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!
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!!
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!
Unlocking the potential in our school children
Regular Guest Blogger, Emma Salt considers the stereotypes in education and how we need to unlock the potential in every child
There have been a few articles in the press recently about a study that found that children had adapted stereotypical views of boys’ and girls’ abilities as young as seven. Apparently primary school teachers fuel these opinions by the way they interact with the children. As a parent with two boys, and as an FE lecturer, this made me stop and think both about the boys’ education, and the way I treat my students.
My eldest son has definitely found formal education challenging. He’s bright, articulate but is in the bottom sets, mainly because of dyslexia, but also because of preconceptions by teachers, and himself. At parents’ evening last year a science teacher told us that she obviously didn’t teach the lower sets as much as the higher sets. Why not? I think I probably go too far the other way, and see too much potential in everyone, and I certainly expect much higher of my son. I know what he is intellectually capable of, and expect him to achieve this regardless of learning disability, or learning style.
My youngest son is about to go into year 1. As parents we are a little apprehensive as he cannot sit still, he has to fiddle, talk, fidget and may appear not to be listening or concentrating. However, if you make him sit up and sit still, he will be concentrating on that rather than the task in hand. He had a fantastic teacher in reception who very quickly understood what he was like, and let him fidget with his bottom and legs when he was keeping his arms and hands still for writing, and she also let him answer lots of questions in discussions because talking is what he’s very good at. I hope we can quickly build up that same rapport with the new teacher as I would hate his self belief and self worth to go down.
Every child has a gift, something they can excel at. Some may be excellent at sitting still and getting on with their work; others may need to be taught a little differently. Some children need to do, to get their hands involved, and not just boys – I always took things to bits when I was younger, and only did well academically when I was learning practical, applied sciences rather than sitting still learning theories. Teachers need to find the key to unlocking the potential in every child, but also need to accept and nurture the fact that some children are very academic, others more practically minded, not stupid.
When I first started teaching, we had an inspirational manager who told us all that we were in the most privileged position imaginable. We had been invited into the lives of young people to educate and inspire them. We therefore had a duty of care to do just that, and that is something I have always tried to take into the classroom. I am there to educate and inspire, and I think that should be a mantra taught to all in the teaching profession regardless of age taught.
Education and Learning, Emma Salt, Guest bloggers | 
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Benefits of music
Karen Sherr, founder of Musical Minis tells us of the educational and developmental benefits of music at a young age.
Music is a universal language that knows no social, racial or other type of barrier. Each generation enjoys its own ‘pop’ music; each culture has its own rhythms. A variety of traditional songs and stories can be used to close the generation and culture gaps. It is hard to ignore the influence that music has on our day to day lives. There are many studies which show the link between learning and music. Whether you are in the “for” or “against” camp in respect of the Mozart Theory (music helps with maths), what is undoubted is that music stimulates the mind and assists with cognitive development. Through music children can develop language, listening skills, coordination and social skills.
Music has many of the building blocks of language, not just the basic vocabulary and words but also its rhythm. Research by educational psychologists has concluded that music is a strong motivator which encourages children to develop new skills, including:-
• learning to look and listen in a group situation (rather than one to one).
• learning to interact with other children and non-parent adults.
• developing control and hand to eye co-ordination.
• discovering ways of expressing themselves through gesture and movement.
• becoming practised in listening to the sounds of words, encouraging speech development
Children should be exposed to music in an interactive setting as early as possible. A well structured music group will ensure integration, provide an opportunity to share experiences, will be child centred and will be designed to assist parents and carers to join in activities. When shared between adult and child it can be both great fun and educational.
Musical Minis focuses on the benefits pre-school children can gain from joining the sessions. The programme uses music to aid child development but doesn’t focus on teaching music. Musical Minis is an active music programme whereby each structured session helps children be:
♫ Skilful communicators by developing language and co-ordination.
♫ Emotionally developed through sharing stories and songs whilst meeting new friends.
♫ Confident children by joining in the activities in a relaxed group atmosphere.
♫ Creative children by letting the children explore the instruments, sounds, rhythm and movement.
Regular participation at a music session also has a positive impact upon the carer (most particularly mothers) and their ability to relate to their children and other adults. Adult co-operation is encouraged within our Musical Minis programme. It is needed in helping the child understand, for example, when an instrument needs to be played. This and other interaction encourages the mother and child to work together establishing a platform for good parenting skills. At the session new mothers can join in the fun, bonding with their babies. The child development aims of the programme are explained to attending carers.
Karen Sherr is the founder of Musical Minis, a national franchise of music groups for babies and toddlers. Contact Karen by phoning 020 8868 0001 or email: enquiries @musicalminis.co.uk www.musicalminis.co.uk
Childrens activities, Education and Learning, Guest bloggers, Pre-School, Toddlers | No Comments »
Choosing a school
Guest blogger, Emma Salt tells us of her decision to send her child to an independent school.
After 9 months of pregnancy, 3 years of watching a tiny helpless baby grow into a wilful but fun toddler, it’s finally time to decide where he or she will go to school. If your local state school is a good primary school with above average SAT results and a high league table position, there probably isn’t much of a decision to make. If, however, the local school is the wrong side of average, and it feeds a secondary school that has been in and out of special measures for the last ten years, there are lots of discussions and decisions to make.
We found ourselves in this position 11.5 years ago when our eldest (and only at the time) son was 2.5. He was already at a day nursery while I went to university, and in addition to the description above, our local school could only offer full time, mornings or afternoons. With my uni course, I needed 3 full days a week, but as Macro would only be 3 when he started school, I wanted to spend my days off with him. We looked briefly at other state schools in the area, but, to be honest, they weren’t much better. We then looked round a private school that’s only 3 miles from where we live. The school was amazing. The head teacher knew all the children by name, there were no more than 20 in a class, the children were all incredibly polite and confident, and after looking round, we knew that’s where we wanted him to go.
Neither of us had been to private schools, although my parents had moved when I was 11 so I could go to a state grammar school, and my mum won a scholarship to a private school when she was little. My parents were supportive of our decision, although worried about the long term financial implications. Hubby’s parents were a little more hesitant. His mum was the first to come round, and shared my parent’s concerns over cost. His dad took longer to accept our decision. His attitude was that you shouldn’t have to pay for a decent education, and that the more parents like us who deserted the local school the worse it would get. I agreed with everything he said, in theory, but was not willing to sacrifice my son’s education.
We discussed and discussed the pros and cons, but the only con that we kept coming up with was the cost. Nursery vouchers would help until I graduated, and I had student loans that had paid for a year in a day nursery so far, and could top up the nursery vouchers for another 2 years. At the time, we only had one child, and had no immediate plans to have any more, so the plan was that after graduation whatever I earned had to cover school fees and holidays!
We have had ups and downs over the last 11 years. Macro was diagnosed with severe dyslexia when he was 7. I had challenged the school for two years, and finally had him assessed during the summer hols. After a several teething troubles with how to deal with his dyslexia, the school became very supportive. They also do lots of sport and music, and Macro became a regular in the rugby and cricket teams, and played trumpet in the school orchestra.
When Micro came along, we were obviously going to have to find the extra fees when he was 3, because, to be honest, we couldn’t send one to the private school and the other to the local state school, so we tightened our belts even more, and now they are both at private school.
I wouldn’t say it’s a struggle to find the fees each term, but it’s not always easy – especially when the bill for the Easter term arrives just before Christmas. Macro has won a sports scholarship from September which will be a huge help. We have made lifestyle choices that allow us to keep the boys at school, but I definitely wouldn’t call them sacrifices. We usually holiday in the UK before the state schools break up, saving money but also beating most of the queues, and where we holiday is beautiful and would be very hard to beat. Our house is lovely, and plenty big enough for the four of us, but isn’t any more than we need. We do lots of things together, have takeaways more than we go out for meals, but we don’t go without. Macro has less pocket money than most of his friends, but has learnt the art of saving and budgeting.
We have never regretted our decision to send the boys to private school. It was right for us, and for them. Macro is about to start year 9, option year, and the flexibility of private schools means that he should be able to take all 3 sciences, but as he has dyslexia he can drop a modern language so that he can have learning support. Micro has just finished reception, and because of the rapport we have with the school, and because they have specialist staff, he has had some sessions of one to one tuition to help with phonics as we think he may be dyslexic too.
We are lucky that the school is so close. I have friends from school who drive an hour each way to take their children. I think if that had been the option open to us – a good private school an hour’s drive away – we would have chosen state schools, but I would encourage everyone to trust your heart and gut instinct, and choose the right school for your child, whether state or private, single sex or co-ed.
Education and Learning, Emma Salt, Guest bloggers, Pre-School | No Comments »
Final staycation guest blog of the season…
In our final guest blog for our Staycation 2010 series, Naomi from Baby Loves Disco shares her experiences of holidaying in the UK!
I left the house on a wet and windy Monday morning at the start of the summer hols for Lytham St Anne’s. Kids check, bucket and spades check, picnic check, umbrella double check… St Annes on Sea is a town north of Blackpool which is a traditional English seaside town. I arrived in tow with a group of mums from our local school after a 45 min journey from Manchester. Having found a free parking space kids ran to the lovely gardens and ponds by the promenade and sand dunes. There is a park on the promenade which has enough to keep the kids entertained for a short while. With the rain continuing to pour down unfortunately some of the other activities they have on the promenade such as the trampoline’s and the paddling pool. Luckily the promenade shelters kept us dry while we ate are picnic and the kids desperate to get onto beach braved the weather with raincoats and wellies and their buckets and spades! A trip to the Victorian Pier finished off the afternoon and while the mums had a coffee the kids got stuck into ice creams and ice lolly’s (best to avoid the blue ice lollies though!). As we drove away from St Annes the sun finally came out – oh well there’s always next time!
The Family Friendly Film Festival in Manchester gets bigger and better every year. Usually I’m taking part with Baby Loves Disco but this time it’s in my capacity as mum! The Waterside in Sale was the venue for the FFFF High School Musical Day, it’s a fantastic venue which has a wide range of family friendly activities throughout the year. The crowd of parents and children were split up into 3 groups and we all get the opportunity take part in craft activities (making pom poms and HSM flags), dance routines and watching HSM2. The day was great fun and the dance routines the kids performed before the film started really got spirit of HSM! Sale Waterside has a wide range of activities throughout the year for families. http://www.watersideartscentre.co.uk/
The other FFFF day we went along to Frogs and Toads at Manchester Museum. I was slightly nervous about this one as it was a Dutch film with subtitles but the FFFF team had thought of everything and had someone reading the subtitles through the film for the younger audience. The film was brilliant and the kids really enjoyed it. After a short break we had Manchester Museums resident Herpetologist Andrew Gray who had the kids enthralled with his knowledge of Frogs and Toads. He had brought in some of the museums Frogs and Toads for the children and parents to see as well a few snakes and lizards. It was fascinating stuff apart from the bit where one of the frogs jumped out of his hand and everyone jumped out of their skin (well maybe only me!). Andrew has a great blog about the Frogs and Toads so be sure to check it out! http://frogblogmanchester.wordpress.com/about/
Having been a patron of last years Family Friendly Film Festival in Manchester I can’t say enough about how amazing some of the events they have organised over the weeks of the festival including Night at the Museum, Harry Potter Days at John Rylands Library and a whole host of films for all ages. Make sure you come next year if you didn’t this year! http://www.familyfriendlyfilmfestival.org.uk/
Family days out, Naomi T, Places to go, Review, Staycation | No Comments »
Guest blogger and travel writer George Christodoulou shares his wisdom of travelling with family
Traveling with family can be more rewarding then traveling alone at certain times. There are always benefits and drawbacks to both kinds of travel. A solo traveler may have the freedom to do whatever he/she chooses, but the road can become very boring when there is nobody to talk to. On the other hand, a family on a trip may always be with good company, but planning may take more time.
Having only experienced travel with my fiancé, I have no real advice about solo travel. I only know from what I’ve read that solo travel can be great for very spontaneous travelers who often enjoy being alone. Even if you are in a big city, being alone means that you have to sit on a plane by yourself, sleep in a hotel room alone (at least at night), and eat alone. Sure, you might meet people along the way, but not always.
With a family group, you always have a companion to share your experiences with. It is even a good idea to split up for at least a day if you wish to see different aspects of your travel destination. For example, on a recent trip to Florida, I headed for a tour guided hike while my fiancé went shopping. Spending a few hours apart was a great way to compromise regarding the activities. At the end of the day we went out together and had a wonderful time, drinking, dancing, and eating.
I almost forgot 2 very important members of our family: the cats. Our 2 little kitties were obviously not brought along for the ride. Cats are not good travelling companions. Although cats sometimes seem like they want to go out, they really want to remain in a small area. Cat’s like to hold on to their territory and remain very fearful of new places. Obviously, these little guys were left home with tons of food and water and watched over by family. If our family was not available, we would have placed them with professionals. This is not the optimal course of action though, since professionals tend to keep animals in cramped cages as long as they are cared for.
In the end more people prefer to travel with their family because it offers more options for the traveler. If you want to go out on your own you can split from your family group and enjoy the trip alone for a bit. When you are lonely, you have the option to seek out a family member.
The preceding article was written by George Christodoulou, a travel writer for Onetravel (offering travel deals). Even though he does not travel as much as he used to, he still loves sharing stories and networking with other travelers to share experiences.
A huge thank you to Emma, Craig, Macro and Micro.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Emma, Craig, Macro and Micro for taking the time to blog about their fantastic holiday to Cornwall. It really has been a pleasure to read and this shows in the comments that we have had about it. Thank you all so much for sharing your holiday with us. It really is very generous.
Lee