February Blues!

Now I'm sure you've all heard of January blues but I find February just that little bit tougher. January may be the time of year when the celebrations end, it's time to go back to work and the bills seem to just keep coming when there's no money left in the pot. But, despite this I feel there is always a very positive attitude in the air where people are looking with optimism at the year ahead realising that this could be their year! The year that they are going to be healthier, wealthier and better at what they do. So, why is it that by the time we start moving into Feb most of us have forgotten all these dreams and have fallen back into the same routine as before? Well the biggest reason I feel there is for this is that LIFE IS BUSY! No matter what your doing in life, working, looking after children, travelling or even unemployed we are all always busy. Over the Christmas holidays we get to have a break and reflect a little on the year that has passed and what we could have done better, but by the time we are all back into the swing of things this has all been forgotten. So here are my tips on staying positive and making this year YOUR YEAR!

Tip 1 - Write down what it is you want to achieve.

If you haven't already written down what you want out of this year make sure you do it NOW!, Stick it on the fridge or in your diary making sure it's some where you will see it often.  Being reminded of what it is you want is the best way of making sure you get it.

Tip 2 - Tell somebody else

By telling somebody else what it is you want to achieve this year you are making yourself accountable. This is even better if you can buddy up with a friend and once a week have a quick phone call to see how you are both doing and give each other some motivation.

Tip 3 - Break it down

Sometimes the things we want can seem a little scary and unachievable but once you break it down you will be amazed at how easy some things can seem. For example one of my big goals this year is to lose 4 stone and the reaction I usually get when I tell people this is 'Wow 4 stone is a lot to lose' and it does sound like a lot but when I point out that it works out as 1 lb a week people soon change their opinion.

Tip 4 - Know why you are doing it

If you don't know why you are doing something you really won’t achieve it. For example if you are a smoker and decide to quit just because you know you should, I doubt very much you will last more than a couple of days. However, if you decide to quit because you have been for a walk around the cancer ward and you don't want to have to put your children through watching you suffer in this way I'm sure you will do miles better.


I hope you have found this helpful, if there is anything you want to add then please leave a comment.

Until next time,

Sarah x

Each year millions of parents fall into debt when buying Christmas presents. Here are my tips on how not to be one of them.

So it's that festive time of year again and all the adverts are telling us how everything has to be perfect and every member of the family needs to be sent a new laptop (when did we start buying such expensive Christmas presents and also so many of them?).

These type of adverts leave many parents living in fear of how they can keep their little ones catered for whilst  paying the ever increasing monthly bills. When many of us have already taken a hard salary cut or have gone down to one income to be at home looking after our little treasures we often feel no choice but to reach for the credits cards and spend, spend, spend. After all, if the boy in school who lives in the rough end of town is getting a new iPad then surely I should be able to provide this for my own children? Right? WRONG!  Until they are teenagers they are happy just to have presents at Christmas and above all it's the quality time together with their parents at this time that builds the great memories they take with them into their adult lives. That said, I don't think any of us would like to get away with only filling their stockings with a couple of measly gifts. So can we have a perfect Christmas with out reaching for the cards? Well YES I believe we can and below are my tips on how to achieve this.

Tip #1 - Set up a Christmas Savings Account

Okay, so it may be a little late in the year to start this one but don't panic you can still survive this year and you can start in January. If you aim to put in £15 a month per child (I mean your own children) and £2 for every other person you need to buy for this should leave you with plenty come the beginning of December. For example, if you have 2 children and 10 other people to buy for you would put £50 away on the 30th of each month and then you would have £550 ready to spend on the first of December.

Tip #2 - Start buying early in the year

Again you can't really start this now but it's always worth picking up bargains and stocking fillers throughout the year when you see them.

Tip #3 -Buy second hand

You really can't beat this as a way to save money at Christmas.  Children, especially when young, don't know and don't care as long as they have lots to open. There are many ways of doing this now thanks to the internet and social networking sites. Online auctions, nearly new online shops, Facebook groups and many more although in my experience you can't beat going round car boot sales to get some Christmas bargains.

Tip #4 - Swap toys with your friends

You probably have a house full of toys, games and books that your children are now bored of or have outgrown and guess what? So does every other mum so if's worth getting a load of friends together (maybe over some wine) and seeing what items you could swap with each other.

Top #5 - Don't listen to the TV adverts

You don't need to have a whole new three piece suite delivered to your door ready for your family's arrival and nor do you have to have a four bird roast, gallons of champagne and a laptop for your uncle. These adverts are designed to make us feel that the usual Turkey Christmas we have been celebrating for years just won't cut it anymore and you are inadequate if you don't pull out all the stops. Don't listen, they are just after your money.

Tip #6 Make your own gifts

Most people really appreciate the time and effort put into making gifts and why spend a fortune buying items like chilli oil or truffles when you can make your own.

Tip #7 Make your own deocorations

Kids love to get involved with the preperations for Christmas and what better way than to sit down as a family and make lovely decorations for the tree or the worlds longest paper chain to go around the room. 

I hope you have found this useful, if you have any other tips or advice please leave a comment.

Hello and welcome to my blog, my aim is to create a blog that helps parents reduce the costs involved with raising children. Parents typically spend over £5000 on a baby before he or she even reaches their first birthday so it's no surprise that many of us struggle to keep up to date with the bills as well as the expenses our children bring. This blog is hear to help keeping you up to date with special offers, cheap activities, places to go and advice on how to make you budget go further. Please add your comments and ideas along the way, I'm very new to blogging so I apologise now to any mistakes I make along the way. :-)

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