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You may recall that last month I mentioned the MyFamilyClub Savings Pack, well with Christmas looming on the horizon, I have been looking at the ways I can get the most for my money this holiday season.

I will openly admit I love to shop but I will openly admit that I am not particularly good at saving, so if I can find a way to do both, this makes me a happy girl. I am not talking about making presents or buying off Ebay (although there are lots of bargains to be had this way), I mean getting the most from the shops on the high street. It was interesting to watch Charlotte from MyFamilyClub on BBC News last weekend as she firmly believes in haggling. Now I remember doing a car boot sale with my mom when I was little and I can vividly remember people haggling over 20 pence but I know this isnt what she meant. If you are buying bulk items or paying cash, most retailers will give you some form of discount or free products in order to close the sale. (This doesnt apply to the supermarkets, although it would be nice to get some free biscuits once in a while).

So what if you cant haggle? Then there are other options and this is the bit that really interested me. With the MyFamilyClub Savings Pack you get to: 

• Choose five re-loadable gift cards from our carefully selected retailers.
• Top up your gift cards online using a debit or credit card.
• Save between 4% and 10% every time you top up your gift cards on line. 

Once you get your head around what this means, you can start to appreciate what this can mean for your bank balance. I sat there and decided to select a Boots gift card, which when you top up on the MyFamilyClub website gives you 6% discount. So if I shopped at Boots, during one of their points promotions evenings, buying the 3 for 2 products and using my discounted gift card, I worked out that I would literally be saving nearly £50 on the products I wanted.

It sounds incredulous but its true. Its not about being cheap, its about being savvy and with a spare £50 in my bank, I have got my eye on some gorgeous shoes for the Christmas Party season!

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Friendships are a funny thing and when you are little, they seem to be singularly the most important thing in your life (after cuddles with mom obviously)

I watch my eldest daughter and her friends and in some ways she is very much like me, she has different circles of friends but maybe that is because I have encouraged that. I remember when she was at pre-school and she had her first “best friend” and one day that best friend wasn’t there and she was bereft. So began one of life’s lessons, people aren’t always there when you need or want them to be.

Someone once told me that the older you get, the smaller the circle of your true friends and there is never a truer word spoken. I used to surround myself with lots of friends, I was always throwing a party for any occasion or even for no occasion and I became the one that “organised” getting everyone together. 

Then life likes to throw you a curve ball (as it always does) and different things took priority. Not priority over my friendships but over the responsibility of organising everyone.  That curve ball focused my outlook on a lot of things and a lot of people. It made me realise who my true friends were. Obviously, there are two possibilities here, either I changed or I didn’t really know who they were until that very moment. 

My family are the centre of my universe but my friendships stand important at their side. These are my true friends, the real friends, the ones you know, without question that you really can ring at 3am in the morning and they will be there. I am very lucky to have them and I hope that as my eldest daughter and they little one after her, grow up, they cherish good friends and don’t worry about the others. 

Easier said than done but I got there eventually. Have you?

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Can I just say, I am not growing a moustache. I repeat, I am not growing a moustache!

You cant fail to notice moustache's sprouting on faces all around the UK and this is because during November each year, Movember is responsible for  the growth of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces in the UK and around the world.  This may sound a little odd but The aim of which is to raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and testicular cancer.

This might sound an odd topic for our usually fluffy family blog but men's health has to be important to us doesn't it as we all have dad's, grandad's, brothers, uncle's, cousins and friends who could be affected. Men arent usually as vocal as women regarding their health so I geniunely think this is an amazing way to openly support a great fundraising cause.

The Movember website tells us that "Each Mo Bro must begin the 1st of Movember with a clean shaven face. For the entire month each Mo Bro must grow and groom a moustache. .... A Mo Sista is essentially a woman who loves a Mo. An individual that is dedicated to supporting the Mo Bros in her life through their moustache growing journey; whether it be a friend, colleague, family member or partner. These inspirational women are committed to raising awareness of men's health issues and much needed funds for men's health along the way"

One of these inspirational "Mo Sista's" is my cousin and she is supporting her husband this month. So if you dont know anyone growing a moustache this Movember and would like to help, in any small way you can, my cousin and her husband would love your support!

For less than the cost of a bottle of wine, a packet of cigarettes or a takeaway, you could help make a difference.

http://uk.movember.com/mospace/3630937 

Image courtesy of Mumsclub.