Museum of Brands in Notting Hill
Jun 3rd
Struggling for ideas of ways to entertain ourselves in the rain last weekend, a friend and I decided to visit the Museum of Brands in Notting Hill as it was recommended by a family member.
We arrived in Notting Hill and made our way to the Museum, winding through the beautiful back roads, before stumbling across a quaint alley to find that the museum was hidden at the end of it.
We meandered our way through the endless displays of old packaging, fads and fashion and toys and games collected over the years, each telling a story and revealing how consumer culture has developed and how advertising has had to adapt to this.
Featuring some of the major brands that are still around today, the displays were fascinating and it was very interesting to see the changes that had been made over the years to fit in with external influences that came into each particular moment.
Although my friend and I really enjoyed our visit, we could not help but feel that there is only so much old packaging you can study before losing interest. Unless you are studying in an area of advertising and marketing, the collection at the Museum of Brands is probably too comprehensive for those visitors who have very little passion for branding.
Entry to the museum was £3.50 for students and £7.00 for adults. Whilst it was worth the visit, £7.00 for admission is probably slightly over priced so it would be worth looking out for vouchers, however, £3.50 for concessions proves great value for money!!
Join the Odeon Premiere Club today and get FREE tickets and popcorn!
May 28th
I am a film fanatic and I love going to the cinema! My flat in London is opposite an Odeon and understandably this has turned into an expensive addiction of going to watch all the latest films as soon as they are released!
If like me, you don’t think a film is the same without the oversized drinks and bulging popcorn, then you will understand that a low-key trip to the cinema can be quite a strain on the purse!
On a trip to the cinema a couple of months ago, I was offered an Odeon Premiere Club Card. When I was first asked to sign up I thought it would be something that would spam your email account and was not interested in signing up. However, when on the Odeon website a few weeks later I read a little more about it and realised that it is a very generous loyalty card and a great way to get freebies for doing what I love!
To get yourself set up you do have to purchase a card but they do throw in some extra points to get you started! There are 3 packages to choose from -
• Classic Film Fan Package – £1.99 + 100 introductory Odeon Points
• Deluxe Film Fan Package – £4.99 + 500 introductory Odeon Points
• Ultimate Film Fan Package – £9.99 + 1000 introductory Odeon Points plus double points for one month
Once your card is activated then you earn 10 Odeon points for every full £1 you spend, that includes online and offline tickets as well as any snacks you get to accompany the film. Once you have built up enough points then you can simply redeem the points against free cinema tickets or food!
A small soft drink is 300 Odeon Points, small popcorn is 400 Odeon Points and free tickets start at 800 Odeon points.
In addition, being a Premiere Club Card holder also entitles you to exclusive special offers to discounted tickets, 2 for 1s, or up and coming events, allowing you to reserve your seat to avoid missing the release of the next big hit!
It is simple – you get rewarded for going to watch films!
A Couples Photo Experience – perfect gift for the girls!
May 13th
It was one of my closets friends birthday at the start of May and I was really struggling as to what to get her for a present. She is a very girlie girl who has almost everything you could wish for so I wanted to get her something a little more sentimental.
I was looking at experiences on Lastminute.com and came across the Couples Photo Experience. She has been with her boyfriend for a very long time and I thought it would be great for them to have some professional photos done as well as spend some quality time together.
The Couples Photo Experience is a fantastic gift for any girl who loves to be pampered. The whole experience lasts for about 3hours.
On arrival you are greeted by a make up artist and hair stylist who pamper you with attention and expertise. You and your partner then spend some time with the photographer to get that perfect shot. Costume changes are also included and all of the photos are available to buy at the end of the day.
But you don’t go home empty handed…You are allowed to pick any photo from the shoot, A4 size, to take home for FREE.
So whether you want to make a photo album of you and your partner or just want a small memory of a fun and romantic day out then the Couples Photo Experience is a bargain present!
The voucher is £19.50 and is valid for 6 months at any Acorn centre across the UK.
Lastminute.com also offer family photo experiences – so there is photo experience for everyone!
Cheap Comedy nights in London
May 10th
On Friday night a friend and I decided to visit a local comedy night in Putney – it was brilliant!
Tucked downstairs in an America Sports Bar called Wahoo, formally known as the Australian Sports Bar Walkabout, there is a comedy night that runs on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Although I had heard of it before, I had never been but I am glad I did!
Wahoo outsources the night to a company called Comedy Tree. Although small, they have an extensive list of comedians and appear to be growing quite rapidly. The up and coming comedians also appear at a bar called The Watershed in Wimbledon.
The night is friendly, full of laughs and flooded with cheap drinks! It is the perfect way to warm up for a birthday celebration, a great get together with the girls for a giggle or just to wind down from a busy week with your nearest and dearest.
Entry to the night was £10, but £6 for students. The entertainment lasted around 2 hours with three comedians offering something for everyone – absolutely brilliant and great value for money!!
It seems that the Comedy Tree is looking to expand itself, looking for new venues to perform at, so keep your eyes open for one near you!!
FREE tickets with SRO Audiences
May 10th
I am on the mailing list for ApplauseStore and after being bitterly disappointed when I was refused entry from the filming of the Celebrity Big Brother Final, I decided that I would sigh up to SRO Audiences to see if I was treated better with them.
When on their website I checked out their up and coming shows to see what was available and I saw a new show called ‘Odd One In’. Starring Peter Andre and Russell Howard it looks like a show not to be missed!
When you sign up you get to put in 3 dates in order of preference and I was fortunate enough to get my first choice. After receiving my e-ticket, I then found out that I was actually busy on the wednesday that I was given a ticket for, so I emailed them directly to return my ticket and request a new one.
Their customer services was extremely helpful and I was given a new e-ticket instantly for another date. The man I dealt with advised me to get there on the early side to avoid disappointment of being refused entry and that it was also a good idea to get there early as seating is done on a first come first served basis -this is something that I was not pre warned about when going to see Big Brother.
SRO Audiences have so many shows that offer free tickets so it is worth checking out their site – it is free to sign up and free to go along!
Eat out with a Taste London Card
Mar 23rd
I’m sure that you will agree when I say that I have already started sorting out my clothes for the summer as soon as the sun started showing last week! It is beginning to get warmer as we head into April and what I am most looking forward to this summer is eating out!
Whilst I am currently living in London, I head back to Bournemouth at the end of the Summer so understandably want to make the most of dinning in London! On a budget, this is not at all feasible and without vouchers available for the majority of places that I want to eat, there is only one solution, a Taste London card.
When I first heard about the Taste London cards, I couldn’t really justify buying one so decided to try it out first (Taste London are always offering free month trials and discounted prices on the RRP so it is worth checking their site before your buy!)
After getting my use out of my trial card I just couldn’t resist! Saturday night my friend and I decided it had been too long since we had a curry. We searched the Taste London website for local curry houses and came across a vast choice all offering different offers but we settled for a really nice contemporary south Indian cuisine which gave 50% off each course!
The restaurant was exactly as described on the site and we had an absolutely lovely meal! For the two of us we had four drinks, poppodums to start with, a main course each with rice and naan bread. The bill came to just £29.00 including service with the Taste London card, now for London on a Saturday night I think you will agree when I say that this is unbeatable pricing!
Taste London has over 3,000 restaurants registered with them and there is a restaurant to suit every moment all offering great deals!
If you live in London then why not get yourself signed up today at the Taste London website?
Do you have a Taste London card? Tell us What do you think?
Personalised wine bottles
Mar 16th
I had heard of personalised alcohol labels before and seen them advertised on the internet but I had never looked into it or actually bought one for someone, until Mother Days crept up on me!
Each year I struggle of what to get my Mum and this year was no different, but after years of buying the usual gifts like chocolate, flowers and cosmetics, I thought it was a good time to start thinking of a different idea and something she had never had before.
I went online to start searching for the best place to get my hands on the prezzie and came across a brilliant site called gonedigging.co.uk. The site has some brilliant personalised present ideas and was very easy to use with extremely efficient delivery!
I went though and picked my wine, personalised my label and for an additional couple of pounds I opted to get a box with it, which was a great touch as it made the bottle a lovely presentable gift that could easily be kept.
This idea is not exclusively for wine lovers as the site also offers the chance to personalise labels for spirits and champagnes with a huge variety to choose from, there is something affordable for everyone and every occasion.
I selected a bottle of Rose (presented in a box) + p+p all for £22.99 (if you spend over £30 on the site then they offer FREE UK delivery!) The site is defiantly worth having a look at for cheap, unique gift ideas as there is a lot to choose from!
A personalised bottle of alcohol is a very simple and in expensive gift for all ages and great for special occasions including birthdays, Christmas, weddings and anniversary’s.
If you have bought this as a present before or been given this as a present then let me know what you thought of it?
Feed 4 people for under a fiver!
Mar 12th
I don’t think that I am the only one who dreads the end of the month, having to last out until the next payday and buying food is something that always seems to end up costing more than what you have budgeted for!!
Living in Putney this year, I am right next to a Sainsbury’s, not always a desired place to live as it is more often than not a lot more pricey than the likes of ASDA! However, throughout the recession there has been a lot of competition between the supermarkets as to who can offer the cheapest prices for the same shopping basket. From this idea stemmed the “Two dine for £10” which was a great hit with even supermarkets like M & S and Waitrose offering the deal, but that wasn’t enough for Sainsbury’s!
Sainsbury’s bought in their “Feed your family for a fiver” last year but I have never looked into it as I thought that the meals would be very frozen focused and very small portions. However, shopping in Sainsbury’s all the time now, I thought it was about time that despite not having a family to feed, I would check out the recipes!!
With money at a push, it seemed the perfect time to pick up a recipe in store (there is a huge variety available). I thought it was a good opportunity to try something I hadn’t cooked before so I opted for their ‘Country Vegetables and Sausage Stew’ and it was delicious!!
The best thing with the recipes is that they are all very easy to cook and there is a huge variety from absolute classics to some very adventurous dishes. My chosen recipe was easy to make and was full of fresh boiled vegetables which was great!
Feeding four people, the dish was an absolute hit amongst my friends and I have convinced my flat mate to get the next one in!
It is a great, cheap way to spend an evening whilst still eating healthily and entertaining so why not make it into a proper occasion and get some bottles of wine in and drink the night away with mates!
Have you ever used a recipe from Sainsbury’s? If so let me know what you think!
Marco Pierre White offers two courses for £12.50
Mar 10th
With food often at the fore front of my mind, eating out is one of my favourite ways to spend my time. It is important that I enjoy the food that I am paying for, but more importantly for me is the atmosphere and sociable aspects that come with eating out.
If you have been reading my blog and been up to date you will see that I have written only a handful of reviews on restaurants but I am aiming to offer my opinion on what some of the most respected chefs have to offer as I believe there are few better ways to treat someone special than taking them out for a nice meal, but of course at a reasonable price!
There seems to be a current trend for great offers at some of the top restaurants and when I saw Marco Pierre Whites most recent deal I had to go! Marco Pierre White owns several restaurants offering a variety of cuisine, but it was Frankie’s Express that caught my attention! Frankie’s Express, which has taken its name from close work alongside Frankie Dettori, is currently offering two courses for £12.50 or three for £15.00.
Unlike a lot of restaurants that offer these deals, Frankie’s Express has a huge variety on the menu and extremely generous portions. Of course it is worth highlighting that the food is delicious, it is the atmosphere and decor of the restaurant that is fun, friendly and the all round winner!
I went to the restaurant with a group of girls which was great fun and with a traditional American Diner set up, but with glitz and glamour, it made for a night full of laughter! The general cliental was very mixed with young couples, first dates and groups of friends, but for the small amount that it costs it is no surprise that there was not an empty table in the restaurant!
It is worth noting the times that the set menu is available as it is restricted on certain days and I would definitely recommend booking as we had booked for 9pm but there were still customers flooding in and there would have been a wait if we hadn’t.
Have you been to one of Marco Pierre White’s restaurants? If so please let me know what you think.
£10 menu at Prezzo
Mar 8th
With spirits high as the weather starts to perk up with Summer sun in sight, why not get out the house and treat yourself to a cheap meal at Prezzo!
I found this offer a couple of days ago and couldn’t resist so headed straight to my local restaurant to take advantage of the generous deal that is on EVERYDAY until 13th March, that includes Friday and Saturday nights!!
We went for an early sitting and the food, service and atmosphere could not be faulted! I have in the past heard very mixed views about Prezzo but have never been there myself. After arriving with anticipation of the sort of service we were going to receive as we were not full price paying customers, I was delighted to leave having had an extremely enjoyable evening.
This deal is not to be missed and allows you to pick a starter, main course and a drink which includes wine, beer and soft drinks! There is lots of variety on the list as well and both courses offer very generous proportions. For just £20 we had a very enjoyable and romantic meal out in London, an idea that is often unheard of!
If like me you are saving your pennies for that perfect summer holiday, then this is the voucher to have this March!
To get your voucher visit the link from My Voucher Codes and treat yourself this week!
Have you been to Prezzo before? If so let me know what you think!