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Short of Money for Chrismas Gifts, Great Food & Fine Wine this Year

It?s this time of the year that the shops start to put their decorations up, and you start getting thousands of mail-outs in the post (or thousands of emails from online shops).

It?s a great time of the year ? isn?t it? Or is it? Well - for some people it?s not so great. It?s the time of the year when you have to fork out a lot of money (for gift shopping, for food shopping or for decoration shopping) ? and if you don?t have the money ? you can really get yourself in trouble. Especially ? if you need to be paying the bills at the same time (and the bills always seem to come right when you don?t need them!).

You want to be able to give your kids, your friends, & your family the best Christmas possible. You want to be able to shop for awesome gifts that will make their mouths fall open. You want to be able to lay out the best service possible ? turkey, ham, roast meats, roast vegetables, trifle, pavlova, the works? And most importantly ? you want to give them a Christmas to remember.

But ? the power bill & the phone bill are also due this week - so? what do you do? Well of course you have to pay the power bill, so the decorations, food & gifts will just have to wait?

There are some ways to get around the problems though:

They always say you could get the kids involved ? get them to make their own crackers, & decorations. But - I'm not going to pretty this "saying" up - generally this method will cost you more. You will pay around $2 for a six pack of crackers down the road. If you do this separately - , you have to buy the snaps (the centre bits that go BANG) , the paper for making them, the trinkets to put inside them, the paper to fill the crackers out etc?? Sure - you can get the kids involved - just do it wisely - they can make cards out of paper (with felt-tip pens etc) - but fancy things are generally more expensive than at the shops - remember that.

You could get cheaper meats (chicken instead of turkey etc..), sides (potatoes instead of kumara), and deserts (bread & butter pudding instead of trifle) ? but is this something you want to do? If you normally have a ?traditional Christmas?, it is sure to be a let-down if you have lesser foods.

And? you could get smaller pressies ? there is nothing wrong with this ? you could buy a whole sack of $2 pressies (or even $10 pressies), and the kids would enjoy them (maybe not your teenagers ? but the young ones will never know the difference).

So ? what do you do? You just have to spend the money unfortunately. There are two ways to do this:

a) Get your friends & family to contribute some money and have a co-joint christmas experience (we personally do this & it works out great ? we have a ?family? Christmas where everyone contributes something).

b) Get a loan, or a cash advance. There are several companies that will do this - so you can do plenty of online shopping for gifts, food & decorations. Just do a google search for "apply for loan online" or "apply for cash advance", and you will see lots of companies willing to help you out. Of course, you should try to avoid this measure. It's just going to end up getting you in more debt. If you are just looking for something to tide you over (until you get the next pay cheque), by all means - go for the cash advance. But the loaning of money is dangerous, so be very careful!

So in closing, yes ? there are options for xmas! Just make sure you make it a good one, and most of all - enjoy it!

Short Review on Wine Journal

Short of Money for Chrismas Gifts, Great Food & Fine Wine this Year


It?s this time of the year that the shops start to put their decorations up, and you start getting thousands of mail-outs in the post (or thousands of...


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Provence ? A Wine Lover?s Dream Come True!

Provence is often overlooked by companies that offer traditional wine tasting tours, in spite of the excellence of its wines. If you?re a true wine lover and wine fan, this beautiful location in France offers the most fascinating scenery and, not to mention, some of the best vineyards around.



In Provence, as everywhere in the Mediterranean, you?ll find the people full of warmth, spontaneity and a ?joie de vivre?. As you will soon discover, any of these master oenologists (winemakers) will be delighted to introduce you to the wines they have become famous for; and share a little of the region?s history with you.



In Provence your days will be filled with sunshine and warmth, and lush nights, scented with jasmine, lavender and wild thyme - whether you stay in a bustling, crowded metropolis with all the modern conveniences, or a turn-of-the-century country guest house filled with 17th and 18th century antiques.



However, little do outsiders know that winemaking in Provence is a serious business. Many of the winegrowers here have won the rights to include the prestigious ?AOC? designation (Appellation d?Origine Controlee) on their bottles of wines. This label assures the buyer of a guaranteed vintage from the designated region. In order to win the right to become designated as an appellation wine, winegrowers much pass rigorous tests and inspections.



If you are thinking of traveling to the south of France in the near future, think about including a trip to one of the vineyards of the 60 winegrowers in the "Cotes de Provence" region. A small, yet beautiful area, it takes in the departments of the Var and part of the Bouches-du-Rhone.



Located in the heart of Provence?s winemaking region, the ?Maison des Cotes de Provence? boasts an outstanding selection of appellation wines. The Cotes de Provence winegrowers are experts in utilizing traditional methods when harvesting and bottling their wines. Their deep respect for the soil, the climate and the different varieties of grapes they use comes through in the quality and taste of each bottle.



During your visit to Provence, you can also arrange to take a wine tasting course at one of the vineyards where you will learn a complete understanding of wine: its robe (color), its bouquet (perfume), its body (strength) and everything you need to know about service, conservation and more. Not only will you be able to taste the finest wines, but you will also learn invaluable winemaking tips you can?t learn elsewhere.



For the true wine lover, Provence is definitely a place to visit ? both for the fantastic wines and unforgettable scenery!

About the Author: Mark Anthony is an avid wine lover. He owns a number of wine-related sites, including French Wine Secrets, Italian Wine Secrets and Napa Wine Secrets.