BIG W is having a massive sale this week, so if you’re looking for some bargains, you should be happy.

Many of the products on sale are for homewares and other items for the home, such as appliances, so this sale is perfect for those of us who turn into homebodies during the winter months.

Winter may not be the time to think about BBQs and entertaining outdoors, but if you like to plan ahead, then this Patio by Jamie Durie QV Grill is a good deal for $174 - or half price.

And don’t forget to check out the rest of the BIG W sale catalogue for some more bargain buys.

By Caroline Warnes

In what is most definitely a massive coup for BIG W, local designer Peter Morrissey has unveiled his exclusive clothing and underwear collection for the retailer.

This collection should do for BIG W what Designers for Target did for its rival - bring it into the realm of fashionistas who might usually be hesitant to buy (or admit to buying) a party frock in BIG W.

This one isn’t just for the ladies, either - there is also a selection of men’s underwear in-store too.

Some of the dresses are really cute and perfect for summer - I love this blue dress, which is a steal at just $79.

Check out some of the other styles in the Peter Morrissey BIG W catalogue.

By Caroline Warnes

Is the boho look going to have a small resurgence in spring? Some signs point to yes and let me tell you now, I DO NOT LIKE IT!

If there is one fashion trend I hate more than leggings, it would have to be boho dressing. Floating around the countryside dressed like you are some kind of remnant of Woodstock is something that just doesn’t appeal to me.

For the uninitiated, boho dressing is “a style of female fashion drawing on various bohemian and hippie influences”. Ok, you can stop right there. You lost me at the word hippie. Think Sienna Miller and the Olsen Twins five years ago. Think deliberately unpolished and messy.

Of course, I have no problem with casual dressing. I’m all about jeans and t-shirts on the weekend. But I think what really bothers me about boho is the amount of care that obviously goes into looking that dishevelled. Headbands tied around the forehead and crocheted waistcoats arranged just so. It just isn’t right. And while we’re at it, apart from table doilys, what is the point of crocheted anything. It doesn’t cover anything or keep the elements out. It’s full of holes. Duh.

This week’s Best & Less catalogue, “Boho Beautiful”, is entirely devoted to the trend (and in my opinion, the words boho and beautiful are mutually exclusive). I also picked up on boho echoes in the Target catalogue and BIG W catalogue. Please, say it ain’t so!

The one saving grace for me has been the Myer catalogue, giving me hope that it’s not going to be a summer of boho. Give me a little black dress over a crocheted waistcoat anyday.

By Caroline Warnes

I have the unfortunate habit of breaking pretty much any wine glass or tumbler I can get my hands on so am currently in the market for some new glasses.

Since Christmas I have managed to break a total of four champagne flutes and two wine glasses, which doesn’t sound too bad unless you consider that this is probably the best six months I’ve had in terms of glass breakages - ever. It’s usually a lot worse.

Really, it would probably be more practical for me to get myself a sippy cup than actual glassware, but at the very least I tend to buy all my glassware when it’s on sale so I don’t feel too bad when breakages occur.

Myer is currently selling the Luigi Bormioli Canaletto stemware pictured here for 40% off, bringing it down to $29.95 for a set of four red wine, white wine or champagne glasses.

For something even cheaper, Target is selling Modern Living sets of four for more than 50% off at $9, and BIG W has Royal Leederdam tumblers or wine glasses marked down to $7.98 for a six-pack.

I’ve been hankering after the Perrier-Jouet hand-painted champagne glasses for some time now, but given the price and my track record with glassware, I should probably reconsider.

By Caroline Warnes

I was just browsing on u.Lasoo and I noticed that the lovely Christie who sits opposite me contributed this offer from BIG W on the new Kayser lace boyleg underwear.

Apparently this is a new addition to Kayser’s range of boyleg underwear and I have to say that the existing Kayser boylegs are some of the best around - comfortable and flattering.

I am a big fan of boylegs, because let’s face it, no one really looks that good in a G-string - as far as I am concerned they should be saved for outfits that need them or for when you have run out of all other options in your underwear draw.

$9.95 is a good price for Kayser underwear and I am thinking I might take my NEW CAR (notice how subtly I slipped that one in) for a spin on the weekend to my nearest BIG W to stock up.

As an aside, did you read right to the end of the offer? BIG W seems to think there are only two body shapes, column and pear: “Column: shoulders and hips balanced, petite waist, legs that go all the way up! Pear: flat tummy, shapely bottom and thighs.” They seem to have completely overlooked my body shape: “Apple with toothpick legs stuck in the bottom”.

By Caroline Warnes

I never really gave much thought to BIG W as a source of homewares but the last few home/lifestyle catalogues have been so impressive.

This week’s Stylish Living For Less catalogue is a beauty - there are some gorgeous quilt cover sets for well under the $100 mark, including the one pictured here for $44.66 ($38.94 for double).

There are also heaps of cushions, which I love. You can never have too many cushions. Plus, the glassware, cookware and cutlery looks promising - loving the 16-piece dinner set for just under $50.

The Stylish Living catalogue goes until Wednesday next week.

By Caroline Warnes

If you’re still trying to find a gift for Mother’s Day this Sunday, we’ve got the top 10 gifts that won’t break the bank.

1. Elizabeth Arden Sunflowers EDP, $17.95 at Amcal
Love this floral fragrance. I went through a phase of wearing it daily.

2. “Change of Heart” by Jodi Picoult, $19.95 at BIG W, Angus & Robertson and Borders
Save $13 on this new bestseller.

3. Kambrook rice cooker, $19.98 at Betta Electrical
If, like me, you manage to ruin rice each time you cook it, a rice cooker is the easy way to get it right.

4. Remington Big Shot hair dryer, $29.98 at Betta Electrical
I’ve always found Remington products to be reliable and $30 is a good price for a hair dryer.

5. Lavender cubic zirconia ring, $39 at Michael Hill Jeweller
This is a gorgeous looking cocktail ring.

6. Rose Bouquet gift set, $9.95 at Terry White Chemists
The set contains rose-scented hand and body lotion, body scrub and soap petals.

7. Georgia dinnerware pieces, $2.39 at Target
The separates include a side plate, mug, milk jug or bowl - you could buy a couple and put together a set.

8. Homedics Bubble Spa footbath, $39.94 at Tandy
After a rare day of wearing high heels today, this footspa is looking pretty good to me right now.

9. Snooze Zone pyjama set, $39.99 at Best & Less
$40 for PJ pants and top and a nightie? Bargain.

10. “Comfort Food” by Kate Jacobs, $21.44 at Target
Not actually a cookbook, but a fun new girly novel.

By Caroline Warnes

Here in Sydney, we’ve had some unseasonably heavy rainfall over the past few months.

With the days swinging from sunny humidity to torrential downpours in the blink of an eye, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were actually living in the depths of Kakadu during the rainy season.

Last week alone I managed to ruin two pairs of ballet flats on successive days, thanks to the rain. I am very attached to my ballet flats so this kicked me into decisive action: to buy gumboots.

Last time I rocked a pair of gumboots I was under the age of five and they were made of a rather unflattering plain black rubber. The good news is that these days you can find gumboots that are both fashionable and protective. Some people even go so far as to wear them for a night out as a fashion statement. While this reeks a little too hard of hipster doofus syndrome to me, I am definitely not averse to wearing gumboots on the street when it’s pouring with rain.

Save

If you need some functional gumboots but don’t want to spend a packet on them, your first stop should be departments stores such as BIG W and Target. They always have a range of affordable gumboots in stock.

You can also try Clark Rubber, which specialises in, well, rubber.

Spend

Spend a little more on your gumboots and you can pick some up with a fashionable look to them. Puddle Beach is an online store that specialises in wet weather gear. I bought the paisley boots pictured here for $67 the other day. You can check out more of their range here.

Splurge

If you’ve got cash to burn or really want to make a fashion statement with your gumboots, then you can’t go past Pucci. Yes, the same Pucci design house that is known for its bold, colourful prints. It’s really quite remarkable to see these colourful designs transferred to the humble gumboot. However because they carry the Pucci name, they can be a few hundred dollars.

Locally, Pucci gumboots are stocked by Myer. You can get a feeling for what they look like here.

By Caroline Warnes

We’ve all heard of the fabled summer romance, however a new study suggests that the heat can actually be a turn off for many of us.

The survey, conducted by air conditioner manufacturer Daikin, found that 36 percent of Australians aren’t in the mood for love without the comfort of air conditioning in the summer.

And in bad news for men everywhere, young women aged 24 to 34 are particularly jaded in the heat, with four in every ten finding hot weather a turn off.

Surprise surprise, it’s not just our love lives that suffer in hot weather - our working lives do too. According to Daikin, more than half of us find it hard to concentrate at work in summer without air conditioning. (I can personally vouch for this as one day late in 2007 the air conditioning in the Lasoo office was broken on one of the most sweltering days of the summer, suffice to say that there were a few unhappy campers that day.)

If you’re finding yourself affected by the heat, don’t put up with it any long. Invest in either a good air conditioner or fan. Beacon Lighting has some great offers on ceiling fans at the moment, or if you are near a Go Lo, Crazy Clarks or Warehouse store at the moment, all three are selling a pedestal fan for $13.99.

Meanwhile, if you need a cold water filtration system to keep hydrated during the summer, Mitre 10 is selling two affordable systems - the Stefani Ceramic Water Purifier for $79.95 and the Sapphire Under Bench Water Filtration Kit for $159.

Another smart product for the summer comes from Target with the Hydration Lunch Carry Bag. It comes with a detachable drink bottle so you can keep your food and beverages cool in the summer months. (And warm when it comes to winter.)

Finally, I’ve found a really affordable alternative to the Esky for keeping your drinks cool when you’re out and about this summer - the Smash Summer Cold Box from Big W. For under $7 you can get yourself a cool bag for carrying a few drinks to the beach or a picnic.

By Caroline Warnes

I am a regular gym-goer. I honestly wish I could say I enjoy the thrill of springing out of bed at 5.30am on a cold morning to get to an RPM class. It would make life a lot easier.

In reality, this is not the case. And let me be the first to say that I find anyone who does love leaping out of bed at the crack of dawn to go for a run around the block mildly annoying. In my world, that sort of behaviour is best left for Olympic athletes and bootcamp instructors.

No, for the majority of us, exercising can be a chore from time to time. Of course, there are those days when you’re full of beans and can’t wait to work off some energy (happens about once a decade for me), but most days simply aren’t like this. Once you’re actually exercising, it’s okay, but finding the motivation to get started can prove to be quite the challenge.

For me, having nice workout gear makes it so much easier to get out of bed and get to the gym. After all, no one gets excited about wearing tattered old trackies and your boyfriend’s cast-off VB t-shirt.

The good news is that you don’t have to spend a fortune to find decent workout gear. I’ve found that some of the most affordable - and durable - leggings and sports tops come from the discount department stores, such as Target and Big W. Big W’s cotton rib tanks are perfect for sports, and you can pick up two for $16.

Personally, I also find Supre is great for gym gear. Although it can be quite a task to actually enter a Supre store - particularly given the fact that the space left to squeeze between racks of clothing indicates that the shop is meant for someone at least half my age - once you get inside, it’s worth it for the Sporte range. I have a pair of Sporte leggings that I bought for $25 over a year ago and they’ve lasted better than some of my more expensive workout clothes.

While you can scrimp on your workout clothes, keep in mind that you should never, ever go cheap with your footwear. Always invest in quality shoes, depending on your needs. Visit your local sporting goods shop - such as Rebel Sport, Foot Locker or Amart AllSports to get professional advice on your runners. After all, your feet have to carry you around for a long time, and destroying them with cheap shoes won’t pay off in the long run.

Last but not least, if you are interested in health issues and live in Sydney, don’t forget that the Mind Body Spirit Festival is on at Darling Harbour until this Sunday, November 11. This year’s festival is particularly exciting - special guests include Allison Dubois (she’s the psychic on whom the Medium television series is based) and celebrity witch (yes, there is such a thing) and singer Fiona Horne. If you’re in Melbourne, the MBS Festival rolls into town on November 23.

By Caroline Warnes