Champagne Lifestyle on a Lemonade Budget - 2021

sugarbaby125

My Champagne moments today:

Today I finally watched Prima Facie. Jodie Comer has always been one of my favourite female actors, but after watching her performance in this play, I have a new found respect for her talents.  

She was so superb. It was the tone and nuances of all of the 'voices' of each of the characters, that she portrayed not just that of the central character Tessa. I was moved to tears at times. Jodie completely carried me away with her  bravura performance. She was astounding in her breadth and depth of talent.    This play was a 10/10 for me.    

I used £6 of my Tesco Clubcard vouchers to buy an £18 Picturehouse voucher and booked my ticket online for a total of £18.20 including the 70p booking fee. 

I was running late after talking to my older daughter for more than 2 hours, so it was a good job I already had my ticket to hand and did not need to purchase it at The Ritzy. I did not miss a second of the play.    

Siebrie

I picked dd1 (14) up from a friend's house yesterday, and the friend (11) complimented me on my outfit. She even itemized it: 'lovely shirt, lovely trousers, lovely shiny shoes'.

Let's break my outfit down:

- shirt (white sturdy T-shirty item with dark blue polka dots) : bought for €5 in a discounter on sale while on holiday in Austria 4 years ago. Worn at least once a week since (though never when working from home).

- jeans: greenish brown (as used in camouflage), bought for €4 in a charity shop a month ago. I was with dds and told them to look for the most boring pair of trousers, because I needed a new pair of neutral trousers. I wear neutral trousers to show off the nice tops I have.

- shoes: Gabor sandals with a pearl sheen, bought on sale 7 years ago, very comfy, worn regularly every summer since.

helensbiggestfan

Hello everyone

well I'm not going to whinge but I am just going to say that the champagne  moments have been few and far between of late. What with one thing and another life has been beyond  dull and boring.  I was really in the doldrums back there but thankfully I seem to have come out the other side and am ready to try again.  

That was then and this is now.!!! 

Just have to remind myself of the old mantra.  "Persistence Pays Off". Just get back to it now that I have (sort of) found my mojo again.  Time to shake off the inertia and get on with the good stuff.  

Wednesday.....loved the pics of the nature reserve.  Hope you're feeling better.  

SUgarbaby ......your shopping and bargain skills are legendary.  

Siebre ....your outfit sounds awesome.  Just goes to show you don't need to spend a fortune to look good.  Some of my favourite outfits add up to less than £10.  (Not counting shoes).  What's even funnier is that I have had some pieces such as coats and jackets for several years so if you count up the cost per wear, we're talking pennies.  I have several really good pure wool winter coats that I bought for £5.  They will see me out.......lol. 

This summer I have been wearing a couple of lightweight Windsmoor jackets, one a Champagne gold silk number and one a navy linen.  Both cost  £2 each and both always garner loads of compliments.  

I have just rejoined WW. I want to lose 2.5 stones.  There it's in writing on a public forum so I'm committed and accountable.  Lol.  

Finally raining here. 💃.  Let's hope it revives my poor garden.  

Hope you are all well and having lots of champagne moments.  🥂

sugarbaby125

My Champagne moment today:

I took receipt of my first OK Beauty Box with £130 worth of products in it. It only cost me £7.50 and I also got 2 vouchers to get 2 issues of OK magazine for Free worth £6. I am keeping the Beauty Box for someone's birthday or Christmas present.   

candygirl

Has anyone watched, married, on bbc1? 
Sean Bean as the lead.I thought it was brilliant   n a true representation of a long term relationship/ marriage. 
Other people said it was too slow

sugarbaby125

My Champagne moments yesterday: 

I went to Andover to visit my older daughter, my son in law, my grandson, my grandson's partner, my Great grandson and my Great granddaughter yesterday. I had a fabulous time with my family. 

I used £2.50 of my Clubcard vouchers to get a £7.50 Picturehouse voucher. I then only had to add 40p to the ticket price and pay the 70p online booking fee for my cinema ticket to watch the film Burning An Illusion at the Ritzy cinema. I enjoyed the film but some of the ideas in the film were a bit outdated from what is acceptable now. For me this film was a 6.5/10.

 

sugarbaby125

Candygirl I have just finished watching Married and I also thought it was brilliant. 

My Champagne moments today:

I was pleasantly surprised to get a £50 Post Office payout voucher from Lambeth Council yesterday to help with my fuel costs. I  put the cash on my electric prepayment meter today.   

I went to the Blackfriars Settlement mental health and wellbeing discussion group. We were discussing the cost of living crisis and how it is affecting us. It was a very productive discussion for the whole group.   

sheilavw

I've watched one episode of married, looking forward to the remaining three. I cannot believe how quickly the school holidays are flying by. Kitchens about finished now and it's beautiful, so happy with it. Yes Sugarbaby, this cost of living crisis is a nightmare, everything is so expensive. Dreading the winter bills

Wednesday2000

I didn't watch Married although I did read it had bad reviews. Saying that I started watching The Terminal List on Prime at the weekend and I was expecting to switch it off after one episode as I read that got terrible reviews, but we actually really liked it. 

helensbiggestfan

Good Morning everyone

champagne moments....a delicious lunch with my sister at our favourite restaurant and believe it or not......the rain. 💃🥂.  So happy to see it again. My poor garden was struggling but hopefully it's gradually coming back to life.  

Thanks for the programme ideas.  Will give Married a whirl.  Love Sean Bean, especially in the The Yorkshire tea advert and I still watch the odd Sharpe episode if I catch it.  Chosen Man. Ha ha.  

Glad you are pleased with your kitchen Sheila, and that you had such a fabulous holiday.  

I had a couple of financial champagne moments. Although mainly because I fought back. I do think some companies are profiteering from the current economic situation.  

My house insurance was due for renewal. Now I expect annual rises and given the current climate I was expecting in the region of 15 to 20 % but they were asking almost double.  So I rang them to see if they had inadvertently charged me for making  a claim......no they hadn't. 

 I asked them to explain why it had increased from £168 to over £300. The reply was patronising waffle so I lost it.  I told them it was blatant profiteering and they should be ashamed of themselves.  I found a better deal at £180 which also included plumbing and drainage cover so was able to cancel a separate stand alone policy I have, saving another £150.  Thank goodness for Martin Lewis (All Hail) and this website.  I have learned so much from him and the kind people on these threads who share their knowledge.  

I might be 71 but I still have my marbles and I will not be patronised by some wet behind the ears tele sales person who thinks they can pull the wool over my eyes because he thinks I'm too old and dimwitted to know any better.   Thanks to the internet I am much more financially savvy then I used to be.  If I had had all this knowledge to tap into when I was 20 I would be a millionaire by now.  😂🤣.   At least I have been able to steer my sons to financial enlightenment.  

I agree the younger generations are, in many ways, finding things tougher than my generation did, but they also have knowledge and tools literally at their finger tips, that we were denied.  You only have to look at the pensions for women debacle to know that we were like lambs to the slaughter, kept in dark ignorance.  

Another example of profiteering ...I used my regular taxi service the other day when I went to lunch with my sister because I didn't want to drink and drive.  They doubled the price because "they were so busy". WTAF. I blew a gasket.  Again I expect fares to have increased but to DOUBLE purely because they were enjoying a bonanza that day.  I coughed up but sent them a stinking email.  They have lost a customer......

Like many of us I do have concerns about the cost of living rises.  I am better off than some people  in that I do have some savings but it's a pretty scary prospect.  I keep cutting back and tightening the belt but there is only so much belt tightening we can do. 

I was born into a very modest family, and have known hard times, I lived through austerity Britain in the 50s and 60s, the three day week and galloping inflation of the 70s and the deep recession of the 90s.  I should manage this next one ok, although I do think we could be looking at a perfect storm, inflation, shortages, strikes all combinjng to give us a long and deep depression never mind recession.  We could be looking at a 30s style depression. I fear for those younger generations, especially those with children and families to support. They have only known (relative) good times.   My generation have dealt with economic hardship and acquired a few skills and coping tactics but it's all new to them. It will be a steep learning curve.  

Oh dear......mustn't give way to doom and gloom but then again we have to be prepared, both physically and mentally.  

The good news is, the house sale seems to be on track, although painfully slow. And I've lost 3.5 lbs.