Category: Views & Ramblings

1. Should you buy an Electric JukeBox : The Honest Review

   Posted on 8:50am Tuesday 14th Feb 2017

   I am not usually known for my music prowess and some of my favourite artists over the years have been somewhat questionable but before Christmas we were sent an Electric Jukebox to review and I thought that it was something that would make me "cool" with the kids. 

   

   So if you are not familiar with the Electric Jukebox, I can tell you that it is Britain's first and only music streaming service and device, backed by Robbie Williams, Alesha Dixon, Stephen Fry and Sheryl Crow (Robbie Williams *may* have been one of those questionable artists I mentioned earlier but every girl loved Robbie didn't she??). The sales spiel tells me that I can turn my TV into the ultimate music machine, it comes with 29 million songs AND takes just 2 minute set-up. So what did I think?

   I have to admit that I struggled with the review, hence the reason why I am posting this in February rather than prior to Christmas, mainly due to the price tag for the Electric Jukebox being £169 upfront, with an annual fee of £52 which seems a lot for something that you can essentially already do through your phone.

   One of the big marketing messages with the Electric Jukebox is that it only takes 2 minutes to set up and surprisingly, it really does only take a couple of minutes. All you need to do is plug in, find the Wi-Fi and you are all ready to go, although I think the power cable could be a bit longer because not everyone has a free socket next to the TV.

   

   It has lots of neat little features like the easy navigation and voice control, although I think the whole thing would be dramatically improved if the voice control doubled up as a kareoke microphone. Because everyone loves kareoke. Don't they?

   I feel like this review has a definite negative tilt so as I am always looking for the positive in everything, I dug deep and found the things that we did like about the Electric Jukebox.

   • Optional explicit lyric filter to protect your children from inappropriate songs
   • In comparison a Spotify or Apple music yearly subscription is £120 a year - Electric Jukebox is less than half this price - £52 per year for unlimited music streaming. That's £1 a week to be able to listen to all the music in the world! That's a good deal, if you compare to the cost of a CD of downloading MP3's.
   • The upfront cost of £169, includes the annual music pass. The remainder of the cost is for the hardware. With Electric Jukebox, you are getting everything you need to play music.
   • You do not get any adverts on Electric Jukebox. For anyone that regularly watches Youtube, you will appreciate that this is a definite plus point. 

   

   Overall, while it is expensive and not too everyones budget, it is a solid product that is simple to use and hopefully in time, with some hardware updates you may get a kareoke version. Although I suspect that my neighbours maybe living in hope that this is not any time soon.

   Disclaimer : It didn't actually make me any "cooler" with my kids either!

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2. How to be a savvy saving mum

   Posted on 9:41am Monday 13th Feb 2017

   I often read the weekly 5 Fabulously Frugal Things I've Done This Week post from Emma at Mums Savvy Savings and whilst frugal is not usually something that my husband would describe me as, savvy is something that I do consider myself to be.

   I had my eldest daughters friend to stay over last weekend and we had a girlie day out shopping. She was amused to see me picking up different items from discounted Christmas Cards to random gifts and she asked me if I just buy things on a whim. To be honest, whilst I do have a bit of a shopping habit, I buy things on offer that I know we will need and whilst this might not be today or next week, I know that I will need to buy them so I may aswell buy them when they are on offer. 

   

   So in the spirit of Emma's Frugal Linky, I thought I would share my tips on how to be a savvy saving mum with my 5 Fabulously Frugal Things I've Done This Week.

   1. Despite fear of mentioning Christmas in February, I have to admit to buying Christmas cards. Boxes of Christmas Cards that have a RRP of £5 - I paid just £1.25. I do this every year as Christmas cards don't ever really go out of fashion, so they don't need to be "on trend", you just need to remember where you put them when you start looking to write them.
   2. Buying toothpaste in the Pound Shop. I genuinely do not know how high street or supermarkets can justify charging £2.50 for a tube of toothpaste when the pound shop charges just £1 and with the amount of toothpaste we use, this is a good saving over the year. 
   3. My friend and I have started book swapping to save buying so many books. I have to admit that I do enjoy reading on my tablet as it is easier to do this late at night when my husband wants to sleep but there is nothing like the feel of a good book and swapping paperback books means I am not buying them as often.
   4. Stocking up the present cupboard. Both of my girls are lucky enough to have a large circle of friends but this can get expensive when they have so many parties to go to. The sales are a great way of stocking up on present cupboard essentials, I always try and get "named" or "on trend" gifts while they are on offer meaning that the birthday child gets a great present, without the big price tag.
   5. Emma inpsired me a week or so ago to try and reduce the amount of toiletries we buy. I am terrible for buying shampoos, shower gels, creams, sprays nail varnish and frankly anything that takes my fancy so I am making a concerted effort not to buy new ones until the old ones are finished. Do you know what? My bathroom feels a lot less cluttered too!

   

   So while I may not necessarily be frugal, I am getting more and more savvy in terms of what we are spending .... although I just need to teach my girls to think the same way!

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3. When should you take down your Christmas Decorations (and the reasons why)

   Posted on 8:26pm Monday 2nd Jan 2017

   I have seen so many Facebook posts over the past few days of people who have taken their trees down and their house is "back to normal". I still have too many Christmas treats and chocolates in my house to accept that Christmas is actually over and after taking a number of hours to painstakingly decorate it, I want to enjoy it for as long as I can.

   BUT and it is a big but, my Mum always had superstitions about leaving at least one decoration up until the 12th day after Christmas. Since Victorian times, tradition states that you should do it on Twelfth Night. (obviously not suggesting my Mum was around in Victorian times - hoping now that she isn't reading my blog this week). In real terms though, that’s January 5, with January 6, aka the Feast of the Epiphany, is the very last day on which you can take them down.

   

   If you have a real tree, I am guessing that it may have gone to a tree recyling plant by this stage or you have a very glamorous looking twig in your lounge but the Twelfth Night represents the true end of the festive period. In those Victorian times and even before, families used to celebrate this date by eating even more cake, dancing and playing games. (sounds like my 2016 Christmas to be honest!!)

   So if, like me, you are clinging onto the last bits of Christmas for a couple more days, light another cinnamon scented candle, drink a little more mulled wine, dance to cheesy music and eat a mince pie. The Victorians would have.

    

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4. 10 Ways to Stay Debt Free this Christmas

   Posted on 6:48pm Tuesday 6th Dec 2016

   

   Christmas is a great time of the year spent with friends and family, enjoying the festivities, and having fun.  But it can also be a costly one, especially if you have children.  While there’s nothing wrong with using a credit card if you need to, there are ways to help you have a debt free Christmas and avoid paying for it well into next year.

   Budgeting

   We have said it before and while it isn't the most exciting solution, the key to a debt free Christmas is to budget for everything – and stick to it.  Parents in particular have the urge to go a bit nuts on their kids at Christmas and there’s nothing wrong with that but try to do it in a structured way.  Look at what you can afford to spend, divide it up across the various areas such as presents, food and social events and work out what you can spend on who.

   Save reward points

   Many of the big supermarkets have reward points systems and you can save these up for Christmas to help with the cost of the food.  Alternatively, some do swap systems, such as Tesco, where you can exchange £5 for £10 to spend in certain areas such as kids clothing.

   Take control & know when to stop

   Debt is a very personal issue and it can become increasingly difficult to talk about to those around you but it is better to take control than to stick your head in the sand. No one wants to be paying for Christmas presents long after the decorations have come down so for some people an IVA may enable them to get back in control of their money. It is imperative to get good advice from a company like Creditfix who have discrete and professional staff that work with individuals to find the best way to manage your debt problems.

   Grab a bargain

   Shopping early might seem like cheating but it is great way to get the bargains.  Events such as Black Friday may seem hyper-commercial but there can be some good deals to get.

   Shop around

   If you missed the bargains, all isn’t lost as you can still save money by shopping around, especially for the expensive items.  Use comparison sites to look at the price across different stores and don’t forget online ones. Whenever I find something I like online, I then open a new tab and the website + voucher codes in the search bar and it is amazing what comes up, from free delivery codes to first order discounts.

   Check voucher sites

   Following on from searching for codes, voucher sites are big business and are available for more than just food.  Check them out, sign up for emails and watch out for those discounts that are time sensitive or limited in number – you can save a serious amount of money with them.

   Use credit card rewards

   Likewise, some credit cards reward you for using them through the year so why not save up these rewards to use at Christmas and reduce the cost of the festive season.

   

   Make handmade presents

   Kids love to make things and family members love to receive things the kids have made.  So why not use the excuse of cold, rainy days to make some handmade presents and save a bit of cash?  Small kits like friendship bracelets are also great for their school friends.

   Send photos as presents

   Family or fun photos of the kids are a great present, especially for family who live away from you and don't get to see your children growing up day by day.  Picture frames are inexpensive and can be decorated by the kids to add to the personalisation.

   

   So while Christmas may be the season of giving, it is also a time to remember that being festive doesn't have to be expensive too.

   Do you have any money saving tips to add to this list?

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