We bought all of our major appliances and whitegoods from Tanya at Elite. They stock all the top european brands. They are willing to do some serious discounting if you are buying a lot of stuff. We bought a cooktop, oven, rangehood and a fridge. The sales and ordering process was very smooth but we did have a hiccup with the delivery.

The fridge arrived in two separate boxes (side-by-side) and the delivery guys just left. My understanding was that the purchase price of the fridge included installation. Anyway after speaking with the owner a few times he finally agreed that a fridge like that should include onsite installation and so he arranged for someone from the distributor to come out to our place that evening and install it. There is no way I could have worked out how to join the two sides together, it needed millimeter precision mounting of brackets.

Approximate cost: $0

I am a big fan of these new age burger joints (speaking of which I need to get my cholesterol checked!). My friend used to live around the corner from this place and we went there all the time. This was the first place that I was introduced to Aioli which is really just a fancy name for garlic mayonnaise, but it's a must have with the chips.

It's quite a groovy little shop (very busy at lunch time) and has a small room out the back in you want "dine-in" while reading the paper. I love the Sensei Beef Burger with Wasabi-mayo. My mate used to get 'Brie' burger which has a big slab of melting Brie cheese on it, too rich for my liking.

Approximate cost: $13

We have had Dave do many portraits for us. He has done one for each of our kids and a couple from our wedding photos. He does high quality water colour paintings based on live subjects or photos.

Makes a fantastic gift for new parents or for a newly married couple.

Approximate cost: $400

I used Elliot for some public speaking coaching a while ago when I was doing some presentations around Australia for the Financial Planning Association.

Elliot is a great coach in all aspects of communication from presentation skills to the thinking that goes into what you are going to present. He taught me skills such as addressing the audience in small groups at a time that I still remember and utilise when I present today.

Approximate cost: $0

Limor's is well known amongst people living around the Caulfield area. It's the sister restaurant to Maxy's in Glenhuntly Rd. The menu is almost identical and unfortunately the service is too!! Don't expect any niceties.

It has a slightly better atmosphere than Maxy's but is probably more appropriate for small groups because the dining area is smaller (although there is an upstairs area for big groups).

The big platters of Ribs, Chicken Shaslicks etc are great value because they can feed 3-4 people for $40. The bbq sauce is a must have on the ribs and is also great on the fries that come with most meals.

The salads and falafels are pretty good for the non-meat eaters amongst us.

Approximate cost: $25

This cafe has been an Elsternwick institution for a long time. The fitout is along the lines of a classic Italian Coffee bar and they do fantastic Italian Hot Chocolates (the really thick type).

Unfortunately L'Aperitivo changed hands in January 2007 and the new owners are really struggling to get it running well. We went there with our kids and grandparents for brunch recently and it was quite chaotic. We ordered two lattes, an iced chocolate and a strawberry milkshake (for my daughter) and we had almost finished our meals when we realised they still hadn't brought our drinks!! I went up to the bar and asked where they were and they said they were really busy but working on them.

By the time we actually got the drinks (almost 30 mins after ordering them) my daughter no longer wanted a strawberry milkshake (you know how kids change their minds) so we asked them to add some chocolate syrup into it. Fortunately they didn't take long to do that.

The food was still of a high standard but the service on this occasion was a real let down and there was no real apology. We will give the new owners another shot to win us back but if it's still not up to scratch we'll be looking elsewhere.

Approximate cost: $15

Houlihans is a combination of a small sit-down cafe with convenient home-style meals ready to take home and heat up. It's a popular haunt of St. Kilda footy club players who must live in the area because they are sitting out the front just about every time I've been there.

The Tandoori Chicken wrap is my favourite for lunch but at $8 it's not cheap. They have a large range of soups, stir-frys, goulashes, currys and other meals for take-away but once again at $14 per container there are plenty of cheaper alternatives.

I imagine a lot of locals buy from here because the food is more home-style than what you get from the average take-away restaurant.

Approximate cost: $14

I have had a couple of massages at this Aveda location and the back area of the shop has been converted into a really nice quite sanctuary with a balinese/thai feel. You sit in a waiting area and smell different aromas to decide which one you like the most (not sure if this applies to non-aroma therapy massages). You then go into your massage room and have a massage performed by an experienced masseuse.

The aroma-therapy treatment was great.

Approximate cost: $90

The best value lunch in Brighton! This place is a small retro-style cafe that has a limited menu but you can't beat $6.50 for a great wrap. My favourite wrap is the Chicken, Avocado and salad, but the Thai Lamb one is not far behind. I usually get takeaway so I haven't tried their salads but they look very nice too.

Approximate cost: $7

Groovy place for group get togethers

My wife and I went to La Camera with a few other friends and enjoyed the food. I had the Chicken Risotto with mushrooms, sundried tomatoes and spinach. I am a bit of a Risotto connoisseur and I was impressed. It was very flavoursome and not too gluggy.

I swapped half way with my wife and tried some of her marguarita Pizza, which looked huge but had extremely thin dough. In fact I've never had a Pizza with such a thin base and it was quite nice.

The restaurant was very busy so we had to sit on the enclosed balcony which was a bit cold in the middle of winter. Luckily they had some gas outdoor heaters.

Approximate cost: $16