The Night Of Lola The Showgirl!

Hello!

Another long week over and done with I was certainly more than happy that it was finally payday. It felt as though February had been a lot longer of a month than the payday between Christmas and the end of January. Maybe it was the fact that all of my money was ploughed into a savings account ISA in order to desperately try and save for a house in order to move out before Christmas this year. This, coupled with the fact that my weight has now started to slow down after losing so much over Christmas and New Year despite all the personal training sessions and gym visits has all in all left me feeling slightly deflated. With no holiday to look forward to this year and very little planned in the calendar I was certainly struggling with my motivation for losing weight and saving for my first home!

Deciding that I was not going to spend another month not going out and being a complete antisocial recluse, I organised a works night out. Following the works Christmas party and how much fun it was, not to mention just how messy it ended up, I was certain that a good old-fashioned night out to paint the town red! On sending the email out to my colleague I eagerly awaited their response. But nothing came, only a few replies on how some people were not able to make it. There were a few suggestions that involved team activities that were not alcohol related but on trying to obtain numbers no one seemed to care. So it seemed up until last minute it was just me and a couple of the girls going out for a quiet drink and maybe a dance. 

Heading for some pre-drinks round one of the girls house's, gossipping away about music and the likes, trying to decided on what pair of shoes goes with what dress and whether anyone can see our VPL - Visible Panty Line. Frosty air nipping at our legs we were finally in a pub keeping warm and refreshed with some Prosecco or two. Later on the music started to pump and in between scrolling though social media and nattering over the tunes there would be a Selfie or two. Unfortunately none of us out saw the arrogant twat walking towards us like some sort of Andy Warhol. Dressed in an overly tight top that saw the blood supply cut off to his exterior limbs, he waltzed over to our table and failing to introduce himself like a true gent (or to be honest anyone with any ounce of dignity or respect) and practically snatched my Smart phone out of my hand in order to "help" us clearly failing and weak women take a Selfie. 

Five minutes he was still there and despite our efforts to move him along politely we had given up and lost our patience with him and his poxy photography skills fast. Insulting him as only women know how to by emasculating the little toe-rag he eventually got the picture and pissed off, leaving my phone back in my safe hands and with a dozen or so badly taken and blurred images of three women on the Razz. 

Carrying on throughout the night we were joined by some other work colleagues whom were also on a night out with some of their friends, joining together in a drunken stupor I felt like the fifth wheel in all of this. Not wanting to interrupt anyone's conversation and boring of looking at my phone I went off in search of some company. Male was my choice preferably as they were normally more friendly and usually happy to see anyone of the female variety taking an interest, even a Hepher like me! Or so I thought. The first lad I made conversation with was tall with light brown curly hair in what the kids on the street call a "Meet Me At McDonalds" Haircut. Wearing a dusty blue grey jumper and being typically British I mentioned how cold it was and we struck up a chat which eventually lead to him asking for my number. Before I even had a chance to turn around and run back to my friends or tell him I had a boyfriend I was thrust a phone and asked to put in my number. When I handed it back and said I had done it, I was promptly told that this was not true as Mr. Meet-Me-At-McDonalds-Haircut had been watching me the whole time and I had not given my number. "Persistent I'll give him that" I thought as I typed a random number into my phone and saved it under 'Lola' - And yes she was a showgirl! 

Heading off from one public house to the next I found myself in the wallet-sucking auction room and whilst its nice atmosphere, relatively good music and nice cocktails are always welcome in my books, the price you pay for a dribble of Blossom Hill White Zinfandel (my fave) you could walk up the road to the corner shop and buy a whole bottle and still have change. Separated from my work buds I made some new ones with a guy who was sat alone and looking melancholy. Striking up conversation in probably the most intoxicated way possible whereby I thrust my hand out and introduced myself. The gentleman obliged and we got chatting, later on his friends joined and I got talking to some more guys and they asked if I was single. "Wow two lots of guys in one night?! Surely this cant be happening? They must all have that 'Shallow Hal' thing going on!" I pondered. Laughing it off I found my friends and I danced the rest of the night away without many cares in the world apart from having a good time. 

I never knew that I would have been so popular with the lads. I mean granted I did make the first move in terms of walking over for a chat and introducing myself in a proper way as opposed to our All-Muscle-No-Brains "Photographer" earlier in the evening. Being the size I am (UK Size 18/20) I would have thought that men would have turned the other way, ignored me or worse made a joke but in actual fact I think they were just pleased for the attention and the fact that someone was maybe interested in talking to them for a change and not them having to do all the chasing, not that that was what I was after. I kinda feel sorry for lads sometimes as they are damned if they do and damned if they don't in many a moral dilemma, especially when it comes to dating and anything concerned with the opposite sex. 

Now I know some people may criticise me and ask why I did all those things on Friday night when I had a perfectly good-to-me boyfriend sat at home. The thing is that I did not intend to go out with the intention of pulling, cheating or handing out myself like sweeties. I have respect for myself regardless of when I am in or out of a relationship. I know how to conduct myself and am confident in the situations I put myself in. If I wanted to cheat I could and would have done it months if not years ago. But I didn't and don't. Why? Because Mr. Warehouse and I have a strong relationship which means he can go out, chat with other girls, dance with other girls and even mildly flirt with them if he so wishes just as I can and did on Friday night, but the difference between us and other couples is that we trust each other and that each night one or both of us goes out on the piss, we know we're coming home to something much, much more special, meaningful and precious than some twenty-something in "Da Club"!

'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx

Comparing Meerkats!

Evening one and all, 

So after last week's blog post I thought that I would have lost at least something after attending a few more sessions at my local gym and after following the weeks of personal training sessions it would appear that all the hard work is starting to pay off. More and more people are starting to notice that I have lost a bit of timber. In fact, at my weekly meeting on Thursday last week I was told by my personal trainer that I had lost nearly two stone in the last 8 weeks or so. Hard to think that I have had several social events, two holidays and even Christmas as well. I am so pleased with myself and whilst I am still in the size 18 category in most shops I am certain that I will not be there for long. Anyway on with the show ...  

This weekend was going to be a game changer and something that would hopefully change the spending habits of Mr Warehouse and I, all in preparation for us to hopefully own our own home. Be it this year or next (and heaven forbid if it is any longer than that) I would like Mr Warehouse and I to be in a home that we own, at least in part anyway. I know that it is almost as a pipe dream thinking that I might be able to move in and buy a house by the end of the year, but the way I see it is that if I do not aim high I will not get anywhere, constantly frittering away money on nothing. Obviously, that all being said it was almost a pointless waste of time getting up early on Saturday morning. 

Waking after a late night watching crap TV and listening to Mr Warehouse tap away on his Xbox, we were late and to make matters worse what woke me up was a phone call from the bank. Unfortunately for me they were calling to let me know that despite my 30-minute phone call earlier in the week with a customer service adviser at the Call Center, the information I gave regarding wanting an appointment to speak with an adviser about saving for our first home and potentially about getting a mortgage had not been passed on. Infuriated, I certainly did not have time to discuss the reasons as to the Call Center's fuck up. Angry and annoyed at the fact that I had not woken up on time and was now about to be late to our first appointment with a different bank for the same reasoning as before. Running out of time, I ended the call, threw on some clothes and slapped on some make-up and headed for the car. 

On arriving to our first meeting with a mortgage adviser, nearly 25-minutes late, Mr Warehouse and I stood in the queue like total lemons waiting for someone to come and talk to us. Once the in-branch staff had finished dealing with all the other busy customers and they had and finally got on to seeing us, it was far too late to do anything and as a result we were turned away. I suppose in a way it was my fault and I should have made sure my alarm was set and whilst it is not a major problem in the grand old scheme of things it was certainly annoying to have not one but two appointments for through on the same day, one of which at least was out of our control. 

With this, I thought that Mr Warehouse and I would probably find somewhere for a cheeky fry-up and maybe a spot of shopping. Nope! Following a march out into the street from the bank foyer, Mr Warehouse and I started to crack with each other. The niggles and snaps came thick and fast as we both understood each other's frustration at the mornings activities, or not as the case maybe. Feeling like the world was against us, not to mention each other, we headed home and kept ourselves to ourselves. I was angry that we had missed our appointment and Mr Warehouse was not accommodating in any which way with what he wanted to do after the morning activities had fallen through. Mr Warehouse was annoyed that I was annoyed about the banks miscommunication and ergo missing our other appointment. The most frustrating thing about being in a relationship with Mr Warehouse is the fact that he does not want to argue and refuses to have any confrontation whatsoever. Everyone enjoys a good bust-up right? 

Sitting in silence as I scrolled through my phone whilst the Bae cleaning the kitchen I certainly felt guilty for taking it out on him when it was not really his fault. Obviously I am a woman and would never let on that I was never in the wrong. Nevertheless when the dog farted and broke the silence we couldn't help but look at each other and laugh. Following our unfortunate morning we headed out in the afternoon in order to go and play with some Meerkats. 

I had bought Mr Warehouse a present of being a zoo-keeper for the day for his birthday in August last year, and including looking after all animals and cute ones, scary ones and creepy ones he opted instead to look after some Meerkats. Certainly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I would highly recommend the activity for anybody who enjoys animals and wildlife especially those with kids. Maybe not something about Mr Warehouse and I could take our smaller relative to due to the fact that they are either loud and rambunctious but also that my cousins are quite timid and are more like scaredy cats than Meerkats. A nice meal out courtesy of the whoever brought us the Nando's voucher for Christmas and a trip to the pub to watch the football on Sunday pretty much concluded our weekend. Suffice to say that it has probably been the most active of weekends since before Christmas I am certainly glad to be having things to look forward to instead of thinking about how far away our summer holiday is! Uhhh So Long!!!

'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx

Festivities for Two!

Good Morning, 

So it would appear after the fun that I had last week I had forgotten to do a blog post. But surely I can be forgiven for it was Christmas day after all. However with all the last minute planning and preparation that went on it was a bit of a higgledee-piggledee day. I mean to put into contrast up until a fortnight before the big day me and Mr Warehouse had nowhere and no one to spend the big day with apart from our usual Christmas Day brunch at the home of one of Mr Warehouse's Brothers. On a casual chat to my Nanny Pumpkin we had arranged that Mr Warehouse and I would join her and my granddad to celebrate Christmas together. I suppose that some people would say we should have spent the day with our significant others families, however we've both Mr Warehouse's mum living too far away and my dad not making plans until the very last minute we decided to go it alone. 

With Christmas day falling on a Monday, in the days leading up to Santa coming Mr Warehouse and I set about seeing all the family members that we wouldn't normally see on the day itself, going round for tea, cake and seemingly collecting presents like they were Pokemon's. The evening before Mr Warehouse and I joined Miss Tweedle-Dee, Miss Tweedle-Dumb and her fiance to give our presents and enjoy possibly our last meal together since Miss Tweedle-Dumb's and her Hubby-to-be are emigrating to Canada after he bagged a job out there. Miss Tweedle-Dee, Miss Tweedle-Dumb and her fiance treated me to a travel wallet, gel nail manicure set, Bumble-Bee necklace and a few more things for my wish list. After what was a lovely meal at The Fancott near the M1 and Toddington we all parted ways and hoped the other had a wonderful Christmas. 

Waking the following morning it was strange not being met with my dad and his cooking for breakfast. No Eggs benedict or Eggs royale or even a slice of toast. Mr. Warehouse was so kind enough however to wake me up with a fresh cup of coffee. Opening our presents from other people we were pleasantly surprised and delighted with the wonderful gifts that everyone had thought of.Mostly from my aunties and uncles as well as my dad we have a lot of different things to do over the next few months. Lots of vouchers for meals out, cinema date nights and a birds of prey experience. This is in addition to the many boxes of chocolates, biscuits and other sweet treats. Mr. Warehouse spoilt to be with gifts of make-up, make-up brushes, jewelry from Pandora, a driving car experience day and lots, lot more items from my never-ending wish list. 

Heading over to brunch with Mr Warehouse's Brothers and family we were gifted more items of joy including beer, a ball launcher (mainly for the pup I think), yet more chocolate and other lovelies! Joking around with the idea that maybe next year Mr Warehouse and I can host Christmas Brunch in our own home. Bought or rented, well that is a whole other question. Following on from seeing the children open their presents, me and the bae headed to my grandparents house to continue our Christmas day as planned. 

And so with the big day over and the next few days off I settled in for a little R&R. The day after Boxing Day was spent by jumping straight back into the swing of things with getting my personal training sessions. Snow falling heavily Britain has definitely missed out on a White Christmas this year by a smidgin. Nevertheless I had plans to go into town hitting the shops in order to find a few bargains in the January sales that as usual had started earlier than January. But I left my TV and sofa called and so I spent the rest of that first day on my bottom. Unfortunately the following few games I was in too much aches and pains from my gym session with my Personal Trainer to do much. The remaining games off for me was spent on the couch, although I was able to get out on Friday and Sunday to hit the shops for a spot of retail therapy. 

As the days melted away I started to plan and look forward to spending New Year's Eve with Mr Warehouse's family welcoming in 2018. Disappointingly this turned out to not be the case as the establishment we were planning to spend the last few hours of 2017 was closed with very little warning. Pissed, I desperately began trying to ring around and talk to other venues in the local area that may be able to accommodate a large party consisting of both adults and children. A few were available but after all the effort Mr. Warehouse and I had decided to don the Jim-Jams and welcome in the New Year alone. 

The festive season for me has not entirely gone to plan and with my Granddad now in hospital recovering from a Thoracentesis procedure to drain the fluid from his lungs it has not been the best start to the year. I am hoping that 2018 will be good to me with a nice luxe beach holiday with Mr. Warehouse, more travelling and most importantly, lots of saving to be had in order to reach the goal of eventually Mr. Warehouse and I owning our own home, hopefully before the festivities of next year again. Better to start sooner rather than later! 

'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx

Spending Time and Saving Money!

Good Evening, 

What. A. Week! With several colleagues off on annual leave for their holibobs, and virtually skeleton-management in the office for the majority of the week it was certainly one for the books, not to mention a couple of engineers taking leave and a handful of sick-days. Yes, my week as the service desk manager (sort of, not really) was eventful to say the least. I shall not go into the in's-and-out's of what the week entailed fully and what customer issues I dealt with (fairly well all things considered) but I will certainly hand out credit where credit is due and my engineers were amazing and so helpful and understanding. I couldn't ask for a more helpful and lovely bunch of guys! I think I handles things well, although I am slightly less reluctant to share now that my work friends have come back from their travels. 

One thing I certainly don't have to hand over to anyone is the household chores. Oh and sometimes I wish I did. Now Mr. Warehouse is great at getting the housework done and in all fairness there is very little I have to do at home apart from the things I enjoy such as baking, cooking dinner for us both, Tidying up, Taking out the rubbish, feeding the dog and taking her for walks (most of the time anyway) and making packed lunches. However these limited amount of tasks I take on through the general household running is added onto my long list of things to keep in check, such as meter readings every few weeks, checking and comparing the prices of our monthly outgoings including TV, Broadband, Gas, Electricity and Water. It is my job to make sure that we are paying the right amount as well as any debts that are accrued over a period of time and make sure that they are settled in good time. I am also the one to negotiate the bills when they become slightly too high. 

Now this is something that some people, especially in Britain, may think of as quite controversial even in many circumstances be considered as rude. That's right, we are talking about the good old fashioned art of haggling. Now I fully understand that we are not standing in the middle of a market in Marrakech, arguing the toss over whether that handbag costs two goats or four. Nevertheless I feel that those that do not have off with any company that provides them a service deserves to be punished by paying so much for something I can get for so little. In Britain it feels like we are ingrained to believe that the price on the sticker is the price that you should pay, and whilst in many circumstances especially with retail and on High Street it is not common practise it is not to say that I have not tried my dab-hand at asking for a discount in stores. 

I am more likely than not to ask for a discount over the phone as I did this week with my car insurance provider. Keeping the conversation short and light I was able to get a discount of around £300.00 of my car insurance premium for this year which has certainly made me better off this year round, even with my no claims discount not fully intact. I started the conversation with the gentleman I spoke to asking him how his day was and politely explaining to him that I have received my renewal quote and after talking with some other insurance providers that they were able to match the same policy I was one and was coming in substantially cheaper than my current insurer. I followed up by asked him if there is anything he could do in terms of a discount as I did not want the hassle of moving provider. After checking through my details and making sure that nothing has drastically changed since last year, he was able to provide me the same level of service with ten-months cover including vehicle legal cover for myself and all passengers in my car as well as the courtesy car, should anything go wrong. After all discounts and reductions put onto my account I was still left paying less than I did last year and that was even with the crash I had in January and claim on my insurance. 

I was thrilled and after a phone call that lasting less than twenty-minutes I was able to save myself nearly enough for a small holiday. But alas this is not the first time as I am forever calling up and checking with insurance providers, or utility companies that I am on their cheapest tariff and paying as little as possible. My top tips for haggling is don't be afraid. What is the worst they could say - No?!

Male or female, flirting doesn't hurt or simply being friendly. Despite what you think they are a human being at the other end of the phone so have fun with it and ask them how their day is or what they were up to at the weekend. These are all ice-breakers and help the call-handler to see you as a nice person who just wants to cut back a bit. Lets be honest everyone is trying to cut back most of the time and explaining that you are saving for a holiday of a lifetime or a big old family Christmas are always plausible excuses for why you need to cut down on your outgoings and will again help in building the rapport with the call handler. Being rude will get you no-where and more likely than not will make the person on the other end of the phone want to cut off your service, not decrease its value. 

Explain that you have done your research and looked into other providers that are able to give you the same service or better. In most circumstances the call operator will ask you what prices you have been quoted from competitors. Be honest and explain to them that you have seen quotes online and through other providers for between 10% and 25% less than your current provider. Do not bite off more than you can chew and lie about the extreme values that you will be able to save by shopping elsewhere as the call handler may well ask you to suck it!

Stress the importance to you that you do not want to leave and that you have been a customer with the company for some time, assuming you have for example. Everyone can relate to how stressful it is trying to move providers even if it is something as simple as car insurance. By explaining that you are willing to take your custom elsewhere the company will be more likely to at least match the "offers" you have seen elsewhere and may even better it. All in all, hopefully the call operator will see that your loyalty to the company and lack of funds will encourage them to help a brother out! 

Don't worry because if you are not able to get a discount or what you want financially in terms of a reduction, get them to throw something in for no extra cost such as upgrade on TV package, phone extras such as more minutes or data or maybe even free breakdown cover! Again stay polite. It is not in my remit to give you a reduction or discount on your bill just because you have asked for one. A corporation or company is out to make money from their customers and you asking for discount means there is less after profit margin that the shareholders can use to go on holiday to Marbella next year! Don't get upset or angry if they refuse you want your asking them for - Remember you are essentially asking the company for favour and to reward your loyalty. 

Lastly, there are two ways that the conversation with the Company could end. Lets start with the happy ending that you wanted - You got it cheaper! Well done. Hard work is essentially over and you can look forward to the many months of savings that you may incur as a result of what could have been quite a quick phone call or Internet chat. But don't enjoy it too much just make sure to remind yourself when the deal or offer runs out so you can call the company back and ask for further discounts for reductions to keep your bill low. 

The other side of the coin is the Not-So glamorous ending of "nope". If the call operator utters those fateful words "If you can get it that cheaper elsewhere then should you like me to put you through to disconnections / the cancellation team?" Don't Panic! Usually this part of the play means that you will be put through to what is internally known as customer retention's. Basically put, these are the people that have real bargaining tools in order to keep you as a customer. And if all else fails and they still can't help you with what you are looking for in terms of a discount, reduced bill or freebie then a simple one-liner is all you need. Explaining to the customer retention's call operator that you just need to check with your husband, wife or partner that it is OK to cancel the services. Again finish politely and thank them for their help. 

Now please don't expect this to work miracles as it is only used as a mechanism in order to afford some of life's smaller luxuries. Instead of paying through the nose for life's necessities ask for something back in return. How many of you are sat at home with the same old providers of bank accounts, home insurance, TV and other products that you have never thought of calling and haggling down the price for. Go on, I encourage you to go fourth and save pennies ... 

'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx