I’m thrilled to be joining the OolaMoola team. I’ll be blogging about a wide range of moola-saving fabulousness, from general craftiness to serious bargain-hunting. I’ve also got a few pet interests of my own. Here’s a little walk-through of what to expect from me, SassyMoola:

Float this way, social butterfly

Vice Night London by Simon Welsh at Flickr

People say London is an expensive city. I say it can be an expensive city, but it doesn’t have to be. From galleries to clubs to gigs to restaurants, our metropolis is crammed with urban adventures that won’t lead you deep into debtsville.
Looking for something in particular? Post your moola mission in a comment or tuck it into an email and I’ll get right on it.

Weekends away

Take Off, Will ya? by ChicagoEye at Flickr

Who amongst us hasn’t reached the end of a stressful week, hopped an outbound plane to spend a blissful weekend forgetting the benevolent chaos of Monday to Friday life… only to emerge from this happy fugue on an inbound plane two days later, with a bad case of the spending guilts (“how much was that hotel room?” “now I’m back in British airspace maybe three Euros is too much for a coffee”) and a beast of a credit card bill in the post.
We ALL deserve glorious mini-breaks, but few among us deserve to pay a fortune for them. The challenge: to track down and pounce on some of the best mini-breaks out there, coming home relaxed and on budget. Where do you want to go, and how much do you want to pay? Give me my mini-break orders and I’ll get on the case!

Shopping – I just don’t like it. I love the clothes (when they fit) and I love the retail buzz when I nail a purchase I really need (ok, want). However, I don’t love the shuffling through shops, the queuing for a fitting room, and the three-figure hit to my wallet with every seasonal wardrobe refresh. Worst of all, I hate that sinking, told-you-so feeling when I open my closet and see those overpriced purchases hanging there unworn because it turns out I don’t like them after all.

The challenge is on: I’m out to find fun and easy ways to score fabulous clothing, without breaking the bank OR breaking down in a fitting room queue.

Cooking

Summer Meal by Kai Hendry on Flickr

It’s something I can do but don’t do enough of. An unfortunate incident wherein a now-ex boyfriend walked in on me making homemade pizza (“Of course I make the dough from scratch!”) in the presence of two suspiciously empty frozen pizza boxes has left me culinarily gun-shy (whisk-shy?). It’s time to face my fears and throw a dinner party.

I hail from a large family, so overcatering comes naturally. I also love entertaining. So what’s stopping me? Give me a theme, a recipe, and a budget and I’ll prove it can be done (and done beautifully!) or I’ll eat my takeaway menus.

So there’s the gauntlet, and here’s me, limbering up by the start line. Any more ideas? Hand ‘em over and let’s get started!