The Ultimate Incentive natters on. Part 9

kavics17

Birdie85 wrote: »

Been discussing having a few days away with OH at some point, any suggestions for a nice European city break that won't break the bank? We have floated the idea of Paris or Venice but we'll probably just complain that they're too touristy and expensive when we're there!

Go to Budapest!!!!!!! ;-)

Or Krakow, i love Krakow...I found Paris, Venice and Prague expensive, Berlin and Bratislava boring, and Vienna is great at Xmas time.

clearmydebts

I would love to go to Talinn. Not been yet, but it defo appeals to me! I would also love to seee Lisbon properly. A daytrip there with 2 cranky babies means I didn't get to see it properly.

Budapest and Prague are both gorgeous. I agree with Kavics about Bratislava and Paris, Barcelona etc are probably a bit too expensive!

archersluck

Ooh yeah Krakow is GORGEOUS! I love it. And much cheaper than Paris etc. Though if you want a romantic, happy break then Auschwitz may not be what you're after which was why I wanted to go... There are salt mines which are meant to be good, and we did a cycling tour which was really interesting and better than traipsing around with a guidebook. Was super hot when I went though.

clearmydebts

archersluck wrote: »

Ooh yeah Krakow is GORGEOUS! I love it. And much cheaper than Paris etc. Though if you want a romantic, happy break then Auschwitz may not be what you're after which was why I wanted to go... There are salt mines which are meant to be good, and we did a cycling tour which was really interesting and better than traipsing around with a guidebook. Was super hot when I went though.

I'd love to go to Krakow too!

poddle911

Who was looking at 1920s style dresses? Some pretty ones here

Not that I'm allowed to sale shop, but someone might have a valid excuse

Birdie85

Argh I just don't know where to go, you're all selling some fabulous sounding places! Get really stressed out trying to find nice breaks at a good price (from Leeds/Newcastle Airport too as we CBA going down to London first ) when it's somewhere I've never been so I don't know if I'm booking a hotel in the wrong area! May just give a shortlist to OH and tell him to find something!

Poddle, I believe you're thinking of Cinny with the dress but I really wish I hadn't clicked on that link! So many pretty dresses in the sale! I was just discussing buying quality over quantity this year with OH (who is actually encouraging me to save up and buy my coveted classic black Louboutins, maybe if I save really hard I'll have enough money by Christmas... and no doubt I'll chicken out and refuse to part with so much money! ) so I'm going to stay away from Primark et al and buy good quality clothes that will last, although it'll be difficult to get back into the mindset of spending more than £20 on an item! I'm guessing that buying a dress that was £50 originally falls into this category of better quality clothes, right?!

wendz86

Love the dress! My sis and I were thinking of a 1940's theme for the afternoon tea at my hen do, would be pretty fun.

I find it difficult spending money on clothes even if they are better quality.

Birdie85

I find it so difficult too Wendz. OH was saying, 'You should save up and buy one pair of £150 shoes and one £100 bag and one £200 dress rather than getting a dozen cheap items that'll only be good for a few wears' and I wanted to say '£200 on a dress! To get my cost per wear down I'd have to wear it every time we went out!' I never used to be this tight, but then again I never used to think twice about sticking things on a CC!

He's right though; the items in my wardrobe that are more than a year or two old, get constant wear and still look good are the items that cost a bit more (and mostly my Mum bought them for me because I'm so tight!).

poddle911

Birdie85 wrote: »

I find it so difficult too Wendz. OH was saying, 'You should save up and buy one pair of £150 shoes and one £100 bag and one £200 dress rather than getting a dozen cheap items that'll only be good for a few wears'

Yes! It's really difficult. I've been thinking along the same lines (buying fewer clothes, but better quality), but can't help think that if you've only got a few decent things and you wear them A LOT they're still going to get scruffy quickly...

I guess the answer is buying expensive stuff at bargain prices...

Getting such itchy feet reading all your city break suggestions! I'm going to Switzerland this year to see my best friend who's just moved there, but otherwise I'd definitely fancy Berlin or Istanbul.

Tete_en_l'Air

Ahh girls - I've been thinking along the same lines re. clothes lately! I read a blog post the other day where a girl reviewed 2012 in terms of clothes bought - she recorded what she'd spent each month, what percentage were second hand or sale items etc etc, what was her best purchase and *gulp* how many still had tags on or had already gone to the charity shop... THAT is my big downfall - buying stuff that's slightly the wrong size because I love it or it's a 'bargain', or buying a wool cardie that turns out to be too itchy to wear, which I'd have known if I'd taken the time to try it on and so on. So yeah, I'm going to do the same this year - keep a record of everything I buy. So far it's just these (boring)- a bargain at £28 in P&P - as long as they fit! However I love me a bit of Joy so may be adding to them now (thanks Poddle!!).

Ooh I also want to start spending more money on items such as coats and boots, work stuff, jeans - the items that get the most wear. At the moment the most expensive items I buy are fancy shoes or frocks that get maybe one wear a month - because I don't like spending a lot on clothes for work. But I've got it the wrong way round I think.

Wendz I love the idea of a 40s theme, you can do your hair in victory rolls and everything! Also well done on the weight loss!

Birdie I think most European city-break cities are going to be not dirt cheap (sorry awful grammar) but obviously some are more expensive than others (Paris! Rome!) Places I've been and loved: Paris, Lyon, Barcelona, Sevilla, Granada, Lisbon, Rome, Florence, Prague, Amsterdam... and closer to home: Dublin, Belfast, Bath. On my wishlist: Berlin, Tallinn, Istanbul, Marrakesh, Split & Dubrovnik, Vienna.... ooh everywhere really!!!

Thanks all for your sympathy re. carpy work (esp Tink), HR are meant to be looking into it. I got paid my last claim yesterday and it hadn't been taxed and I'm not claiming anything else until it's sorted. Going to drop my union rep a line later too and see what she has to say about it.

Hi everyone else! :wave: