money


Insurance – Is it Worth It? 1

“Insurance – Is it worth it?” is a paid collaborative post with HSBC. With the cost of living crisis, many families are looking to cut costs and many are asking if they should cancel insurance policies. Before you even contemplate it, you really need to understand what each policy covers and how and also if it is a legal requirement. Please remember that I am not a financial adviser just a regular mum, so please take professional advice.


How to Save but Not Reduce the Quality of Life?

The lower the family income, the more critical the question of creating savings is. A financial cushion will save you temporary work problems, salary delays, and unexpected expenses. Small loans can save for a certain time, but they also must be returned, so the issue becomes even more urgent. How to save, form a financial cushion, but, at the same time, not give up your quality of life? Financial company Payday Depot is ready to answer this question.


Rising Costs of Energy and Inability to Pay – An insiders guide 1

I think that the majority of the UK is deeply concerned and anxious about the rising energy costs and other expenses and how we are all going to cope in the coming months and pay our energy bills. There will be lots of people unable to pay their upcoming utility bills and I know that I am very anxious about it (especially having just received my water bill and the direct debits more than doubling). I have blog posts about ways to save energy, however, this crisis is not something you can budget your way out of. I know you can not budget your way out of destitution and would never […]


Teaching kids budgeting – Cash versus card 1

Money, we never seem to have enough, or that should be we have a habit of living to our means,  Raising children is an expensive business.  Mini killed yet another pair of school schools this week.  This is his third pair since September and they do not come cheap.  I try to make sure I budget and save for unexpected expenses, but some months it fee’s as though we are robbing peter to pay paul, even more so when my clients do not always pay on time (the joys of freelancing)!

Budgeting - Cash versus card

How to save as a non-saver 13

So last week I admitted that I am a terrible saver.  No that isn’t quite right, now I want to save, I just do not have the spare cash.  So I need to save smarter.  So I have been figuring our ways to save for non-savers.  In fact you would be surprised to know that in just one week I have already saved over £200.  Yes £200, so read on to find our more.


Learning to be a Smarter Saver 21

Savings, it isn’t an exciting word, especially when you are younger, but oh how I wished I had been a saver when I had more money to save!  I have two boys and they are polar opposites when it comes to money.  Maxi who has just turned eleven is a saver.  He saves all his money, whereas Mini who is nine spends every single penny as soon as he gets it.  It burns a hole in his pocket!  One of the things I find the hardest as a mum is balancing everything.  Trying to find the money to pay for everything we need and to save too.


Tips to be a Savvy Spender this Christmas

How to be a Savvy Spender this Christmas 3

I know that Christmas can be an expensive time for a lot of people and we all can worry about how we will find the money that we need to spend.  So the good folks at the Institute of Inertia asked me to put together my top six tips for being a savvy spender this Christmas.  Before I go on to the fab tips, “what is the Institute of Inertia”? I hear you ask.  Well it is a panel of experts and me and Ricky from Skint Dad, I wrote about them here.


#SavvySpender twitter Party Round up

Just over a week ago me and the amazing Penny Golightly,held a twitter party all about shopping habits and family treats. We found out how about how you stick to a budget, choose appropriate family rewards, spend your money wisely and that your shopping habits have changed recently compared to previous years. it was amazing, there were so many tips and ideas and I wanted to share them all with you.   [View the story “#SavvySpender Twitter Chat Roundup” on Storify] The party was sponsored by Barclaycard and their Freedom Rewards credit card. This new reward card is potentially very useful for organised spenders who pay their balance off every month, as you earn points on everything you spend, that you can then […]


Spending cuts to hit the North Harder – but what will they mean for you?

The wonderful Baby Genies post about the upcoming spending cuts really resonated with me today.  I am starting to wonder what is coming to the world.  I have blogged about make take on politics, the election and what I wanted to see before and it seems to be as though none of the politico’s were listening. So what will this week bring?  It seems to be that the word of the month has been fairness, although I fail to see what is fair about taking child benefit from families where one parent is in the higher tax bracket, especially is like us, I am not working. Nick Clegg also announced this […]


Sometimes Mothering is harder than hard

I have a neighbour, yes we all have them, but I have one who manages to make me feel terrible with just a single glance and a turn of phrase.  She is always beautifully turned out, drives a brand new sports car, runs her own successful business,  has a hot tub in the garden and one perfectly dressed nine year old boy who in her eyes can do no wrong. So this morning when I am screaming at the boys like a fishwife to get in the car or we will be late, hollering my lungs out to leave the drink at home and just get in the car, who would […]