Blog of The Urban Fairy

So you have just found out your are pregnant, or maybe you have a baby already and you are panicking about money. Here are some tips to save a bit of money throughout your pregnancy and your baby's growth.
1: You want to give your baby the best. You want to give your baby everything in the world it wants and could ever possibly need. That is natural, we all feel like that, but what do you actually need right now? Ask your midwife or look on the internet for a basic essentials list, there are many around. Once you have this list, go through it a few times and write your own. Some peoples idea of essentials, are not actually essential. So once you have your own basic essentials list of items you need right now, you know what you have to work towards. You will find your list very helpful too when you get to point 6.

2: Don’t be fooled in thinking that because something has a snazzy brand name, it has to be the best. Supermarket own brand baby wipes are just as good as brand name ones. The same with nappies, baby cream, breast pads etc. Yes brand name products are portrayed as being ‘The number 1 product’ however this is simply because they receive more commercial advertising time, which at the end of the day, they pay for!

3: Remember, you are going to grow! You are going to grow at a fast rate. First your breasts will grow, then your bump, then both together. So rather than buying a new maternity wardrobe every week, always buy one size bigger than you need. This will then last you right through until birth and even for a few days after birth. Stick to comfortable and lightweight material as most women get hotter, quicker, when pregnant.

4: Buy good supportive maternity underwear. This maybe more expensive than regular underwear and not as sexy, however, you will soon reap the benefit when your bump and breast are sore and achey! Also a small investment now means buying less underwear in the long run as you will not have to continue buying undies a size bigger each week!

5: Remember, your baby is going to grow! Just like you, once your baby is born, your baby will grow very quickly. Don’t go and buy a massive amount of ‘newborn’ size baby clothes, your baby will not be in these very long! Some babies, like both of my children for instance, went straight into 0-3 month size clothes, newborn size just didn’t fit. So be warned

6: Shop around for products and items. Most larger baby shops offer ‘baby registeries’ or ‘baby wish lists’, these are a good idea so that you do not forget everything (remember your basic essentials list you made right at point 1? Use this!), HOWEVER it does mean you, your family and friends have to buy all the items from the same shop, which can work out very expensive. So, just as you would with your food shopping, shop around! Look for offers, deals, items on sale etc. You can save yourselves literally hundreds of pounds if you shop around.

7: Another very important point to remember is, there is nothing wrong with secondhand! Ask your family, friends, neighbours and work colleagues if they have any baby items they don’t need any more. You may feel that you do not want your baby to have items that have been used by another. If this is how you feel, stop and think. 3-4 generations ago, every parent with more than one child would give the youngest ‘hand me downs’, it never did them any harm. As long as it is clean (and let’s face it, you can always wash it again!) then what is the problem? Let’s be sensible here, your baby is not going to need all this stuff for very long, so if you can get a pram from a friend for free, rather than paying £300 for it, doesn’t that just make good sense? Plus it then leaves that £300 free for something else. You can also ask your local Freecycle (www.freecycle.org) group for items too.

8: If you can afford it, buy yourself a blender. You may think "What is she talking about? She is meant to be saving me money, not making me spend it!" Ah, but this is a well worth investment and you can buy them for as little as £9 these days. A blender will serve you well throughout your pregnancy and for the first 6 months after your baby is born. When you are going through your morning sickness phase, you may not want to eat, this is where the blender comes in handy. You can whip yourself up a quick smoothie and just sip it. Use fresh fruit, honey to sweeten if desired and this will give you a nutritious and tasty drink that will help keep you going when you are feeling wobbly. When your baby is born, rather than buying pre-made jarred baby food, you will be able to use your blender to puree your own.

9: Buy a large cube size ice cube tray. A neat money saving and very healthy baby food trick. When using your blender to make and puree down your food for your baby, you will be doing it in large batches, fill up the ice cube tray with the food and freeze it. Then you will always have good home made baby food on hand.

10: Don’t panic. You may not have much money, but you are going to be a fantastic parent. Remember, money does not buy hugs, kisses, baby bathtimes, your baby’s first smile or that first time you hear the words ‘mamma’. You may not have much money, but you are rich in love!

A common misconception is that if you buy ‘Johnny’ the latest games console, plus a new games console game every week, plus giving him £20 pocket money a week, an endless supply of sweets, the latest trendy designer clothes and let him do just as he pleases, that ‘Johnny’ will love you forever.

For those of us who are living on a budget who cannot even afford extravagant presents and gifts, listen up. Money does not equal good parents!

What money cannot give your child is love, care, special time, learning the value of money and having a good time with what you have.

I am not here to tell you how to be a good parent, however, here are some good tips that are all free to do, to make your kids feel special and spend some quality time with them.

1: Read with your kids. We are very lucky to be in partnership with the National Year of Reading (http://www.yearofreading.org.uk/). Let them read to you, you read to them, take it in turns. Reading is so important within their education, it helps with all their subjects. You can go to your local library to borrow books for free, so it does not have to cost a penny. Why not have a ‘book night’ with your kids one evening.

2: Art and craft. Kids love getting messy, they love it when they make you something and then you put it on proud display. This gives them confidence! Sit down and make something with them, it doesn’t have to be big or perfect, just enjoy getting messy together with your children.

3: Cooking: Next to getting messy, kids love eating! So why not have a weekend afternoon dedicated to cooking some cakes, or even perhaps planning a special meal. You can use your craft time too with this an make a special menu to go with it.

4: Take them to the park: A declining activity unfortunately. There are so many lovely parks around, why not take your kids to the park one day and have a good time!

5: Family meetings: Sometimes its good to all sit down together and just have a good chat! You can discuss anything you like at family meetings. You can use this time to plan the next weeks activities or meals. You can chat about holidays or days out, or even discuss topics such as bullying etc.

6: Bedtime: Make your bedtime safe and secure for your kids. Make it fun but not lively. For kids who are scared of the dark, invest in a small night light, give them something special to go to bed with as an ‘amulet’ to keep them safe., this can be nothing more than a special teddy, or a sticker on the wall.

7: Morals & Politeness: This costs nothing! It costs nothing to teach your kids to say ‘thank you’ and ‘please’. No games console can do this! For small children you can turn this into a game, every time they say thank you and please they get an extra big hug!

8: Starting a new family hobby: How about starting a new hobby altogether such as gardening or hiking? Making children feel involved in the family life will make them feel important.

9: Ask them and listening: Ask them their opinons on things! This could be as simple as “do you think my casserole needs more pepper?” to “what shall we do today?”. Ask them if they are ok and actually listen to the answer. Take time to listen to your children.

10: SPEND QUALITY TIME WITH THEM! I am a stay at home mum, I am here 24 hours a day and when my kids are not at school they are with me all the time, however this is not always quality time. Quality time means spending time just with them, not worrying about paying the bills, not worrying that you need to go shopping, not thinking about what is coming on television, just spending time with them. You don’t need to do an activity with them or spend an hour asking them how they feel. If you need to do some housework, turn this into quality time with them by putting on some music, grabbing your housework tools and cleaners and having a family housework boogie! Give them a duster each and make up new dances to the music while you clean. This will no doubt end up in fits of laughter AND you are getting a job done, but MORE importantly, your kids are loving it! THIS IS QUALITY TIME!

Money cannot buy you love!

The people over at Travelodge have done us all a favour this new year with some mega bargains!

For those who don't know who Travelodge are, they are a hotel/motel business with hundreds of premises all over the UK and europe. Each room is family friendly, serves up to 4 people and includes: Ensuite bathroom with loo, sink, bath and shower. TV, tea and coffee making facilities, hairdryer and towels etc. Prices range from £40-£80 a night normally, however if you sign up to their newsletter you can get some real bargains! Room photo below so you can see how nice they are:

They are currently offering a sale, and rooms are priced at just £9 a night, yes that does say £9 a night! £9 for a family of four for a night! It's amazing and so needed in this credit crunch time. If you are not lucky enough to grab one of the few remaining £9 a night deals then they are also offering £19 and £25 a night rooms, so these are still a bargain!

We have just managed to bag ourselves a week in Blackpool in the summer for all four of us for just £63!

So why not head over to Travelodge and sign up to their newsletter now!

Sometimes it’s hard to find things to do at the weekend when you don’t have much spare cash.
Here we have a few ideas to help families have a great day out with only a little spending.

1: Always take a picnic - Picnics and spare drinks save loads of money during the day. Especially if you can pack a few snacks and drinks for the afternoon too to keep everyone happy and well fed.

2: There are many free ‘green’ places to visit in your local area, check out your local wildlife trust for a list of nature reserves in your area. Also check out your local country parks. You can spend a whole day at a nature reserve or country park, not just walking around looking at trees, but also playing games with your children. Guess the sound, be an animal, etc. There are loads of nature based games (details to follow) which are ideal to play at either a nature reserve or a country park.

3: Local events are happening all the time in towns, cities and villages. Sometimes, however these events are not that well advertised, so always check your local newspapers, your council websites, your local tourist information centres and if you have a town notice board, check that too!

4: Town museums - Some towns have small museums dedicated to the local history of that town, these museums are normally either free or very cheap to get it in. Museums don’t have to be boring, as you walk around with your children, involve them! Tell them stories from your family as you walk around, bring your town and your towns history to life.

5: Find a local park and take outdoor games with you. Everyone loves a kickabout with a football or a game of catch.

6: Check out your local swimming pool as sometimes they offer free taster sessions for kids so you and your children can get in for free.

7: Keep an eye out for attraction vouchers. 2 for 1 entry or half price admission for UK based family attractions. You can find these in daily newspapers, at your local train station, your local tourist information and also sometimes at the checkout at the supermarket.

8: Organise a group of you to all go together, as group entry is normally cheaper in various attractions plus you can also share travel arrangements and this then will be cheaper too.

9: Local libraries often have events actually in the library, such as storytelling, stories through craft etc. These are normally free of charge.

10: Think about joining the National Trust or English Heritage as although this is a hefty pay out in the beginning, you and your family will then get a whole year of free entry to places of interest.

There you go! Make the most of what you have, living on a budget doesn’t have to be boring!