoo
• Motorola Milestone
• HTC Desire

This list was based on the reviews I found on the internet, and the phones that were available on Orange. All are available free, with unlimited text messages, unlimited internet and 400+ minutes for £30 a month. But I wanted to see what the phones are like in real life. And I was open to seeing any other phones.

When I hit the shops, I saw a couple of actual iPhones and decided that they are beautiful and the interface is straightforward. I also dismissed all the sliding keyboard models. Too clunky, too ugly and the keyboards were difficult to type on. I also decided that of the 3 HTC models, the Desire was the best. But none of the Android phones had actual demo models to play on.

I was collared by a sales assistant in one of the shops, which was a mixed blessing. I was subject to a hard sell. He tried to sell me a ‘deal’ of £35 or £45 a month, even though I explained that I don’t use that many minutes or texts a month. But he was friendly and I watched him demonstrate the HTC Desire. I didn’t get to play with it myself, but it looked nearly as intuitive to use as the iPhone.

In the end, I decided that the package on offer with the iPhone 3G wasn’t nearly as good as with the Desire. The Desire is second best to the iPhone in looks, but I could see myself running out of minutes with the iPhone sometimes. And I’d need to keep the older slower 3G phone for 2 years at least.

So, I went home to phone T-Mobile to get my PAC and switch to the HTC Desire on Orange. But, I was sweet-talked into staying with T-Mobile. With a 900 minute, 500 text messages, unlimited internet and 60 minutes of international calls package for £30 a month. I felt a bit uncomfortable about having been talked into staying. But thinking about it rationally, I’m getting exactly what I want, a better package. It’s a win-win for T-Mobile and me. Maybe I’ll switch to Orange next time.

I’m picking up my new phone tomorrow. Can’t wait.

identify gaps

You need to make a plan of attack, and that starts, not at the shops but in your own home.

Firstly, what kind of shopping are you thinking of doing? Things for the house, electrical goods, new cds or dvds, clothes, Xmas decorations for next year? Consider whether you received any gift vouchers / certificates / cards for Christmas. What kinds of shops were those for? That will help you decide which categories to shop the sales in.

In any case you probably already have some stuff. Go through the things that you already have in each category and note any gaps. These are the things to buy in the sales. Identify all the things you need - these should get top priority in your list - and all the things you’d want or like to have - if you see a good bargain, you can then choose to buy those. Write everything down in a little notebook to take to the shops with you.

I’m looking for clothes, and going through my existing wardrobe I have the following gaps, compared to my ideal wardrobe:

• casual trousers (up to 2 pairs)
• work trousers (up to 4 pairs)
• fine knit sweaters (up to 3)
• long sleeved t-shirts (up to 3)
• chunky knit cardigans (up to 2)

So, with my clothes shop gift card I should be looking out for only those things in the sales. Since my existing clothes have worked out ok for the last 2 or 3 months none of these are strictly essential, if I can’t find things that I like.

In the electrical goods items, I don’t have but would like the following:

• microwave
• toaster
• freezer
• ipod
• printer
• george foreman style grill

Of those, probably the most urgently required are the microwave, grill and printer. I received some cash for Christmas that could be usefully spent on some of these items.

thinking about specific shops

Where exactly are you going to hit the sales? I have no car, and live about 45 mins walk from a major city centre, so that’s where I’ll be going. There’s one electrical goods store, so I’ll see if I can get a bargain in there. Otherwise, I’ll tackle the shop that I have a gift card for, and a couple of others that stock clothes in my difficult to buy for (short, round) size.

Maybe you’d be better off buying online? That could certainly work in some categories (not clothes so much) and might be a better use of your time. It’s not normally worth hitting more than one or two major shopping centres for the same types of items. especially clothes - the discounts don’t vary all that much from town to town.

setting price limits

It’s oh so easy in the sales to spend more than you intend to because the bargains are so good. Once you’ve identified all the things that you want or need, set maximum prices on them and write these down. This stops you spending more just because something has been reduced a lot even though it still costs more than you’d really want to spend.

With my clothes selection, I’d set limits on categories plus an overall limit - e.g. no more than £40 on casual trousers, no more than £30 on long sleeve t-shirts, and no more than £100 all together. I’d do the same if I was looking to buy books or cds or dvds.

With electrical goods, I prefer to set a price limit for each item, and an overall limit. I’m not going to spend more than £60 on a microwave for example.

research

Some things benefit from a little research in advance. This mostly applies to electrical goods. Do this before you go, and write down any suitable brands and model numbers.

hitting the shops

Time to put the plan into action.

Wear comfortable shoes and layers as the temperature can vary wildly. Take enough money to cover tea breaks and lunch out and ideally a reasonable sized bag with you. If you will be trying on clothes, wear something easy to change in and out of.

Only go into the shops that you identified previously. Don’t veer off the list. Stick to your price limits. Take a break every 2 hours or so. When you can’t carry on, stop and go home. There will be other sales.

Good luck.

It’s not really that I don’t want to give gifts to my friends and family, I really enjoy getting them stuff - thinking about what they might like and wrapping and so on. It’s just that for the last 5-6 months, I’ve very rarely been proper shopping (as opposed to food shopping). When I went browsing in the shops the other day after work, I found the whole experience overwhelming. There were too many people, and brightly coloured shout-y posters telling me about all the money I could save if I just spent my money in their shop.

my accidental advertising diet

I think I’ve inadvertently been on an advertising diet. I don’t watch a great deal of tv, and much of it is BBC, so ad free. And I have relative online advertising blindness. Most of the posters I pass on my way to work are either public service or for products I’m really not interested in, like car insurance (I don’t own a car).

This accidental advertising diet meant that when I was surrounded by lots and lots of ads, I had a bit of sensory overload. It was like the whole town was shouting ‘buy me, buy me, I’m a nice bright shiny bauble’.

still left me wanting to buy stuff based on ads

But, even though the ads in the stores in town overwhelmed me, they also made me feel like I wanted to buy things. I’m not sure exactly what things, but I definitely wanted to buy.

Fortunately, for Christmas shopping I need have to a list and buy for difficult people (aka men). So I didn’t actually get sucked in to buying things I didn’t need.

so I’m back to avoiding ads

I’m going to try and keep up this advertising diet, now that I’ve noticed it though. I don’t need to spend money on things that I don’t need, or want. I’m supposed to be a grown up these days, and I want to save my money for fun stuff that I actually do want, as well as slightly less fun stuff that I need.

1. Swiss Army Knife

Of all the items that exist on a Swiss Army knife (or Leatherman tool) I’ve only ever used knife blades, scissors, tweezers, bottle openers, corkscrews and nail files. On an actual penknife, the only ones I can use myself are tweezers, nail files and knife blades – and the tweezers suck.

All of those items except bottle openers will definitely be confiscated at Heathrow. Emery boards are cheap and light, I have a very cool bottle opener key ring, and when travelling I either drink wine in a restaurant or bar (where they open the bottle for you) or stick to beer. As I said, the tweezers on Swiss Army knives suck, so if I can, I’ll bring separate ones anyway.

That just leaves knife blades and scissors. In my regular day to day life I do occaisionally need one or the other of these items. However, a simple penknife costs only a few £/$ - a lot less than a complicated multitool – and a pair of scissors even less. If I’m checking a bag, or not flying, I’ll usually put in a pair of nail scissors – they do most jobs if they need to. If I’m doing carry on only, I do without and haven’t had a problem yet.

2. Sewing kit

This might just be a personal one. I rarely have buttons come off stuff disastrously, nor do I regularly rip my clothes. It takes me forever to mend things when I’m at home, so I’m not going to waste my holiday doing the same. At British airports sewing kits are sometimes confiscated, which kind of defeats the point, and if something becomes unwearable, I’m probably in a place where I can pay someone to fix it for me or get a replacement, or make do until I get somewhere where I can.

3. Compass and/or Whistle

One of the fundamental rules of travel should be that if you don’t use it at home, why on earth would you use it whilst travelling. Compasses and whistles are cases in point. Outside North America, many/most cities are not arranged on a regular grid pattern, and it’s just as easy to navigate with a map, particularly if you are not a regular compass user.

Similarly, whistles are only useful in a few tiny situations – if you’re mugged then you should just handover your cash, if you’re attacked then the whistle needs to be round your neck already, and preferably in your mouth. Which is just a recipe for falling over and knocking your teeth out, or swallowing it.

Naturally, if your trip is in a wilderness area, or you use these items in your day to day life, feel free to disregard my reasoning above. Otherwise, save your cash.

4. Inflatable travel pillow

I have a (short) list of things wrong with these:

• the look stupid
• they aren’t very comfortable
• they get punctures
• they are a pain to blow up

5. Immersion heater

Ok, I don’t have one because I only drink hot drinks from time to time (I’m not a proper Brit either – I don’t like tea). But in any case, pretty much anywhere you want to go there will be coffee on sale, most places can do hot tea, and if you can get coffee, you can get hot water.

Otherwise if you take one, you’ll also need the right plug adaptors, and a mug that won’t break whilst you boil the water. Also a fire and electrical hazard.

6. Travellers cheques

Only worthwhile if you are going somewhere where you can’t rely on ATMs. And that people, is almost nowhere – Mongolia, Burma, some of the ‘stans’. Everywhere else, travellers cheques (or travelers checks) are more limiting.

Outside the US, travellers cheques are not like regular cheques. You can’t normally use them in hotels, restaurants, etc. So, to use travellers cheques, you tend to need regular office hours. (Inside the US, just use ATMs like everyone else.)

Travellers cheques are replaceable, but that is quite a hassle – there aren’t Amex / Thomas Cook offices on every street corner. Also, especially in places where the script does not use the Latin alphabet, your signature will need to match exactly in order to cash them. In Thailand, I once had to sign my name about 15 times before they would give me any money.

7. Special travel clothes

These are really good. They wash and dry quickly, have millions of pockets, come in a myriad of sensible colours,…

Except that they tend to be ugly, styled to suit men and in colours that I really, really hate and will refuse to wear. They make you stick out like a sore thumb, in the same way that that middle aged men in shorts stick out in Paris. Wear your regular clothes. If you wouldn’t wear travel clothes on a day trip in your home area, or to the shops, (assuming the weather is right) then why would you want to wear them whilst away?

1. collapsible water bottle

The best are made by Platypus and cost up to about £10 depending on the size you get.

good for

They are good for people who travel by plane to developed destinations and don’t want to buy multiple bottles of water. You can fill them up after security in the airport and then repeatedly in hotels/hostels whilst you’re away. Because they are collapsible they don’t take up valuable space whilst empty.

less good for

If you travel frequently by plane, the money saved in water at the airport by itself might make these worthwhile.

They are not so great if you are going somewhere where you don’t want to drink the water, you’ll need to buy bottles anyway because you won’t be drinking from the taps. If you’re not travelling by plane, that often then you can just bring your water or whatever with you.

personally recommended?

I don’t have one yet but I might get one if my next holiday involves spending time in Europe, N America, NZ or Australia in hot weather.

2. cheap mp3 player

I’m thinking of the ones that have maybe 1Gb of memory and cost less than £20 and are recharged via a USB port.

good for

Ipod type things are awesome and amazing for travel. If you’ve ever sat on a long bus/train/ferry ride without entertainment you will truly appreciate having music available on tap. However, they are easily stolen, so you might not want to take your prized possession with you on a trip, it’ll cost you both money and hassle to replace. Which is where a cheap (inferior) product comes in. They are also easier to recharge - no need for adapters, pretty much everywhere has an internet cafe to use - but you might want to get one with reasonable battery life.

less good for

The extremely fashion conscious who wouldn’t be seen dead without something in the right brand/style. Also if you don’t like music or talking books you probably wouldn’t get much use out of one.

personally recommended?

Yes. I have had (and lost) a basic one of these. It recharged via a USB which was very hassle free, and I could store enough music to last me through the trip. Note that I managed to lose it.

3. money belt

Somewhere hidden to keep your money, passport, tickets, visa etc so that it doesn’t get stolen. Money belts should be worn under the clothes.

good for

Travelling in the parts of Europe/Asia/South America notorious for pickpockets - for example Italy and Spain. There are different versions that you can get - some go round your neck, others look like regular belts (but don’t normally fit a passport or tickets in), there’s one I quite like which loops onto a regular belt and then is worn inside your clothes - which means that there should be something for everyone. They are great for nervous, especially first time, travellers.

less good for

People who will insist on wearing them outside their clothes anyway. It’s like asking to be mugged. If you like to look very stylish whilst away they can be challenging to work with. If you’re going somewhere safe, and so won’t be carrying round any valuables and hardly any money, they won’t be worthwhile. Similarly if your idea of travel is to spend all your time away from people, they aren’t great value.

personally recommended?

I have previously owned one. I was 21 and travelling round the world. It was the cheapest I could buy, and I think I wore it once. I haven’t used one since, but I’m used to (and feel safe in) big busy cities, mostly have electronic travel tickets, and carry only as much money around with me as I would be comfortable doing at home - ymmv. I also claim to be super short, and these all seem to be designed for men. If I go somewhere *interesting* again, I might get the belt loop one and see how that feels.

4. travel insurance

For what is usually a fairly small sum of money in the great scheme of things, an insurance company will pick up the tab when the universe moves against you. Always shop around for a good deal, prices vary massively for the same coverage.

good for

Anyone who is travelling with passports, non-refundable or expensive travel tickets, or quantities of stuff. Or who is travelling somewhere where they are not entitled to free medical care. If you are British and you are travelling anywhere outside the EU you need this for the medical coverage alone.

less good for

People travelling very near to home, who have luggage they can afford to lose or replace, aren’t using a passport, can rebuy their tickets, and have their medical care covered in some other way.

personally recommended?

Good heavens yes, never travel without it, except for non-flying trips within mainland Britain where I’m covered partially by household contents insurance, plus have access to the NHS, and don’t need ID to get home. On one of my first exciting trips, my friend had her camera stolen. I’ve also known people need the medical coverage.

5. silk sleep sheet

A sheet made into a sort of sleeping bag shape, the smallest and best quality are made from silk and are reasonably priced from New Zealand.

good for

Anyone travelling using hostels where they charge extra for linen - on a longer trip those few extra $ add up to quite a bit. They’re also handy for extra warmth when you’re using a sleeping bag (and are more easily washed)  or where you’re less than convinced by the cleanliness of the bed linen.

less good for

People using 3* or better hotels, or staying with friends, or in decent rentals.

personally recommended?

Yes, I have one. I love it. I enjoy hostels, but I like having nice sheets even more. I have also used it in less than clean surroundings in Egypt. It’s so small that I tend to take it wherever I’m not certain that the bed/room will be nice.

So there you go, there are all my suggestions for travel buys that might save you money in the long run. Why not add your ideas in the comments.

As a result of this experience I am now considered to be a generous tipper at home. I like to leave at least 10% in a restaurant. Recently, I went out for a meal with some acquaintances. The number of courses, and types of drinks that we were having varied quite a bit, so we all (without disagreement) contributed enough to cover our own bills. I put in £12 to cover £7.95 set menu and £1.75 drink, which leaves a pretty generous tip. One or two others also gave more than 10% extra to cover their tips. Still, the final bill was £96 between us, and we left £103 to cover that and the tip, which felt a bit wrong to me.

Fairly often, in similar situations, especially if I’m the person collecting the money, or sitting next to them, I’ll add more so that tip is at least reasonable. In this case I was at the other end of the table, so that wasnt’ possible (I also didn’t have any more cash on me). I didn’t want to say anything because I don’t know these people well enough to effectively call them misers. I swear that more than a third of the group must have been freeloading on the tip.

What do other people do when this kind of thing happens? How much do other Brits normally tip in restaurants? Stuff like this is why lots of places add on an automatic service charge for groups, which seems to annoy people a lot. Personally, I quite like it when service is included in the price of the food, which is become rarer and rarer these days.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

1. experience gifts

I wonder whether I know different people to everyone else. I’m not sure that I know anyone who would appreciate season passes to the zoo. Museums and such like are often free. Most people I know are not blessed with excess time to take advantage of National Trust membership, and I’m wary of booking theatre tickets when I’m not privy to their schedules. Vouchers are ok, but you need people to take advantage of them.

I’ve had two experience gifts in the recent past, one was a voucher for a Red Letter Day experience of my choice, the other was a Spa Day. I never got round to using the voucher because there was nothing that I was particularly sold on doing, and I didn’t have anyone to share the experience with. The Spa Day was more successful because my sister also got one, and we went together - I could receive this again, but would only want to give in similar circumstances, and I don’t have a pair of people to give to in this way.

2. crafts

I’m not a crafty person, so it would actually be a ridiculously large investment of my time if I was to make a gift. I probably fall under the same category as my recipients - I don’t actually have more time available than I have money. I have a friend who knits - she’s making a baby’s cardigan and something for her mother for a few months (on and off) and they’re coming along very nicely.

I haven’t received a homemade gift for a long time, and it’s something for which I’m thankful. Traditional crafts, whilst I appreciate the amount of time and care that goes into them, are just not my style. For example, I know that quilts take forever to make and are really beautiful, but I have a chrome and glass aesthetic going on. I would really rather not have them, and that people gave things like that to those that appreciate them.

3. gift of the month

This is a truly nice idea. You wrap up say a plate of Christmas cookies, and include a voucher for 11 new plates of cookie, one for each month. However, the only way to do this frugally is to do it yourself and therein lies the problem. I live more than 100 miles from my closest family, so this is just not a practical gift for me to give, however great it is otherwise.

4. holiday themed gifts

I don’t give these, in case other people have the same reaction to them that I do, which is “beautiful, but when am I going to use this?”. Seriously, there’s some nice Christmas stuff on the shelves at this time of year. But how many turkey platters / tea towels / aprons does one person need? And are people into traditional red and green, or Scandinavian style, or jewel toned elegance? Do they entertain at Christmas? Where will they store it for the rest of the year? Will people still be using cranberry soap in July? Most importantly, do they already have this stuff?

5. goats and heifers

A really, really lovely gift for the people that have everything is to buy a goat for a family in Africa in their name. I honestly think that this is a nice thing to do. But, my aunt did this once, and whilst she’s otherwise not known for her great presents this wasn’t appreciated as it could have been. I’ll admit it because it’s true, my family are not the major charity donating type, and it felt slightly *holier than thou*. Although I like it, it’s not something I’m planning on doing as a gift as I just don’t know people who would appreciate it. I’ll just make a private Christmas donation instead.

Of course, all of this sounds a little ungrateful. But really I’m not - when I receive a gift it really is the thought that counts and I appreciate the love that goes into all the un-useful gifts I’ve received just as much as the useful ones. It’s simply that not all gifts work for me.

There’s nothing I can really do about gifts people give me, but more importantly, I need gift ideas that take into account the recipients lifestyle and tastes, as well as taking into account my lifestyle and budget. Not every great gift idea that you find will work for your friends and family.

However, going *home* for Christmas means travelling - which is never free. I don’t have a car, so I go by train. The standard open return fare for my trip home is over £100. Buying in advance, with a non-flexible Advance Purchase ticket, it cost £10. That’s like a 90% saving.

book in advance

Travel in general is cheapest booked well in advance. Plane tickets need to be bought more than six months in advance to get the cheapest deals, and rail tickets probably a month in advance - depending on the popularity of the route/time.

planes

If you need to fly somewhere at Xmas you probably should have bought your tickets already, although you may still be able to snap up a relative bargain if you’re willing to travel on either Christmas Day or (possibly) Boxing Day.

The following screenscrapers, metasearchers and brokers are reputed to give good results:

• kayak
• skyscanner
• expedia
• travelocity

trains

If you need to get the train, now is the time to pin down the exact details of your journey(s) so you can try and bag one of the remaining advance purchase tickets.

thetrainline.com sent me an email telling me about a new farefinder tool that they have. If your journey is on one of their top 100 routes (generally between major cities), then it will tell you the lowest available ticket prices in four time categories in the week around a date you specify.

It’s a little convoluted to get to the ticket booking page, but it’s a nice idea. There’s similar functionality at Find Cheaper Rail Fares @ Transport Direct, which also has its limitations.

Wherever you buy your train tickets, watch out for booking fees, and don’t pay them. You can always get the exact same ticket without paying a booking fee as generally all the train operators can book tickets from anywhere to anywhere.

automobiles

If you’re going to be driving, don’t forget to allow plenty of time - you can work out the best route and see anticipated congestion using the Transport Direct car journey planner - it also calculates the likely fuel costs of your journey.

The thing to remember about gift baskets is that lots of little things can add up to a larger than expected price tag.

1. s’mores kit

Mini Marshmallows, Animals biscuits/mini chocolate chip cookies, skewers, candle jar.

Approximate cost £12+

Make s’mores by toasting the marshmallows over the candle and then squashing between two biscuits. Include directions. I gave this to my sister one year, I’m not sure how much she enjoyed it, but my brother thought it was awesome and still enjoys making s’mores over a candle.

2. pasta kit

Pasta bowl, fancy pasta, olive oil, pasta sauce, cheese grater, dried tomatoes, cookbook.

Approximate cost £20

Stick everything in the pasta bowl, and wrap up. You could also include wine, Parmesan cheese, tongs, herbs, etc. I’ve given this, and received it in different years. The one I received was ready packaged from a department store, the one I gave I made myself. On balance, I’m not a big fan of this one. It’s hard to make it look expensive without spending a lot of money on really fancy things. But if you know someone that really loves pasta, it may still be a good idea.

3. manicure basket

Nail polish (a couple of shades), base coat, top coat, emery boards, cuticle trimmer, nail clippers, little bottle of bubble bath, nail polish remover, cotton wool balls / sticks, quick dry top coat

Approximate cost £15-£20

Add more by having different shades of nail polish, cut costs by getting sample sizes or using discount cosmetics stores. This may or may not be cheaper than a ready made kit and it helps to know that what colour nail varnish the recipient normally wears. I’ve received something similar and appreciated it.

4. death by chocolate

Plain, milk and white chocolate in bars, chocolate truffles, hot chocolate, chocolate chip cookies,…. You get the idea.

Approximate cost £10+

Key to making this look nice is having quite fancy stuff (i.e. not Hersheys/Cadburys). Or, making things yourself. I have given this before, as an alternative to just giving a box of chocolates. It took more effort, but looked better for the same cost.

5. travel toiletries kit

A 1 quart clear zipped bag filled with travel size (under 100ml) shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, tooth paste, deoderant, shaving oil, hair gel, etc.

Approximate cost £5 for the bag, plus £2 per item so easily £15-£20

This I would appreciate receiving. It’s surprisingly expensive to do, you’d need to keep your eyes out for some bargains on some of the items. This sort of thing can be adapted for baby travel toiletries, and tailored nicely for the recipient.

6. kid’s bath basket

Kids bubble bath, flannels, bath toys/books, crayon soap, plastic bath basket

Approximate cost £12+

Some of this stuff you can get at a bargain price if you shop carefully. I don’t think I’ve actually given this gift, but I’d definitely consider it for a child of between the ages of say 2 and 6. If you wanted to spend more, you could add in cartoon character towels, robes and pyjamas.

7. wine tasters basket

Bottles of wine (3+), corkscrew, wine glasses (2+), wine charms, bottle stoppers, snacks

Approximate cost £20-£100

You can cut costs by using less expensive wine, getting glasses and such like in Ikea, and inexpensive corkscrews and so on. Or you could splash out with decent wine, a cool fish corkscrew, crystal glasses, etc, etc. This can be adapted to other drinks - beer would probably be cheaper, and spirits or champagne more expensive. I might do something like this for my dad this year.

8. coffee lovers basket

Selection of coffee beans, chocolate covered espresso beans, cups/mugs, coffee grinder, cafetiere

Approximate cost £30

Cut back by using pre-ground coffee, mugs, and coffee spoons etc. Or scale it up with a coffee maker, fine china espresso or cappucino cups and very, very expensive coffee. I’ve received this (coffee grinder, espresso cups, coffee beans) and thought it was a very nice gift. Sadly, I don’t know anyone else who likes coffee as much as me.

final thoughts

The only other thing to remember about gift baskets is that it’s all in the presentation. One year, I found it hard to find actual gift baskets, and shredded paper very cheaply, and so the gifts ended up costing more than I expected.

If these ideas don’t look that exciting to you, peruse your local department store for ideas as they always have plenty of gift baskets. Then think carefully about whether you could actually do it for less. Although the shop ones often look like a lot of money for not a lot of stuff, they also have economies of scale so I’d advise pricing the complete gift before you start buying.

In real life (as opposed to work life) I’m not that organised, nor do I have a particular need to be fair or impartial. Generally, at most, I read around on a service or product that I want to buy, and get a gut feel for the best. Or, if there is no *best* I pick the cheapest one that has the features I’m looking for. The following three examples show how I normally work.

the fridge

About 18 months ago, I bought a new fridge. I decided that it had to:

• be white - to go with the kitchen
• have an icebox - I have no other freezer
• have glass shelves - easier to clean
• be A rated for energy - eco-friendly and cheaper to run
• be 55cm wide - to fit in the fridge space

All of these requirements were non-negotiable and nothing else was of interest. I simply picked the cheapest fridge from Argos (reputable supplier) that fit the bill.

the netbook

When I bought my netbook, I just read some reviews (something like 10 best netbooks) on the internet, found which two or three where in my budget, went to the local big box computer store and picked the one they had in stock. I ended up with a navy blue Acer Inspire One which is perfectly ok except the wireless network card (or whatever it is) is prone to overheating and the battery only lasts 2 hours.

the house

When I bought my house, I only looked at places that were feasible - in my price range, with enough room, and not requiring complete gutting - and bought the one that I fell in love with.

being methodical

Part of the reason that we try to be fair and impartial on tender scoring at work is so that we get the best deal. And the spreadsheets and scores do help keep a track of which feature goes with which item and you can get a better idea of where you want to make a trade-off between features, or between features and cost.

I’m permanently on the look out for new luggage. What I want is a bag that can be carried as a backpack, opens out as fully as a suitcase does, with at least 2 compartments (one for clothes, one for laptop/work), will last for a while, comes in a colour other than black, with a bright/light coloured interior, that’s large enough to fit all the business clothes I need for a 3 day trip, or the casual clothes I need for a week, but definitely small enough to fit as carry on without hassle.

I’m willing to spend a couple of hundred pounds, and I’m expecting that I might have to compromise on some of the features. So, I’m going to set up a spreadsheet with all the criteria listed, plus room for any features that I either like or dislike. Then as I search for the perfect(-ish) luggage I can make sure I make the best choice.

Do you shop objectively? Or do you go for gut feel?