Christmas savers and secrets

Ok So Christmas is upon us and the holiday season brings with it lots of rushing around and expensive buying. Firstly DO NOT leave your shopping till the last minute. The must have gifts will be out of stock and you will only get frustrated and annoyed running around or going from site to site trying to get what you need. You can do Christmas for hardly anything but I do not expect people to throw out years of living in a 'spend culture' to do simple things like make your own decorations from pine cones or make small christmas boxes out of last years cards and put in a few home made sweets to give as gifts. These things sound lovely but don't compare for most with the flashy plastic tat that we all buy at Christmas and regret in the new year. So here are a few other, less radical ideas. Wrap babies gifts in tissue or crepe paper so they can tear it open easily and give you a great photo op. Make use of your slow cooker and put in a stew for Christmas eve. Then you can have the day relaxing, finishing off last minute wrapping, visiting relatives or just dancing to Christmas songs, at the ens of the day you have a lovely stew to dish up with some crusty bread and maybe a glass of red wine for mummy! :) You can use it again (the slow cooker not the stew) on Boxing day with some left over turkey, stuffing and the veg in a chicken stock. Yum. We make the kids a special champagne for christmas day with lemonade and apple juice. They love it and can join in the celebrations. Spray a piece of old trelis with paint and glitter (or what ever you like) and use it to hold Christmas cards. You can attach it to the wall and you do not need to worry about where all the cards will go. Sort out old toys before the big day and donate or put to one side to sell. This leaves room for the new ones and if you sell any before Christmas it can also help to pay for them. REMEMBER to save all the boxes if you can as this makes it easier to sell them later on and you will get more for them. Make a list of all the gifts you wish to buy before you go shopping. If you wait for inspiration to strike, you could be wandering aimlessly around the shops for hours. Cross people off the list as you buy to avoid duplication Buy a few little extras, such as chocolates, just in case you forget somebody or you have unexpected guests bearing gifts. . Buy your gifts over the Internet. Some companies will also gift-wrap and post your presents for a small additional fee. BUT order early to avoid long postage delays. If you are cooking lunch at home, delegate tasks. You don't need to do everything yourself. Make a list of food and ingredients needed. Buy as many non-perishable food items as you can in advance – supermarkets on Christmas Eve are generally extremely busy. Write a Christmas Day timetable. For example, 11.30am – put turkey in the oven. You may need to order particular food items (such as turkeys) from your supermarket by a certain date. Check to avoid disappointment. Consider doing your food shopping online. The store will deliver your groceries to your door. To cut down on cooking on the day, cook and freeze mincepies, gravy, stuffing, bread sauce, parsnips (boiled and then frozen, they cook much quicker in the oven on the day), yorkshire puddings and dessert. All this can be done the week before and will only need a few minutes cooking or a few hours defrosting to be ready to serve. You can take all the stress out of cooking by going out for dinner on the day. Some places do not cost much more at Christmas than on a normal day and you can take along crackers and hats etc to make it special. But book well in advance if you plan to have Christmas lunch at a restaurant. Some restaurants may be fully booked for months before Christmas, so don't wait till the last minute. Don't expect miracles. Christmas is just another day. It will most likely NOT be perfect and things WILL go wrong but it is just gifts and a roast dinner so DON'T PANIC! Remember if you and certain family members bicker all year long, you can be sure there'll be tension at Christmas gatherings so avoid known triggers. For example, if politics is a touchy subject in your family, don't talk about it. If someone brings up the topic, use distraction and quickly move on to something else to talk about. Use relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing or focusing on your breath to cope with anxiety or tension. Family members involved in after-lunch activities are less likely to get into arguments. Plan for something to do as a group after lunch if necessary. After Christmas comes Boxing day. This is the day I hate/love to shop. I look for a bargain and get my wrapping, crackers, cards and even some presents ready for next year. When it is time to take down the cards cut them up as gift tags and recycle what is left. I have never brought a gift tag for a Christmas present. Don't forget to check out my other posts for hangover cures and help to prevent a hangover at all. Most of all enjoy the day and a MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL.

Secrets to help you save money while you are Pregnant

Having a baby can be expensive. Wonderful but expensive. Save some money while you still have time and are not running around attending to every whim of your new prodigy. A variety of baby brands offer free trial products and coupons for new parents, so get Googling and see what’s out there that you can sign up for. Just a few of the free products available include bottles and baby food. Buy nursing bras instead of regular bras when you are pregnant (buy at least a size larger). Most women have to go up a size when they are pregnant, I saved money and bought nursing bras and made sure they fit me well with a little room to grow. The nursing bras worked great and I had only had to invest in 2 or 3 bras when I was pregnant. I then did not need to buy new bras once the baby was born. Also breast feeding will save you quite a lot of money and if you can then do. It is free and the best choice for baby. Borrow Maternity clothes if you can or buy empire-waist shirts that can be worn after pregnancy instead of maternity tops and if you are heavily pregnant in winter or know you will be, then buy a coat that buttons up and buy it a few sizes larger. You can use it until your bump gets too big then just cut off the buttons and resew them closer to the edge of the coat. This will make the coat another size bigger still. When you have the baby remove the buttons again and then sew them on a little further in than they were originally this will make the coat fit you again and it will look rather slimming. If you are planning to use disposable nappies then have an American Diaper shower. It is better than a baby shower where you will get a few pairs of socks wrapped up to look like roses or a baby bath that you use once and then stick in the attic. Diaper showers ask every one to bring boxes of nappies with them. Do NOT ask every one to bring newborn as you may find these do not fit or are too small after a week. But ones designed for a few months old would work well and will still fit if baby is born larger than expected or grows quickly. Nappies cost a fortune and a good stock of them is very worth having. Buy scented doggy do bags. They are cheaper than a nappy wrapper and if you have a small bin with a well fitted lid then this works just as well. If you buy baby items try to buy second hand as most things like activity centres and bumbo seats are hardly used and get sold on very quickly. What ever you do buy sterilise it as a matter of course and keep the boxes as it is easier to sell the items on afterwards if they are boxed. This is also a good thing to do with children's toys. Make lovely meals and freeze them. As you get bigger you will have many nights when you do not feel like cooking. Do not get a take away just get out a frozen meal and heat. You can save quite a lot of money by avoiding the urge for a take away. But still treat yourself. You are doing an amazing thing and your mind and body needs a bit of a boost now and then.