Gift Ideas for the Man Who Has Everything

September 23, 2021September 23, 2021 Jayne1 Comment

I don’t know about you, but I generally find the men in my life the trickiest to buy for. Whether it’s my 13 year old nephew, my Dad or my Grandad, they always bamboozle me when it comes to gift buying. This year, I’ve started doing my research well ahead of the holidays and I thought I’d share some of the gift ideas I found. There are options from the super high-end (and out of my budget!) to the cheaper but more meaningful, so cost won’t be an issue.

Super High End – Golf Holidays in Spain

If you’ve got a man in your life who loves to golf and money is no object then there are some fabulous options for Golf Holidays in Spain which will be the best gift they’ve ever received! There are packages which include accomodation, meals and green fees to the best golf courses included, meaning that they just need to remember to pack their clubs and some undies and they’re pretty much set! Gift ideas don’t come much swankier than this!

High End – Vintage Watches

Husband is an absolute sucker for a good watch, and while I would never be able to afford some of the ones that he lusts after (we’re talking TENS of thousands of pounds in some cases 😱) there are some beautiful restored vintage watches out there which come in at a much more reasonable price. If it’s a special occasion like a birthday or anniversary, you could even try to find a watch from their year of birth or the year you got married to make it even more poignant and special.

Middle of the Road – Aftershave

In the past, aftershave used to be a reasonably priced gift to give for a special occasion. These days, many of the most popular fragrances for men, such as Creed Aventus, carry prices tags which are closer to the £150-£200 mark, making them a far less affordable option. However, if you CAN afford it, they make a fantastci gift and the price tag does mean that the grangrances are super strong and will last for a really long time.

Affordable – Magazine Subscription

Magazine subscriptions are something that Husband has really enjoyed as a gift in the past. He’s a lifelong cyclist, so last year my Mum got him a subscription to MBUK for his birthday, and getting his copy through the door once a month was a real highlight. The beauty of a subscription is that it lasts for 6 months or a year, so it’s the gift that keeps on giving, and the costs isn’t usually unaffordable. There are mags out there that appeal to a huge variety of interests, so you can really personalise your choice.

Free – Get Crafty!

There have been a few birthdays over the years when I’ve been a bit skint and to be honest, Husband doesn’t like people spending loads on flashy gifts for him anyway. What he HAS enjoyed in the past is when I’ve made him something special, such as a collage of photos from our 16 years together, cooked him is favourite meal, or even done crafts with the kids that he can treasure as a keepsake. It really is the thought that counts and if you use your imagination to find some cheap or free gift ideas, the homemade gifts are often the very best.

Lifestyle

Shop-Bought Vs Homemade

April 3, 2017 JayneLeave a comment

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I’m sure you will have read a lot about the benefits of trying to become a little more self-sufficient and relying more on homemade items and products. It’s true that making your own things is a great pastime and often works out more environmentally friendly, but is it really worth going to all that extra effort? To try and figure whether shop-bought or homemade is better, here are some of the pros and cons.

Food

Ideally, you should be cooking and baking everything from scratch as it gives you chance to see exactly what is going into your food. Plus, ready-made meals are often packed full of salt and sugar and can be extremely unhealthy. If you have the time, it’s also worth baking bread and biscuits as well, as you can then control how much sugar goes into them. However, when it comes to food items such as hummus, mayonnaise, and other condiments, you might as well buy them from a shop as getting all the individual ingredients can work out expensive.

Clothes

Have you been thinking about making your own clothes? If you are already pretty good with a sewing kit, then you will be able to make some excellent pieces. However, if you haven’t picked up a needle before, and don’t have much time to practice, you might as well just buy your clothes. Finding cheap deals isn’t too difficult now that there are lots of coupon sites like DontPayFull.com, and the shops always seem to have sales on. At the end of the day, if you have enough time on your hands to learn how to sew, then making your own clothes is a great new skill to learn. No time? Don’t feel bad about buying clothing!

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Cleaning Products

One great way to help the environment is by making your own cleaning products. You will find lots of recipes online: eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm. Homemade cleaning products are also non-toxic, so they are a lot safer to use in households with young children and pets. They are also a lot less abrasive on your hands compared to shop-bought ones! I’d highly recommend making your own cleaning products – you’ll soon notice just how gentler they are!

Cosmetics

Did you know that it is also possible to make your own cosmetics? There are now lots of kits you can buy that will guide you through the process, or you can just buy all of the individual ingredients and have a go at coming up with your own products. This is a great option for anyone who suffers from sensitive skin, as you can make each item as gentle as you need it to be. You can also add in any extra ingredients you like to boost the concentration of certain vitamins and minerals. If you have always wanted tailor-made cosmetics, making your own is the best way to go!

As you can see, it’s quite alright to buy your own clothes and some food items. But when it comes to everything else, why not try making your own?!

How To

Get Crafty – A Royal Crown

April 27, 2012December 6, 2013 Jayne2 Comments

Sausage has a great imagination, so when she asked me this morning to have a Royal Tea Party with her, I thought it only fitting that she have a proper crown to complete her outfit. I gathered up various bits from around the house and I’m pretty chuffed with what I came up with, so with the Queen’s Jubilee coming up I thought it’s quite good to share our little project.

You’ll need:

A cereal box or other thin-ish cardboard
Crepe paper (yellow for the crown and some coloured bits for the jewels)
Glue stick
Stapler or strong tape

Method:

1. Cut a strip of cardboard long enough to go all the way around your child’s head. We cut out two pieces and stapled then together at each end to make the right size.

2. Cover your cardboard in yellow crepe paper (or gold paper, you can use whatever you have. I guess tin foil would work too). If you use crepe paper, I recommend folding it over a couple of times and gluing on a few layers as singles layers are a bit see-through and flimsy.

3. Cut triangles out of one edge to give the nice spiky edge that all self respecting royal crowns should have.

4. Embellish your crown with whatever you have, be it rhinestones, coloured paper, glitter, pen or crayons, or like we have with screwed up balls of different colour crepe paper. I quite like the scrunchy 3D effect this gives and I even made a special crepe paper flower for the front of the crown by cutting out squares of crepe paper and gluing them together in alternate layers.

So there you have it, four easy steps to a beautiful royal crown, made with stuff that most of us have kicking about the house. We’d LOVE to see yours too, if you have a go at making one, just don’t upstage ours, yeah?! (Oh, and our Royal Tea Party was lovely, with real tea in a proper tea pot and everything!)