Champagne Lifestyle on a Lemonade Budget.

Nargleblast

My champagne moment - on the sofa watching His Dark Materials with coffee, brandy and Ringtons biscuits. Just what I needed after a really busy day at work.

lessonlearned

Good morning everyone

Sounds like some nice champagne moments there ladies.

Currently living quietly, getting on with the diy. Went out with my new neighbour on Saturday. (She needed to get away from the builders for a couple of hours). We ended up going to a different town and browsing the chazzers.

Was very restrained, didn't buy anything. Don't really need anything at the moment. So just saved my pennies. It was cold and miserable so instead of eating out we came back here and I rustled something up. Very MSE. .

She hasn't actually fully moved in yet because of all the building work, she just sleeps over at the weekend but we have become firm friends already.

Yesterday I decided to see if I could revamp the existing wooden pole in the dining room. Amazing what a bit of paint can do. It's for the big patio doors so a nice new metal one would probably have cost around £40, so saved myself a bit of money there.

Hoping to crack on this week, just the easy bits of painting now. Aiming to go to the cinema tomorrow, and hopefully book a hair cut.

All is good.

sugarbaby125

My Champagne moment on Sunday was going to watch 2 films at Odeon Covent Garden using my Odeon Limitless card to buy the tickets.

The 1st film I watched was The Good Liar:
ODEON says...
Career con artist Roy Courtnay (McKellen) can hardly believe his luck when he meets well-to-do widow Betty McLeish (Mirren) online.

As Betty opens her home and life to him, Roy is surprised to find himself caring about her, turning what should be a cut-and-dry swindle into the most treacherous tightrope walk of his life.

I really enjoyed this film. There are some really good surprises in this film. I would give this film 9/10

The 2nd film I watched was Sorry We Missed You: ODEON says...
‘Sorry We Missed You’ follows Ricky and his family as they struggle against debt. Ricky gets the chance to be a self-employed delivery driver, which brings new challenges.

He was convinced to take the job by promises of independence, but he doesn’t get paid if he’s unable to deliver the packages. And with his wife’s work as a carer not proving any easier, the family is gradually pulled to the breaking point.

The team behind ‘I, Daniel Blake’ return with ‘Sorry We Missed You’, a captivating look at the modern gig economy and the challenges faced by families struggling within it.

I really enjoyed this film. I always love the work of the Director Ken Loach. His films are very relevant and apart from being great entertainment they are also social commentary. I would give this film 9/10

My Champagne moment yesterday was going to Odeon Streatham to watch 2 films: Joker and Luce using my Odeon Limitless card to buy the 2 tickets

The 1st film I watched was Joker: Joker centers around the iconic arch-nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. The exploration of Arthur Fleck, a man disregarded by society, is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.

I personally thought this was an excellent story of a man's decent into madness and the birth of an iconic villain. I thought Joacquin Phoenix's portrayal of the Joker was excellent. I would give this film 8.5/10

The 2nd film I watched was Luce:
ODEON says...
A liberal-minded couple are forced to reconsider their image of their adopted son after they discover he has written an extremely disturbing essay for his class at school. What then unfolds between the teacher who expresses her concerns to his adoptive parents descends into a horrifying game of cat and mouse between his teacher(Octavia Spencer) and her student (Kelvin Harrison Jr)

This film was intense and thought provoking. A real conversation starter. I liked that it asks the viewer tough, open-ended questions about identity, race, culture, trauma, skewed perceptions, judgments based on preconceptions. Most of all, I loved that it didn't try to tie it all up in a neat little bow. I would give this film 9.5/10

cbsexec

:)Love reading this thread. So positive and helpful. Love the reviews sugarbaby - Have you seen Judy? Going this week so would be interested in your opinion.:)

candygirl

cbsexec wrote: »

:)Love reading this thread. So positive and helpful. Love the reviews sugarbaby - Have you seen Judy? Going this week so would be interested in your opinion.:)

I loved it, but it's had mixed reviews

sugarbaby125

cbsexec wrote: »

:)Love reading this thread. So positive and helpful. Love the reviews sugarbaby - Have you seen Judy? Going this week so would be interested in your opinion.:)

Hello cbsexec, I absolutely loved the film Judy. Renee Zellweger is superb in her depiction of Judy Garland and most impressive is Renee's singing throughout the film. For me this film was a 10/10 which is why I actually went to watch Judy twice.

Thirty years after starring in "The Wizard of Oz," beloved actress and singer Judy Garland arrives in London to perform sold-out shows at the Talk of the Town nightclub. While there, she reminisces with friends and fans and begins a whirlwind romance with musician Mickey Deans, her soon-to-be fifth husband.

cbsexec

I will let you know what I think, thank you. Keep up the good work ladies:T

lessonlearned

Good morning everyone......

Hello Cb. Glad you could join us. I enjoyed Judy very much. Sad story of course, but Rene was brilliant.

Well Not exactly champagne moments as such just a glow of quiet satisfaction.....have spent a couple of days having a monumental sort out, reorganising my wardrobes, cupboards etc, and finally got round to doing a paperwork sort. Feels like a ten ton weight has been lifted.

Decided to brave the car this morning.....just a short hop to Aldi. Took a bottle of water just in case. Checked the levels before I left the supermarket to come home and sure enough I had to top up the water levels again. Definitely something wrong with the cooling system. It goes in next Tuesday so I won't drive too much till then, just in case.

I have decided that if repairs are going to be too expensive then I'll sell it and try going car free for a while. See how I go. It has only done 26000 miles but it is 11 years old. It's a bit borderline as to whether it's economical any more, and tbh whether I can be bothered with the hassle of car ownership. I am not that fond of driving if I'm honest.

I have been mulling it over. I think I can manage without a car and it would save me shedloads of money. The only real problem I envisage would be trips to the recycling centre but I could always hire a mini skip or a man with a van. Much cheaper than running a car....:rotfl: I think I could manage without, it just requires a different mindset, planning and being organised. Cars are convenient obviously but they do gobble up money. Not to mention the stress levels when having to negotiate city traffic.

Anyway.......my champagne moments this morning have been stocking up with some Pino Grigio, chocolate, my favourite lotus biscuits, and a bunch of half price roses. Wore my bright fuscia pink wool coat. I love it, it's so bright and cheerful. And I particularly love that it only cost £1. :rotfl:

Nargleblast......I too am a window and my husband often used to treat me to flowers, choccies, wine and always something bright and shiny for Christmas, birthdays and anniversaries. I like to keep the traditions going. :rotfl: and if my darling isn't here to do the honours then I will just treat myself.

Watched the Gold Digger last night, great fun and I shall give Dark Materials a go. Didn't manage the cinema yesterday.

I've not been out much in the evenings, or at all really.....tbh the weather hasn't exactly been conducive to gadding about. Our city has been hit by floods, although me and mine have been unaffected, apart from my garden of course. But a lot of the roads have been closed.

I am quite happy being a dormouse over the winter, happy to Hygge. I can save my pennies for a nice holiday when the weather improves.

I really need to plant some spring bulbs I bought a while ago, but we are forecast another deluge tomorrow so I think I will wait a few more days. Still at least it's sunny today so I am going to go for a little walk now to the village.

When the suns out it's lovely, the trees are glorious.

sugarbaby125

My Champagne moment yesterday was going to Streatham Odeon to watch the film Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil. I used my Odeon Limitless card to buy my ticket.

ODEON says...
Discover what it is about the Mistress of Evil, and her fellow Disney Villains, that make them the 'wickedest' of them all!

The years have been kind to Maleficent and Aurora. Their relationship, born of heartbreak, revenge and ultimately love, has flourished. Yet the hatred between man and the fairies still exists.

Aurora's impending marriage to Prince Phillip is cause for celebration in the kingdom of Ulstead and the neighboring Moors, as the wedding serves to unite the two worlds.

When an unexpected encounter introduces a powerful new alliance, Maleficent and Aurora are pulled apart to opposing sides in a Great War, testing their loyalties and causing them to question whether they can truly be family.

I really enjoyed this female centric film with Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer playing very strong leads. This film has so much action with great special effects and a character led storyline that is fun to watch. I would give this film 9/10

Nargleblast

Champagne moment - straining and bottling the orange brandy I started back in September. Seven small bottles of heaven, one for me, six for Christmas gifts. Little touches of luxury.