Mighty Money Savers

Financially this time of year is when our utilities bills start to mount up and also when you can take small steps that make a big difference to keeping warm and trying to keep your finances under control. Take a leaf out of your grandparents books.  They never used to heat the whole house (before central heating) and use to wear layers and heat the main rooms of the house.  We have thermostats on each radiator. Layer up.  I think we have become accustom to just wearing less layers.  Encourage your children to wear vests and also all wear dressing gowns and slippers.  We all have thermals and wear them. Make sure you review your utilities supplier.  If you are spending more you need to ensure you are on the best rate with the best company you can be.  Do not leave it till the winter to change.  Whilst you are doing that why not also take a look at your  contents insurance  and make sure you are adequately covered for moving the children's outdoor toys in to the shed

Once upon a time, when you got home from school you did a little bit of homework before being unleashed on the street to play with your neighbours. If you were lucky you might have a piano lesson once a week, or play football for the local club. But for the most part, kids amused themselves. But since the mid-90s, there has been an exponential surge in after-school activities, and also pressure on parents to make sure their kids are exposed to just the right amount of everything – music, sport, language, art… the combinations are endless. Hearing that little Annie takes French conversation classes on Monday, guitar on Tuesday, football on Wednesdays and Saturdays, karate on Thursday and drama class on Friday is enough to make any parent worry that they’re not giving their kids the best opportunities. So here are five tips to remember when it comes to selecting what after-school activities are best for your family. 1.       What does your child want to do? This is

I love saving money, but I also love that Savoo have recognised that being thrifty isn't all about cutting costs, but it means being savvy and smart.   So are you the UK's smartest shopper ? Why not enter Savoo's competition if you are a smart shopper  and take the chance of winning £10000.

Each season I write a manifesto on Mum in the Mad House  and a financial one here,  I find that they help me concentrate on what is important to me over the coming three months and help me to focus on getting small things done that can make big differences. Price check our utilities and look for best deals on our Gas and Electric Make another draft excluder (we have one at the front door, garage door and need one for the back door) - how to post to follow Bleed the radiators (if there is air in them they work less efficiently Make a home made Christmas present each week Try using  http://www.giftcardconverter.co.uk/  before I make any purchases.you can  find discounted cards that people sell on. Bargains might include a £60 Starbucks card for £35 or a £50 iTunes voucher for £40, for example. And if you receive a card for a store you never use, the site will buy it for almost face value Also use Morrisons Fuel Save before making any major purchases Get the thermals out an

Well what a Great British summer it was, one that won’t be forgotten in a while, even if it is just down to all the rain we had.   While reminiscing about the amazing times that we all had, the golden jubilee, the Olympics and the Paralympics, the @fifideals office decided that it would be a lovely idea to commemorate the golden British summer and to get the kids help them remember those fun family days. Fifideals are   pleased to bring you the inaugural ‘The Great BIG Fifideals Art Competition ’.  They would like to invite every playgroup, nursery, toddler group, 1 O’clock club or any kids group wanting to take part to paint  them  a summer family picture.  This could be of his or her own family, their playgroup family, the Royal family or even the Team GB Olympic family. The Prize: There is a great prize worth over £500 for your kids group to win: 3 X 2 year subscriptions to Reading Eggs A selection of Monster Catcher gifts from Orchard Toys A Pirate Ship f

I love eye candy.  I had a subscription to Mollie Makes, but lately had been really disillusioned with it and cancelled it.  So I was delighted when I noticed this fab free magazine 91 from Patchwork Harmony .  It fulfills my requirements perfectly and you can download it to an iPad  too. Do you have any favorite free magazines, ezines or sites that you visit on a regular basis?

A much-loved brand in Sweden, Polarn O. Pyret is kids clothing company that, since its inception in the 1970s, really has stood the test of time – why? Because the clothing it makes is fantastic value for money in the long run. The veteran brand promotes nothing but good-quality, durable clothing that, importantly, will last. And what’s more, it promotes reselling and hand-me-downs, because its clothes are so good that they will last even after your child outgrows them. The resell value on eBay is phenomenal simply because the clothes don’t get worn out by either repeated machine-washing or the kids themselves – genius! And if you plan on having more little ones in the family, then hang on to your PO.P clothes for them. Many of the clothes in their range are unisex, which means you can hand clothes down from boy to girl and vice versa if you want to – even more genius! PO.P is a truly eco-conscious brand for the same reasons that its clothes are great value. T