It’s been a very busy week for me and you must have been wondering where I’d got to. I’ve been with lovely clients every day and I have a business trip to New Zealand to prepare for and my Finding Your Fabulousness workshop taking place this Wednesday- so busy but happy. I am a very lucky woman – I know. Those of you that read my blog and e-zines will know that I’m hot on great customer service and what struck me was that the service levels in department stores seem to have risen since the credit crunch has been announced. I was personal shopping in Leicester at the Highcross shopping centre on Friday and every assistant in John Lewis seemed to ‘pounce’ on me after a few seconds of looking round. Usually I can never find anyone to help me, so some good must have come out of the bad times. Prices were keen also, with John Lewis offering 20%, Debenhams 30% and House of Fraser up to 70% off some items. There’ll be nothing left for the January sales at this rate.  It also struck me that despite this, the sales floors were pretty quiet for this time of year. Perhaps we are all taking stock, literally, to see what we can cut out or at least reduce expenditure on. In our circle, we have pledged to spend a maximum of £15 per person this year. It requires some creative thought but I hope that my friends and family will appreciate what Michael and I will be presenting to them this year. Once you get over the initial shock it becomes quite an exciting challenge if, like me, you really want to give gifts that you know will be enjoyed by the recipient.  Christmas cards will be eliminated in favour of a charitable donation, which also makes sense.  If you’re feeling the pinch in your household budget, Delia Smith’s ‘Frugal Food’ is back in the shops and she shows you how to make a Christmas lunch for about £3-4 per head. To stretch things further, you can always sell your unwanted clothes on e-bay or at a dress agency or run a swishing party, where you and your friends swap your clothes with one another.  Other tricks include shortening hemlines so that an old dress becomes a tunic, swapping buttons on a jacket to give a new look and feel or buying a beautiful scarf or pair of gloves  to liven up and old coat. Accessories, of course, will always come to your rescue so make the most of them to change your style and image cheaply and easily.