I get ready to buy my first car and tips on fooling your parents.

I have just recently passed my driving test on my third attempt (not that it was my fault I failed my first two tests you understand) and I am now looking forward to buying my first car.

When I say ‘buy’ what I actually mean is look for one and then ask my parents to buy it for me. I know that I will be able to get something reasonable because they want me to be safe, not driving around in a 20 year old heap of junk that could fall apart at any given moment.

I have seen the look on my parent’s faces when they see my friends rock up the drive in their bruised bangers, and I know it was a look to be exploited. Of course I realise how lucky I am to have parents who can afford to buy me a car whilst many of my friends worked hard to be able to afford their four (and sometimes three) wheels.

I remember broaching the subject of two wheels with my mother and watching her turn white. I was explaining how motorbikes were not as expensive and that I had been thinking of buying one. After all, I said, it can’t be that hard to get a motorbike licence after learning to drive a car!

Horrified, she told me that people who worked in hospitals had a nickname for those who rode motorbikes, and it was ‘organ donors’. That put me off quickly but I do believe it had the effect I was looking for. They agreed to get me a car pretty soon after that, so here I am now trawling online car dealerships and the local paper looking for suitable rides.

I haven’t got off completely scott free. My father has insisted that I pay for my own tax and car insurance. I guess it was as his own special form of insurance against me choosing anything too flashy. Dad is a hard man to fool.

Now I have the problem of finding a car that I like and making sure that it’s not going to totally blow my budget financially. I am a student so before you ‘tut tut’ at me it’s not as if I have a steady income that I am greedily stashing away. Also, before you tell me I should be getting the bus at my age then I ask you, with a bus to the local town around twice a day could you cope? Probably not!

I have vowed to keep my car clean once I finally get my hands on one. No empty packets of smelly McDonalds or screwed up parking tickets for me. I have already found the perfect leather CD case and mini vacuum cleaner. I bought them at the supermarket yesterday along with a short aux cable so that I can listen to my ipod on the in car stereo system. Ok, I’m probably getting ahead of myself a bit but these boots were not made for walking. More like pushing an accelerator.

By Sarah Maple

People Do More of Online Shopping in Europe but Still Less than Last Year

The results of a survey by comScore show that European consumers have already entered the holiday shopping period craziness with traffic to e-commerce sites growing everywhere in November (by 10% in the UK, 11% in Germany and by 6% in France where the holiday shopping season usually starts later anyway) compared to the previous, non-holiday months.

But while this information may sound optimistic, we should not forget another point here and that one is more than disappointing: the thing is that all the online shopping sites are now experiencing decline in European visitors compared to previous years.

The most pitiful situation is in the UK where online retailers lost 10% of visitors year-on-year. For example, eBay traffic dropped by 20%, Amazon lost 21% while Tesco Stores had 28% less visitors this year than they had in November of the previous year. In Germany e-commerce also saw an impressive decrease in visitors by 7% - even despite of the highest traffic growth in November compared to previous, non-holiday months. But this is not surprising given the fact that in Germany eBay traffic dropped by impressive 18%, Amazon by 15%, and Otto by 10%. The situation is somewhat better in France where online retailers only had 2% less visitors in November 2008 compared to the same period of 2007 with some sites even gaining traffic: for example, while eBay lost 3%, Apple managed to increase its traffic by 7%.

Please read the full article by Svetlana Gladkova at Profy.com

3D Online Shopping - The Future

Online Shopping – A Beginner's Guide

Buying goods and services online used to be a minority activity – the preserve of the geeks and the ‘early adopters’ who are willing to try anything new. But in the last few years, online shopping has become a mainstream activity. In January 2003, the Office of National Statistics reported that online shopping accounted for 6 per cent of all UK retail shopping expenditure. The same source reported that UK businesses sold £23.3 billion-worth of goods and services over the Internet in 2002 – a rise of 39 per cent on the previous year's £16.82 billion. Many thousands of UK residents buy books, music, DVDs and other goods from e-retailers like Amazon.co.uk. A larger number now use services like Tesco Direct, Ocado and Sainsbury, either to save personal time or to have groceries delivered to relatives, holiday homes, etc. The only way to buy tickets from most budget airlines is via the Web. People – especially younger ones – have become accustomed to booking theatre, concert and cinema tickets online, for example.

Find more information here

Aspirational Daydreaming

When I was a child, I used to enjoy browsing shopping catalogues. I'd start at the beginning, with the make-up and jewellery sections, working out what I wanted. Sometimes, my younger sister would join me, and we'd end up arguing over who was allowed to own which imaginary items. I still love catalogues. I still love ogling potential possessions. Recently, my friend returned from Bristol with a furniture catalogue from a large store. Living in Cornwall, these large shops are both novel and aspirational. We have the Cornish version, Trago Mills, which somehow doesn't live up to my idea of aspirational shopping.

Having said this, I think you can tell a lot about someone's social status from their home interior aspirations. This doesn't mean, given the money, I wouldn't be tempted by an expensive makeover. However, I like an edge of reality to my daydreaming. On my budget, cheap Swedish furniture may be as good as it gets.

Online shopping is the modern day equivalent of catalogues. However, whilst there is a wealth of flat packed furniture I can choose from, I find there is too much choice. And, it will never be an equivalent to the feel and smell of a glossy catalogue, yet to be perused, pages almost stuck together in its newness.

Although, at least there are no people when I shop online – staff or customers. I find, especially in the larger stores, my temperature rises, my blood boils, and I find it increasingly hard to remain in control. I am like a small child wanting to have a tantrum, ready to lie on the floor, banging my head, and screaming.

This regularly happens in supermarkets – the blood boiling bit, not the full scale tantrums. On bad days, I have been known to leave a trolley full of goods in the middle of the shop floor as I run off in desperation. On even worse days, I take it out on some poor minimum wage slave, who I then have to apologise to, explain that I know it isn't their fault.

I also find online shopping safer. I don't impulse buy as I do when I'm in a shop. Go to a supermarket, and it's guaranteed I'll end up with at least an extra thirty quids worth of stuff I don't need. But they sell so much now, and I get caught up. It's the lifestyle stuff that gets me. I'll look at the rows of kitchen and bathroom goods, and suddenly feel my life isn't complete unless I buy a new toilet brush holder. I know I'll go back to my bathroom, and it won't look right, unless I purchase this before now unwanted, and not needed consumer good.

I think this is part of what makes me angry. I'm angry at myself, and irrationally angry at the shop for putting myself in the position where I can't control myself. All in all, I think it's better if I stick to my catalogues and aspirational daydreaming.

By Sarah Maple

Top 5 Fair Trade Gifts This Christmas - Not Just Coffee and Bananas

Yesterday, The Independent reported that takeaway coffee giant, Starbucks, was to begin sourcing 100 percent of its coffee fair-trade. In the past, this might have seemed a very bold move for such a large company (especially during a recession), however their move can be seen to highlight the increasing popularity of fair trade goods and the gradual social acceptance that buying fair trade benefits everyone. Christmas is fast approaching and the time for trying to come up with suitable gift ideas is already upon us. So beyond coffee and bananas, what are the best fair trade gifts currently on offer?

5. Stationery. I think it was Freud that said, 'Deep inside us all there is a portion of our heart devoted to stationery'. Actually, he didn't. But who can dispute the rush felt when receiving a new notebook, set of pencils, or an eraser in the shape of a stegosaurus. Thankfully, fair trade stationery has wound its way onto the market shelves, and the range of cards, notebooks, and address books is of a quality that truly beats the chain stores.

4. Toys. Giving at Christmas is what the season is all about, and when a child receives a gift they really love, their display of joy and subsequent hyperactivity is something to behold. Today, there is a wide range of fair trade kids stuff available, including traditional wooden toys, children's instruments, as well as brightly painted money boxes, puzzles and mobiles.

3. Accessories. I admit that this is quite a vague area of gifts, 'How about I get you an accessory for Christmas?' But there has also been an upsurge in bits and bobs in the fair trade sector. These range from eco-friendly recycled bags made from newspaper to more durable seeming carriers made from hemp and silk. Batik and sequin purses are also proving very popular this season.

2. Homeware. Homeware is perhaps the most intriguing area of fair trade products. From cutlery carved from coconut wood and plates made from cinnamon sticks set in wood, there are many ingenious designs available for people looking for a slightly more original gift this Christmas.

1. Jewellery. The high street has been looking to the east for jewellery designs for some time now. Today you can get authentic fair trade Indian earrings in a host of traditional colours such as turquoise, onyx, and black - as well as original teardrop, lantern and coral designs. There is also a significant diversity in types of jewellery and this certainly seems to be one of the fastest growing areas of fair trade production. Alongside earrings, there are also pendants, bracelets and necklaces available in abundance.

By Sarah Maple

Camera Wars

I've been thinking a lot recently about buying a digital camera. I would like to be able to take photos of friends and family. I would like to be able to sell some of my possessions online. However, I'm also involved with a group that monitors forward intelligence police officers (the cops who harass and photograph protesters), and one of the things we do regularly is take photos of them, and publish them on our blog.

Whilst I've been doing this for some time, either with a disposable camera, or my phone, this is really pretending, because I never get any shots which are decent enough to use. My phone camera, whilst claiming to be a fantastic five megapixels, is in fact, so slow at taking the actual shot as to be useless. And, I'm not good with disposable cameras – I either lose them, or I forget to get them developed.

Therefore, I have become increasingly fed up with pretend photography on protests, and would really like to be able to properly contribute to this part of the project. I have even got to the point of researching different cameras, and having a look on price comparison websites. However, there is one major problem. I don't want to buy an expensive camera only for the police to seize it in evidence and keep it for the next six to twelve months.

This may sound paranoid, but it is what is happening at the moment. People are being arrested for secondary picketing under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992. This basically means they are being nicked for intimidating the police by taking their photographs or following them around. The police, not having a sense of humour, have failed to see the irony of charging protesters with what they've been doing to them for years.

However, there are currently six people on bail for this offence. All the people involved have had cameras seized as part of the evidence against them. Whether or not their cameras provide any concrete evidence is debatable, but the police don't like what we're doing, and want to cause us as much hassle as possible.

I therefore have a problem. Invest in a camera only to have it taken from me within a few months, or carry on with my disposable ones? It is an oddity, but I'm in the position where I mind less about getting arrested than I do about losing my possessions. For an anti-capitalist protester, this is a very strange position to be in.

Yet, there is a difference. I'm not concerned about losing any future camera in the street, or having it stolen. However, the idea of the police taking my camera makes me angry, and this is why it matters so much for me. It is not a new found sense of materialism after all. But I'm trying to avoid anger at the moment, so I think, for now, I'll stick to the disposable ones.

By Emma Apple

Fair Trade Shopping

Every time I set out on a shopping trip of late I am beset with feelings of guilt that I can't seem to shake. As a westerner privileged enough to have a television, access to the internet and free press I can hardly ignore the fact that many of the cheap high street clothes we enjoy could have been made in unsafe and cramped factories by children. The thought of little children toiling away in countries that have less advanced child labour policies than my own country made me ashamed, was a £2 bracelet literally worth it?

Did it mean that if I chose not to buy these items I was contributing to the unemployment of legitimate workers who needed the meagre money they received for their courageous efforts?

Eventually I decided that the right thing to do would be to only buy clothes and jewellery that I could be confident were made by people receiving a decent wage in good working conditions. I wrote letters to my ex-favourite shopping haunts explaining why I wasn't shopping with them anymore and why before posting them to various HQ's around the country.

Feeling somewhat smug and self satisfied I resolved that the best way to ensure that I was getting the good stuff was to do my shopping on the internet. That way I could look up records of the labels efforts to ensure their goods are produced fairly whilst searching for new and exciting fair trade jewellery and clothing labels.

Jewellery is one of the things that I don't particularly enjoy shopping for. To be quite honest most of my purchases in that department are cheap looking fashion pieces bought on spur of the moment that fall apart or go rusty after a few wears. There is just something about jewellery shops that makes me uncomfortable. I always feel as though at any moment I will be accused of trying to steal something so find myself acting in a strangely over polite fashion equipped with pantomime style over the top movements that say "l am not trying to nick anything I swear!"

When I shop I like to do it properly. I give myself a nice long day to roam about, eying up possible purchases and stopping for coffee and a sandwich or a nice hot soup and crusty role in a local bistro. I buy a fashion magazine to leaf through for inspiration and special offers, taking my time trying on and admiring various bits and pieces. Reluctant to give up this small pleasure I strived to recreate it in my own living room but the effect was not quite the same...especially since I couldn't try anything on.

At least by the end of the day my feet didn't feel as though I had walked the Great Wall of China in YSL tribute heels. In fact, I had spent most of the day sat on my sofa with my laptop and endless cups of tea that I didn't have to pay £1.90 for.

So feet and smug factor in tact I make my first trip of the day out to the supermarket for a quick food fix and treat myself to some fair-trade chocolate for good measure.

For more info about fair trade products please visit The Fairtrade Foundation

Guest post by Sarah Maple

Does the tent come with home insurance?

This summer festivals seem more fashionable than ever. The whole point of being at a festival used to be that you could escape reality and forget about being fashionable, just letting your hippy self loose for the short time you were there. It did not matter if you got covered in mud because you would be wearing your old clothes, your wellies and a big shapeless waterproof.

6.jpg (JPEG Image, 300x300 pixels) via kwout

Today it is a whole different story. Lots of thought goes into what you pack for a festival these days. The juxtaposition of scruffiness and glamour has produced a whole new look in itself...you want the ‘festival look’ without looking like you have tried too hard.

The dilemmas of what to take to a festival in a field that ensures you fit the bill of being effortlessly cool and fashionable, comfy and weatherproof (sun or rain) is one that feels almost unfair. It’s alright for the thoughtless celebrities like Kate Moss who made dressing for festivals de rigeur. She doesn’t have to sleep in a tent, probably gets a shower every day and can afford to chop floor length gold gowns at the buttocks and team it with a £400 belt. Scruffy chic, yeah whatever!

In fact I took this quote from Catwalk Queen just to prove my point.

“In a survey conducted by Freeview it was revealed that a third of people bought new clothes and posh tents to take with them, while 27% of people confessed to spending about £500 on a festival weekend.”

I find that my problem is trying to resist packing my whole house into my (massive) back pack. I hate camping in the rain because the wetter it is, the more stuff you need. Two of everything in case the other gets wet, waterproofs, umbrellas, wet wipes for yourself and your wellies, a bigger towel (or two), socks…you get the picture.

This year I am tempted to hire a podpad instead of bothering with a tent. A podpad for those of you who are not familiar with new festival accommodation is a wooden house made by slotting together bits of treated wood. It is tall enough for you to stand up in and even has raised beds a light and a shelf inside. There are cute little windows and a lock on the door, hell it probably comes with home insurance. Now that’s my kind of festival accommodation!

There are so many festivals now I never know which one to choose. I am not loyal to any of them, the sort of person that likes to keep their options open if you like. There is Glastonbury the daddy of all festivals, the Secret Garden Party, V Festival, the Isle of White Festival, Bestival, ‘breath’ the list goes on. I feel as though I have so much choice that I am bound to choose the wrong one.

The grass is always greener on the other festival site or so the saying goes.

When paying the bills gets in the way of my shopping

Jimmy Choo Glenys python sandals | NET-A-PORTER.COM via kwout

It’s near the end of the month and I find myself fantasising about all the new clothes, hair products and makeup I want to buy. This always happens to me when my funds are at their lowest but I can’t help it. I think it’s to do with the ‘want what you can’t have’ element of human nature that taunts me with images of straight leg indigo wash Topshop jeans or soft cashmere jumpers from Marks & Spencer. Suddenly I notice that I also need a haircut and a better, more expensive moisturiser for my face.

I wait in anticipation for pay day, planning and writing lists of the things I need. Even watching my favourite film Into the Wild does not curb my desire for new, fashionable products. The desire to shop is so intense that it is giving me a headache and I plan for excuses that will allow me to escape work early and drive to the nearest shopping centre.

Alas I know that when pay day does finally come there are things that will have to take precedence over my want for sparkly shiny pretty things. Reality is the only thing that gets in the way of my daydreaming…and reality is a rather large and all consuming obstacle.

Envelopes are arriving through my door, brown and white official looking envelopes that contain the demands that drain my finances. I know I have to pay my gas and electric bills, my water bills, my rent, my TV licence and my internet bills but it still irks at me. The cost of living just seems so high sometimes. I feel as though that no sooner than I have been paid I have to pay out which leaves me with just about enough money for food and for going out a couple of nights a month. Of course I try to cut down on things like gas and electric for example, turning lights off when I leave a room and using candles in the evening. This not only saves money but really does create a nice cosy cost effective atmosphere. I also like to think that I am contributing to the ‘green cause’ by energy saving. I try to go over to my mum’s house for dinner as much as possible and I very rarely cook long roasting food items for dinner.

My thoughts drift back to my shopping list and I start drooling over the £850 pair of Jimmy Choo Glenys Python Sandals that I have just laid eyes on in my magazine. On my budget I will probably go for something more like the Faith shoes version wittily named LEGALAXY.

I try to concentrate on work in an effort to stop taunting myself with pictures of items that will never be mine. I know that if I work hard I will eventually, one day be able to afford the items that I so covet along with far flung holidays to exotic locations and lots of expensive lotions and potions. Until then those brown and white envelopes are going to continue coming first.

When shoe shopping = remortgage

Every season there is one shoe that I totally covet. Last season, it was the mid length cowboy boot which was perfect for my shorter legs. I just couldn’t decide between the flat version and the block heeled version, so I got both to settle my mind. I can’t say that I have worn either of them more than twice but they sure do look pretty sitting in my antique oak wardrobe.

This season it is the gladiator platform sandal, specifically the new Gucci snakeskin effect gladiator heels with the chunky gold zip up the front. Ahhh! My mouth literally dropped open when I caught sight of this shoe on stylefinder.com but I can’t decide how I could justify spending £800 on a pair of shoes. I just can’t stop thinking about how my long tanned legs would look topped off with those gorgeous strappy wonders!

Of course there are so many other trends I want to buy into this season, trends that are taunting me from the glossy pages of Grazia and Vouge. Chunky knits against bare skin, swinging suede tassels you just want to stroke and this seasons LPD (that’s little purple dress for those of you not in the know).

After watching the fabulous film ‘Almost Famous’ the other day, I found that I had an irresistible urge to go out and buy all things luxe boho and skip around the house to Van Morrison and Cat Stevens (this is where the second outing of cowboy boots comes in – if you can count prancing round my penthouse as an ‘outing’). The only problem with that was when I came to my senses the day afterwards I realised that luxe boho was just not my style. I had to schlep round in the summer rain to every store I had been to just to return my ill thought out booty.

That’s the best thing about shopping on the internet (shoes!) If you end up with something that you don’t like then you need only pop it right back in the post. One stop at the post office is better than wasting your lunchtime hour or precious Saturday revisiting your fashion mistakes. You always end up having to join a queue the size of a Primark opening day or get stuck behind someone with a mountain of stuff who also wants it gift wrapped.

I know some people will moan about the cost of postage but I would rather spend a few pounds that a few hours of time. If you think of the expense of petrol and parking then postage really doesn’t seem as expensive for the privilege of trying on clothes in the comfort of your own home, does it?

My next purchase will be a floaty chiffon pussy bow blouse to go with my black skinny jeans along with a big resin cuff with a glass jewel to match. I am determined to shop around and find exactly what I want on the internet instead of risking the thrill of instant purchasing in a glistening boutique or high street shop.

As for my first love, those £800 gladiators will have to wait until I can remortgage my house.