Cheaper Vodafone

Just before the new year I was talking about getting a new mobile phone in my upcoming upgrade.  I had always had my eyes on the Samsung Galaxy SII as I wanted to stick with the Android operating system and definitely need a faster phone as my HTC Magic (which is now two-and-a-half years old) is now very old, very slow and definitely lost all of it's magic!  The last time we looked at this I had considered getting the phone through another 18-month contract or buying a sim free handset and getting a cheaper tariff from Vodafone.  So this morning I called up Vodafone to discuss my upgrade options.  They offered me the Samsung Galaxy SII for FREE if I took a 24-month contract with them at my current tariff of £36/ month.  So that meant £864 over two year.  That's a lot of money AND two years is a long time!  Who knows what will happen to my phone then?  I wouldn't want to wait two year before any upgrade options become available.  OR if I took an 18-month contract at the same monthly cost I'd have to pay £64 for the handset.  I tried to ask for the handset to be free, played the loyalty card reminding them I've been with them since 2006.  But no, the system said No.  Haha!  An 18-month contract was reasonable, but I was not happy to pay the extra £64.  The customer service agent (who shall not be named), then advised, that I could take the sim-only contract for only £10.25 a month which will give me the exact same quotas: 600 Anytime Minutes, Unlimited SMS and 500MB data.  And I could buy the handset sim-free elsewhere.  He said a lot of people are doing that these days as it seems the cheaper option out there.  I was so glad to hear this.  £10.25 a month would save me £309 a year on the tariff alone.  All I'd have to do it get myself a sim-free handset and then the phone is all mine and I'd have much greater flexibility with it, like being able to use it in other countries like Singapore for example.  Haha!

So I am happy to say that from midnight tonight my new lower tariff will kick in and I will start saving money.  =P

Seats are taken

Earlier on the week mum and I logged on to Emirates website and we picked our airplane seats for our trip to Singapore.  It was very exciting indeed, especially when also considering whether our seats will be too close the toilets, too near the back or if we're up the front just behind potentially crying babies in their baskinets that hang from the wall.  Haha!  Our seats are sorted for now.  Any changes can still be made later I suppose.  We didn't pick our meals though.  Want to be surprised by what they offer us on the day.  I quite like my airplane meals from my previous flights.  Everything was quite yummy.  Haha!  So.. seats are sorted and we will be flying in August.  But that won't be my only visit to the airport.  I will be taking Cat to the airport in a few weeks time when she flies over to Singapore to see Nick again.  It wasn't that long ago that she complained it was too far away before she went over for her well-deserved break and to sort out wedding stuff etc.  But now it seems not long at all.  Not only that, once Cat is back then the time will countdown till her BIG DAY on 16th July!  My my!  My sister getting married!!  Things are going to be so difference once Cat is married and migrates to Singapore.  The house will be occupied by mum and I and we will miss her.  Must treasure all these moments that she's here with us.  Must treasure the meals that she cooks, must treasure when she cleans the whole bathroom, must treasure all the reduced priced goods she gets from supermarkets for the family, must appreciate all the baking she does.  For it won't be long before these things will no longer exist.  Where there will be one less person to ask me about exercising, about protein shakes, who sends me funny pictures on Whatsapp or share funny jokes with me.  My wee sis all grown up...