Despite sounding like it could (and should) be me, Local Shopper is actually a free publication…read morethat provides a 'platform' (their words, not mine) for local businesses to advertise and offer deals to prospective clientele. Good idea, eh? Delivered by the Royal Mail once monthly to 207,000 homes and businesses in the Belfast, Bangor, Newtownabbey and Lisburn areas, there are different versions of the Local Shopper for each particular neighbourhood. For example, the one I receive is delivered to 13,500 homes in the Braniel, Tullycarnet, Gilnahirk and Dundonald areas, and is tweaked to suit our area, with adverts from the likes of Papa Johns in Dundonald, Envy tanning and beauty in Ballybeen and Gilnahirk Tyres and Exhausts. Not only do each of these businesses get a decent sized ad in this eight page magazine, but many of these ads double up as coupons / money-off vouchers for that particular company. Fun Works in Glengormley (one of very few businesses which isn't that nearby) are offering 20% off when you produce their ad, whilst the Green Energy Store in Bangor are promoting their business with £200 off selected energy store systems. Local Shopper is a great idea for local businesses, but also for the prospective customers. Good work!

The Local Shopper is a little advertisement free sheet which is popped in the door of of over…read more200,00 Belfast homes every month. It is quite informative and is tailored to suit your area. The businesses are actually quite useful, they'll let you know about skips for hire in your area, great deals on electrical goods and some great deals and vouchers for pizzas. As far as most advertisement free sheets go, this is a quality one worth reading instead of chucking in the bin.

I get really angry and frustrated when press and publishing companies do their jobs half-assed. If…read moreBlackstaff did anymore half-assed a job at publishing local authors than they currently do, we'd have to call the police. Most of their publications find their way into the 99p bin in Bargain Books, with very few actually having enough merit to be stocked in a mainstream bookstore like Waterstones. Cover design is shoddy as is the writing, showing how much care they give to selecting their writers. This is what happens when companies do things purely for profit and nothing else. Bad, bad, bad.

I actually bought this magazine just for the smell. Not really...though I do love the smell of…read moreglossy mags. Hmmmm. Anyway, Northern Woman isn't just a great smelling magazine. Oh no. It's a great looking one too. It has all the requirements of a true glossy - fashion pages, reviews, showbiz goss (Northern Ireland style), interviews, lifestyle pages (losing weight, healthy eating and all that jazz), and the all-important competitions (six-place Pure dining set anyone?). The choice of articles, and the information within these are broad enough to appeal to women a wide variety of women from the 20s right through to 50s / 60s. The fashion pages may be geared towards a slightly younger audience, but the rest of the magazine is pretty generic. My favourite article in the summer edition was 'Picture Perfect' - a guide to getting the best photo of yourself possible, from poses to your hair style to accessories. I also loved the feature on festival hair...a handy guide to how to the most of your hair when you're camping and slummin' it. It's great to see that everything in Northern Woman is related to our wee country - Norn Irish celebs, clothing from local shops, local salons, parties etc etc. And, as if that wasn't already reason enough to buy it, Northern Woman is only £1.95! What are you waiting for?!

In! is essentially a Northern Irish version of Ok! / Hello! magazines (what is with all these…read moreexclamation marks?!), specialising in reports on local social activities and gatherings, with plenty of photos to boot. Except, most of these people aren't even famous... In the July / August edition, the focus is on the Down Royal (stunning outfits galore), Miss Northern Ireland (I just looked in the mirror and cried...)., the opening of a new restaurant / bar / lounge in Belfast, the opening of a new salon (also in Belfast), etc etc. It's generally filled with pictures of beautiful girls who are very much 'In!' these social circles, or just so happen to be at a prestigious event and get their photo taken. There are also celeb interviews - Christine Bleakley and her sister Nicola are in the current edition - as well as lifestyle / beauty pages, plenty of plugs for the latest in where to eat, where to visit, where to get that hideous cellulite seen to...you get the picture. After reading, you may feel a slight inferiority complex. Don't worry, you will eventually overcome this problem, though it may take a few days. The overwhelming glamour is enough to make even the best looking person feel a bit paranoid. I assure you...

I'm a big fan of this magazine. Having worked in the media industry in Northern Ireland for a few…read moreyears, I actually think that IN! has taken an original concept for NI and made it a real success. The people who go to the events in Northern Ireland love getting their photograph taken, and hence will love to see it printed in a glossy magazine. I think its a really interesting read as well, and having a local focus is brilliant too - how many times to you see things in OK! Mag that you can't get in Northern Ireland?! At least you know that what you see in this magazine, you'll be able to get on your doorstep. Every interview may not feature a celebrity, but I don't think thats what the essence of this magazine is about - its more about celebrating talent and if they can be the first stepping board for some of these people to let NI know what they're doing, where they're going and why they want to be heard, then why not? I definitely look forward to the latest edition each month and I hope it continues for a long time - it can only get better!

Corries has two outlets in Ards and Ballyhackamore to sell the products off its farm, but the one I…read morehave been to is in Newtownards! Corries own a family run farm based in Newtownards.They have been operating for over 3 decades, so they really know their stuff!Corries take pride in their state-of-the-art farming facilities, and it is this kind of commitment to quality that shines through in their products! Unlike other butchers that are sometimes provided by generic meatsuppliers, Corries produce is brought straight from the farm, which goes some way to explaining the value for money and excellent quality product that you get from here. They do some of the nicest chicken products I have ever tasted, with a recent special offer £21 for 5kgs of chicken breasts, which is value that beats even the biggest supermarkets, and the quality is far superior! They also do excellent burgers and steaks, and whilst I am not a fan of lamb, my dad swears by the lamb chops from here. As well as meat , Corries also provide vegetables, buns, cakes and deserts, so they provide you with a far better range than your average butcher!So I will Corrie on buying from here, but I just hope that I haven't butchered this reviews with my lack lustre puns!

Auto Trader is Northern Ireland's biggest and best used car directory. It comes out every Thursday…read moreand is reasonably priced at £2.20! Unlike something like the ads for free, where I think the print version is made redundant by its online counterpart, I feel for the Auto Trader both sections are valid and complement each other well. The magazine provides an extensive rage range of every type of vehicle under the sun that will come at a wide variety of ages and prices. The magazine is good be\cause if you get it first thing on a Thursdday morning when it comes out you can hopefully beat off the competition to any bargains. The layout is clear and good, and there is always a great variety on display. Unfortunately the paper can attract a lot of tyre-kickers as my father who regularly advertises in this magazine will profess! Advertising rates are reasonable and the photography teams will come out to you and take pictures of your cars if you don't have the time which is good for a busy bee like my dad!

Every young boy at some point gets bored and has read an Auto Trader from cover to cover... Don't…read morewe? To be honest I looked at the majority of the pictures and decided there and then if they were worth my Dad showing any interest. Turned out he didn't want to buy a car, nor did he want my opinion. Insert sad face. The Auto Trader is the biggest selling car magazine in all of the country and when you buy it you can see why. It is choc-a-block with any number of cars, lorries, quad bikes etc. All used. All Northern Irish. The internet, as Nick rightly said, is having a much more exciting time with buying and selling cars than it used to so the future of Auto Trader may not be as secure as it used to be. However, from working in a part-time job in which we sold this magazine, there was rarely a time any magazines were returned to the supplier. It has everything you need as well as information about the vehicles and a contact number in case you are interested. Perhaps this time next year magazines will be something of a distant memory like VHS, yo-yos and Destiny's Child. But for now Auto Trader is a great magazine and is definitely worth a look if you are interested in buying or selling any vehicles.

The Newtownabbey Times is a local newspaper which has been circulated around the area for over 100…read moreyears. It is published by Johnston Press plc. (One of the top 3 largest local newspaper publishers in the UK) It's sister papers include the Carrickfergus and Larne Times, each with their own offices in the respective areas. Together they have been reporting news stories around the East Antrim area since the 1860s. Focusing mainly on local news, it is a valuable source of community information and news updates. It is currently published every Thursday and coverage includes news, sports, health and education amongst a number of contemporary news stories or reviews. For more information or to contact the newspaper, email susan.gillen@jpress.co.uk or send your letters to Newtownabbey Times, 14 Portland Avenue, Glengormley, Newtownabbey, BT36 5EY. Telephone: 028 9084 3621

Newtownabbey Times includes stories from all across the area - from Ballyduff to Ballyclare, from…read moreCarnmoney to Templepatrick, and from Glengormley to Jordanstown. It's comprehensive coverage mean that it's a) quite an in-depth paper (certainly not on par with The Sun etc), and b) it takes quite a while to read (not such a good idea when on a hot, stuffy bus from Ballyclare to Belfast, with ten screaming teenagers arguing over whether it's a bikelist or a cyclist...). I did, however, come across a few interesting nuggets of information. For example, who knew that there even was a Women's Rugby World Cup, let alone the fact that one of Ireland's players comes from Whiteabbey? Or indeed that there is a singing group known as the Belfast Phoenix Choir? My life has been greatly enhanced thanks to these wonderful pieces of completely useful information. As well as the news section, the Newtownabbey Times has a rather amusing birthday component (one particular vengeful twin used this to her advantage), as well as a jobs section (Primark are looking Christmas staff already?!), business news, a sports section, property news, a careers / training / education insert, and a lengthy motorcar segment. All in all, not a bad paper.

Somehow I got talked into designing some posters for a surprise party, which is why I found myself…read morein this place in Portview. I was a little nervous heading in, not sure whether my artwork was high res enough, or even if they'd do such a small job. No need to worry, the service was top class. From the cheery receptionist to the very kind designer who took me into the studio to check the artwork and see what I wanted, everything was flawless. They were even so quick I had a call from them before I'd even got home telling me my posters were done. The lovely lady even gave me a diary when I went to collect my prints (which looked brilliant). Sad as it sounds, I loved the experience so much I'm now hunting out other things I need printed!

Don't usually do these review things but the service at Media Design and Print…read more(http://www.mediadesignandprint.com) was so good I feel I have to. I needed 500 A5 leaflets (https://www.mediadesignandprint.com/products/promo/8/leaflets#prices2) for Friday and ordered them on Thursday. Print companies that I have used in the past don't want to know about this sort of turnaround but this company made it all too easy (Michael's the man!) and only charged me £46 into the bargain. The quality of the print was also exceptional. No worries with this crowd, I'll definitely use them again.