Start Planning A Great Summer For Your Kids Now

Daylight savings is nearly upon us once more. This heralds lighter nights, spring, warmer weather and very soon it will be summer time again! Now is the time to start getting organised for summer and arranging some fun activities and holiday leisure time for your children. It needn’t be expensive.

Keep an eye out for events and workshops for kids. They are starting to advertise them now. Many local authorities offer clubs, classes and fun days for children at sports facilities and clubs throughout the summer months.

After a simple search, we found weekends for kids interested in building their own computer games, mountain biking, orienteering, swimming, art classes, bread-baking, painting, pottery and photography, all for the 8 – 14 age groups. Most of them cost less than £5 pounds for the day, and the kids are being encouraged to bring a packed lunch so there’s a saving on lunch money coasts too.

Check local libraries and schools too. Many of them offer free summer clubs and reading clubs. One library we found, is offering places on children’s writing classes with a writer in residence, and these are free.

Children are usually on holiday for around eight weeks during the summer. That is a long time to keep them happy on a budget! And even if you do go on a family holiday, for most families, these are only for one or two weeks in duration, leaving a great deal of time still to fill.

For working families it can be even harder, especially if child care is needed during working hours. Many families make arrangements with aunts and uncles and grandparents. We know of one family where the two sisters have each other’s children for a short two week stay, taking it in turns. This way everyone gets a holiday and no need to pay for expensive child care during the summer.

Start thinking about your plans now so you can get organised and book your kids onto some great activities, arrange for them to stay with family, and make the summer as enjoyable as possible without it all costing a small fortune.

Read More

Eating out – Take Advantage Of Offers!

Eating out is a treat and not the norm. In America, families eat out up to four and five times per week, it is part of their culture and food prices in restaurants and diners are much cheaper comparatively than they are here in the UK.

We’re not suggesting that you eat out so many times per week, but we have noticed an increase in the number of offers being promoted by restaurants as a way of attracting customers in. It’s worth keeping an eye out for these offers so you and your family can take advantage of them and enjoy a meal out for much less.

Many of the restaurant chains and other family pubs which serve food are offering great family meal time options. Some have all you can eat buffet tables with a set price for children and adults. There are also a number of family restaurants offering two kid’s meals free when two adult meals are purchased.

A two for one offer at lunch time is increasingly popular, especially amongst the office workers who are looking for a cheap lunch. Generally, these involve choosing from a range of dishes and they include a drink too, for example, burger and chips, or a pasta dish and choice of soft drink or beer.

A simple search online revealed offers for lunch or a family dinner in most towns in the UK can cost as little as £5 per head. While this is not economical if you are buying them every day, it is great as a treat on a family day out or as a change during the weekend.

Look out for offers from independent retailers and coffee shops too. Many of them will offer discounts or free desserts and reduced prices for children.

Keep your eye out on the local press and online. It’s worth following your favourite restaurants and local establishments on social media. This is where the majority of special offers are promoted on a daily basis.

Read More

The shocking price of Easter Eggs

The Easter Eggs are for sale in the shops already! Before you buy yours, take a minute to consider whether you are really buying a bargain. We’re not suggesting you don’t get your children an egg this Easter, but it is worth pointing out just how much the price of these seasonal confections has risen in the last two years!

Some Easter egg prices have almost tripled! Now, it may seem that they cost the same, but the packaging and marketing of these chocolate eggs is very clever, and disguising just how expensive they are becoming.

The medium sized Cadbury Eggs like Crème Egg, Flake and Caramel were £1 each in 2010. Last year they were sold at £3. Some shops are selling them at £4 this year, or 3 for £10, so no drop in price there, just another increase! Even Tesco’s own brand chocolate egg has double in price over the last few years. These figures were published last Easter by a consumer survey website, and looking at the prices available this year, very little much has remained at the same price.

In addition, the amount of chocolate is gradually being reduced in all brands. The eggs are not as thick and heavy as they once were, and the packaging is cleverly designed to make the eggs look much bigger than they actually are. Paper is much cheaper than chocolate!

The supermarkets and big chains are bearing the brunt of the blame for the hike in prices, however, there is also some indication that the perceived shortage of coco on the global market is making chocolate much more expensive.

Our advice is to shop around. Check the weight of chocolate you are buying and be careful with offers, they are not always giving you the discount or bargain price that they seem to be.

Read More

Mother’s Day On A Budget

 

Mother’s Day, like many other national celebration days, has turned into a highly commercial occasion. For all of us, there is increasing pressure to spend money on cards, presents, flowers and other specially made ‘Mother’s Day’ gifts. And we will all have noticed how much the prices go up in the weeks leading up to Mother’s Day! For those of us who do want to give your Mums a treat, but who are on a tight budget, here are some great ideas that won’t break the bank.

A note, letter or hand-made card – Your mum will love the personal touch and it will not cost a fortune. The average price of a Mother’s Day card this year has jumped to £4! That may not seem like much, but it adds up when you add a gift, gift bad, flowers, and chocolates etc. And any mother will tell you, a hand written note, or letter from her child will be worth far more, it will be priceless.

Spoil your mum – Give her the day off, properly! If she works in employment on Mothering Sunday, arrange for her to have the day off in advance if you can. If not treat her to a day of relaxation on her first day off. Cook the meals, do all the housework and let her enjoy her own free time in any way she chooses. If you can afford it, take her out for a lovely spring time walk and a quiet lunch.

For our younger readers – clean your room and do your own laundry! This will be a huge help to your mum and it will save her some time she could spend on herself.

Make some of your own ‘Vouchers’ – For example, you could give her vouchers for dusting, hovering, cleaning the bathroom, doing the ironing. Any chore or job around the house that you could help with, turn them into vouchers that your Mum can redeem when she needs a little help. Add some luxury vouchers too, like a bubble bath, or movie night with her friends, breakfast in bed, or a dinner date. The choices are endless.

Give her a gift to start a hobby, but do it with her. You could both enrol at a night class or exercise class. These do not have to be hugely expensive. Some Yoga classes can be as little as £5 for a beginner session. Volunteering is also a great way to spend time with her and take the focus away from money and material items, and instead, turning it toward giving and helping others.

Send her little text messages, funny notes and cool emails all day on Mother’s Day. It will make her smile and feel very loved and special.

There are so many ways to show you care and celebrate Mother’s Day that do not involve walking into a high street store and spending over £50 on impersonal gifts that anyone could buy.



 

Read More

How To Make Sure You Don’t Run Out Of Money

For people who are struggling on a low income, this can seem almost impossible. And yet, there are simple things you can do to ensure you don’t run out of money before you are paid. It’s not easy budgeting for an entire month. And for many families, unexpected expenses crop up and it is easy to get into a cycle of being very short of cash in the final week before payday.

It’s common and happens to millions of people who all have different levels of income. So, if it happens to people at all earning levels, what causes this lack of funds as the month draws to a close? Here are some tips to help you stretch your wage right to the end of the month.

Running out of money before the wages come in is not necessarily a sign that you are poor, nor is it a sign that you are very bad with money. It is however, a tell-tale sign that you are not budgeting elsewhere in your financial affairs. The problem is, when we are paid monthly even after all the regular bills are paid, we consider the total amount we are left with. It seems that very rarely do people divide the remaining amount by four to establish their budget for one week. And it’s understandable, family life can result in unexpected expenses, kids need money, and fuel and food need to be purchased. Often bills come in that are not paid monthly and can knock your budget out of synch. However, if you always keep the basic weekly budget in the back of your mind, you will find it much easier to stay within it. If you go slightly over one week, make sure you compensate for it in the following week.

It sounds simple, and it is. By doing this quick calculation when you are paid, you will be able to have a clear idea of what you can spend each week, and then act accordingly. Try it and see how it works for you.

Read More

Forgotten Direct Debits Are Costing Us A Fortune!

A recent online money advice article highlighted the issues of forgotten direct debits. It seems that many people often forget about small seemingly insignificant amounts of money that are coming out of their accounts. And it is something we have all done. We may have forgotten a subscription for a magazine or an additional television channel, or subscriptions to mobile apps, online games or even online services. When the amount is just a pound or two it can be easy to forget about it and not notice.

The problem is that all these little direct debits could result in a significant amount of money over a year. And if they are payments going to companies we no longer use, or don’t need, then the money will be better spent elsewhere, or remaining in your pocket.

It’s already a well-known fact that many people do not even look closely at their bank statements. Instead they will simple look at the bottom line and check the last few transactions, or any payments they were expecting.

Our advice is to regular check your bank statement every month. It’s also a good idea to go through your direct debit list and cancel any direct debits that are no longer in use every six months or so. If you start using the company again, you will need to set up another anyway.

In addition, check you iTunes account for recurring payments to apps, and your credit card statement for any payments coming off each month. These may be payments that are for websites and other services that you don’t need any more or may have forgotten about.

If you want to keep the services then continue to pay for them. The point is, why pay companies money when you are not using their products or services? Instead, carefully check what is being taken out of your account and by whom, and if there is any unnecessary expenditure there, you can address it and save the money or use it elsewhere.

Read More

A Simple Saving Exercise To Show You How Easy It Is!

This is a simple saving tip that you can try yourself, or you could encourage your children to try it. It’s a great way to learn about saving and an easy way to get started. Saving can seem like an almost impossible task, but in fact, it is much easier than most people imagine. Try this simple tip and see how much you could save in just a month.

Cut back on one thing you buy every day, just one item. It could be a coffee on route to work or your usual purchase at lunchtime. At the supermarket, what do you always buy that often ends up unused or lying at the back of the freezer? Papers, magazines, even subscriptions for services, or casually bought snacks could all be sacrificed for this little experiment.

All these additional items add up to a significant amount of money each year. Choose items that save you just £1 every day. Instead of using that money elsewhere, save it. It will be easy because we all usually have a £1 coin in our wallets and purses.

After one month you will have enough for a takeaway for a family of four.

After two months you will have enough for a day at the beauticians or special meal out.

After three months you will have enough for some new shoes.

After four months you will have enough for an entire outfit.

After five months you will have enough for a nice weekend away.

One of these treats could be yours for just £1 per day!

Try it, first decide what you are saving for, and then get started. And the amazing thing is, once you achieve your goal having saved just £1 a day, you will find it much easier to save a little more each time.

Read More