Save Money on Personalised Gifts for Someone Special

Photo Credit: Thecupcakelicious

If you’re looking for a gift for someone you love that’s unique and special, why not get creative and make something?

When you’re trying to save money and budget, shopping for your loved ones can be difficult. But you don’t have to spend a fortune. A personalised or homemade gift will really show you care much more than an expensive but thoughtless present.

With a little thought and imagination it’s easy to create something personal for that special person to treasure.

Here a few ideas for unique and thoughtful gifts that won’t break the bank.

Get Creative with Clothing

Customised clothing is a great idea for a present with a difference. A printed T-shirt is a thoughtful gift for someone special.

A personalised garment is the perfect present for someone with a great sense of humour or even a fashionista who loves to wear unique clothes!

Whether you choose to put their name on a shirt or a memorable photo or design, you can create a lovely, personal gift that the owner will cherish.

If you’re the creative type, you could create a customised T-shirt yourself. Otherwise, there are lots of specialist T-shirt printers who can put any design onto a T-shirt. These companies can even print other items such as bags, hoodies and aprons if you want to create something a bit different.

Make a Book of Memories

Why not make a personalised photo book for that special someone? This present is ideal for a traveller, a budding photographer or someone sentimental who cherishes photos of the people they love.

Fill an album with photographs from special occasions and happy times. Photo books are a great way to showcase all of those great photographs that get forgotten about.

All you need is a photo album and lots of photographs. You can have fun arranging the photos and even writing notes and captions.

Your recipient will love looking through the photo book and reliving the good memories.

Bake Tasty Treats

If your special someone loves to eat, why not bake them a gift? A home baked present is a real treat for any occasion.

With even the most basic baking skills, cookies are an easy choice and can be made to look beautiful. Use special cookie cutters such as hearts and flowers and decorate with coloured icing and decorations. You could even add their name for a personal touch.

Finish your home baked present off with a gift box wrapped with a bow. Your special someone will love the effort that you have put in and may even share the gift with you!

About the author: Michaela Quinn writes blogs about a variety of topics including woman’s fashion, workwear and T-shirt printing.

How To Find The Best Jewelry Deals Online!

Photo Credit: One Heart Art

With so many stores at your fingertips, shopping online is an easy way to spend less and save time. Online businesses usually have fewer overhead costs, so they’re free to sell fine jewellery at prices that retail stores just can’t match. As you flick from website to website, you should be able to catch online companies selling-off surplus stock at rock-bottom prices.

However, shopping online is a double-edged sword. Without seeing the product in person, can you be sure it’s anything like the picture suggests? Here’s how to duck those online issues and save yourself a pretty penny too:

Search Like A Pro

Hit Google’s search bar. You should know what you’re looking for. If you want a pearl choker, don’t just type “necklace” into the search engine – be as specific as possible. Big names have the monopoly on general and popular search terms, so outwit them by knowing what you want.

Do Your Research

If you’re planning on purchasing precious or semi-precious jewellery, you must do your research. Knowing the lingo will stop you from getting scammed online. Planning on purchasing silver? Know how to identify quality through markers and weight. If you suspect that your purchase is fake, always send it back and ask for a refund.

Have you chosen a distributor? Always check their customer reviews and popularity, as this is a good indicator of great service, as well as brilliant products. The site should be secure, and so should the transaction. If you’re making an expensive purchase, always make it through a credit card, as this offers you further protection from fraudsters and faulty goods.

Know You

Some items of jewellery will need a specific size. Rings, for example, range from A – Z in size and gambling with this is risky. Have yourself measured beforehand to avoid poor fits.

Know the seller’s return and exchange policy. If your jewellery doesn’t fit, it would be good to know that you can take it back. Make sure you know the amount of days you have before a company will refuse a refund.

Shop Around

Don’t just choose the first site you come across. It pays to shop around. You never know what fantastic deals you might find if you just set aside the time to explore as many websites as possible.

Sales can offer up fantastic opportunities to save money. If you have a retailer that you love, but you can’t afford their prices, wait until they slash the RRP and pounce! Now’s your chance to snap up some bargains.

Ask Questions

If a beautiful piece of jewellery is advertised as genuine gold, ask the distributor to prove its legitimacy. In the event that the seller doesn’t provide acceptable documentation, walk away. It may be worth visiting a jewellery store and asking them what you should look for in online jewellery to prove that it is what it says on the tin. Precious metals are expensive and no-one wants to pay premium prices for a dud.

Zoe, a British blogger and accessory aficionado, has written this post in collaboration with Pearl & Butler, specialising in silver jewellery throughout the UK.

$30 for $60 Worth of Italian Cuisine at La Scala Ristorante

You've been craving delicious Italian cuisine, but your attempts to cook haven't panned out and the frozen dinners aren't cutting it. If you're wanting authentic Italian food to satisfy your hunger, today's offer is for you. Seize the Deal today and pay just $25 for $50 worth of Italian cuisine for dinner at La Scala Ristorante! 

With a passion for serving incredible dishes and satisfying customers with their tasty menu options, La Scala Ristorante is your home for Italian food. Order the Signature Seafood Trio, the Frenched Pork Chop or choose another delicious menu item and enjoy your dinner tonight!

Eat great and save when you Sieze the Deal!

Shop as much as you want while saving money

Photo Credit: VoucherCodesEucom

 We all love shopping. We all love new clothes to replace our wardrobe, brand new glamorous shoes, fresh accessories, etc.… But sometimes we girls or guys run out of money and we can’t be able to buy everything which we have written on our wish lists. Here are some useful tips that you can find it as an easy way to stretch your budget a little further. Doesn’t matter what your income level is, it may be low or high, you can give yourself more breathing room by becoming a savvy shopper.

1. Never go without a list. Make sure you’re not forgetting anything and stick to that list. This will help you brainstorm and browse your fashion ideas within a price range that makes sense for your wallet. So you can avoid distractions and stick with your budget.
2. Remember your budget. Plan the exact budget that you can spend and try your best to stick within that limit. If you don’t know how much you can spend, you’ll definitely spend too much.
3. Shop and compare prices on specific items. Take advantage of those closeout deals if you see them. Always keep a backup option.
4. You go shopping so wear for shopping. If you going to seek a special occasion dress, try wearing bits and pieces that go with the outfit you have in your mind. Like strapless bra, high heels and stuff that you will be wearing with that outfit. Or else, wear loose clothes that you can get and you can clear away slightly, and a voluminous bag.
5. New year shopping is the best tip for fashionable people that manage to surrender the enticement to make impulsive shopping. Go in January. Because the sellers always need buyers after Christmas, and they treat you well, besides selling you something fabulous with discount.
6. Make your shopping more worthwhile and mouth watering by going through fashion magazines like Femina, Vogue, Elle and etc. before you go shopping. Once you come to know about the current trend in market by reading the experts' views in those magazines and newspapers, you can add the perfect pinch of salt for your shopping session.

Always keep your eye on new collections and all trendy things in the market, up to date clothes, fabrics, dresses and fashion accessories. Be a shopping freak. Shopping is like a treasure hunt.

Hey I’m Sharon Simmons and I’m living in Paddington, working as a freelance content writer. I love desert safaris and in my leisure time I like to write. Currently I am writing some interesting articles on different fields such as bridal and wedding corsets. Have a look on my Tweets @SharonSimmons90.

Sacred Jewels – $23.00 for Dazzle Her with a Freshwater Pearl Pendant Necklace

Celebrate the depth of your love with this deal: $23 ($140 value) for a freshwater pearl pendant necklace from Sacred Jewels, a Los Angeles-based jewelry design atelier. Each authentic, lustrous freshwater pearl is strung on a sterling silver chain for effortless elegance. Chooseclassic white, sweet peach, or delicate lavender rose to suit your sweetheart's signature style.

• AAA-grade, all-natural freshwater pearls
• Pearls measure 8 to 9 millimeters in height
• 18-inch sterling silver chain; sterling silver setting and clasp

It's a Valentines Day steal, so grab the deal now!

5 Things To Check Before Buying A Used Car

Buying a used car can be a nerve-racking experience. After all, we've all heard stories about friends going to the dealership and coming home with a dud. But these experiences are actually quite rare. When buying a used car from either a dealership or an individual, there are a few things that you should check to ensure that you're getting the best possible deal and that the car you're purchasing doesn't have any major flaws. Here are the 5 main things to check before buying a used car.

1. Tires:
It may seem obvious, but bad tires can be one of the main things that should affect the price of the new car that you buy. Many individual sellers haven't checked their tires in a while, and if the tires need to be replaced, you're going to be out quite a bit of money. To avoid this potential downfall, check the state of the tire tread, and if the tires look like they'll need to be replaced soon ask to adjust the price of the car accordingly.

2. Mileage:
It goes without saying that mileage is important in adjusting the price of a car -- but do keep in mind that most recent cars can go for an indefinite amount of miles if they are serviced correctly. In the old days, a car with over 100,000 miles was on its last legs, but today, as long as its had regular maintenance, it may be barely affected at all by its travels. Mileage is more important in older cars, and cars that have been poorly maintained.

3. Accessories:
It may seem like a small thing, but there are a few items you should request while purchasing a used vehicle: owner's manual, at least two sets of keys, and the spare tire. These items may simply slip the mind of an individual, or have been misplaced by a used car dealership, but when you need them, you need them. You should especially check the trunk to make sure that you have a spare tire--otherwise the dealership should give you one.

4. Lights:
There are a lot of lights on a car: dashboard lights, internal lights, head lights, day running lights, tail lights, front turn signals, back turn signals, and even mirror lights. When actually test driving a car, it's impossible to see that all of these lights are functioning correctly--especially rear turn signals. Since many of these lights are legally required to function properly, you should always test them out.

5. Accident history:
Today it's easier than ever to pull up accident reports online. You should always pull up an accident report for a car. Minor body damage is to be expected on a used car, but anything that damaged the frame or major components should affect the price.

Buying a used car does not need to be a harrowing process. As long as you keep your trusty blue book in hand and are vigilant with your inspections, you should be on your way to a great, gently used, car.

Jason is a car enthusiast and loves to blog about his passion for cars. He recently purchased a 2007 Corvette and didn't have any trouble getting the used car insured because he went with acceptanceinsurance.com

Getting To Grips With A Severe Shopping Addiction

Addictions of any kind put enormous stresses and strains on the body and mind. Of course it is things like alcohol and drugs that tend to grab most of the headlines. That’s not to say that some of the other forms of addictions aren’t damaging in their own way.
One addiction that seems to be getting an increased level of focus is that of compulsive shopping. This terrible addiction sees huge numbers of individuals trying to cope with it each and every day of their lives. Compulsive shopping disorders can be a seasonal thing, often getting worse around Christmas time.
This blog post will take a closer look at how to spot this disorder, plus more importantly perhaps uncover some ways to actually get to grips with it.
Oniomania
The official term for compulsive shopping is called “Oniomania”. The reason why it is classed as a disorder is that it is behavioural based, with sufferers feeling the need to purchase items that they have no specific need for. Furthermore and perhaps even more serious is the fact that these sufferers may not necessarily have the ability to afford just what they are buying.
According to research, over two-thirds of people are believed to be affected by some kind of compulsive shopping disorder. It is not uncommon for these people to have difficulties in forming relationships.
There are many negative consequences to Oniomania. They can range from physical, emotional and of course financial.
Five Pairs Instead of One
Very often it will be a concerned friend or family member that will be able to spot the signs of this disorder, before the individual themselves can even notice these things. Some of the tell-tale signs might well include:

• Lying about the problem
• Broken relationships
• Overspending
• Compulsive purchases

As an example of some of the more extreme behaviour, an individual might go shopping for a new pair of shoes and come back having bought literally five pairs instead of one.
Of course, if this situation is allowed to go un-checked then it can spell financial ruin. Sadly this disease seems to be affecting more and more youngsters. The reality is that debt ridden teens sometimes have to turn to their parents to help them out of the financial mess that they have got themselves into. Often the only solution is for the parents to oversee guarantor loans for their children.
Getting Help
As with many other addictions the hardest part is getting the individual to actually admit that something is wrong. Only after this can steps be taken to curb and treat the addiction.
There is a wide range of differing treatments. Some will be location dependant, whilst others might well suit different forms of this addiction. The most common treatments include:

• Financial counselling
• Behavioural therapy
• Medications
• Self-help books

It would seem that genuine help can often come from family members or other loved ones. The support that they can give is often invaluable in the fight to get free of this addiction.
Self-Help
Once the individual has recognised that there is a problem they will then be in a much better position to help themselves get free of it. Some of the changes in behaviour that can really help in this situation include the following:

• Make a list before shopping, checking the items twice to ensure only necessary things get purchased.
• Disposing of credit and charge cards that often serve to fuel a spending spree
• Seeking out alternatives to shopping
• Taking a relative or friend with you when you go shopping

The above list is by no means comprehensive; however, these elements will help to provide the basis in which a person can cope better with their compulsive shopping addiction.

Sarah Fox is a freelance writer who has first-hand experience regarding shopping addictions. In the past she had to help her friend with guarantor loans in her fight against the disorder.