Mighty Money Savers

We were invited to London this week to meet with the team from Smart Shoppers and I had the the opportunity to be part of a workshop on making affordable and brilliant quality home made beauty products, which would make perfect gifts, but also ensure that you made a saving on buying them. One of the things we made was ginger and Lime Sugar Body Scrub.  I used this scrub this morning before I got in the shower and can vouch that it is AMAZING.  Not only does it smell divine, but it contains no nasty's and is super easy to make. Ingredients: Brown Demerara Sugar Cane Sugar Essential oils (we used ginger and lime) Oil (we used olive oil, but you could use any base oil) Container A stirrer (If you are going to be making lots, then use a glass cocktail stirrer as it will not absorb the aromatherapy oils and can be reused). Method: Take one tablespoon of each of the sug...

More and more people are choosing to shop line rather than in physical shops.  I often do most of my shopping online.  As a mum with children I know the pain of having to take them shopping with me. So here are my top tips for shopping  safely  online: Choose a reputable retailer - If you haven't heard of a retailer before, read reviews to find out what other consumers thought of their service.  Check if it is a bricks and  mortar  shop with an online presence and ring them to confirm this. Antivirus Software - If you don't have an antivirus program installed on your computer, that should be the place to start before you shop and give out valuable personal information like your credit card number.  If you don't feel comfortable buying or bidding on an item over the web, or if you feel pressured to place your order immediately, maybe you shouldn't.   If it seems too good to be true, it often is!  Check the prices for  indivi...

One of the most expensive items in my home is my PC.  I had my old laptop for over 5 years and we thought long and hard before we invested in a replacement PC.  In my past life I used to work for a major software company and it was drilled in to us to always ensure that we backed up and kept our PC's healthy. This is something that often falls through the cracks with home PC's and laptops and I offered a one year subscription to PC Tools performance toolkit .  I have been using this over the last two months and have seen a vast improvement in the speed on my PC.  PC Tools Performance Toolkit is a very easy bit of software which can prolong the life of your PC by removing the clutter by fixing registry errors and defragging hard disks (plus much more). Once its installed and after it’s been run for the first time it runs in the background (so you can get on with having fun with your family) making sure your computer stays running faster for lo...

I know, I know, this is a blog about being a thrifty mum, so why do I have a tumble dryer?  Well I hold my hands up and say that we have one as we live in the frozen North of the country and it is often raining.  We do not use it all that often, but there are times when I need to have things dried quicker than just leaving it around the house to dry on it's own. So as with everything else I have the key to longevity and efficiency is keeping it in good condition and clean for when I do use it.   We happen to have a condenser dryer and use the water to water our plants etc. After each use take out the lint filter and remove the fluff and empty the washer storage area. Monthly when in use: Remove the condenser unit and run water through it to remove any lint build up Using a 50/50 white vinegar and water solution wipe the seals and inside the drum of the machine Remove the lint filte...

Maxi will be going in to year three and Mini in to Year two in September and as a budgeting mum I have become quite experienced in finding the best deals for school uniform and was challenged by vouchercodes.co.uk to try and kit them out for £80 and I wanted to share with you my top tips. I have been amazed at the quality and cost of school uniforms on offer from the supermarkets this year.  We were sent some Aldi school uniforms, which are amazing value and seem to be comparable to the other uniform we have tried out in the quality stakes, my only issue being the trousers do not have adjustable waists (but what can you expect for £1.50 a pair), but you can always buy a snake belt. Retailer Polo shirts Sweaters Trousers/skirts Overall cost Comments Aldi £1.25 £1.25 £1.50 £4 Offer starts on 2nd August...