Tweet

It is a new month and we have a new competition with our friends at JellyEgg. It is also no secret that we love shoes and whilst our usual choice of footwear is more about heels than hybrid, we are delighted to share this new range of creative footwear from Keen.

Keen

 is a fantastic footwear company and they are all about living a HybridLife, the mantra that they follow in their business.  Keen has a commitment to creating solutions in their product practices and design footwear that enables everyone to ‘play anywhere without a ceiling’. (We LOVE this philosophy)

 

We love that all of the footwear by Keen is designed with play in mind and each pair can be worn walking up mountains, around deserts or even city streets.  There are many choices of footwear available from Keen as they cater to men, women, children and babies which means that your entire family can be kitted out in suitable, fun and stylish footwear. 

The fabulous folk over at JellyEgg are giving you the opportunity to win a pair of Keen shoes from their extensive range. So it could be anything from a pair of toddler shoes at £29.99 or an adults pair at £114.99. If you win, the choice is yours!

They would make a perfect Christmas present, wouldn't they?

What are you waiting for? All you need to do is enter below :

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Tweet

We know it is not quite the 5th of November but this weekend will see lots of bonfires and firework displays and whilst it is an exciting time for children, it is always useful to have a reminder about safety too.

So we are pleased to share this infographic from the Army Cadets which is a good reminder (and looks great too).

Tweet

We weren't allowed to go Trick or Treating as children, my parents just wouldn't allow it but Halloween has become a big celebration in our house. We have had a party every year since my eldest was 3 and the adults dress up as much as the children and trick or treating is a big part of the event for the children.

 

I always go round and "warn" the neighbours beforehand (and usually take extra sweets round too) and mostly they are all good sports. I do understand that for some people, especially those living on their own, that Halloween can be genuinely scary but we have no tricks ..... just little people hoping for treats!

 

And they definitely got treats .....

Our Halloween activities included games, food, laughing (and some wrestling ... don't ask) but no neighbours were intimidated, everyone was in good spirits (not the ghostly kind) and whether you love or loathe Halloween, it really is just a bit of fun.

So finally before the children went home, we had a pumpkin competition ..... which one do you think won?

Tweet

As of today folks there are exactly 8 weeks till Christmas.

I know I am mentioning the C word again but 8 weeks folks! 8 weeks!

So what can you do in 8 weeks to create a few extra pennies to spend over the festivities?

1. Don't get coffee or sandwiches from anywhere other than your own cupboards and fridge. It is amazing that so many people spend over £10 a week on lunch and coffee. If you saved this money over the next 8 weeks, that is £80 you will have saved in time for Christmas!
2. Reduce the Christmas list. Agree with certain friends that you won't exchange gifts this year, or set a price limit for family presents, particularly those for adults. Alternatively, have a "children only" rule, or set up a Secret Santa, which is kind of exciting as well as helping you to save money.
3. Create a Christmas cupboard, then pounce on the biggest discounts. Don't waste time and money, Decide on who you need to buy for and what you want, make a list, get a Christmas cupboard ready to put stuff in, then search for the cheapest price. 
4. Make the most of your vouchers! Whether it be Tesco Clubcard, Boots Advantage or Nectar Card Points, work out the best deal, don't just use them at the till, it maybe better to convert them into vouchers to get the best value.
5. Sell your Stuff! I know that this sounds obvious but it is amazing how many people have clothes that they have grown out of or gifts that have been put in a cupboard and forgotten about. I recently blogged about doing a car boot sale to get rid of our old dvd's and "things" cluttering up the house but I wouldn't necessarily recommend that now the weather has changed but there are still sites like Ebay that allows you to sell from the comfort and warmth of your own home.
6. Meal plan. We are all guilty of buying food on impulse. Don't. Set out your shopping into meals.
7. And if you can't do that, walk down the reduced / whoops aisle. It is amazing what you can pick up to cook the same day. If you have the time to pop into the supermarket every day, you could easily save another £10 a week or more, which is another £80 towards Christmas.
8. Be social media savvy! Get on Twitter and follow money saving experts such @myfamilyclub @familybudgeting @pennygolightly and @moneymagpie for sales hints and money-saving tips.

Do you have any other money saving tips?