Mighty Money Savers

If you're looking to give your home a stylish new makeover, there are more than a few ways in which you can do it. Whilst spending your money on an array of separate items may be one method, there's also a great range of multi-function furniture out there that can not only save you some pennies, but can also save you space too. Facilitating guests The living room is invariably one of the biggest rooms of the house. And as such, it can often perform a variety of functions which is why many items of furniture in the living room can benefit from being multi-functional. One of the biggest joys of owning a home is having friends and family stay as guests. But often there simply aren't enough beds or bedrooms to go around. But this wonderful living room displays how a sofa-bed can provide an easy and compact solution to the bedding dilemma. And the use of a chest of drawers as a subtle storage area adds to the room's multi-functional capacity. Other pi

We have been waiting with bated breath for the Minions.  In fact we are all off to the cinema tomorrow to celebrate Mini turning nine.  He decided ages ago that he was going to go to the cinema with his friends to celebrate his birthday with the Minions, Tesco are also celebrating with lots of free fun activities this weekend and have a fab free minion colouring book that you can print out. On 27th & 28th June Tesco invites you to join the Minion event .  Pop along to your local Extra, or a selected Superstore, with your little Minions for colouring in, treasure hunts and lots more… Family photo opportunity with a life sized cut out Minion and props from the film Creative activity station for the kids with FREE Minions colouring in book Spot the Minions treasure hunt around the store with a chance to WIN a family cinema ticket for 2 Adults & 2 Children (Under 12) FREE cardboard Minion goggles, Haribo sweets and banana and apple samples Event times: Saturday 27

Welcome back.  I have been absent from #Fabulously Frugal for a couple of weeks, so do accept my apologies for tardiness. This week I want to talk about recording your spending or expenditure if we are getting fancy. I have a fab sheet for you to use each month to help, but this month we are going to keep it super simple and record in a notebook EVERY PENNY we spend. Then we are going to take a look at our bank statements and record what we have going out of a regular basis too. Don't worry too much about cutting down your spending at the moment, we really need to get a handle on what you are spending where. Download your copy of our budget sheet here Do you have a post that is about thrifty parenting, decorating or lifestyle.  One that is about frugal food or crafts and art.  or even a post about making the post of what you have, then please do link up.  Each week we make sure we pin the post, feature some on our facebook pages and then we each have

Welcome to week one of our money management walkalong.  We are going to take a look at our financial well being and then make a plan. This week we are going to make a record of our annual income split down per month.  For many people this is the simplest thing to do. Forms of income Salary Wages (remember that if you are freelance that this will be gross) Child benefit Child tax credits (If eligible) Cashback Interest from savings Dowload you A4 copy here So I will be back during the week with a form to track your expenditure. Do you have a post that is about thrifty parenting, decorating or lifestyle.  One that is about frugal food or crafts and art.  or even a post about making the post of what you have, then please do link up.  Each week we make sure we pin the post, feature some on our facebook pages and then we each have a round up on a Sunday. Let’s all share that being frugal can be fabulous.  This week I want to share with you this fab oval cr

Believe it or not my background is in accountancy and I married an accountant too, however, I never really took our home budgeting seriously, that is until we had NO money!  yes I was a fool. So over the next four weekends I am going to talk to you about money management and budgeting for beginners.  We are going to take a look at how how to capture your spending, work out your total incomings, prepare a basic budget and then make a basic financial plan We are going to do it in this order as I personally feel you can not make a short or long term financial plan without knowing how much you are bringing in or how much is going out. This is a really simple thing to do, but you really do need to follow the steps. Each week I am going to provide you with a basic planner and then talk you through the steps and then we are going to look at ways we can manage out families finances. So before we start net Sunday I want you to take a week to make sure you are committed to this.  It is

It is that time of year again and you can get  two months free family and friends railcard .  You can expect to receive your free two month Family & Friends Railcard in the post by 31st May 2015 and it will expire on 31st July 2015. From 14th July 2015 (until 14th August 2015) you will be able to take advantage of the special £10 discount offer when you buy a 1-year Family & Friends Railcard online. So you might want to make a note of this date to ensure your savings continue - for only £20 for another whole year.  We love our card and you save 1/3 off adult fares, and 60% off kids’ fares on travel throughout Great Britain.  If you travel with a child between five and 15 years old then  you're  eligible.  Up to four adults and four kids can travel on one card, and they don't even need to be related. So, for what works out to around £2.50 a month, you can look forward to dramatic savings for the year.  All child fares are subject to a £1 minimum fare. Do you

I really believe in looking after the equipment I have in our home.  Our currently washing machine is only the second one we have had in our 20 years of being married and it has served me really well.   We put the washer through its places, pretty much daily.  What with muddy football kids and the fact that I recently died some white sheets red.   Once a month I clean all our white goods, washing machine, tumble dryer, oven and dishwasher and here I share with you how I keep our washing machine spick and span. By doing it regularly it takes 10 minutes of active cleaning and the rest of time is automated and you really can not clean anything in a dirty machine!  You can see the red stain on the rubber, which wouldn't rub off with a cloth. Materials Bleach White vinegar Cloth or rag Old toothbrush Add two cups of bleach to the powder drawer. Run the washer on a hot wash empty. As we use liquid or powders in the machine and run it at 30 degre

We love LEGO.  Not just the boys, but me and the husbeast too.  LEGO is out go to gift for birthdays and Christmas for my nieces and also for the boys friends. Both the boys are big LEGO fans with Maxi currently in to LEGO Star Wars and Minecraft LEGO and Mini in to LEGO City. So I make it my job throughout the year to keep an eye out for LEGO bargains. How to find bargain LEGO Friends and Family.  LEGO lasts forever.  The boys have some of my old LEGO, so why not ask around friends and family to see if they have any in the loft they can gift or you can buy off them. Ebay.  When we started the boys collection we wanted an assortment of bricks and baseplates, so kept an eye on ebay and finally something local popped up, which fit the bill perfectly.  The beauty of LEGO is you can pop it in the washing machine on a cool wash in a delicates bag or alternatively in a sink full of milton to make sure it is clean. Facebook - I was introduced to the LEGO Deals UK may the brick

Having a baby can be a real challenge financially.  I had two in 14 months, so I know that!  Making your money go further is essential, but I also know the feeling of wanting to have the best for your new baby. Top 10 tips for baby essentials without blowing your budget You don't always need name brands.  I was a regular visitor in my local boots when Maxi was a baby and one way they helped me save money was by offering me top notch own brand alternatives at a fraction of the price. I always took advantage of the bulk buying opportunities that were about before my new baby came.  I had a stockpile of wipes, nappies and other basics long before Maxi or Mini arrived. Shop the sales.  We bought clothes in the sales in next years sizes at a fraction of the cost. Breast is best -  Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for around the first six months of your baby's life. Not only is the healthiest option for your baby, but the good news is it's free and unless you ch

We started our two week break for the Easter Holidays on Friday and I am so looking forward to a couple of more relaxed weeks with the boys without the stress of getting up for school. It is important to me that we don't overspend during this time and it can sometimes be challenging, especially if the weather isn't great.  So here is our top tips for fab Frugal Activities for the Easter Holidays.  Frugal activities for Spring Crafts Decorate eggs Make an easter bonnet Have an Easter Egg hunt Make Easter bunting Make pompom easter bunnies  or these bunnies Make an easter nest Make a paper plate chick Maker an eggbox alligator puppet Make homemade puffy paint   Make a paper bag fish Make a felt board Kids activities Make Spring play dough Make bubble slime Make and sail boats   Make a frugal sensory bin Try some BIG weaving 15 Spring Activities Hide pirate treasure Get active indoors Make rain in a jar Cooking

When was the last time you had your boiler checked? We annually have a check in the summer before we start using it again, but now is a great time to get it looked over. British Gas have asked me what is the weirdest thing in our home or in anyone elses for that matter.  I have to say that we are not that weird a family and have nothing unusual in our home. However,  my inlaws are farmers, so the weirdest thing would have to be a calf!  When the husband was growing up they used to feed baby lambs that had been orphaned too, but now they are only dairy farmers. Can you imagine the things that engineers see when they go into peoples houses.  Why not take a look at what Sarah saw on one of her jobs.   When I was growing up I remember my Dad taking apart a motorbike in the dining room, safe to say my Mum was not amused!  I do wonder though what people might think when they come in to our home and there are six little boys all being noisy (as my friends boys are often here

We have cut the lawn this weekend and are planning to get the patio cleaned tomorrow as we are certainly feeling spring has finally sprung in the UK. I have spent the weekend cleaning the fabulously frugal way as we are having some photo's taken of the house for a blog piece on Monday. I will be popping to the charity shop to see if I can find any gorgeous teacups to make this teacup planter like Crafts on Sea I love having flowers and plants in our home and one of the things that I love is seeing bulbs spring up in the garden.  I adore these crocus in a cup and will be doing something similar. I certainly will be making one of these paper daffodil wreaths for the front door with the kids over the school holidays as our family project.  We are also going to collect some twigs and bring some blossom in to our home with these fab tissue paper blossoms . Do you have a post that is about thrifty parenting, decorating or lifestyle.  One tha

Oh it has been a busy week for us here.  A 10th birthday, Mother's Day and our 20th Wedding anniversary oh and a broken loo on top of that too!  So I am joining in with Cass at The Diary of a Frugal Family in sharing how we have made our savings. Even though it has been a busy week with some major expenditure we have still managed to find ways to get the best deals. 1) I made my wedding anniversary card.  We never buy cards (well I don't) and I love making them do I guess I saved around £2.  Also no gifts this year either. 2) I made Maxi's 10th birthday cake.  Have you seen the cost of birthday cakes?  Those candles will be put away and saved for Mini's 10th birthday next year! 3) We didn't have a traditional birthday party as such, he had a sleepover and a movie with 2 best mates at the weekend and a tea with friends on his actual birthday. 4) I rang round plumbers to make sure we got the best price for our repair (we tried and failed to fix it

Oh I adore Spring, but sometimes Spring brings with it lots of April showers and rain and although I do encourage my kids to get outside no matter what the weather , sometimes you need to just stay indoors. So this weekend I am sharing some great indoor activities that have been shared in previous weeks with the fabulously frugal link up. 5 indoor activities with just six lines of tape  from Hands on as we grow 7 indoor bean bag activities from Study at home mama Indoor teepee from Study at home mama 4 ways with a cardboard box indoor  from Bare Feet on the dashboard Hunt for Exercise cards by The Measured Mom Botsu exercises for kids by Kids Activities Blog Indoor gross motor activities for kids by Little bins for little hands Indoor running track by Next comes L Running up the stairs by Pragmatic Mom Indoor obstacle course by the golden gleam Do you have a post that is about thrifty parenting, decorating or lifestyle.  One that is about frugal food or cr