Taking The Stress Out Of Moving

The decision has been made. As much as I love our house, we will be putting our house on the market within the next few months. We bought our house as a couple and now with three growing boys we are bursting at the seams. It is not a decision that we have taken lightly as we are talking about a huge amount of money just in the cost of the move. Luckily MoneySuperMarket has been on hand to help us make the decision and provide tips along the way.

I used their cost of moving calculator to help us understand what the costs of moving actually are. I can't pretend I like the numbers but at least we are going into the process with our eyes wide open! I put in the "worst case senerio" values. So for example the highest budget we could stretch too, the lowest we could sell for and opting for a full survey. I think it just highlights that moving isn't always the easy answer and sometimes it may be worth looking into how to extend your home instead.

The Home Movers Hub is full of lots of helpful moving advice. I particularly like the checklist of people to inform once you have moved. Speaking from experience it is always worth double checking that companies have done what they say they have. We found that we were being charged for phone connection at our old house even though we had been told that it had been disconnected.

If you are unsure about what value house you could afford then the Mortgage Calculator will give you an idea as well as the best deals available at the moment.

There is also a home bills checker that will give you an idea of the cost of home insurance, energy and broadband in your area. We plan to move locally so I thought I would put our details in just to see whether it corresponded to what we are currently paying. The guidance for our home insurance was on the top end of the scale so it is worth us doing a price comparison when our policy is due for renewal.

It is a real help to have such information to hand. Moving house is stressful at the best of times, but to know where to go for checklists and advice helps alleviate that pressure a little bit.

Have you moved recently? What is the best advice you have?

I am a member of the Mumsnet Bloggers Network Research Panel, a group of parent bloggers who have volunteered to review products, services, events and brands for Mumsnet. I was given a voucher to thank me for blogging about MoneySuperMarket. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity.

Inspect-A-Gadget

Our summer holidays are in sight and I am getting excited about the prospsct of some sunny weather and some fabulous family time. After last year, I am less excited about travelling there.

So how do you keep your little ones entertained on the plane or in a car? Last year I thought Lego was the answer.

What was I thinking?

Tiny pieces all over the place. Me crawling around the cramped foot space of the plane looking for the vital part of a speed boat! In this particular case Lego was not the answer.

What could possibly go wrong with sticker books? Well with my brood it tends to be a case of middle man gets upset because he cant get the stickers off himself. Baby man gets upset because he wants middle man's stickers instead of his. Big man gets upset because he wants some attention and Mummy gets upset because she is having a meltdown over some sticker books! I have now given up on trying to be a perfect Mum, and have accepted that everyone is a lot happier watching a DVD or playing apps on my phone.

But how much do you spend on a DVD player for travelling? We bought an all singing, all dancing DVD player for the car, thinking it would see us through many a holiday and days out. Sometimes I think we forget we have kids! Middle man broke his screen first by kicking it until it fell off the seat headrest. I am not sure what big man did to his but it no longer has sound. Was it worth paying a fortune? No.

MoneySupermarket kindly let us have a new budget DVD player to see cheaper gadgets can live up to their more expensive counterparts. So far it seems great. It doesn't attach to the car seat, but as middle man will only kick it down, then it is probably safer on the lap of big man. The picture and sound quality is fine and you can put your headphones in if you wish. The battery life is 2 hours which is fine for a short haul flight or car journey. It comes with a remote too, but I really don't see the need for it, just another thing to lose. As far as I can see it is a great budget buy, and I shall be packing it in my hand luggage when we go away later in the summer. We can take a few films for the children in the mornings and some for us in the evenings.

What is your best budget buy? Do you have all the top gadgets or have you found the cheaper alternatives to be just as good?

I was given the DVD player by MoneySupermarket in order to write my opinion and the post will be entered into a competition where there will be one winner of £1000 to put towards their summer holiday.

30 Ways To Save £1

MoneySupermarket are currently holding a blogger's challenge to come up with some money saving tips. As I like to save money where I can, I thought I would have a go and let you into my secrets.

1. If you are going for a day out, check the internet first to make sure there aren't any special offer coupons you can use.
2.Buy expensive items like kids coats in the sales for the next year.
3. Buy some generic children's birthday presents when they are in the sales and keep them in the cupboard until you need them.
4. The supermarkets often have free magazines that they give out. Have a read and cut out any money saving coupons you see.
5. Do your sums. Just because it is on a special offer at the supermarket, doesn't always mean it is the best offer. Sometimes the bigger packets of stuff are more expensive than 2 smaller packets.
6. Like your favourite venues on facebook and twitter as sometimes they put offers on these types of social media.
7. When cooking a meal, cook double and freeze a portion. It often saves money as well as time.
8. Lots of the supermarkets are doing price comparisons these days. If they give you a coupon as they were more expensive this time, don't forget to use it on your next shop.
9. If you are planning on purchasing something do a quick internet search to check where you can get it for the best price.
10. Consider buying annual passes for places you go a lot. They often have other perks associated with them too.
11. Use loyalty cards. It may take a while to earn points, but you can use them for treats.
12. Consider doing your grocery shopping online. Although there is a delivery charge, you don't have to drive there and you are less likely to impulse buy, as you would instore.
13. If you have nearly new items, try selling them at a carboot, ebay or facebook page.
14. Check these out for buying things too - you can get some great deals.
15. Take shopping bags with you when you go shopping. Some shops charge for carrier bags these days, so it will save money and be better for the environment.
16. Lots of cinemas do kids viewings at the weekend and in school holidays. They aren't the latest films, but they are a lot cheaper and still fun.
17. Lots of restaurants do discounts in the week or earlybird offers so check these out.
18. Consider buying in bulk. You can get some great bargains, if you have somewhere to store it.
19. If you are off for a day out, consider taking a picnic or some bottles of drink, as this can set you back as much as your entry.
20. Use price comparison sites when your car and home insurance is due, you could save a lot more than £1
21. Enter competitions. You have to be in it to win it!
22. Enjoy the free things in life. You don't have to spend a fortune to have a nice day out. A walk in the woods or local park will keep the kids and your wallet happy.
23. Don't buy loads of magazines, buy one and swop it with friends. Or even better, use the web for your celebrity gossip.
24. Kids grow fast - don't worry about using hand me downs. If your friends can kids of a similar age you could always swop clothes with them so that it looks like new clothes to your child.
25. If you have any savings, look at putting them into an ISA rather than sitting in your bank account.
26. Make sure you have a mobile phone contract that suits you. Check your current usage before you sign up to a contract.
27. Write a meal plan  - it should cut down on the amount you spend on your food bill and mean there is less waste.
28. Stock up on nappies and baby wipes when the supermarkets have their baby events.
29. Often companies send you surveys with offers if you complete them - Hollywood Bowl is particularly good for this, offering half price bowling.
30. Use the Vouchercloud app on your phone and check it when you are out - they have loads of great money off offers

What is your best money saving tip?

This is my entry into the Moneysupermarket 30 ways to save £1 competition the first 500 bloggers to enter will recieve £1 for each money saving tip (up to £30) and all enteries will be put into a prize draw to win £1000

Big man's hero

When I saw that Tots 100 and Moneysupermarket were running a "That's my hero!" competition, I really wanted to enter. As in, I wanted to enter not the kids! When I was little I loved doing drawing competitions.  Big man, however, isn't great at drawing and has a very limited concentration span with anything involving holding a pencil. I didn't think any more about entering.

This weekend hasn't gone quite to plan. Baby man has been ill, and our exciting first day of half term has been rearranged. Cue Mummy thinking how am I going to entertain big and middle man? Well here is big mans last minute entry to the competition.

I explained to him that a hero is someone, who is brave, has a great achievement and might have a special power.

 "Like Batman?" 

"Yeah that's the kind of thing" I replied.

"Can I draw baby man?"

"Yes - but why?"

"He can walk.

His special power is walking. Normally little people can't walk that easily but baby man can. 

I've drawn muscles. The muscles help your legs walk. I tried to draw a muscle in his head - but it didn't work very well. He has big ears so he can hear and so you can see them quiet well. He is lifting one leg up and balancing on one toe like I can do. But he can't do hopping yet, cause that's quite hard. Nanny can't hop.


You might not be able to see it very well so I will highlight it."

So here is big man's hero - baby man - with the special power of walking.

Today I have learn't that just because big man (aged 5) isn't the best at drawing, it doesn't mean I shouldn't let him have a go at competitions. His explanation of his picture is worth recording for him to look back on when he is older, and once again I am reminded of what a caring, sensitive little man I have.

This post is an entry into the Tots100 Moneysupermarket That's My Hero competition