Christmas is a magical time of year but it’s all too easy to get caught up in the holiday hysteria and end up spending much more than you intended on family, friends and even yourself. We’ve put together a set of tips to help you avoid breaking the bank and falling into debt, making your festive season a little less stressful.
You know you want this. It’s a giant, hand-painted, resin doughnut stool ready and waiting to add calorie-free sweetness to your pad.
You’ll never miss your suitcase on the baggage conveyor belt again when it’s wrapped in this personalised cover featuring your mug. Nothing says “that’s my luggage” quite like a giant version of your own face! The Head Case comes in three sizes, is made from durable polyester and spandex and stretches to fit snugly over your case, with a set of well-placed openings keeping the handles accessible. Ingenious.
We all know it – cash is no longer king. Australians now use cards more often than cash to pay for things. Understanding the value of money is an important childhood lesson, so as traditional cash nears extinction, how do parents pay their kids pocket money and continue to instil a practical life lesson? This clever Australian business might just have the answer.
In this ode to one of his favourite foods – the toasted sandwich – chef Darren Purchese turns the dial up to 10 with his unique take on the guiltiest foodie pleasure. From pimped-out classics through to dessert toasties, his 50 masterful creations will have you forgetting everything you thought you knew about the humble toastie. Reinvent your sandwich game with this pro’s guide.
Hardie Grant Books RRP $29.99
“Flipping” might be the new word on the block but Australians have long been part of the reno revolution. Some are looking for fast returns (the flip), while others are upgrading after being in a home for several years. Whichever your strategy, chances are the goal remains the same: to renovate for profit. Here are Haven’s tips to ramp up your returns.
Since its launch in October 2010, more than 40 billion photos have been shared on Instagram and it now has more than 600 million users. The adage that a picture is worth a thousand words is perhaps why it’s a social media wunderkind – 95 million photos and videos are shared on the app each day. Anyone with a smartphone now always carries a camera with them – and Instagram allows them to visually document their lives from the palm of their hand.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
Australia’s National Treasure and undoubtedly one of our most distinguished thinkers, Dame Edna Everage is as entertaining on the page as she is on stage. Take a comedic romp across our nation as Barry Humphries’ alter ego provides a masterly history of 101 quintessential Australian things: from our world-class sharks and marauding possums, our game-changing inventions like the dualflush loo and Hills Hoist, to barbies, eskies, goon, O Words, The Ashes, pink lamingtons, Bex powders, bogans, thongs, uggs and utes – you’ll be amazed at what our sunburnt country has contributed to modern civilisation.
Harper Collins RRP $29.99
Mention interior designers and most people think glossy magazines,
luxe fit-outs and big bucks. But interior designers are not necessarily
expensive, and the right advice from the right style guru could add
some panache and pizzazz to your décor for fewer dollars than you
think. It’s as much about knowing who to use as it is about knowing
how to use and when to use an interior designer.
