What’s your favourite outfit, the one you could wear every day if it was allowed? Is it a little black dress that always makes you feel classy and elegant? Maybe it is a trusty pair of jeans that you literally live in, dressed up or dressed down? Or it could be something else entirely. I’m pretty sure though, if you asked my sister, she would say she’d love to live her life in pyjamas.

The good news is, for those of the same disposition as Jodie (my little sis), pyjamas have now moved up a notch, and are totally acceptable as lounge wear as well as night wear, for those duvet days when you don’t need to leave the house, but also don’t want to scare the postman if he makes a delivery. The modern pjs are warm and also stylish, they have sleeves and stretch, and they will become your favourite things to wear all day long.

Very have a great range of products in their loungwear and nightwear section, with my current favourites being the V by Very Cosy Knit Lounge Set that comes in a gorgeous animal print, absolutely my favourite print of all (it’s a neutral, Jenna Lyons says so.) This set is cosy by name and cosy by nature, in a soft cosy knit sweater and bottoms that almost resembles a jogging suit. The top has the look of a sweatshirt, with cuffs around the long sleeves. It is teamed with joggers with cuffed ankles and a drawstring waist.

The set is true to size ( I am wearing a 16) and the fit is one of comfort, but it is not too loose to look casual, instead the look is more sports luxe. These are great pyjamas for people who want to leave the dressing gown off as they are warm and snug, but as they double as loungewear they are also modest, with no see thru sections or low cut fronts (the Man Repeller would most definitely approve.)

Cute and cuddly, practical and machine washable, these are a fab pair of pjs, even if you are wearing them when you are not planning on going to bed just yet.

As you can probably guess, a restaurant that is dedicated to desserts is the ideal place to enjoy an afternoon tea. And when you then tie in cool surroundings and a chilled relaxed atmosphere, then the recommendation is complete. Pirlo’s in Birmingham is the place in question, and I enjoyed an afternoon tea there with my mom and sister just a few weeks ago and was seriously impressed.

Pirlo’s is one of Birmingham’s best kept secrets. Situated just behind Selfridges, you can reach it easily by walking through the Moor Street car park. On the edge of the city’s Digbeth area, Pirlo’s has a cool industrial feel, with roomy booths that are comfortable and more than capable of hosting larger groups. The afternoon tea is served daily from 12pm until 6pm, and needs at least 24 hours pre booking. I decided to try it after it was included in December’s Buckt box subscription and I thought it would be a nice girly occasion in the dull month that is January. I was not wrong.

The cost of the afternoon tea includes two cups of tea or coffee of your choice. As the venue is not licensed, you cannot add Prosecco to your order, but you can add a glass of non alcoholic fizz for a small supplement. Having a cup of tea or coffee is different from many afternoon teas where you are given a pot, but it means you can also have Lattes or Cappuccinos, and also ensures that your drink is piping hot.

The food is plentiful and flavoursome. Their is a good variety of sandwiches – egg mayonnaise, cheese and pickle, chicken tikka and Salmon were amongst the choices, and the sandwiches are a decent size – a quarter of a regular sarnie rather than the finger variety. The sandwiches tasted fresh and tasty, with nice soft bread and plentiful filling.

But the real test of an afternoon tea are the sweet treats. Pirlo’s has delicious macarons, mini Victoria Sponges, Carrot Cake and white chocolate covered strawberries. The strawberries were a definite high point, large and juicy and covered with thick chocolate – I could have easily eaten more of these, and in fact swapped my carrot cake for an extra strawberry (do they count as one of my five a day I wonder?). I was also a fan of the mini Victoria Sponge, my favourite cake in a cute miniature version was a real treat.

The icing on the cake, so to speak, were the scones. A good afternoon tea must have good scones,and Pirlos’s were large and were lovely and warm. There was a plentiful supply of jam and cream and the overall taste was delicious.

The afternoon tea for two is priced at £24 and is a lovely way to spend time with your girly friends, having a chat over tasty cake.

Fuel costs. They seem to go up every single day. Just this morning NPower have announced another 10% increase on fuel tariffs, adding extra pressure to already stretched household budgets. We are not necessarily using more fuel, but we are certainly paying more for it.

But the reality is that, in general, we do not help ourselves when it comes to keeping our bills as low as possible. Research has shown that for the last 2 years 57% of people have been found to be on standard variable tariffs – these are the most expensive tariffs. In addition, it is estimated that only 18% of people switch their energy supplier in order to get a better deal. Why would this be so?

The reality is that it all comes down to time. In order to find a better deal, you need time and effort in order to research what is out there. Even with your current supplier, there may well be a better, more affordable, fixed rate deal that you are not accessing. But, for many people, it just seems easier to stick with what you’ve got. But what if someone else could do the switching for you.

Look after my Bills does just that. You may remember them from Dragon’s Den, when they got the best deal in the history of the programme by selling 3% of the business for £120,000 (you can read about it in this BBC article). Look After My Bills does just that. You can sign up for free, and then each year they email you when they are about to compare the market, then once they find a deal they switch you over automatically (this is so the deal doesn’t vanish) then email all the details over giving you 14 days to review/cancel. Switching will save you at least a £50, certainly making it worth your while to sign up.

On average, Look After My Bills customers are saving anywhere between £250 – £400 per year by switching, and has they now have over 100,000 customers, this is equating to an awful lot of saved money. In addition, their website helps explain energy price caps, meter readings and energy saving light bulbs.

Look After My Bills has realised that having loyalty to a company no longer guarantees you the best possible deal, and that sometimes it really pays to shop around. The positive press they have received from the likes of The Telegraph and The Express, as well as the tabloid press and the BBC shows that there is a real market for this service, which takes the time out of switching.