Saving For Christmas

As a mum, I like to think of myself as quite organised when it comes to buying presents and getting everything ready for a special occasion. But I do struggle with one thing, saving. It appears that every weekend I am pulling out my credit card for something. Whether it is for my little girl's after school activities, new shoes, one of her friends birthdays and on top of that the usual bills. This Christmas however I have been fully determined to put aside a little money each week no matter what, so I don't feel the pinch after the big Christmas rush. Below I have included some rather helpful tips that have stopped me from shaking my bag for loose change at the supermarket.

1. Create A Shopping List

I do feel quite guilty about this first piece of advice as I know that many mums out there already do it religiously. My first piece of wisdom is to make a shopping list and a meal plan before you attempt to even enter a shop. As a working mum I am very much inclined after a hard day at work to run into a shop and start buying without any particular thought (except that my meals are healthy of course). For the last few months I have been creating a detailed meal plan and checking what is in my fridge and cupboard before I go out. This not only has freed up some cupboard space but has also made me think about what I need rather than what I want when I am in the store.

2. Stick To A Budget

With everything! I now keep a notebook with budgets set out for each month including the odd birthdays and everything else. Creating a set budget every month is essential when trying to save as you see the rewards quite quickly. I also get a kick out of reaching each goal set.

3. Resist The Urge To Splurge

I always had a little tray of coins resting on the unit in the hallway that was meant to help me save the odd bit. But constantly grabbing a few pounds as I walk out of the door has resulted in my savings tray looking a little worst for ware. To help me with this situation I have managed to find these great Terramundi Pots that help me to save as you literally have to break them open to get money out. This has helped me so much in the run up to Christmas and they look quite pretty too.

4. Look For Cheaper Alternatives

Since quite recently I have always been one to stick to the brands that I know as there is no way that the cheaper stuff could do the same job. I now must admit that I am a convert to trying products that are not only cheaper without that special packaging, but also work just as well. This has helped no end in my budgeting as well as I haven't had to cut back that much.

I hope that these little tips will help you save a bit more before the big Christmas shop!

Porcelain Plates, Cupcake Stands & Parties

 If you have a little girl then you'll know just how much importance they place on their own birthday (or in my little one's case birthweek). I am 90% sure that I was no where near as demanding when I was a little girl, but then again I'm also sure that that's what all adults think, so it's probably not the world's best defence.

Anyway, as I was saying, it was my little girls birthday-week recently and I was torn. On the one hand I did not want to spend a fortune on making her feel like she was Sissi, (who for those who don't know is Elisabeth of Austira, a historically popular Austrain Empress who was also the Queen of Hungary and the wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I), but on the other hand I did not want her to be cry and upset (which is partially due to wanting her to be happy and mainly due to me wanting a quiet, easy life).

Sissi - wasn't she pretty?

Fortunately it is easy to trick children (in a white lie way of course), so all you need to pull of such an elaborate ruse is a couple of sparking things (like glitter) and a centre piece for them to focus all their attention (and ego) on. I decided, as I was baking the birthday cake, that I would kill two birds with one stone, which is to say that I actively searched for a way that would make my daughter feel like a queen, whilst also showing off my breathtakingly amazing (distinctly average) baking skills.

My daughter and I love watching the Great British Bake Off, and she mad about Mary Berry. I remembered hearing that John Lewis were selling Mary Berry's range of cake accessories so I popped onto the internet to do a little research (I went to look at how expensive they were).

Mary Berry - She Makes Great Cakes

There was good news and bad news:

Bad news – The Mary Berry Collection's Ceramic Cake Stand was £40 at John Lewis.

Good news – I found a site where I could by the same Mary Berry cake stand for £29.40!

I will undoubtedly go back to that site for more Mary Berry cake stuff in the future, but for now I had to worry about my daughter's birthday party so I had a little snoop around this site (it's very cake orientated), and found a range of acrylic cupcake stands.

I decided in the end that in addition to the Mary Berry Porcelain Cake Stand (which sounds better than 'ceramic' I think) that I'd get a couple of these acrylic cupcake stands too, which I could use to display French Fancies, biscuits, cakes, sandwiches and lots of other snacks and stuff so that the kids could just help themselves.

I think they look fantastic and because they are made from plastic they are so easy to clean to and maintain. The site I found all this stuff on (called Crystal Clear Cake Stands) has a wide range of cake plates and cupcake stands made from acrylic plastic, porcelain and metal, so If you're in the market for any such things you should definitely check them out!

What Can I Get My Dad For Father’s Day?

I know it’s about a month away, but Father’s Day is fast approaching – especially when you’ve got work and kids! With very little time to do anything, I like to get gifts for any occasion sorted nice and early, meaning I don’t have to stress about it closer to the time.

But the problem is, when it comes to Father’s Day, I always struggle for something to get. My Dad isn’t particularly picky, but then he has pretty much everything he needs so anything else is a bonus! Therefore I try to get something that he doesn’t necessarily have to keep, but something that he can enjoy. Here are some of my ideas if you’re stuck for inspiration.

Experience Day

Making memories rather than getting another keepsake is a great gift in my opinion, and there are loads of experience days that will let your Dad do just that. Whether it’s car racing, clay pigeon shooting or a sea safari experience, there is something out there for them to enjoy.

Family Meal

It’s not often that families get to spend quality time together, so why not treat your Dad to just that? You could book a table at his favourite restaurant, invite your brothers and sisters and just sit down and enjoy each other’s company. It will remind him of times gone by and there’s nothing more he’ll love than having his close family together again.

Food Hamper

I came across this idea a few years and since then I have to say, I’ve used it for many gifts for family and friends. You can make your own at home or build your own hamper online, where companies offer a range of products that you can pick and choose from. I usually end getting a bit of food and quite a lot of drink for my old man!

Day Out

If your Dad has always wanted to go somewhere or has a place that he loves to visit, why not take him there for the day? Invite family and friends and make a real day of it…you could even produce a photo album once the day is over for him to remember it.

So there we have it, just some ideas that I could come up with for Father’s Day. I hope you find them useful and, whatever you get them, enjoy spending the day with your Dad.

How Can A Busy Mum Look After Dogs? Like This…

Along with looking after kids and working a busy day, I have two Cocker Spaniels to look after. As lovely as they are (and I do love them), it can be quite a pain to have to fit in their exercise needs among everything else. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy it, but sometimes it’s quite difficult to fit it in. Therefore I’ve come up with time savers that suit my needs and make sure the dogs are cared for.

The ‘Stair Game’

Usually my dogs aren’t allowed upstairs as we prefer to keep it off-limits, but sometimes we do play a fun game that wears them out. It’s a simple game of fetch up and down the stairs, with me standing at the bottom and throwing a ball or toy up to the top for them to fetch and bring back to me. They soon get worn out and they really enjoy it too!

Using Our New Favourite Stick In The Garden

I’m sure all dog owners are familiar with what happens when a dog gets hold of a stick – they play with it for a while, then chew it up. A few months ago a friend recommended something that would eradicate this problem and help me keep them active. Safestix is a plastic, stick-like toy that I can throw in the garden just like a normal stick, except they can’t destroy it. I’d recommend it to anyone.

Our Morning Run

I don’t go for a run every day (it’s all I can do to get out of bed sometimes!) but when I do, I always make sure I take the dogs with me. Because it’s first thing in the morning, the dogs are keen and then they will sleep for most of the day without needing any more exercise.

Use Local Dog Walkers

This option might not be available to everyone due to financial constraints but I’ve been lucky enough to use our local walker a couple of times and it’s been a godsend. They take really good care of our dogs and they always come back exhausted. If a dog walker isn’t an option, you can always try local school kids who want to make a bit of money too.

How To Get A Good Night’s Sleep

For many years I have struggled to sleep but never really figured out why. My husband often snores but that rarely affects my sleep pattern as I've learned to block it out by now. No, there have been other reasons, I was sure, but I was never able to identify them. Recently the problem became too much for me and I decided to do something about it. I considered going to a doctor, or maybe for something more radical such as hypnotherapy or acupuncture, but then thought this wasn't really for me.

Instead I decided to do some reading. I didn't invest in numerous professional books or look for scientific journals online; instead I simply logged onto the internet and read articles and blogs such as the one you’re reading now. While some of the information was obviously bogus or unhelpful, I found there was an incredible wealth of information out there that I can not only relate to, but use.

While my problem hasn't been solved completely (I still have restless nights or periods where I can’t sleep), I now have a much better sleep pattern and find that I can get a good few hours on most nights. Because of this, I thought I’d share some of the best tips here.

Keep the same hours – When I was having sleep problems, I used to stay up later and get up whenever I’d had enough of tossing and turning. However, I have learned that going to bed at the same time and getting up at the same time is more beneficial, allowing the body to achieve some sort of pattern. Now I try to stick to it, although weekends do vary opposed to week days.

Rediscover writing – Whether you keep a diary, write notes or write a list, emptying your brain at the end of the day really does help. Instead of going over things in your mind or trying to remember what you need to do tomorrow, write them down before bed and then leave them in your notebook. This way, your mind is clear and ready to sleep.

Remove distractions – Like most people with a crazy work life and family to look after, I don’t have time to clean much – and when I do it’s usually communal spaces such as the living room and kitchen. This meant our bedroom was often a mess, but I've learned that having all this clutter was not helpful. Now I make sure the room is as tidy as possible, allowing both me and my husband to relax before bed.

Advice guides like this are everywhere online and come in all forms, with plenty of advice around. One of the most useful I found was this with advice on how to sleep better, but there are many, many options. I hope this blog will also become a resource so that people like me can rediscover the art of sleeping.

Welcome & Introduction

Hi everyone, and welcome to my new blog! The title gives it all away really - I'm a busy working mum and this is my blog.

Due to the strains of everyday life, I'm not sure how often I can post here but I'll try to do so as often as possible and offer some kind of insight, as well as advice.

Bye for now, Sarah x