Tight Belts and Half Term..Plus some Budget Friendly Ideas

Yep, another half term has slowly crept upon us. I do love spending the time with my children, love that they get a break from all that homework and that we can enjoy some lay ins and lazy days. I like to get out every day with my 2, even if it's just walking the dog like it was today but I do wish we could do so much more sometimes.

I've been reading through the booklets that have come home from school in the book bags and some blogs online about what to do this half term in your area and it's had a real effect on me. Money is super tight these days; like it is for a lot of us. I don't have enough to save for every half term as well as pay all my bills and get Christmas sorted (no matter how budget friendly I'm being this year!) It's just not there.

It isn't that all of these places are stupidly overpriced (some are though..) but even a reasonable cost soon turns far too much for us when you have to add up everyone else plus travel. So, I've decided to write this post for all those who are struggling with the pennies this half term and can only afford super cheap or free activities to do and places to go. These places are in Cornwall but if you have some free time to do some Google searching, I'm sure you will find something too.

Free Activities for Halloween:

Library time:

Head down to your local library and find some Halloween themed books. Find books on witches and wizards, children's books or slightly older books like famous Harry Potter and have a little read together in your own little circle. Some local libraries hold half term events or activities too.

Pumpkin Carving

With many supermarkets selling a pumpkin for £1, this is a fun and cheap activity for the family. Using a pen to draw a spooky face on your pumpkin then a kitchen knife for the carving and (if you're like me) your bare hands for the 'gutting' you'll have a spooky pumpkin for you all to enjoy. Why not light it up or place false tea lights from Poundland in it, switch off the lights and admire your veggie friend!?

Film Night

You could grab some popcorn from your local pound store or make your own with kernels from Tesco for £1.90 and sit together to watch a film. We've so far watched Minions and Rio this half term but to get into the Halloween spirit Hocus Pocus is on my watch list! You don't even need popcorn, just a duvet and someone to snuggle with.

Visit a Woods

Totally free of charge in most places unless you want to buy food from a woodland cafe or you're joining a specific event/activity there is no need to spend the pennies. Enjoy the leaves under foot, walk your dog, spot some wildlife and have fun!

Have a craft day making autumnal pictures, leaf rubbing, collecting fallen leaves and conkers. Play around with paints to make an autumn themed picture or make a collage out of the leaves you've collected.

Places to Go in Cornwall:

Paradise Park are holding a disco again this year in their Jungle Barn. As it has a separate entrance I'm sure you'd enter there and pay to attend the party at the reception of the play barn. For under 3's the party is free, over 3's are £5 and adults are £3.99 Enjoy a disco, fancy dress, prizes and pumpkin soup!

If you can get to Bodmin on the 29th and 30th October there is Bodmin and Wenford railway which has a half price event on; so adults will be £6.50, Seniors £6.00 and children FREE! I really love trains and have yet to experience this day out but I think if you can afford it, it would be fun! Trains are running from Bodmin General Station at 10.50, 12.10, 13.35, 14.45 and 15.50.

I've found a Godolphin Cross village trail to hunt for pumpkins. You hunt for pumpkins around the village on 29th October starting at the Chapel from 6pm. Pick up a map for £1 and enjoy the fun! There will be refreshments available all evening too!

If you're in Newquay on October 29th there's a family friendly event from 1.30pm! Children of Newquay are invited to join the free Zombie Crawl; a fun Halloween event dressing up all gory and walking the parade full of Halloween spirit!

Children aged 5 to 16 are encouraged to join in the spooky fun, which will start with Titan the Robot at 1.30pm on Newquay's Piazza opposite the Lighthouse Cinema. There will be face painting in Whiskers coffee bar and at 3pm the parade will begin, along Bank Street and East Street. The parade will finish at the Hotel Victoria for more ghastly goings-on; another visit from Titan the Robot at 4.45pm, more dance and live entertainers, plus you can have your photo taken in the creepy, but very cool campervan photo-booth. The Hotel Victoria will also be hosting a children's disco after the final Titan show. This sounds awesome and I'd totally be going if I lived in Newquay! 

Those are a few ideas I've managed to find. For some people (like myself) these ideas may not be manageable for various reasons but I still hope you can do the at-home and out and about activities that we will be doing. 

If you know of any free activities or places with free or cheap admission or want to add an at-home half term idea then please do leave me a comment below!

Cupcake Mumma

The Great British Budget Challenge: Are You in?

Lots of people are jumping on board the budgeting ship for February and as I love to save those pennies I'm tagging along too. In fact, I've just become a panel member with The Great British Budget, a campaign to get Britain budgeting effectively to save money for the future (or those things we'd really like sooner rather than..well never!)

The campaign, from Yourwealth.co.uk, hopes to see as many people as possible grab hold of their finances and give them a good look over. I know one area I could make savings in would be my weekly food shop as I'm just totally lazy, so this will be my focus for February's budget challenge. By signing up you'll get emails with hints and tips to help you save money and budget better in many areas. You'll also be able to view the Money Hub where, among other things, you'll be able to get help with setting up a sensible budget for the month.

You can also join in with the February photo challenge on Twitter which is just a bit of fun (that could win you £50 in love2shop vouchers!) Do join in and follow the lovely folks @yourwealthuk on Twitter too. Dont forget to use #GreatBritishBudget when tweeting!

So, who else is up for some budgeting this February? What would you like to save up for? Let me know what you'd like to achieve whilst doing this challenge!

Cupcake Mumma

30 Ways to Save a £1

Whilst browsing MoneySupermarket, I found a little something that caught my eye. They are looking for a load of bloggers to blog their 30 ways to save £1 to celebrate the 30th year of our great pound coin! I like to be a bit thrifty and a £1000 prize for the lucky winner was a sure incentive to find my ways of saving a pound (or more!)

1) Ditch the weekly mag.
I had a magazine I read every single week which cost me 99p. Since I ditched the mag, I get to save that 99p and I'm also happier not reading the same old rubbish about women and their bodies all the time!

2) Buy a weekly bus pass instead of paying everyday.
My Husband recently figured out that it costs him more (£18) to get to and from work every day when paying for a return fare, so instead he purchased an all week ticket for £16 saving himself £2. Every little counts!

3) Save with PARK for Christmas.
Since I started putting money back every month Christmas has been so much easier to manage. It is the one time of year which can be quite stressful money wise and I used to be terrible with over buying therefore overspending. Now I have a set amount of vouchers and once they're gone, they're gone.

4) Meal Plan- and stick to it!

5) Don't give into the children!
Easier said than done I know, but buying a chocolate bar, a magazine or toy to keep them from screaming Tescos down isn't going to do your wallet any favours (and doesn't last that long anyway!)

6) Take advantage of reward cards.
Boots are the best for me but there are also Tesco Clubcards, Superdrug reward cards, Iceland Bonus Card and many more.

7) Instead of booking a holiday away, staycate!
Next year we're booking a holiday local to us instead of going further away.

8) Stick to your shopping lists!

9) Buy value products where possible.
There isn't a great difference to most of the foods taste wise but a big difference price wise!

10) Shop around!
I use my local superstore for 'free from' food, Lidl and Superdrug for bulk buying the children's nappies and my local green grocer for my fruit and veg. Most of the time it works out much more in my favour than sticking to one shop.

11) Repair where possible.
Get into a habit of saving the items you have by repairing them instead of throwing things out at the first sign of wear and tear.

12) Get outdoors instead of using the gym.
Unless you really get your moneys worth from the gym, there's no point in paying out every month. Instead walk, run, cycle, jog and take in that fresh air!

13) Buy your books from boot sales, charity shops or even borrow them from your local library. You can even download free books from your Kindle if you own one.

14) Use white vinegar to clean your house instead of expensive chemical brands

15) Use newspaper to clean your mirrors instead of polishing them!

16)Look after what you already have!
The more you don't care for something, the quicker they will wear out and eventually become broken. So take care of what you already own and you will save pennies in the long run.

17) Save baths for those real 'treat yourself' moments.

18) Don't bin your leftovers!!
There are plenty of recipes out there to help you use your leftovers! Sometimes I just have what's left for lunch the next day.

19) Make gifts and cards.
A lot of the time there are items in our home we could make nice and give away as gifts. A cheaper and  very thoughtful way of showing someone you care

20) Grow you own!

21) Pack a lunch instead of buying in town or at work.

22) Bake!
I always have the ingredients in my cupboard to make cakes and cupcakes which are bigger and better than store bought packs. Biscuits are cheap and simple to make too, especially in bulk!

23) Swishing!
Taking your old, clean belongings to a Swishing party means you can socialise and get some new clothes in exchange for your old ones.

24) Use your own bags!

25) Look out for money off local attractions in your local newspaper.

26) Ditch take aways.

27) Quit the cigarettes!
My husband switched from cigarettes to roll ups and now he's cutting down I'm pretty sure we'll see the difference money wise very soon!

28)Use your library and possibly local school for free toddler groups.
The school my daughter goes to runs a free toddler group every week with the library offering the same the next day. Most council run places and nurseries will charge up to £2.50 for a session so if you can find a free one, make use of it!

29) Buy second hand, so much cheaper and nothing wrong with it.

30) Carry around snacks and water with you (especially if you're with children) to avoid the sudden spending of money.

CupcakeMumma

*Gone Up a Mountain, Be Back Shortly*

That's the note I'll be leaving my Husband with tomorrow (I jest) but in all seriousness, tomorrow I am departing the Pasty Land (Cornwall for those not in the know) and making my way to Wales to climb a rather high mountain in a pink tutu and some saucy looking red underpants kindly being donated to us by Who Made Your Pants? I am definitely looking forward to this adventure...

I am going to miss my children terribly though! We've decided that it's best for me to take Midge to school tomorrow instead of her getting totally distraught at Mummy leaving for 3 days on a train. She knows I'm climbing a mountain, she has said she will miss me but she will remember why am I doing it. Oh yes, she is proudly telling everyone that:

'Mummy is climbing a mountain for poor people so they can have more money,' Sort of right, I suppose. She really does melt my heart! My Limpet (Little A) has no idea I'm going and will be joyfully waving goodbye to me having no clue that he's being with left with the 'Hairy One' we call Daddy for quite a long time.

Tonight we had pancakes for dinner, talked about all sorts of rubbish that children natter on about, read a really long bedtime story and had extra long cuddles before bedtime. I'm all packed and ready to go for my 10am train tomorrow morning. There is so much to look forward to on this journey but a hell of a lot to be nervous about. Not only is this a wonderful challenge Team Honk are undertaking to celebrate 25 years of Comic Relief and raising some serious funds, but this is also a personal challenge that I will blog about at a later date.

I'm so very, very nearly at my £250 target. Team Honk have been raising a truly wonderful amount of money thanks to the generosity of everyone and the Teams hard work. I can't wait to get up this mountain! If you can, please sponsor me here, no matter how much or how little, it really does help to change a life in the UK or Africa.

CupcakeMumma