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We take food for granted, well my children do. They just assume that they can walk to the fridge and the cupboards and there will be food there (as long as mommy has been shopping that is). But what about the children that don't have enough to eat?

IF we want to put an end to global hunger, we need to generate so much noise that our leaders have no choice but to act. Not enough people know that the world produces enough food for everyone.

The ‘IF’ movement challenges the Prime Minister to tackle 4 big IFs to help there be enough food for everyone:

• IF we stop poor farmers being forced off their land, and use the available agricultural land to grow food for people, not biofuels for cars.
• IF governments keep their promises on aid, invest to stop children dying from malnutrition and help the poorest people feed themselves through investment in small farmers.
• IF governments stop big companies dodging tax in poor countries, so that millions of people can free themselves from hunger.
• IF we force governments and investors to be honest and open about the deals they make in the poorest countries that stop people getting enough food.

That’s why we’ve set ourselves a goal: to tell a million people about ENOUGH FOOD FOR EVERYONE IF.

Whether you tell one-thousand people or one person about the campaign, you’re making a difference, it can be as easy as sharing the Tell A Million video on Facebook/Twitter, or using the #tellamillion hashtag. 

Thank you for reading (and hopefully sharing) xx

As January draws to a close, many parents will be letting out a sigh of relief that they have survived! Not in a physical sense obviously but financially January is proven to be one of the hardest months. We are therefore delighted to share this guest post on money saving tips that can be used all year round!

Save on your MOT  (we love this one!!)
Did you know that there are council run MOT testing stations? These typically charge around £55 for an MOT but because they don't do repairs they have no incentive to to fail your car. It has been reported by number of people that they have faced big repair bills after failing a test at the normal garage, but then when they took their car to a council run MOT testing station it passed first time.

Pay for your medical prescriptions in advance
For those of us who live in England and have to pay for medical prescriptions you could be using something called a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC), which would save you money on each prescription you buy. If you buy more than 13 prescribed medicines each year a 12 month prescription prepayment certificate would save you money as it only costs £104. There is also the option of a three-month prescription prepayment certificate which costs £29.10, this would also save you money if you only need to buy prescribed medicines for three months and are intending on buying more than three prescribed medicines during that period.

Saving money on your water bills
If the house that you live in cannot have a water meter installed and you believe that your water consumption is reasonably low, perhaps your a single person. You can request that your water company base your bill on an assessed charge. What this means is that the water company will actually provide you with a bill which better reflects your water consumption. The easiest way to find out if you could save money this way is to contact your water provider and ask them for an assessment. Have a look at how it compares with your existing flat rate Water Bill. Lots of people tend to save between 50 and £100 a year this way.

Saving money when travelling by train
Have you ever heard of a carnet? Essentially what it is a batch of single tickets that most chain companies sell and can be used for both peak and off-peak travel on quite a lot of train routes. The carnets last for a maximum of three months and you have to pay the full value upfront.

The train companies also provide carnet tickets for longer journeys as well. It's best to check with your local train company for the exact pricing and the routes that the tickets are valid on.

Selling your old stuff
There's a saying one man's rubbish is another man's gold. You would be surprised at how many things in your house that you could sell to other people for cash. Some people even get such a liking for it that they develop small businesses out of reselling their junk. There are a number of places online that you can do this, so if you're looking to sell your stuff online you could realise at least a few hundred pounds.

Money-saving from water
Many people are unaware that they pay for all of the rain that runs off of their property and into the public sewer. Those people who have houses in which the drainpipes do not pass their rainwater through to the sewage system, are able to claim a rebate of between £17 and £50 a year.

It may seem not seem obvious but the sewage companies apply a charge to treat that rainwater that has come from your house, however if that's not applicable then you shouldn't be paying for it. So it's worth getting in contact with your water company and asking them for the form to fill in. It may also require a visit your home by one of their representatives; but if you can prove that the rainwater from your property goes into a soakaway then you can apply for the rebate.

Train Travel savings
A group save ticket can save you quite a lot of money on travelling by train assuming there are a group of either adults or children travelling. For the price of two adults on off-peak services up to 4 people can travel and you can add children at a flat rate of 1 pound each.

Is your train delayed again?
If your train is delayed by an hour or more by law the minimum compensation that you're able to receive is 20% of the ticket value. It's worth noting that specific train companies have better terms than that, which can be found in their passenger charters. First Capital Connect give you money back of your ticket value if the train is 30 minutes late Whilst Virgin Trains give you 25% of the ticket value back if the Birmingham to London route is delayed by more than 45 minutes. In order to claim your compensation just pop into your local ticket office and ask for the form.

Bank Account charges
Many people these days have a packaged account. This type of account comes with a number of benefits which tend to include travel insurance and car breakdown recovery etc. However did you know that you can usually buy these particular services a lot more cheaply elsewhere, and you can actually get them so that they are more specific to your own circumstances. It's worth giving your bank call and asking to downgrade your account to the basic current-account which at the moment most banks tend to offer as a non-feepaying account. This could save you up to £300 a year.

The voucher and discount codes
Many times when you're shopping online you will get to the checkout and find that there is a promo code option. It's at this point that you should open another window on your computer and Google the name of the company and the word promo. Although a lot of the voucher codes that you find online can be out of date, with a little searching you can find vouchers which will give you up to 20% off of the products that you are looking to purchase.

We thought that there were some great money saving tips here ... hope you did too?

January is cold, bleak (and very snowy) and usually a time when parents look at the cost of Christmas and feel like the January pay day is a long long way away. It is a time when people focus their minds on saving money or making changes as it feels like the perfect time to spring clean your life and finances!

Consideration of moving house is always something that a new year brings in our house and the debate of do we need to move, where do we move and what mortgage should we get? With two children in tow, a cat and a significant amount of small toys, not to mention my (ahem) shoe collection, this is not a decision that can be taken lightly. 

In all seriousness, moving house is more about location, school catchment areas and crime rates, who would have thought I would get all sensible in my old age? Once upon a time, my only consideration was fabulous decor and a comfortable bed but now, ensuring a safe neighbourhood and good schooling for my children is of paramount importance to our house location (not discounting the fabulous decor and comfortable bed of course).

My eldest daughter is a creature of habit, if I move the furniture around she gets upset and I can't tell you the tears that ensued when we changed our car so moving house will have to be for a very special reason or a very special house. With my youngest daughter coming out of the baby phase, maybe another addition to our current household maybe the reason we need ....... but shhhh don't tell my other half just yet! 

 

The Lilypad blog is not controversial or political, we like humour and peace but we also share information about things that are important and what is important to families is making sure that they have enough money at the end of each month to feed, cloth and put a roof over their children's heads.

Now my daughters have a better wardrobe than me, like to eat me out of house and home and have enough doll's houses and play houses to call a village, so the benefit should surely be called "mummy benefit" not "child benefit", as I am the one in need of new clothes and my favourite treats to actually remain in the kitchen cupboards long enough for me to enjoy them. I am joking of course ( I hide my treats).

There is no escaping the news this month that the Government are making significant changes to the child benefit system which mean that not everyone will automatically get the same amount of child benefit, as has historically happened. It has been announced that higher earners will now see their benefit taken away over a phased process. The current system means that parents are currently able to claim £20.30 in child benefit a week for their first child, and an additional £13.40 for any further children they have. The benefit is worth around £1,000 annually to parents with one child, £1,700 to those with two and £2,500 to parents with three. This is certainly not money to be sniffed at!

Having children is our choice, obviously, and a choice that many of us make over and over again. On the face of it, it does appear to penalise those higher earning parents who have worked hard to command such salaries but equally the "pot of money" is not endless, so it must be capped somewhere. The system is never going to satisfy everyone and the qualifying levels can be quite confusing but I found a clear outline on the MyFamilyClub website here.

The benefit system in this country is acclaimed all over the world, yet berated by the very people that receive it. I don't always agree with Government decisions but ultimately they have a budget to manage, the same as every family does.