I was reading Top 10 Cheap and Cheerful smartphones in The Register, and influenced by the comments instead of the article, I've just bought two Moto G 4G LTE phones and can definitely recommend them as a budget phone.

In the UK, these are advertised at around £150-160, but a little judicious shopping can find them for £130 unlocked. I found this on either Amazon or Tesco Click and Collect. I opted for the latter as Mrs Mouse had some vouchers which meant I got the phones for about £200 in total. They don't come with chargers, but as they charge through the USB port this is not an issue. The phone is fairly responsive, has a great display and everyone liked the earlier 3G incarnation of this phone. I'm replacing my venerable original HTC Desire with this as I tend to carry a basic phone along with a Samsung Galaxy Note as a fondleslab for emails, casual web browsing and stuff.

Other Stuff

• Mrs Mouse seems to have screwed my car in her attempts to learn how to drive. It's gone Oop North to my brothers garage for a new clutch and dual mass flywheel, whatever that is (apart from expensive).
• I was forced to part with £100 pocket money this weekend due to an agreement to pay the MiniMice bonuses based on school reports
• I am enjoying my current contract role, but would enjoy it even more if the rate was £75-100 better than it is.