It’s the last day of January, and I thought I had better reflect on whether my attempts at being frugal worked, or not…..
On the whole, this has been a financially low stress month. I managed to get a great deal on my digital camera. I bought the best model I could afford, and managed to get 6 months interest free. I shopped around, and the price I paid was cheaper than elsewhere, as sometimes I think interest free options are not always at the best price. I have made and baked wherever possible, even making digestive biscuits which were so successful that my eldest son ate all 30 over two evenings! Making more stuff from scratch and resisting fresh goods 3 for 2 or BOGOF offers has made us waste less, although if it’s tinned or dried stuff with a long shelf life, I’ve still bought them. I think I’ve probably annoyed several shoppers by standing working out which is the most economical product to buy – especially when it comes to cat food that seems to come in so many different sizes!
My sewing box is no longer gathering dust in a corner, but is where I can get it to mend where necessary. Jumpers have been repaired and I found some material in a sale, so bought that to make some cushions rather than buy them – 2 silk cushions for under £10, what a bargain!! However, I have drawn the line at repairing a pair of socks that don’t really fit our youngest son any more, even though they are ‘my favourite socks’.
The bottom line with all this rambling, is that on the day before payday, my account is still in credit, and the credit card has stayed in my purse. I think that considering it’s January, the month after Christmas and the month of sales and bargains, I’ve done really well. January has been an almost frugal month, spending when I needed to, and saving when I didn’t. Healthier eating, mended clothes, a happy family and money at the end of the month…..long may it continue!!
Our friend Emma looks back on the hardest financial month of the year…and is smiling. Well done you!
Food shopping online…The very idea. I like to squeeze my fruit, thank you!
Everyone starts off the New Year trying to make resolutions that they hope they will keep. A lot of people like to join a gym and get fit, others perhaps cut out the fattening food that they love so much but does them so much harm. Others simply try and change the way in which they behave. This January I think a lot of families including ourselves will be resolving to use their money more wisely. Perhaps more wisely than they had done in the past. Now this is really nothing new for us especially over the last few years. Having a toddler means that there is usually less money floating about and when it does it always requires a little bit more thinking through when it comes to making purchases for various things. However in the current economic climate and the ever so slight threat that things are not going to be great in January I do think that we and everybody else will be thinking very hard about the next penny that we spend. One aspect in our expenditure where we have made considerable changes is that in the way we do our weekly food shopping. In the past I have found myself driving to the local supermarket on my way home from work to pick up a few things that would probably not amount to any more than say for instance £8. However I am the supermarket managers dream. I fall for all the psychological tricks and tips that they use to get customers to buy all the things that they don’t really need but that the supermarket really wants to sell. Whilst these things are usually aimed at children so that they can pester their put on parents I seem to fall for them too. This probably says something about me and my psychological position in life or the fact that I just happen to be a man, I really don’t know. The point is I end up spending not £8 pounds but usually double trouble that. This is illustrated beautifully by the state of our credit card statement every month. My wife and I have a credit card which goes to the same account where we put all of the family spending on. We choose to pay the balance back in full every month so therefore we do not pay any interest. I am very proud of the fact that we have never paid a penny in interest for years and years and years. This is on principle of the fact that banks make enough money out of us and have lost enough of our money in recent years so I don’t feel it appropriate that I should give them any more money that they can put a further risk. Apart from the moral standpoint this is also good principle on household finances. Interest payment on credit card can be very high and thankfully we have not been in the position where we need to pay that back on top of the other expenditure that we have incurred. However the most worrying aspect of all of the supermarket shopping I seem to be doing is not so much the frequency in which I go to these places but the money that is being spent inside of them. So my wife and I sat down and devised a strategy based on what was in front of us on the statement. It was clearly obvious that there were far too many trips to the supermarket. This had a knock-on effect on the cost of actually having to use petrol to drive to these places plus the usual cost of buying various bits and pieces that really we did not need plus there was also the time to take into consideration. So, do we therefore need to make a case for planning what we needed seven days in advance? Writing a list of everything and physically going to the supermarket buying exactly what was on the list and not straying from it one bit was, I found, a very difficult thing to do. Supermarkets and their managers are very very good in getting their customers to get the things that they don’t really need which has clearly been obvious from my experience. So, perhaps the answer lay online.
We’ve opted to go straight to Tesco.com for our first online shopping experience. This was largely due to the fact that we seem to do a lot of shopping Tesco anyway and that a lot of our favourites were saved on our Clubcard. This proved to be a great advantage when it came to ordering the things that we normally would buy anyway. The first and second online shops can take a little while where you find all the things that you want. Some things are not the places where you would normally expect them to be and it is tempting to just close the whole thing down and walk away. We decided that we would persevere and I’m so glad we did. We are now around about 8 months into this online shopping and it really works for us as a family. We have become very good at planning seven days ahead what we’re going to eat including food to take to work and things for our three-year-old. We factor in that it is going to cost us money for the privilege of having the stuff delivered which at the minute averages around about five pounds per delivery which is around £20. However this is a pretty good trade-off. I no longer have to drive to the supermarket in all kinds of weather and struggle with bags of heavy groceries in and out of the car. There was also the time aspect of things as well. If I were to do a full weekly shop at the supermarket I could very easily take two hours out of my evening in which to do so. And I think supermarkets know this is a big constraint on people too. They have made it very easy for customers to place orders with them online. Obviously, using the computer in the our spare room is a very comfortable with do our weekly food shopping. But it is now possible to use your iPhone and the free downloadable app that Tesco have developed in order to comfortably do your shopping from the comfort of your settee. Initially I was very sceptical about this but it really does work very well. All of this does lead to a very positive endpoint for us. We no longer buy any of the things that we really don’t need but only get the things we definitely do. We are also very good now scoring for the special offers and buy one get one free offers as they are very easy to find online then you know where to look for them. Our monthly shopping bills now are around about £200 per month in comparison with a bill of around about £400 per month when I was driving to the supermarket on my way home from work. However this is just one aspect of the strategy. The other aspect is actually what we do with the ingredients when we get them. This has required a complete overhaul on the way we eat and the way we cook as a family. I shall save some of my pearls of wisdom for the next blog post. The only thing is they’re not really secrets they are complete common sense that have been publicised by celebrity chefs and money experts alike. However I tend to take a lead from real people and families in a similar situation. If they can do it then so can we. I am actually quite ashamed that we did not do this sooner.
Frugal Families – Reduce your grocery bill with some savvy shopping!
Welcome to Alison Pinto of Menus4Mums who is guest blogging for us and providing some excellent advice on how we can be more savvy where shopping for food. Some excellent tips both here and on her website. Over to you Alison…..
Your Grocery Bill – Beat The Credit Crunch With Some Savvy Shopping!
Wondering how to make ends meet? Want to get your grocery costs down but keep the quality high? Menu4Mums, the online family meal planners, have these top tips to help you save on your grocery shop. Why not challenge yourself to see how much you can save?
Tip 1: Plan your meals. Look online at supermarket offers (or look at the Menus4Mums Bargain Spotting page) and build meals around these ingredients. Plan a suitable meal for each day with a good balance of protein (eg meats, pulses), carbohydrates (eg potatoes, rice, pasta), and vegetables. See what needs using up in your freezer or fridge. Think about using up leftovers too. And try to include an interesting variety of tastes and textures. After your meal plan write your shopping list.
Tip 2: Never shop on an empty stomach. If you do, you just know you’ll end up at the checkout with a trolley brimming with cake, crisps, and chocolate – and a huge grocery bill to boot! Instead, if you are feeling a bit peckish, have a banana or a quick snack. It could save you a lot of money.
Tip 3: Beware of Buy One Get One Free (BOGOF) and Buy 2, Get 1 Free deals. You might find it is still cheaper to buy a different brand or an own brand product. Be particularly wary of deals on perishable foods – just because you can buy two bags of pears for the price of one doesn’t mean to say that you will want to eat them all! Finally, many of the deals are offered on foods which are high in salt, sugar and fat, so beware.
Tip 4: Taste test lower range products. We don’t mean suddenly going from premium brands to the most basic products. But if you give some of the middle range brands a try, the chances are you won’t notice a difference. Look at the health data on the packaging too – some lower range foods are actually healthier than the premium varieties.
Tip 5: Give the supermarket a miss sometimes. Try buying your meat at your local butcher – you’re likely to be impressed by the quality. Plus if you want just 3 chicken breasts, you don’t have to fork out for a pack of 4 so you only end up paying for what you need. Seasonal fruit and veg is often cheaper at your local market or farmer’s market, and you could turn it into a trip out with the family. Or check out your local farm shop for quality, local, seasonal produce.
Menus4Mums, the online family meal planners, help busy parents ditch the takeaways and ready meals and serve up tasty, healthy food for their families, saving them time and money in the kitchen. Find out more at www.menus4mums.co.uk.
Best foot forward into 2011. Welcome back Emma!
Christmas has come and gone, the New Year has been toasted in, the decorations are down and the house looks a little bare. Maybe too much was eaten or drunk, hopefully the presents were a big success, and perhaps the bank account is a little low, and the credit card bills a little high.
We decided to do Christmas on a bit of a budget this year, as I mentioned in an earlier blog. Budget is probably the wrong word; the idea was to buy the right presents for people rather than worrying about spending £X on each person. I think it was a success – I certainly got an amazing priceless present from my husband and the boys, a silver necklace with two heart shaped pendants each with an impression of the boys’ finger prints. It is wonderful, unique and precious beyond words. Although it wasn’t a low budget present, it wasn’t as expensive as you might think, and was the right present, which is what this Christmas was supposed to be about.
I intend to carry this ethos on this year. How? I have spent this evening mending. A body warmer had a rip in a seam, but not anymore, and our sofa has developed a hole over the Christmas hols – too much playing on the Wii maybe? Only one cushion (the seat nearest the TV) has a hole, and the other sofa and armchair are fine. Do we take advantage of the amazing never ending sofa sales with interest free credit and nothing to pay for at least 6 months, or do we fix the hole, find a throw, and get another couple of years out of it? It’s mended, and the throw is in place.
I hope we can keep this philosophy going throughout 2011 and beyond. If we need to buy something (at the moment I’m after a digital SLR camera for work projects and home use too) I want to buy the best value for money item I can. Not the most expensive, or cheapest, but, a bit like Christmas, the right item at the right price, the best we can get within our budget, something that will last, and can be repaired rather than replaced if it goes wrong. I’ve resisted buying things we don’t need in the sales – all I’ve bought are some shoes that I needed (could have done with them a month ago, but waited until the sales!), some socks for my eldest son, and some half price Christmas cards (which will only be a bargain if I put them in a place where I will be able to find them next November). There were definitely more bargains to be had, but if we didn’t need them, were they really a bargain? I decided they weren’t, and saved my money.
Food is another area where we can make cut backs without losing quality. I work part time. I teach one day a week, and then another two or three days flexi- time working from home, so I am lucky that I do have time. By making and baking things from scratch, you get better quality for less money. We got the River Cottage Everyday book for Christmas, and Micro son and I made the most amazing pizzas last week – we each had the toppings we wanted (mushroom, cheese, ham, pepperoni, egg (!!)). There was more than enough for four, and it cost a fraction of the price of shop bought or take away pizzas. It took longer to make, but not as long as driving or walking to the shops, and I bet it was healthier. I just hope we can continue this through 2011 and beyond too.
Hopefully if we stick to our plans, we won’t need to be frugal or on a tight budget this January, or at all in 2011. We can mend what can be mended, cook as many meals as we can from scratch using fresh, locally sourced, seasonal ingredients (which will also save money, reduce our carbon footprint, and support the local economy), buy the best that we can afford, but only buy what we really want, and, more importantly, what we need. Fingers crossed!!
January is here…Its time for “Frugal Families”
So the turkey is gone, the crackers have been pulled and the torn wrapping paper is out for recycling. Christmas was only 2 weeks ago and already we are back to normality. And what a crash back to earth it has been. The festive period which spawned parties, get togethers and shopping trips will have separated most of us from our cash to the point that new year resolutions will be awash with promises of thrift and cut backs. Whilst this is nothing new really the other thing that compounds the issue for all of us is the gloomy economic climate. It was only a week ago that the Prime Minister warned us that 2011 was going to be a tough year what with VAT going up and as a concequence all of our usual expenditure. Never has thrift and cut backs meant so much to so many. It is with this in mind that familiesrecommend launches its frugal families theme for the blog. We are all facing decisions in all aspects of our family life from food shopping to how we spend our spare time. Our great friend and resident blogger Emma has kicked off the theme with a great piece about her family circumstances which reflects a common feeling among families as well as good old fashioned common sense. We also have some posts coming on what other families are doing to try and beat the squeeze. Of course we are open to other families experiences and would welcome anyone who wishes to contribute with a blog post. Weird and wonderful welcome as well sensible. Please contact us through the info page on the website for further details.
Despite the gloomy prediction from the PM, we hope that 2011 brings you peace, health and relative prosperity.
Lee and Sarah
A Christmas shopping tale…
I used to think that buying Christmas presents early could only be a good thing. It took away the stress of last minute panic buying and the bills were all settled well before the event. Now I’m not so sure. Me and my husband were talking about Christmas at the weekend. We both love Christmas although we each have a different perspective on buying gifts. He buys lots of gifts for each member of his family , whereas I will only buy each person one gift each. It’s the way we are and we respect that. So he buys gifts for his family that come from us both and vice versa. We were chatting about our impressive organisational skills as we starting shopping for our son in August and I had my presents either bought or ordered by the end of October. Now, I bet your thinking ‘smart arse’ and yes I must admit a little bit of me thinks this too. Well I am not going to suffer the crowds or post office queues in the week before Christmas. However, there is a downside to starting early. Prices. Two things happen. Firstly, the closer it gets to the big event, the more likely the stores will have a sale or reduce the one item you have bought there. This has happened quite a lot to us in the past and it’s annoying! Secondly if you are well planned but not quick enough in your purchase you can end up paying more in November than you would have in october. For me that’s not a problem as I stop looking once all my gifts are bought. But for my husband it is. Every year he takes his mother on a day trip to London to grab some presents you just can’t get in Newcastle. Such as Harrods and Hamleys and other stores you have in the Capital. But he generally knows what he’s going for having done a little research before hand. This year he’s been a little peeved at the shops because his research in October gave one price, yet when arriving in London in early November prices had risen. And not just by £1 here or there but by large amounts mostly £10 – £15. Its disgraceful that big stores seem to think they can fleece the public in the lead up to the festive period. Obviously as soon November appears on all our calendars, the price increases appear too. I mean we are in the worst economic position for decades with each family finding money tight. I don’t expect shops to reduce their prices because of this but to blatantly increase prices on the run up to Xmas seems rather mean. So I guess the moral is buy early or buy late. But dont buy in November!
Christmas is coming….by Emma Salt
Emma Salt kicks off our festive families season on the familiesrecommend blog with her thoughts about the run up to Christmas.
It amazes and amuses me how supermarkets start marketing Christmas as soon as sales of suntan lotion begin to decline at the beginning of September. Once we’re into autumn, and Hallowe’en has been and gone, it seems you can’t turn on the TV without being bombarded by toy adverts – or sofa adverts guaranteeing you can have your new sofa by Christmas! My youngest son came running into the kitchen at the beginning of October shouting “I’ve found it, I’ve found it!” I asked what he had found, expecting him to answer a lost toy, but no, he’d found the Argos catalogue, and spent the following hour marking all the toys he wanted for his birthday (in November) or for Christmas.
Maybe I’m turning into a grumpy old woman (though perhaps less of the old, I’m still in my 30s!), but I can’t remember Christmas starting quite this early when I was little. I also can’t remember my Christmas lists being quite so expensive, either, although I can remember marking the different toy catalogues with an ‘E’, and I usually added a puppy or a pony to the list. Father Christmas visited me in the 1970’s and early 1980’s, which predated the digital age by a few years. We thought we were very technical and ‘with it’ because we had an Atari and a video player, but there were no MP3 players, mobile phones or I-pads on my list, and even if they had been around, I think they would have been well beyond my parents’ means. As we struggle out of the worst recession in living memory, it can be very hard for parents to explain that Father Christmas can’t bring the latest gadget, or a walking, talking robot. At least my parents had the reasonable excuse and logic when they told me a pony wouldn’t fit on the sleigh, or down the chimney.
So, what are we to do? We are lucky that our youngest son’s birthday is 5 weeks before Christmas, so we can refuse to do much about Christmas until his birthday has been and gone. Both our children go to church schools, so they do know the true meaning of Christmas, and they also have a very good understanding of other religious festivals that occur at this time of year. When my youngest started telling me all the presents he wanted, I had to stop him and tell him that was a bit too greedy. He pulled a face, but I asked him if he thought Jesus would have complained that he had Frankincense, gold and myrrh instead of the latest MP3 player, and he burst out laughing and said no, of course not. Point made, perhaps. He then asked if Father Christmas could bring him the presents, and I got out of that one by saying that Father Christmas only brings presents to good boys and girls, and that if you were greedy, you weren’t being good. Touché!
I think that as parents we need to set an example, and show restraint, if we want to, and stick with it. I am going to go for quality over quantity this year – to try to buy or make presents that people will really appreciate, and am going to try to get the boys to make lots of presents too. I’m quite good with a sewing machine, and the boys and I make a terrific trio in the kitchen, so handmade biscuits and sweets from the boys will go down a treat with close friends and relatives, and will help them to appreciate that Christmas is about giving as well as receiving, and not just about a huge pile or presents under the tree that will be forgotten or discarded a week or two later. That’s the plan at least!
“Tis the season to be jolly…” Welcome to Festive Families
The summer is now but a distant memory, the landscape has turned orange from the leaves falling from trees and the clocks have gone back an hour. It is now officially autumn. Although I am not quite clear on when autumn finishes and winter begins. It is a gradual transition that no one really sees. I tend to look for landmarks in the year. The kids go back to school in September, Halloween in October and then Guy Fawkes night in early November. And it is the day after the fireworks that I can officially see the end of the year coming, but more specifically, Christmas. Everywhere you turn are reminders that the 25th of Decemeber is getting ever closer. The shops start decorating the aisles with garlands and baubles and TV adverts bombard us will all manner of Christmas cheer. However, there is a lot of time between now and the start of 2011. Festive Familes is a theme in which we can explore all of the different aspects of the holidays no matter how it is celebrated or not. It is not just about Father Christmas/Santa Claus, presents and carol singing. It means much different things to different families and they all have a view on how to spend it. One thing is for certain…we would love to hear about it!
The season will kick off with our good friend and resident blogger Emma Salt. She has written a piece that will definately ring bells with a lot of people especially in the current economic climate. A great start to Festive Families 2010!
Are your little ones great little dancers?
Recently Lee had a great conversation with Naomi from Baby Loves Disco UK. She told him about her latest charity venture, supporting Tommy’s with a dance-athon across the UK looking for Britain’s best little dancer. As we have a toddler ourselves, we know how much little ones love to dance and we thought we’d like to support this great charity event. I am also a big Strictly Fan, so anything dance-wise at this time of the year, is always a winner in the FR office!
So, what’s it all about then?
Between Saturday 30th October and Sunday 14th November, Baby Loves Disco events in Manchester, London, Brighton, Bristol, Glasgow, Stirling and Edinburgh, will be dedicated to raising funds for Tommy’s (*see below for exact times). All across the country Baby Loves Disco is transforming the hippest venues into child proof discos as toddlers, pre-schoolers and parents looking for a break from the routine playground circuit let loose for some post naptime, pre-dinner fun. Baby Loves Disco is an afternoon dance party featuring real music spun and mixed by real dj’s guaranteed to get those little booties moving and grooving.
As your little one takes to the floor in the sponsored dance-athon, celebrity judges will be on the look out for Britain’s Best Little Dancer. They’ll have to dance non-stop for three songs – no mean feat for tiny feet!
There’s a family weekend break at Butlins** to be won for Britain’s Best Little Dancer, the highest fundraiser will win Peppa Pig products, tickets to Waterworld & Twinlakes Park as well as a personalised picture from Marmaladepaws.com and a family ticket to the Baby Loves Disco of your choice.
How can I take part?
Just choose which city you want to go to and buy your tickets now! Once you’ve purchased your ticket you will be directed to set up an online personal fundraising page. You can email a link to your page to all your family and friends, so they can sponsor your child simply and securely online. You can add a photo and a personal message to your page, plus create a special ‘thank you email’ to everyone who donates.
We are asking all little participants to try and raise at least £20 – this would pay for a midwife to answer calls for an hour speaking to up to 10 worried parents. If 500 dancers raise £20 this would mean a staggering £10,000, enough to pay for a research assistant on a research trial.
Why fundraise for Tommy’s?
The money you raise by taking part in the Baby Loves Disco’s dance-athon will have a direct impact on saving babies’ lives.
At Tommy’s we know there is no experience more harrowing than losing a baby. Helping women to understand pregnancy and complications during pregnancy is at the core of what we at Tommy’s do. We rely on donations in order to continue to offer services such as our midwife-run Pregnancy Information Line and to further develop our research programs and clinical trials to reduce the number of stillbirths, premature births and miscarriages experienced each year.
*Event locations, dates and times:
Saturday 30th October – Bristol (2-5pm)
Sunday 31st October – Edinburgh (2-5pm) with celebrity judge Amanda Hamilton, Manchester (2-5pm) with celebrity judge Terri Dwyer
Sunday 7th November – Stirling (1-4pm), London Stratford (2-5pm), Brighton (2-5pm)
Sunday 14th November – Glasgow (2-5pm) with celebrity judge Kaye Adams, London Nottinghill (2-5pm)
Good luck to all the competitors, and we hope you all raise lots of money for such a great cause! For more information visit Baby Loves Disco
KEEP DANCING!
Childrens activities, Family days out, Pre-School, Toddlers | 
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Juice! NewcastleGateshead’s festival for children and young people
Welcome to Juice!
Juice – NewcastleGateshead’s award winning festival for children and young people is back for the third year. Packed full of events that celebrate the creativity of young people, the festival is presented in the world-class venues, facilities and open air locations that make NewcastleGateshead such a brilliant place to live, grow up in and visit.
The festival, with its many partners, is proud to commission and present new work by children and young people – opening with Photomapping Our World and closing with The Journey Home. Don’t miss our three Young Ranters events plus a fantastic mix of other performances and exhibitions all created by young people.
Juice is all about taking part and across the festival there are inspirational opportunities to try out new skills. Join bboys from around the world in an action packed Just Jam Weekend; be part of a unique music event in Whaletone Opera and don’t miss the Tate Movie Project, adding your ideas to a new animated film.
For families there are events across NewcastleGateshead during October half term and we’re delighted to welcome back Urban Playground& Gravity Style (a massive hit last year) with their new outdoor show – The Next Level – combining free running with street dance.
And of course, the final weekend makes the most of Halloween, with a pumpkin carving extravaganza followed by a special Festival Finale Parade – get dressed up, join in, and keep your eyes peeled … was that Beastie?
Whatever you choose to come and see or do, we look forward to giving you a warm Juice Festival welcome this October. Enjoy!
Juice are giving away family passes to see the “Night Pirates” and “Just Jam” in their exclusive competition. Click here for details and how to enter
Childrens activities, Education and Learning, Places to go | No Comments »