Uncategorized

I’ve just been to Norwich for a couple of days.  Two of my fabulous friends were getting married there so made my first trip back in about five years.

It was a quick visit but still time to explore this fabulous city so here’s my round up of ways to see some of the city’s gems and save money.

Walk the streets

Norwich city centre is easy to get around on foot and you can pick up lots of leaflets and maps and information from the Norwich Tourist Information Centre

If you want to join an organised walk and pick up a bit of history along the way, ask at the Tourist Office as trips leave from outside and you’ll pay £5 for a 90 minute walk.

If you’re taking a solo trip and get lost, make sure it’s in Norwich Lanes as there’s no shortage of cafes, shops, bars and restaurants there.   Brunch is fabulous at the Iron House or check out No. 33 just around the corner, though this does often mean a queue.

While you’re over that way,  step back in time and walk the cobbles of the city’s most famous street Elm Hill  which is the most complete medieval street in the city.  But if you want your snaps minus the tourists you’ll need to be up early.  I headed over there early on a Sunday morning, Starbucks in hand to take mine.

Norwich Castle

Well worth a trip but tickets to Norwich Castle will set you back £9.15 for adults.  But you can get in for £2 with a ‘Twilight’ ticket if you go along just one hour before closing.  Open Monday – Saturday 10am – 4.30pm and Sundays 1pm – 4.30pm.

Norwich Cathedral

Get a free tour inside Norwich Cathedral It’s absolutely stunning and the most complete Norman Cathedral in England and tours leave every hour between 10am – 3pm from Monday to Saturday.

Free stuff

Pop in the Forum which is home to both BBC Look East and BBC Radio Norfolk as well as hosting free exhibitions and events.   Usually always something going on and it’s open every day.

Snap up some discounts

Sign up for a free Norfolk Passport for deals and discounts across the county.

This includes savings on food, drink and rooms at the stunning Assembly House  in Norwich, which is a Grade I listed building and designed way back in 1754.

Cheap sleeps

Plenty of great places to stay but if you’re on a budget head for the Travelodge 

Go for the ‘Central’ one in Queen’s Road so you can be in the city centre in seconds, close to the Castle, Lanes, Forum, markets and Royal Arcade.  Prices vary but you can snap up Travelodge rooms from £29 although you’ll usually need to stay Sunday to Thursday for these.

Just spotted Aldi’s ‘ Retro Vintage Turntable which has got to be a winner at just £29.99.   Especially when I reckon it’s so ‘super similar’ to one I spotted at Urban Outfitters at £128.99.

Aldi’s version comes in lilac, cream, grey and a fabulous floral design.

It’s got a three speed turntable for everything from 7″ up to 12″ and comes all packed in a handy little portable case with built in speakers and a three year warranty.

Why does everyone want feedback?  Shop online or hand over your email address and you’re bound to get ‘follow up’ emails asking ‘how did we do?’ and wanting your feedback about the service.

Yes it’s all great that companies are keen to improve their customer service and make sure they get things right, but is constantly pestering people for feedback for online purchases while waving tiny carrots of prize draws at them really the best way to go about it?

Who reads this stuff?

Ok so if a company can persuade you to air and share your views on the promise of being entered for a prize draw, means of course they get free feedback.  But as most of these company ‘feedback’ surveys are merely a list of questions where you score or tick boxes, I’d be interested to know who really looks at this hastily given feedback or whether the companies involved really take any notice of it?

Argos want feedback

I’ve just had not one, but two separate emails from Argos, several days apart, and both asking for feedback on a recent ‘Click & Collect’ order.

Both emails claimed the feedback survey would only take a few minutes and came with the promise of entry into a prize draw to win a £500 Argos gift card.

Now you may think the chance to win a £500 gift card is incentive enough to spend a few minutes airing and sharing your views, though Argos did seem to have a rather extensive list of questions, 35 in total!  And covering every aspect of the buying process down to rating the price and product.

But oh dear, Argos made a bit of a muck up, as it clearly hadn’t updated its system, as I spotted that the promised ‘Prize Draw’ had already ended several days ago according to the small print at the bottom of the email!

Everyone’s at it!

And of course Argos aren’t the only company wanting feedback.  If I’m ever in touch with my mobile phone company I get an instant text asking me to rate their performance and only the other day when I rang to find out what had happened to my Tesco delivery, I had to decline the option of being called back to give ‘feedback’.

Thinking about making your will is never going to be easy, but without one, the law dictates who gets what, which can mean extra heartache for your family if your money, property and possessions aren’t shared out the way you wanted.

Two in three of us don’t have a will according to research from Macmillan Cancer Support and even if you have made one, it may need updating over the years, for example if children or grandchildren come along.

Let’s be honest, cost may play a part too, when it comes to getting around to making one, as it can cost around £150 a time, but making one is important if you want peace of mind knowing  your last wishes will be carried out.

Macmillan free wills month

This month is Macmillan Free Wills month which means the chance to get your will drawn up by a solicitor totally free of charge.  And there’s no rush to make an appointment this month either; you just need to register the fact you’re interested before the end of January, and then complete your will by the end of May.

The Macmillan offer means you’ve got several options, including making your will in person at McClure Solicitors, which has offices across the UK, or arranging a home visit through the GoodWill Partnership.

Obviously if you’re taking advantage of the free service, Macmillan hope you’ll support them by leaving a donation in your will, but there’s no obligation to do this, although personally I don’t think it’s fair to take advantage of the free service unless you’re prepared to leave them something.

And if you don’t manage to get around to it this month, Macmillan will also be having another Free Wills month during August.

Other ways to get free wills

Lots of other charities including Cancer Research UK , Oxfam and Mind all offer a free will writing service with the hope you’ll decide to leave them something in your will.

And if you’re over 55 you can get your will made during Free Wills month which takes place every March and October.  It’s backed by lots of charities including the British Heart Foundation and Stroke Association so you may be asked if you’d like to leave a donation to charity in your will, although there’s no obligation to do so.

Will Aid

During the annual Will Aid campaign every November, anyone, regardless of age, can have their will written free of charge.

Participating solicitors across the UK waive their usual will writing fees in exchange for a donation to charity, and  charities include the British Red Cross, NSPCC, Christian Aid and Age UK.   Once again, while they hope you will make a donation, you don’t have to.

That extra glass of fizz at midnight may give you a horrid headache but the New Year could bring a financial hangover too.

Making New Year’s resolutions can be bad for your bank balance according to the number crunchers at TSB   It reckons we each shell out an average of £187 in our enthusiasm for a ‘new start’ on January 1st.  But one in three of us give up on at least half of our new goals by the end of January.  And nearly half of us have packed in the lot by March.

So here’s how those numbers stack up!

Getting fit

This one costs us £73 on a mix of gym and slimming club memberships and forking out on new gym clothes so we look the part, or buying fitness DVD’s so we can get fit in the privacy of our homes!

Healthy eating

Who hasn’t opened a fridge full of leftovers with post Christmas cheese and chocolate and decided to eat more healthily?  But it’s not just a case of ditching the chocolate as we splash out £42 on juices and smoothie blenders in a bid to make our healthy eating regime go the distance.

New hobbies

This can be anything from learning a new language to taking up music lessons or painting and means stumping up an average of £34 according to TSB.

And when it comes to how we’ll pay for our plans; one in five of us say we’ll rely on our credit card to fund those resolutions…….

So reckon I’ll be sticking to the ‘free’ ones and aiming, (as always!),  to do more walking, (10,000 steps a day minimum is the plan…..), drink more water (yes the old ‘eight’ glasses a day is always one of my regular resolutions too!), and most importantly to try and make the most of every minute of a brand new year.

Happy New Year to you all and hope it’s a great one for you whether you stick to your resolutions or not……