Mighty Money Savers

Anyone who knows me knows that I have something of a stationery fetish!  When I saw these fab stationery items on Instragram and felt compelled to go and see them for myself.  They were all 99p (you got three tins for 99p) from Home Bargains. This was just a selection of what they had as they had larger note books and list pads too for 99p.  Perfect for Mothers Day without breaking the bank

Regular maintenance of your PC is really worth the effort. In the short term it helps prevent your computer from running slowly, and in the long term it helps to extend the life of your PC. Here’s a quick guide to the main tasks you can carry out that will keep your computer running smoothly. Disk Cleanup When your hard disc fills up your PC will run slower, so it’s important to clean it regularly. Fortunately there is a Windows program already installed in your PC that can do this for you. Disk Cleanup searches your drive for cache files, temporary files and programs that are no longer needed. It can either identify them for you, leaving you to decide what to do with them, or automatically remove them for you. Here’s how to runs Disk Cleanup on: Windows 7 . Windows Vista . Windows XP . It’s probably easier to set up Disk Cleanup to run as a scheduled task. To make your computer run as effectively as possible, it should run once a week. Her

The days may still be short and darker than we would like but in our gardens nature is preparing for another cycle. Hardy bulbs are bringing colour to drab winter beds and birds are preparing for the breeding season.   This is the time, when like the hedgehog emerging from his hibernation nest of leaves and twigs, we start to take tentative steps outside again. It can be a rather bleak and uninspiring sight as the lawn and beds are so sodden they will be no-go areas for some weeks yet. There is one activity however, from which we can derive much satisfaction without getting covered in mud. Yes, next time the sun shines at the weekend why not get out there and prepare your patio or balcony for the summer. Here are a few tips on how to do a good job. Remove all planters, patio heaters, barbecues, garden furniture, etc. Sweep up all the leaves, dust and debris that have accumulated over the winter months. Wash down . If you have a power washer you are home and dry!

Me and MadDad have managed to keep out of any real financial trouble while raising our two boys. I’m not saying it hasn’t been hard at times, but in the long run we’ve always kept a close eye on our finances and never done any spending where spending was not needed. I’m often asked about how to raise children on a shoestring, but I don’t think it’s that difficult. While having a child is a huge drain on money, it’s been worth every penny as far as we are concerned. You can’t put a price on unconditional love. My boys are now 6 and 7 years old, but I can remember my slight panic when we were preparing for Maxi. The Guardian reports that the cost of raising a child can be about £200,000, so you can guess that I was a little nervous. MadDad and I sat down and worked everything out, so we wouldn’t be hit by any financial troubles by the time we were parents. The essentials If you’re thinking of having a child, my main advice would be to put aside money for the es

After a fab, fun filled week in Orlando with Maxi last week, this week will be spent catching up on chores, work and spending all the free time I have as a family. One of our most favorite things to do as a family is eating together. Our evening meals are a real highlight for me and MadDad. This week I will be trying to make simple meals which are family favorites   I also have movie night planned too, so it will be eating in the lounge which is a real treat. Monday - home made pizza and popcorn Tuesday - slow cooker fajitas Wednesday  - mince and dumplings with vegetables Thursday - cheese toasties and soup Friday - fish and chips Saturday - chili and salad Sunday - roast dinner Now just to go shopping to get the things I need!  I can not complain as I did return home to fresh bread and milk. Linking up with Mrs M as Always

Most Sundays my boys play football and this is what their boots come home looking like: Now I need some advice and help about cleaning said boots.  Normally MadDad and the boys would leave their boots by the back door to dry and then they loose mud is banged off them. As we tend not to get newspapers, I have encouraged them to take some paper of the Ikea roll and use that to put their boots on, but......... The boots will often stay there until I clean them. MadDad will clean them under duress, but his idea of cleaning them is using baby wipes and these are not something I buy anymore as the boys are not in need of them and part of me doesn't want to buy them just to clean football boots. During the summer and Spring, we would give the boys a bowl of soapy water and a brush and let them lose in the garden cleaning their own, but it was so cold this weekend that even though Maxi was wearing his baselayer set from M & M Direct  under his kit, he was actually in tear

My most recent post on The Tots100 is all about ways to have a Thrifty half term . Whilst Maxi and I are having fun in Orlando, MadDad and Mini will be doing some father and son bonding and trying to have fun on a budget. They have quite a few low and no spend days planned including: A trip to the beach  and woods for tree climbing  den making and fire making and even perhaps cooking some sausages weather permitting.   A trip to the local museum on the day that they have an organised craft activity and a warm picnic.  We have a food flask which we can use for soup, hotdogs or even beans and sausages and it is wonderful to use in the winter months. Taking the car to the garage to be repaired and a trip back on the train, which will be an adventure for them both!  A visit to the farm (FIL is a dairy farmer) Trip to the National Railway Museum in York. What are your favorite low or no spend trips for the holidays?

Me and Maxi are spending half term in Orlando  thanks to Visit Orlando and I still haven't even started packing.  I spent the last hour searching for my packing list and couldn't find it, so decided to type another one out! I am one of those people that needs to tick everything off the list as I put it in to the bag, so  a list is essential for me. Also as I have gone to all the trouble to make one I thought I might as well share it with you! I really should start packing now as we catch the train to Gatwick tomorrow afternoon.  Have a great half term everyone and see you on the other side.

I don’t know about you, but it seems once Johnnie Boden gets a hold of your address, he sends you a million and one catalogues, STOP Johnnie, you must be single handed responsible for the decimation of the rain forest.  Plus the models are so smug with their little snippets of their lives.  I don’t want to know that Verity loves chocolate cake, especially when she looks about a size 2!  I can not bear to throw them in to the recycling, so we have started to punch them out with our paper punches and use them for craft.   This week, Mini punched some out and Maxi and I sewed them together on the machine.  Maxi had great fun using the sewing machine and I think the time may have come at nearly eight to let him lose on some projects of his own on the machine.

I am joining in with Miss Lizzie and Magpie Monday   I do not usually have much luck in the local charity shop (we live in a village and the shop is really well used and visited) and never seem to find the time to go round the ones in the local towns.  However, today as I was picking up some needle threaders I happened to see this bowl in the window and it really caught my eye. I loved its shape and the cream buttermilk colour, it curves in all the right places and is perfect to hold my felt balls until I make them into a garland.  In fact MadDad likes the balls in there that he suggested I leave them there, however, the boys thought I should fill it with sweets for them!

Energy-efficient appliances don’t just help the environment - they also help the wallet of the householder who fits them. A recent test by Which? found that the difference in yearly running costs for tumble dryers could vary by almost £100. When tested for energy consumption based on average use over the course of one year, it was discovered that the most energy efficient dryers cost just £38 per year, while at the other end of the scale it was costing closer to £131, which is a pretty big difference, especially if it applies to all your appliances. A new, energy-efficient dishwasher found atAppliances Direct might set you back a couple of hundred pounds, but in just two years you will have made that money back and be able to enjoy huge savings on your fuel bills for many years to come. The tests were performed on every type of tumble dryer, from vented models both gas and electric, those with inbuilt condensers and those with heat pumps. While there were ce

Like most products in the home, if you buy smart when it comes to kids’ beds, you can save on both storage and costs. These are essential concerns in the days when toy boxes are overflowing and many families are making do in homes which are smaller or have fewer rooms than ideal. Fortunately, there are plenty of options on the market which don't have to mean comprising on quality or value. Bed design has evolved over the years but good quality bunk beds for kids are still one of the fail-safe ways of keeping their bedrooms tidy and organised. Perfect for twins or young siblings, bunks free up a fair amount of floor space for other furniture, and contemporary products can come with anything from under-bed drawers to detachable beds, saving pennies later on when your kids become more independent. Loft beds offer a similar solution for the single bedroom and can combine a bed with a study or play area underneath, making these one of the most economical ideas out the

We are avid bakers here.  Both the boys can make a mean Yorkshire pudding batter off by heart and also know the recipe for choc fairy cakes too.  One place I never think of looking for baking supplies is HomeSense, but I have to say I really love some of the current things they have in store. I especially think the cake stands at £7.99 are great value and the measuring spoon selection at £2.99 would be perfect for using with children. Plus the cookie cutters and silicone cases would be perfect for using with paydough too. I have not been paid to share this, I just loved the current stock and received some information about it!

I regularly meal plan and am fond of telling everyone the benefits of it, but usually pop my weekly plan on Frugaliscious food .  However, I though I would pop it on here this week. Mini cooking last nights Curry!  Monday - Chicken Curry - from leftover roast chicken and vegetables Tuesday - Sausages and Bubble and Squeak Wednesday - Chicken soup with dumplings (with left over chicken from Sunday and stock made from the carcass) Thursday - Hotdogs (as we have split mealtimes) Friday - Homemade Fish and Chips Saturday - Baked egg posts for lunch                  Home made pizza Sunday - Mince and Onions, dumplings and veg                Quesadillas I am linking up with Mrs M

January was all about decluttering.  February is all about getting a cleaning routine and making it a habit.  Now I am not saying that this is going to be the same for everyone, it needs to work for you, so that you follow it and it becomes second nature. This is a lesson I learned from Flylady.  BY creating a routine that I follow, daily, weekly, fortnightly, monthly and annually I am always pretty much on top of the cleaning and my house looks presentable most of the time. To start I am going to make a note of all the jobs I carry out on a daily basis and would like you to do the same and also if they are morning, noon or night jobs. Then I am going to move on to the weekly or bi-weekly jobs and monthly ones. You might like to have a book for this.  I prefer a spreadsheet  which I can then print off and pop in a file.  Having this meant that when I was in hospital MadDad continued on doing the jobs that I did, maybe not everyday, but he did everything that was essential to ke