Category: Views & Ramblings

1. How much should you spend on an end of term teachers gift?

   Posted on 12:00pm Friday 30th Jun 2017

   End of term teachers gifts. Do you think of it as an obligatory thank you or a way to express your gratitude to the person that has helped and nutured your child over the past school year? Some parents love to spend time helping their children create a personal handcrafted present while others contemplate how much should you spend on an end of term teachers gift.

   

   So if you think that your childs teacher has enough mugs and boxes of chocolates and want to buy something, what do you buy that isn't going to break the bank.

   *Disclaimer* if you are my daughters teacher, stop reading now (please).

   1. Earrings - Now I know that not every teacher has their ears pierced but with kind words such as "it takes a big heart to shape a little mind", that make me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside, whilst still providing a practical gift, this gets a thumbs up from me. The best part, they are currently reduced from £15 to £10 on the Little Keepsake Company website. 

   

   2. Candles - Everyone loves a candle and it is perfect for regifting if the person is really averse to the scent you choose. I adore candles and so was beyond excited to find the copy of the Jo Malone candles were back in at Aldi. £4 instead of £44 - that is a saving which is too good to miss!

   3. Pencil Case - Who says that pencil cases are just for the children? Teachers need to keep their pens in order too and we fell in love with this personalised one from Hope House Press this week. Top tip - if you sign up to the Hope House Press website, you get offers sent to you like we did this week. We used the "SALE" code at the checkout and got this pencil case, personalised and delivered to us for just over £10.

   

   4. Practical Gifts - Hope House Press introduced me to We Are Scamp and their fabulous tote bag which purely states "I am a teacher, what is your superpower". I love this and at £14 it is reasonably priced, practical and perfect to use as a gift bag if you were so inclined!

   5. Wine - After a year of looking after 30 or so "little darlings" I would say that most teachers are due a well deserved drink. Tesco have some online wine exclusives, saving up to £15 if you buy a case (you can always keep a bottle or two for yourself). If you use your clubcard vouchers, this will save even more! 

   At my daughters school some parents like to get individual gifts, whereas some prefer to add to a collection to get the teachers a larger, or more expensive gift. At the end of the day, there is not a right or wrong way or indeed a value than  can be placed on the perfect present but I have loved my daughters teachers this year and hope that they love the gifts we have bought, as much as I have loved finding them (and saving money too).

   As always I’m linking up with Cass, Emma and Becky  in this week’s ‘Five Fabulously Frugal things I’ve done this week linky.

   What have you done to save this week?

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2. 5 Tips for Relaxing When You’re an Overwhelmed Parent

   Posted on 4:00pm Monday 19th Jun 2017

   Nobody ever said that being a parent would be easy, but we’re sure nobody said it would be so hard at times either! When baby duties and all the other details of life are beginning to stack up around you, it can be difficult to keep a calm and relaxed attitude. However, just because that attitude doesn’t come naturally doesn’t mean you can’t get it! You just need to put the systems in place to make it so. Below, we’ve put together five tips to ensure you can remain a calm parent no matter how hectic things get.

    

   

   Source: Pexels.com

   Advice from the Experts

   Believe it or not, you’re not the first parent to be overwhelmed by the responsibilities in front of them! Every other mum in the world has been through the same thing, and there’s a lot of literature out there that can guide you on how to navigate the difficult periods. Pick up a few good parenting books and use your downtime to read through them. It’s much better than scrolling through Facebook, especially as reading naturally calms us, too.

   Finding Your Moments of Zen

   Besides your duties as a parent, how are you spending your time? What we do reflects how we feel. If we’re moving at a million miles per hour, then using our non-baby time to do things that don’t relax us, then there’s no wonder we’re stressed! Start your morning with a jog or some yoga, or whatever it is you like to do. It’ll put you in the right frame of mind to tackle the day head on.

   Camille from www.thefloatspa.co.uk said: ‘Yoga is not only used for fitness, it can be a very effective relaxation technique that can calm the mind and motivate you for the day ahead.’

   Being Prepared

   We can eliminate a lot of issues from our life if we’re just prepared! For example, if you wake up in the morning and have to take care of clothes, meals,  figuring out a plan for the afternoon, and so on, then, of course, you’ll feel overwhelmed. However, if you took care of all of them the night before, you’ll be free and clear. This preparation extends to little time-saving hacks, too. If you have a GP at hand via your smartphone or web browser, you’ll be able to easily get medical advice when it’s needed, without having to book an appointment for the doctor. Getting your supermarket shopping delivered can also save hours each week. In essence, it’s all about using the most of the technology and time-saving hacks available to you!  

   Don’t Let The Small Things Cripple You

   We’re all confronted by little things each day that threaten to derail our happiness. The next time it happens to you...just let it go (it’s unimportant). Don’t let it work its way under your skin. Ignore, and move on. Life is much easier when we have a relaxed attitude: and it us just an attitude; anyone can have it!

   Calling in the Help

   And finally, don’t be afraid to rope in the help of your friends and family. Just having people around can be enough to calm us down. There’s no reason to battle through alone!

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3. Five Frugal Things I've Done This Week

   Posted on 12:00am Friday 9th Jun 2017

   This week has been a little bit unusual and with everyone focusing on the election, it seems that there has been little time to think about anything else but I have still tried to focus on being savvy. My husband has what we will call a "project car" and said car appears to be more of an expensive project than originally anticipated, so my desire to become more frugal is currently being offset by the car but we shall gloss over that small detail for now and concentrate on the good things!

   Emma from Emmas Savvy Savings always talks about her Marks and Spencer bargains and I have to include them in my five frugal things I've done this week post! Take a look and see what you think?

   

   1. 20% off School Uniform at Marks & Spencers

   As soon as I saw this, I was immediately on the website and ordering sizes for both girls for the new term in September. 20% works out to be a decent amount of money when you are buying 5 pinafores, 5 trousers and countless blouses and tshirts.

   2. Cashback

   Not only did I get 20% off the school uniform, I activated the link through a cashback site, which technically means I got it even cheaper.

   3. Kidstart

   I set up a Kidstart account years ago that saves money for your children, in a similar way to a lot of cash back sites but this one saves for your children. I had completely forgotten about it in recent years (for no apparent reason) and have realised how easy it is to save for the children this way when shopping online. 

   4. Ocado Smart Pass

   Now I am well aware that there are cheaper supermarkets than Ocado but I actually deteste food shopping and when I can order via an app on my phone and have the magic food fairies come and deliver to my door, I can accept that this may not be the most frugal way of doing it. However, I have an Ocado Smart Pass that costs me £1.99 per month but gives me reduced delivery charges and discounted products every time I shop, saving 10% on a lot of the branded products I buy!

   5. Repeat Customer Bonus

   I am a big fan of Ocado (as you might have gathered), they win all sorts of awards in terms of customer service and unlike other supermarkets, have never been substitued with random products that I don't want or need. Ocado recognise this and having placed 4 orders within the last 6 weeks, they have awarded me with a £10 bonus to spend on my next shop!

    

   Have you got any top tips you can share with me on my quest to recover the money for my husbands "project"?

   Finally, as always, I’m linking up with Cass, Emma and Becky in this week’s ‘Five Fabulously Frugal things I’ve done this week linky.

    

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4. 5 things to celebrate about the end of term

   Posted on 11:00am Sunday 4th Jun 2017

   The dread of the looming summer break is a long-standing quip between school run mums. Social media sees parents counting down the days, as children become bored and unoccupied, ‘ready to go back to school’. You know, swinging from the lightshades and dragging their siblings around by the ear.

    

   I just know I’m not alone here. I’m surely not the only parent that can’t wait for the six week break to begin. Once May is out of the way, I find myself counting down the days until the end of term, when I can spend quality time with the kids. After all, blink and these years are gone. Gushing aside, there’s plenty more to celebrate about the upcoming end of term.

   1. No more school runs

   It’s not even as though you’ll get a lie in. We all know that those are a thing of the past. But, just imagine six whole weeks where it’s perfectly possible to stay in your PJs after 8am. No more screaming over unfound socks and shoes. No more school run traffic or compulsory morning walks. 

   2. A break from hellish homework

   Reading stories with infants can be cute. Pythagoras theorem with teens? Not so much. In fact, anything beyond finding fractions is simply out of the equation. How do children know this stuff? Did we know this stuff? Summer is a break for the brain.

   3. Lunch is made at lunchtime

   Is there anything worse than dragging yourself out of bed at 6:30am, only to prepare a packed lunch every single weekday morning. Yes, the better routine is to make it in the evening and pop it in the fridge. Does anyone actually stick to this, though? Summer shows us that sandwiches for lunch can be made at lunchtime. Who knew!? 

   4. No school, no afterschool activities

   We all want the best for our children, but I challenge you to find me any parent whose patience hasn’t been tried by afterschool club schedules. Music tuition, swimming lessons, Brownies, the list goes on. Oh and on, and on. And on. How splendid it will be come summertime, when beans-on-toast-Tuesdays and even whack-it-down-your-throat-Wednesdays are temporarily replaced by relaxed evening meals.

   5. It’s not quite the end…

   And of course, if you really are dreading the six weeks holidays, perhaps the best thing about a looming end of term is that we’re not quite there yet! Relax. There remains a few more weeks of child-free nine-while-threes. 

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