How to Make a Cheap, Sustainable Book Advent Calendar

With so much emphasis on sustainability in our current climate, as well as a need for an awful lot of us to try to save money this Christmas, I challenged myself to make an advent calendar for my adult daughter (I know, I know, don't judge me, she still gets a stocking too, I just can't stop myself!), spending as little as possible, while also reusing and repurposing as much as I could. Here's how I got on and I hope I haven't left it too late to pass on these ideas to anyone who could use them. The best part is, you can make this advent calendar for any age from toddlers to grown-ups who are probably too old for this nonsense, but why let details spoil the fun? 

Small Business Christmas Gift Guide

 Somehow the year has once again flown by and our attention is turning to Christmas. This is likely to be a tough one for many and I thought it would be nice to produce a guide to some of the small businesses and sole traders who are fighting against huge brands to be seen and heard in the marketplace. Many of us would like to support more small businesses, but it's not always easy to find them, so I'm hoping this will be a good place to start. I can update this guide at any time so if you know of a great small business that you have used or think could benefit from a shout-out, drop me a comment or email me via my contact page and I will add as many as I can. 

Hotel Deloix Review - Large Groups, Small Dupes, Stray Poop

For our family holiday this year, we stayed at the Hotel Deloix Aqua Center in Benidorm. The hotel is about a mile from the beach, situated in a pleasant area that isn't noisy or busy but does benefit from a few shops and entertainment venues a short walk away. I had not intended to write a review, however, when I got home, I realised that I had quite a lot to say and an unsponsored review might be of benefit to anyone thinking of booking a break in Benidorm. This is why the photos are a bit more haphazard than I'd like, but I hope you can still get a feel of what you get for your money here. The hotel was booked as part of a package holiday, so I can't tell you the exact cost of our stay, but the hotel advertises rates of £157.49 per night for full board in June at the time of writing.