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.