Guest Post | Mum In The Madhouse

Top 5 family cars

Top 5 family cars
The purchase of a new car is a major outlay for most families, and like the choice of a new house, it’s critical to get it right. The three criteria most frequently mentioned by purchasers as influencing their choice of make and model are safety, reliability and economy. Beyond those three key considerations, size of family and the age of children influence the choice of car.
As with all major purchases, planning ahead will ensure that you make the choice that’s right for your family. Budget, the use that you will make of the car – mileage, equipment that you need to carry, and environmental considerations – will all be factors to take into account. Of course subjective elements come into play, like design and style, but being sure of all the important demands that you will have of a family vehicle is the first step in making an informed choice. Use comparison sites on the internet to identify the best models within your budget, and read up on the relevant Which? Magazine reviews.
To get you started, Allianz Your Cover (www.yourcoverinsurance.co.uk) provides you with the top five family cars currently on the market:
• Family hatchbacks : the Hyundai i30 won the Car Buyer Best Family Car award for 2012, commended for the amount of space in the stylish family hatchback, and the equipment that comes as standard with all models – Bluetooth hands-free phone connection, air-conditioning and i-Pod socket. The car gets top marks for economy, the 1.6 CRDi diesel engine returning up to 70 mpg. And for peace of mind, the car comes with a Triple Care guarantee which is backed by an unlimited mileage warranty cover, free mechanical health checks and roadside assistance over a period of five years.
• Another popular family hatchback is the Volkswagen Golf, which has been completely redesigned to give it a modern and attractive interior, more boot and interior space than its predecessor. It provides the most demanding driver with the fun that they might miss in some of the more staid family cars on the market, whilst offering very high levels of safety and reliability. It gains a whopping score of 4.6 from Car Buyer for running costs, the 1.6 diesel version returning an average 88.3 mpg.
• For the larger family, MPVs have for a long time been the logical choice, and they have graduated from the rather sluggish and bland to the latest stylish and fun family vehicles. The Peugeot 5008 is the favourite choice of many, having won the What Car? Car of the year award for the combination that it offers of high-level equipment, economy (the diesel version offers an average of 62 mpg), and practicality. The interior seating is easy to adjust and reconfigure, and there is all the space that any family could need for luggage and shopping. The Peugeot is also very reasonably priced compared to some of its competitors.
• The Ford Grand C max is another favourite, with generous seating and great access to the rear of the vehicle provided by the sliding doors. It boasts an impressive level of equipment, including rear view camera for accident-free reversing, Bluetooth with voice control, and a power start button.
• The Volkswagen Touran is one of the most eco-friendly family cars on the market, being equipped with the VW blue motion technology for improved fuel efficiency. It has been judged the car in its class likely to make motorists cash go the furthest, and the level of equipment in all models is high, with air-conditioning, speed control, and an 8-speaker sound system that the kids will love!

Enjoy a Warmer House and Save Pennies!

Featured and Guest / By Jen Walshaw

Enjoy a Warmer House and Save Pennies!
Winter is dragging on, as it always does, and spring still feels far, far away. Britain is gripped in the limbo that hangs between Christmas and pink blossoms, with the weather getting colder, snow falling erratically and skies looming grey overhead. It certainly highlights the stress of having a draughty, chilly home. Many struggle on with old, clapped out boilers and single glazing windows, knowing they simply cannot afford the upfront cost of having them replaced. Draught excluders look pretty, but they aren’t doing much to keep out that February chill and the kids are moaning that their onesies aren’t blocking out Jack Frost’s nip.
So, what on Earth is one to do?! All hail… The Green Deal, a government scheme aimed at making properties across the UK more energy efficient at no upfront cost to homeowners. The initiative was launched on Monday 28th January, much to the bemusement of many homeowners that haven’t even heard of it. However, not to worry, the government plans for this scheme to gradually develop over the coming months and years, shaping Britain into a greener place to live.
There are many measures that come under the Green Deal Scheme, which include things such as the installation of new boilers, insulation and double glazing. Any property that registers its interest in the scheme will undergo a Green Deal Assessment, in which an accredited advisor will survey the house and inform the owners of which measures could and should be taken to make it a more comfortable place to live.
This work will then be carried out by Green Deal Installers, and financed through a Green Deal loan. Heck, it’s green, green, green! The loan will be attached to the property, not the person, and will be paid back through the property owner’s energy savings. A charge for the work will be added on to energy bills, but will never be allowed to exceed the amount of money the owner is saving due to their home improvements.
It’s a win-win situation and has been designed to help the government reduce the country’s carbon footprint, whilst simultaneously tackling the problem of rising energy prices and fuel poverty. The perfect scheme for families who struggle on through British winters but can’t afford to renovate their homes, the Green Deal is also a great way to get on board with helping the environment.

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How to ‘Downscale’ Your Groceries Bill

4 Comments / frugal food / By Jen Walshaw

How to ‘Downscale’ Your Groceries Bill
British families have been hit hard by the rising cost of groceries, with food prices reported to have risen by 32 per cent since 2007 (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). Households are understandably struggling to find the extra on their grocery bill, with the average coming to over £4000 per year.
However, there are ways to easily slash your groceries bill, bring down the total at the till and struggle no more. See if you can apply any of the following suggestions to your weekly shop, and ‘downscale’ your shopping bill.
Price Promise
Some supermarkets offer a price promise, which means that your shopping basket is guaranteed to cost less than at any other supermarket. When you buy your groceries online at http://groceries.asda.com you can take advantage of the ASDA Price Guarantee, which means that you’ll save at least ten per cent on your shopping bill, compared to Tesco, Morrisons, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s. If this isn’t the case then ASDA will give you the difference, meaning that you just can’t lose.
It’s easy to use the ASDA Price Guarantee online – all you need is a receipt. And as the calculator is powered by independent website MySupermarket.com, you’ll have peace of mind.
‘Downscaling’
One way of instantly making savings in the supermarket is to ‘downscale’ your brand choices. For example, if you usually buy the most popular branded products ie Heinz Baked Beans, you would simple ‘drop down’ a level and try the Premium supermarket brand instead.
Likewise, if you usually buy premium supermarket brands, you can downscale to regular supermarket brands, and then to the basics range.
Downscaling your shopping basket has to include an element of trial and error, while you discover which items you are happy to downscale on and which you simply can’t compromise on. However, simply downscaling on some items can save a considerable amount on your groceries bill.
Meal Planning
Planning your meals is one way to ensure that you don’t overspend on food that will end up getting wasted. With the average family estimated to waste around £500 of food per year, simply ensuring that you buy only what you need could save you around £50 a month!
Buying your groceries online makes it easier to stick to a shopping list, as it eliminates the temptations presented when walking around the supermarket. It’s also easy to search for the specific items on your list, making your shopping experience quick and easy.
If you usually cook the same meals each week, the ‘Favourites’ function means that you could have your shopping checked out online in mere minutes – saving that other precious family commodity – time.

With a little thought there are ways to easily trim the grocery bill, making increases in food prices far less painful. Choose a supermarket such as ASDA that prides itself in offering great value across all of its ranges – and puts its money where its mouth is with the ASDA Price Guarantee!

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Amateur astronomy from your loft

1 Comment / activities for children / By Jen Walshaw

You are one of 7 billion humans on earth – the densest planet in a 4.6 billion year old solar system. You are in a galaxy spanning around 110,000 light years, in a universe containing an estimated 9 sextillion stars. With the right technology you could see over 142,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kilometres into space. Humans have been practicing forms of astronomy for centuries, but the developments we have made from the 19th Century onwards have been particularly illuminating, and we now know more than ever before about the universe.

It’s no wonder that people are so fascinated with what lies beyond our humble planet. The most exciting part is that star gazing is now a pastime that is available to everybody with a desire to learn more about our solar system.

Not only is amateur astronomy a fascinating hobby, it’s also a great way to spend time with your kids and bring what they learn in school to life. To make stargazing a truly rewarding experience, you’ll need a telescope and a good place to spot the stars. While there are plenty of stargazing spots in the great outdoors, having your very own indoor observatory is even more convenient.

If you have a loft , this can be the perfect place to set up. Not only is it convenient to star gaze in the comfort of your own home, but it is also a good way to make the most of your loft and save it from becoming a dumping ground and a wasted space. It’s common for lofts to go unused, and this is one way to ensure you’re getting value out of every room in your house.

However, you might need to do some renovating to ensure it’s the perfect stargazing space you’re after. If you have a sky light, or are thinking about adding one for star gazing, it may help you to get more use out of your loft as an additional room during the day too. You might want to consider making it a bit more comfortable with some seats, a carpet and maybe even a lick of paint.

Budgeting for this project may take a bit of planning. Whether you save up to pay for your loft-turned-observatory, or look into whether a loan may help you cover the costs, it’s best to sort out the budget ahead of time.

In addition to stargazing among the comforts of your own home, you’ll probably have an Internet connection handy and can easily find out what you’re looking at. This will also allow you to check if there is anything particular to look out for that night. Sites like astronomy.co.uk are great for finding out what’s happening each night in theUK, and you get the satisfaction of understanding what you’re looking at and learning how to find different planets, stars and other phenomenon.

Some exciting sights to see from your loft over the rest of 2012 include a lunar eclipse in late November, Jupiter reaching its closest point to the Earth in early December and the Geminids Meteor Shower in mid-December. So, get your telescope at the ready and head up to the loft for some magical views of the night sky.

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TV, computer games, internet, mobiles: are kids being exposed to too much technology?

9 Comments / screen time / By Jen Walshaw

There are also growing concerns over the type of content that children now have access to, with violent video games and inappropriate websites just a few clicks away, and the softening of television and film age ratings. Horror stories in the news have only heightened these concerns in recent years, leading some to believe that children should have their access to technology limited to just a few hours a day, giving them more time to spend outdoors or interacting with other children.

Whilst these concerns are all valid, it is important not to lose sight of the innate value of technology to today’s youth. The recent Olympic games are a prime example of the benefit of television to children, with 90% of the entire UK population having tuned in to watch at least 15 minutes of live coverage over its two week duration. The ability for children to find out more about and interact with positive role models such as the Olympic summer heroes is made possible by access to technology.

It has also been suggested that technology has revolutionised the way in which children learn, giving them access to innovative educational resources by way of newly developed apps, or by making revision fun with programs such as the BBC’s GCSE Bitesize series. The benefits of technology can also be seen in the development of children with educational difficulties, with websites and other resources available to help children with conditions from mild dyslexia to extreme autism.

Overall, the question of whether children are being exposed to too much technology remains extremely difficult to answer in a general sense. With parents able to limit the time spent in front of the television and monitor or restrict online activity, it is arguable that technology has become an invaluable educational and developmental resource for our young, allowing them to witness global events and take part in new experiences from their own homes.

Feel strongly about this topic or have an experience to share? Then please leave your comments below.

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