As I've said before, my main reason for being frugal is so that I can afford to work part time and spend more time with the kids.But (there's always a but).... It's also really important to me that, as a family, we have lots of fun together and even though I know there are plenty of things we can do together that don't cost a penny, there are also lots of things we like to do together that do cost money.We allow a set amount of money each month in our budget for fun things, which could include anything from going to the pictures or bowling (doesn't happen often as it costs so much … [Read more...]
Meal Planning Monday – Shopping from our cupboards….
Thanks to a rather expensive (but apparently essential) car repair last week, we need to try and spend as little money as possible between now and pay-day. That means that this weeks meal plan is going to be a 'whatever we've already got in' week. Luckily, my freezer has quite a lot of reduced bargains that we've picked up from the supermarket at the end of the day recently so we shouldn't starve....Monday: Sausage, egg, chips and beans.Tuesday: Macaroni cheese.Wednesday: Salmon Fishcakes in buns with homemade potato wedges and salad.Thursday: Either minced beef and onions … [Read more...]
Five ways to keep your romance alive – without spending a fortune….
We've been married now for almost 12 years and together for almost 17 years! Our relationship has changed a lot over the years and I'd be lying if I said it had all been plain sailing but I think we're happier now than we've ever been.We've learned that we need to remember that we're not just parents, we're also husband and wife and if we want to stay happily married we need to spend quality time together as a couple and not just as a family. If you Google 'cheap dates' or something like that, you'll get lots of suggestions telling you to go for a walk on the beach, give each other a … [Read more...]
Are you paying too much Council Tax….
Council Tax makes up a large part of your monthly expenditure so wouldn't it be great if you could reduce the amount you pay, and even better if you could get a nice fat cheque at the same time?Well, maybe you can. Apparently up to 400,000 houses in the UK have been assigned to the wrong council tax band and it's really easy to check if your house is one of them. If it is, you could have your future Council Tax payments reduced and get a rebate for any past overpayments.It's basically due to the fact that when Council Tax was first introduced, the government needed every house in the … [Read more...]
See how much you can save….
I know I'm always telling you about ways to save on your gas and electricity but today I wanted to share with you this:It's my latest energy bill, showing that I'm £858.07 in credit! How fantastic is that?We've tried really hard to reduce our energy usage around the house using all of the tips that I regularly share with you on here but as well as the energy we've saved by reducing our consumption, we've also saved by switching to a different provider.I think a lot of people don't realise how easy it is to switch providers. Everything stays exactly the same other than the company … [Read more...]
A Frugal New Year – Saving energy around the home…
I'm working with Britmums and British Gas at the moment on a campaign to help educate people about energy conservation which is perfect timing as my next post about how to have a Frugal New Year was going to be all about reminding you how to save energy as a family. I know I'm always going on about saving energy but it really is important and to make sure you really get the message, I'm going to share with you something that my daughter was taught at school: Using Less Energy = Lower Energy Bills + Less Impact on the Environment To a 9 year old it's a no brainer really, why would you not … [Read more...]
