When it comes to stocking up on the basics for the festive season, my skills have been somewhat lacking in years past.

Several years ago, I distinctly remember getting a little too caught up in the “festive cheer” on Christmas Eve then forgetting to stock up on basics for the coming few days - given that my local supermarket was shut for two days straight, by Boxing Day I had to head to the local service station just to find something to eat for breakfast.

So before all the shops are shut, don’t forget to:

* Visit your local supermarket before Christmas day. Stock up on anything you think you may run out of over the next two days - breakfast cereal, milk, soft drinks, cereal, juice etc. Check when the supermarket is open over the holidays so you don’t get caught short.

* Don’t forget to stock up on any alcoholic drinks you’ll need for Christmas Day and Boxing Day. And make sure you have enough of it. Buying wine in bulk often gives you a discount, so this can save you money.

* Christmas is the best time to eat seafood, so head to your local fish market to the best fresh stuff for Christmas lunch. Most major fish markets are open extended hours in the lead up to Christmas to cope with the demand, with many also opening on Christmas morning.

* Be sure to find out when your local bakery is open over the holidays so you’ll always have fresh bread on hand (supermarket bread just doesn’t cut it on Christmas Day). Bakeries are also an invaluable source of last, last minute gifts - Bakers Delight sells some delicious fruit mince tarts until Boxing Day which are really quite delicious.

Have a great Christmas, and I’ll see you all early in the New Year!

By Caroline Warnes

The Breville Ikon Juice Fountain (its model number is BJE510) is a high-end juicer that combines modern styling with exceptional performance.

It’s suitable if you’re serious about your juicing at home or even want a juicer for low-level professional use, and you’re willing to spend a couple of hundred dollars on a machine.

It boasts a larger feed chute (nearly 9cm across) than many other juicers on the market, which is perfect for larger fruits and pieces of fruit. Another nice inclusion is the LCD speed indicator, which gives you an idea of what speeds you need to juice particular fruits and vegetables at to achieved the desired result.

Despite all this high tech wizardry, the Ikon Juice Fountain is extremely easy to use and achieves excellent results.

The Breville BJE510 is also a very good looking appliance. It boasts a stainless steel body that will complement any other fittings and appliances you have in silver.

Click here to find offers on Breville appliances near you.

By Caroline Warnes

If you’ve left your Christmas shopping to the last minute, don’t panic - you’ve still got time! Here’s the best gift ideas I’ve seen this week…

For her

* Oroton has released the Lucky necklace (pictured here), which is a reinterpretation of the label’s iconic mesh purses. The original mesh purses are a collector’s item with vintage fans - I bought a 1960s version from a second-hand shop in Sydney’s Castlereagh Street several years ago and it was one of the finds of the year for me! Priced at $195, the Lucky necklace comes in antique gold, silver or gunmental.

* If you’re shopping for someone with wavy or curly hair, she’ll love the Curl-ease towel. Curly hair is notoriously tricky to wash and dry without ending up with a mountain of frizz. The Curl-ease towel is completely flat, so no strands can get caught and frizz up. It retails for $19.99.

* Hollywood Fashion Tape makes a great stocking filler for most girls, especially in the party season. It’s double-sided tape that sticks to both clothing and skin, so you can avoid any potential waldrobe malfunctions, particularly with skimpy tops and dresses on New Year’s Eve. You can find it at a range of boutiques, specialty stores, spas and beauty salons.

* Target has 20 percent off fragrance gift packs until Christmas Eve. I don’t recommend buying perfume for anyone unless you’re fairly confident you know what they like - fragrance is a very individual thing and what smells good on one woman may end up smelling like toilet cleaner on another.

For him

* The iconic Aussie Stubbies have been reinvented - and you’ll hardly recognise them. No longer restricted to those sporting the so-called trasdesman’s crack, they now come in a range of vintage prints and styles. Check them out at your local Myer stores in NSW, Victoria and Queensland. (They also make Stubbies for women, and they are oh-so-comfy…)

* If the man in question has some metrosexual tendencies - or just looks after his skin - Nivea For Men recently released some new products, including a Moisturising Body Lotion and Extreme Comfort shaving gel and balm. While I can’t vouch for the effectiveness of the men’s products myself, for obvious reasons, they have received good feedback from my male friends and I do love the women’s products, (the Nivea Visage Anti-Wrinkle Q10 Repair Night Cream is one of the best supermarket night moisturisers I’ve used).

* For adventure-seekers, the Oregon Scientific Action Cam is one of the coolest new gadgets around. Its maker claims it’s the world’s first amateur waterproof and shock-resistant hands-free digital vide camera - you can mount it on helmets, handlebars or even on your arm to capture all the action when you’re surfing, mountain biking or generally getting up to antics in the great outdoors. You can pick it up for under $200 from camera shops, including Camera House and Ted’s Cameras.

* For photography nuts, the Lowepro Flipside Camera Backpack is a great gift idea. It’s designed for carrying a dSLR camera with lens attached as well as extra lenses and accessories.

For kids and babies

* The Bonds Easysuit is one of the best products for babies to hit the market in recent times. There are no press studs, buttons, velcro or zips - it’s a three-step suit so mums and dads alike will have an easier time of changing baby.

* Little Tots is a brand new site that offers Australian-made clothing for sizes ranging from 1 to 5.

* If you’re shopping for a little girl who loves Dora the Explorer, how about the fragrance? It’s a bargain at only $14.95.

For your office Kris Kringle

* If your Kris Kringle at work thrives on stress, the new book Flip the Switch (available at major bookshops) offers tips for dealing with workplace stress and improving your quality of life.

* The Lloyds Christmas Chocolate Lovers gift box from Target is perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth.

* The holidays are a great time for BBQs, so the BBQ Sauce Triple Pack makes a nice office gift - for only $12.99.

By Caroline Warnes

Most of us associate the Olay brand (also known in various incarnations as Oil of Ulan) with our mothers.

It’s been beloved by Australians for generations because it’s cheap, it smells nice and, most importantly, it works.

These days, Olay has evolved with the rest of the beauty industry. One of the best new products produced by the company is Olay Complete Defence SPF30+ Daily UV Moisturising Lotion, which is gentle enough to use every day but also packs in some impressive moisturising properties and sun defence.

Olay’s moisturisers are usually quick-absorbing and non-greasy, even the ones with SPF in them - this is something you don’t find with many supermarket brand moisturisers. The Complete Defence SPF30+ is no exception.

It’s formulated with protection against harmful UVA and UVB rays and comes in two varieties, for normal and sensitive skin.

If you’re willing to pay upwards of $50 for your moisturiser, you will be able to find a better product. However given its price and availability, Olay Complete Defence SPF30+ is a standout star as a supermarket moisturiser.

Click here for offers on Olay products near you.

By Caroline Warnes

MP3 manufacturers have been chasing the Apple iPod for years now and the K3 from Samsung is another attempt to make up ground in the MP3 player market.

The Samsung K3 offers very similar features to the popular Apple iPod nano model at a similar recommended retail price, with one notable difference: unlike the iPod nano, the K3 also includes an FM tuner so you can listen to the radio.

The K3 is a simple and stylish player, boasting a shiny black case that will look great in your hand, in your bag or strapped onto your arm at the gym. It comes with Samsung’s Media Studio Software, which works just as well as Apple’s iTunes software.

Music playback on the Samsung K3 is excellent, although the range of supported music formats is a little limited - you can only play MP3 and WMA files (no AAC, unfortunately).

So if you’re looking for a stylish player that won’t overwhelm you with too many features that you don’t need, the Samsung K3 is well worth a look.

Click here to find offers on the Samsung K3 MP3 player near you.

By Caroline Warnes

I love Christmas. I love the fact that I can sleep in without having to worry about rushing to work. I love spending time with my family. I love over indulging in seasonal food and wine.

As a kid, it used to be about presents - and lots of them! - however I don’t really mind if my family and friends give me gifts anymore. I still like to give them a little something, and it’s even better if you know the gifts you’re giving are making a difference or supporting a good cause.

This year’s 2008 calendar from Stratco makes a good stocking filler. Each month features a stunning image of someone painted by world-renowned body artist Emma Hack, as pictured here. Best of all, all proceeds from the sale of the calendar go to World Vision’s Masaka Project, which is devoted to constructing new wells and water storage systems in the Ugandan city of Masaka.

Each image has a unique water conservation theme and I can tell you it’s a truly stunning calendar. You can pick it up for $9.95 from any Stratco store. I already have mine hanging up ready for the new year at home.

UNICEF a cards and gifts catalogue this year, with profits going towards helping children around the globe. The School Bear makes a nice gift for this year’s crop of school starters, or you could take the philanthropic route and give a gift in someone’s name. $200 can buy an entire community a water pump.

Two other good causes are The Smith Family and the Australian Red Cross. This year, both charities have taken the innovative step of offering donor gift cards though Australia Post outlets. The cards come in denominations ranging from $25 through to $85 so you can easily give a gift for a family member - or from yourself.

As an animal lover, one issue that really bothers me this time of year is the number of baby animals who are dumped or abandoned just after Christmas, usually because they are unwanted Christmas presents. It beggars belief that anyone would give someone else an animal without asking them first, if you ask me. Organisations such as the RSPCA need all the help they can get to cope with this influx of animals at this time of year - caring for and rehoming them costs time and money.

If you want to make a difference, you could make a small donation of your money - or time as a volunteer - to your local RSPCA or other animal shelter.

Last but not least, if the state of our environment weighs heavy on your conscience at this time of year, you can give an environmentally friendly present. I was up at my local Macro Wholefoods market the other day - there are locations throughout NSW and Victoria - and was impressed with what was on offer. You can find everything from detergent-free body wash to a luscious-sounding vanilla and pawpaw lip balm. Every product sold in Macro stores is organic or natural, and you can do all your grocery shopping for Christmas there too - walking past the deli section literally made my mouth water.

Of course, now the next step for me is having an active social conscience over the course of an entire year…

By Caroline Warnes

The Nikon D40X is the big brother to the D40, which is Nikon’s entry-level digital SLR (dSLR) camera.

To look at, the Nikon D40X is almost identical to the D40, however it offers better resolution (10.2-megapixels, as opposed to six). Although it’s slightly heavier, the D40X is faster, offers better batter life and has a better lens than the D40.

The Nikon D40 was already a good performer for anyone looking for an entry-level dSLR camera, and the D40X builds on that success for only a little extra cash. Image quality is good and there is enough in the way of modes to help anyone who isn’t all that comfortable with dSLR yet.

The Nikon D40X better suited to anyone who is slightly above beginner level - perhaps if you’re looking for a second digital SLR camera.

Click here to find offers on Nikon digital cameras near you.

By Caroline Warnes

If you want a mobile phone that can do it all, then the Nokia N95 is worthy of your consideration.

It combines a 5-megapixel camera, Internet access and even a GPS navigator function so you’ll never get lost again. The N95 supports both the HDSPA and 3G networks and even offers Wi-Fi connectivity so you can use your mobile phone to browse the Internet at a wireless hotspot location when you’re out and about.

There’s also support for popular photo hosting website Flickr so you can take photos, access the Internet then use the N95 to share your photos instantly. You can also use the N95 as a storage device thanks to the mini USB port and 160GB of on-board memory - simply transfer any files you want to carry around with you to the handset.

A music player and stereo speakers round out the impressive package, complete with support for MP3, WMA and a host of other files.

Click here to find offers on the Nokia N95 mobile phone near you.

By Caroline Warnes

The Nintendo DS Lite handheld gaming system is the manufacturer’s answer to the Sony PSP (PlayStation Portable) system.

While it doesn’t have all the video and music capabilities of the PSP, the DS Lite does acquit itself very well as a gaming device. If you don’t need all the multimedia bells and whistles, the Nintendo DS represents a very attractive proposition.

The DS Lite will particularly appeal to you if you’re a Nintendo devotee - meaning you’ve already used the Wii, Game Boy Advance (GBA) or other Nintendo gaming system. It builds on the capabilities of older handheld systems (such as the GBA) and adds some extra functionality, such as wireless gaming.

In fact, wireless gaming is a particularly noteworthy feature of the Nintendo DS Lite. You can play against another DS console owner wireless with a claimed range of up to 30 feet, though most gamers report a much further range in open space.

The DS isn’t as compact as the PSP, boasting a clamshell design to protect the two LCD screens. Why two screens? Well, this innovative addition allows you to view games from two perspectives at once. For example, in a racing game you can see your first-person view from the car or the overall race view.

It may not be the smallest handheld console on the market - or have music or video capabilities - but as a gaming unit, the Nintendo DS Lite stacks up very well against the competition.

Click here to find offers on Nintendo DS Lite consoles and games near you.

By Caroline Warnes

It slices, it dices; it blends, chops and whisks - is there anything that the Kenwood EON FP920 can’t do?

Technically, it’s described by Kenwood as a food processor, which most people associate with your run-of-the-mill blenders. However the Kenwood FP920 is much more than that. Aside from chopping and preparing your food, it can even juice and mince - pretty much anything you require from a food processor can be accomplished with the FP920.

Because it’s such a multi-talented workhorse, the Kenwood isn’t the cheapest food processor on the market: that’s because you’re paying for near-professional quality here.

Apart from being accomplished, it’s also an attractive-looking unit, which is a concern for many people today. This is largely thanks to the unit’s solid silver base, which fits in with the stainless steel theme of many modern kitchens.

Just about all aspects of the EON FP920’s performance are pretty near faultless - it chops, blends and juices in seconds, thanks to the 1000-watt motor and eight speed settings. There are so many attachments that every single aspect of food preparation is taken care of - and best of all, they can all be popped in the dishwasher for cleaning.

Click here to find offers on Kenwood food processors and appliances near you.

By Caroline Warnes