Want to use 94% less electricity??

We wanted to make some progress towards making our WOMOW office a green environment so I tracked down this company that sells Long Life energy efficient lighting products. We currently have some downlights which use 50 watt globes and Long Life Lighting sells replacement globes that use LED technology and only use 3 watts of electricity.

I ordered a small number of globes via their website just to test them out but when I received them in the mail there was a warning page in the box saying "these globes will not work with new electronic transformers". Because I knew the transformers we had for our Downlights were quite new I called the company. They confirmed the globes wouldn't work but they had a new model coming in September that would. I must admit I was a bit annoyed because this warning was not on their website however when I spoke to them they were very apologetic and said to send the globes back COD and they will ship the new model as soon as they come in.

Approximate cost: $22 per LED globe

Video Guys is a "video guy's" heaven. I used to work in the film industry and so I have an interest in Video and I do some amateur-level video work. This place has all the latest cameras and video-related gadgets. It's not so much a retail store but more of a place to pick up your purchases, but their website is really good.

If you have an interest in video and you're looking for amateur or semi-professional gear you definitely want to check these "guys" out. Their pricing is generally pretty aggressive too.

We recently bought a little bike for my daughters 3rd birthday. She was having problems riding it because she couldn't get the peddles to go around properly. We took the bike back to The Freedom Machine and they inspected it but couldn't find any faults.

The guy at TFM said he didn't want us to be dissappointed with the bike so he suggested we swap it for a tricycle which would be easier for her to peddle, and they swapped it on the spot. The original bike was in very good condition because she had only ridden it inside, but it was great to see pro-active customer service like this.

Approximate cost: $130

This place drives me insane!!! My wife constantly wants to drag me to Ikea to buy all manner of junk we don't need. I thought the old Moorabbin store was big enough and annoying enough and now they had to go and build an even bigger one. The rule that you can't take the trolleys to your car is ridiculous and it can be such a nightmare trying to get a spot in their "loading zone" when it's busy.

There is no doubt the stuff is cheap but I think in this case you really do get what you pay for. I refuse to go there now.

If you're looking for traditional boiled bagels Glicks is the place to go. When we first visited New York over 10 years ago we were amazed at the selection of bagels you could get. Glicks doesn't have quite the same range as some of those New York bakeries but their bagels are only about 80 cents and you can buy plenty of dips etc to put on them. I really like their egg dip which goes perfectly with a bagel (albeit tricky to spread on a thin round piece of bread!)

If you haven't tried a boiled bagel make sure you visit Glicks soon!

Approximate cost: $only 80 cents!

John from Cleanwise cleans our windows every 6 months. He is a very honest guy who will never overcharge. On his first visit he gave us a range of how much it would cost depending on how long it took him. He came in at the upper end of the range but it did take him a long time because we've got a courtyard with some awkward windows. From then on we have an agreed amount that he charges each time he comes.

It takes him over 4 hours to clean all of our windows (2-storey) both inside and out for which he charges about $230 which I think is pretty good value for a mobile tradie. He also cleans Carpet & Upholstery, Stain Removal, Fabric Protection and stripping and sealing of tiles.

Approximate cost: $230

I needed some signage done for my car doors, and I came across Scotchline. I wanted some decent size (approx. 700mm x 700mm) logos for the rear doors. I had never ordered any car signage before so I unfamiliar with the terminology (e.g. Laser cut vinyl) but these guys made the process easy. They helped me with laying out the artwork in the correct way for them, and they did a number of test prints. I initially wanted to do full-colour printing on a white sticker because my logo had some shading in it, but they talked me out of it because you get a much more vibrant colour using coloured vinyl. They showed me some test prints they had done of my logo and I agreed that a single-solid colour would standout more, plus the coloured vinyl is more colourfast (won't fade in sun) that the digital printed stickers.

I needed the job done pretty quickly and the Scotchline guys had no problem meeting my deadline, I drove my car into their workshop and 10 mins later drove out all signed-up.

Approximate cost: $220 incl. installation

We recently went on a holiday for 10 days and decided it was cheaper to leave our car at Andrews than to catch a taxi to and from the airport. Plus when you've got young kids taxi's can be a problem (no car seats). We arrived at Andrew's and parked the car close to where the mini-bus leaves. We did have to get most of our luggage over to the bus, although the driver did assist with this (I think they could improve this process to make it easier especially when you've got kids to worry about, dragging 8 bags/cases can be tricky. Even if they provided trolley's like you get at the airport that would help.

I then went inside to pay which was a pain-free process, although once again they could get all of these details over the phone when you book so you can literally just drive and get on the bus. The bus ride to the airport takes about 5-7 mins so you probably need to allow an extra 20-25 mins all up to park and get to the check-in. This is probably comparable with the Long-term parking at the airport, even though you are parking a lot closer, you generally have to wait a long time for a shuttle bus.

The major advantage of Andrew's over the Long-term carpark is that your car can be kept undercover and it's also more secure. It's impossible for security to closely monitor the massive Long-term carpark at the airport.

We arrived back from holiday and got straight on an Andrew's shuttle bus and we were back at our shiny clean car (you can pay extra for washing) within 5 mins.

Approximate cost: $100 for 10 days undercov

We used Mini-movers to move our house nearly a year ago. We initially thought it was good that they charged by the hour, but then realised we had underestimated how long it would take to move all of our stuff! In the end it probably ended up costing around the same as a fixed-price removalist, and we certainly weren't worse off.

The two guys who came were really friendly, motivated and helpful. They put in a 10-hour day to get all of our junk from one place to the other, including a couple of very heavy items, like our big "rock" bench that my wife insisted came with us. The guys never complained (like many removalists do) even after carrying couches and beds up the stairs.

There was some slight damage to a baby cot and a chest of drawers but a quick call to Mini-movers was all it took. They arranged for a furniture restoration company to come out and inspect the damage. The guy came and checked the damage and booked us in for later in the week. Two guys came out and repaired both pieces of furniture and they looked as good as new all at no extra charge.

Approximate cost: $1500

We've been to Dips on a few occasions and also had take-away at a friends place nearby. It is quite a small restaurant run by a friendly greek guy. I haven't eaten at a lot of Greek Restaurants but I quite enjoy the food here. The meal sizes are very large especially if you get an open souvlaki (there is heaps of meat!). The seafood is not too bad and the saganaki is a must have.

Approximate cost: $17