To be or not to be a two car family !

 We are trying at the moment  to keep our household costs down so recently when my husband changed jobs and handed back the company car we thought we would see if we could manage to be a one car family.

 It sounded so easy and definitely the sensible thing to do but in reality its been a nightmare. Public transport is just not regular or reliable enough to get us where we need to be on time.

I'm finding myself behind on everything as my day seems to revolve completely round picking up and dropping off various members of the family and i seem to be constantly looking at the clock and running late for something. We tried using our bikes more but this too was a bit of a disaster as hubby had a flat tyre twice in one week and little E is too big for a bike seat and too small to cycle safely beside me.

I think though for me the hardest thing has been the actual sharing ........... I know this is a terrible revaluation coming from a mother as its something we are always trying to teach our children. However  its been my car alone for 10 years i have just been able to jump in and go without having to rearrange everything back to my preferences before setting off. Its stressful enough sometimes as every parent knows getting an unwilling child into a car seat without then having to then mess around with your own seat when already running late!

After many a family discussion we have decided that we really do need a second car after all one that fits my mums wheelchair and a couple of child seats. To keep costs down we are checking car insurance, road tax and running costs first before making our choice on a car. I'm a fan of Tesco they seem to be competitively priced and with the added bonus of collecting club card points.  I love collecting the points and using them against family days out in the summer holidays. Last year we exchanged our points for a lovely day out in Lego land that would of cost around £50 if we had of brought tickets.

  I think when our circumstances are different we will give being a one car family another try but for now i think a two car family we will have to be.

Its always  lovely to hear your thoughts and comments maybe you have had the same experience as us or maybe greater success car sharing.

Thought of the day...................... Be nice and share!!


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Making a house a home

I am sorry for my lack of blogging since moving house normal service will resume soon i promise. Life has been hectic we seem to of gone from one crisis to another but finally things have settled down thankfully.

My husband is now better and we have started to make progress on the house which is fantastic. The bedroom and bathroom are nearly complete and I'm looking forward to sharing some savvy tips with you. I'm really pleased with both rooms its surprising what can be achieved on a tight budget i can't wait to show you once i have added the all inportant finishing touches.

The kitchen was supposed to be the first room on our list but we have had delays with planning permission to convert our garage to provide a utility and downstairs loo as the current kitchen is compact to say the least. I am playing round at the moment with different layouts for the two rooms to get the best use of space.

I have a little journal that is going with me everywhere at the moment with every imaginable house measurement in it. This little journal has saved me a small fortune already as i can grab bargains when i see them. A great example of this is the gorgeous Laura Ashley blind i found when i went to get some wallpaper samples, it was an ex display one that would of been £349 i picked it up for £40 just by having all my window measurements to hand.  The little book also contains fabric samples etc which is really handy if you see something by chance and want to match up.

I think it would be a really nice idea to have a blog hop for everyone making over their homes i would love to hear if this is something you would like to join in with.

I guess i best get back to the decorating now, looking forward to catching up shortly with the progress. Its always lovely to hear from you please feel free to leave a comment xx

Childrens Saturday cinema for just £1

Maybe its just me but in the winter i find its a struggle to find new things to do with the children without breaking the bank. Cabin fever starts setting in from being stuck in the house and a trip to the park in the pouring rain unless your Peppa Pig and love jumping in muddy puddles can be fairly unappealing.

Recently i found out about Saturday morning cinema which does not seem to be very well advertised and generally seems to be something you find out about through word of mouth.

Most cinemas run a children's Saturday showing and it is usually only  £1 per person that's the same price for children and adults so a family of 4 can have a morning out for only £4.

We have been a couple of times and i found it a really good way to introduce a toddler to the cinema.  Everyone who is there has children so there's no frowning going on when your little one decides that he will do a lightening McQueen impression and run the length of the screen with sound effects or when the little girl on the back row announces she needs a weeeeeeeeeee to the whole cinema.

The first time we went we arrived at the advertised start time but the 20 Min's of adverts were far too long for a toddlers short attention span and meant we only watched about half of the actual film. The next time we tried it we arrived 20 Min's later and this was much better and we managed to stay for the whole film.

Most cinemas offer a choice of two film options and they are generally recent releases we found we watched cars 2 for cheaper at the cinema than it was to rent it from blockbuster.

The cinema we visit is Cine world and they also do a really good child starter pack to get the full cinema experience for £3 you get a lunch box with standard popcorn a drink some milky way stars and a twirly straw thingy. This again is really good value cheaper ironically than a standard popcorn. If you are trying to save the pennies you could always make your own at home first and take it with you.

I have done a quick check and both Vue and Cine world offer Saturday morning cinema and I'm pretty sure many others do as well. Next time you have  cabin fever on a rainy weekend i really recommend giving the childrens cinema a try.

Its always lovely to hear comments and share ideas and suggestions with others so please feel free to leave a comment below on your cinema experiences xx

Thought of the day ................... Family fun for under a fiver.

Feed the family on a budget must go menu !

This week I'm being very creative in the kitchen and in the true spirit of savvy shopping I'm taking it to the extreme and finding out is it possible to eat for a whole week without going shopping. That's right save a whole weeks food bill and still eat. Before you panic i have not gone mad I'm not on some extreme water only diet but i can make a good must go.

 What is a must go.... its a meal made with the items in the fridge, freezer and cupboards left behind from the previous weeks shops the things that if you do the next shop would ultimately not get used and wasted. Things like the random tin of chickpeas you cant remember why you bought or that last pepper from the packet that was surplus to the meal you made. Then of course theres always your usual suspects of cupboard basics flour sauce etc etc.

This is what i found this week on the day i would of usually done a supermarket shop therefore these are my must gos

Fridge                                                                           Freezer                                     
half a bunch of spring onions                                       2 packs of turkey steaks                
1 slightly squashed red pepper                                     1 packet vegi mince                      
1 yellow pepper                                                            fish mix                                       
2 red onions                                                                  2 lemon sole fillets                        
half a packet of parsley                                                a few fish fingers                         
10 ish cherry tomatoes                                                 peas                                                                      
Mushrooms                                                                  Apple pie
half a cabbage                                                              1 loaf of bread
a bit of broccoli
2 lonely eggs                                                                The usual suspects of pasta rice
butter                                                                            stock cubes flour jam cereal etc
Cheese                                                                          in the cupboard
10 ish new potatoes
10 ish  potatoes
1/2 bottle of wine
1 bottle of beer
5 yoghurt's

Day one
Our first must go of the week was a new and i think improved take on an old classic.....

1, Must go potato..........

We had  roasted  yellow pepper, red onion and cherry tomatoes  mixed  with the tuna and mayo as a  delicious jacket potato filling. My other half liked it so much he wants them again. Really easy recipe and only one roasting tray so little washing up. Even if these were not being made as a must go they would be a really inexpensive nutritious meal for a family on a tight budget.

Easy to make while the jackets are in the oven roast the pepper red onion and cherry tomatoes in a little olive oil. Once cooked mix in the tuna and a couple of table spoons of mayonnaise and fill the potato.

 Day two .........
 Must go risotto

 

If you have not tried it already pudding rice makes a lovely risotto rice and is lots cheaper to buy than risotto rice.

In a wok with a little olive oil add you vegetables i used the spring onions, red pepper, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes and lightly browned them.

Next i added the pudding rice i had and gently heated with the veg for a couple of Min's.

Then added a glass of white wine from the half bottle i had left in the fridge (not sure how i came to have left over wine !!) let this sizzle until the liquid is gone.

Fill a large measuring jug with boiling water and dissolve a  stock cube then gradually over a 20 Min's add this to the rice.

When the last ladle of stock went in i added the parsley i found in fridge and a few chopped herbs from my garden a pinch of pepper and a handful of grated cheese.

Lovely risotto was enjoyed by all and again even if it was not a must go a really inexpensive family meal.

Day 3

must go vegi spaghetti

I'm not a vegetarian but i prefer quorn

I prefer vegi mince to real mince it tastes great and is lower fat.

Fry in a little oil an onion and mushrooms and vegi mince until browned then add a can of tomatoes a couple of table spoons of tomato puree and a cup full of vegetable stock. Leave this to gently simmer while in another pan (smiley face optional) cook the spaghetti  or what ever pasta you have in the cupboard.
Towards the end of cooking add a pinch of pepper and chopped herbs from the garden.

Serve with an optional sprinkle of grated cheese.

That's half the week gone I'm sure as the week continues the meals may get a bit more random but its going to be fun finding out after all i still have that random tin of chickpeas to deal with.

Find out in part two of this post what happens to them.............

It would be great to hear if you have made any must gos of your own or are going to give it a try feel free to link up and share your ideas and money saving recipes any any ideas on those dreaded chick peas very welcome.

I would Love you to follow me if you like my ramblings and its a great way for me to find you and come over and say hi on your blog xxx

Thought of the day.........................  must go!