Klean Kanteen Challenge - One Month On

Last month we were set a challenge, to see how much money we could save using the Klean Kanteen range from Whitby & Co. Using the drinks bottles and canisters to take to work and out and about, meaning we didn't have to buy food and drinks.

For me, it has been a huge part of my lunchtime routine and I haven't bought lunch at work for the entire month, everything has gone in my canister, everything from salad to soup.

We have taken them on picnics and camping, they have been a great way to keep things cool and to make sure we all drink plenty of water. The bright colours have ensured that both our children want to drink from them.

The canisters themselves are a great for camping, although it wouldn't last the whole weekend we still had ice eight hours after when we left home, great if you fancy a cheeky gin and tonic. It still even had ice in over 24 hours, albeit not much, which just goes to show the insulation capabilities of the canisters and the Klean Kanteen range.

So how much have we saved? Whilst it is hard to pinpoint exactly, I would say we have saved between £80-£100 over the month, I haven't bought any lunches saving myself about £5 a week. My husband has also taken lunches to work when in the office saving about £10 a week.

Out and about we have taken water with us which is potentially another saving of around £16-£20 (four bottles of water over four weekends out) over the month, then I have used it for picnics and other days out meaning we didn't need to buy lunch.

Whilst we would always try and take picnics with us anyway, making it easier has definitely helped. Being able to keep food cold on these warmer days means people want to eat it and it stays fresher for longer too.

I will keep on using these for my lunches and the water bottles are an absolute god send in the warm weather, nothing is less welcome on a hot summers day than a bottle of warm water!

NB: This is a collaborative post, all words are my own.

Saving Money with Klean Kanteen

How much do you spend on lunches, coffees on the go and food and drink on days out with the family?

We have been challenged by the people at Klean Kanteen to see how much we can save over the course of a month using their drinks bottles and food canisters for our lunches both for work, school and days out, as well as thinking about the environment and how much packaging we can cut down on.

My husband often has hot drinks on the go during his trips to London, I often buy lunches instead of taking something to work and although we always try to take some on our days out, drinks can get expensive whether hot or cold.

The bright drinks bottles are perfect for both kids and adults alike, and with double-wall vacuum insulation it keeps your drink warm for 12 hours or cold for 24 hours, leak proof caps and stainless steel meaning no flavours are absorbed. The food canisters keep stuff warm for 4 hours and cold for 12 hours, they are BPA free and food grade stainless steel.

So how much will we save, probably spend between £3-£8 per week some weeks on food for work, my husband probably spends between £10-15 a week if he is in London for a few days, then if we go out at the weekend we might by a drink or two each, we usually take a picnic and this will make it much easier to take food in to keep cool, especially now it's summer.

So overall, over the month I anticipate we will save at least £100, so over the year we could potentially save between £670-£1170.

So keep an eye on our progress, over on Instagram and Twitter and our follow up post in a months time.

Klean Kanteen are available from selected retailers across the UK and are distributed by Whitby & Co, all products are available through them as well as a selection of other great products perfect for life's adventures.

This is a collaborative post, all words and photos are my own.

Getting the Best from Your Mortgage

These days everyone is trying to find ways of saving money, some by switching to a different supermarket for your weekly shop, or more drastically, downsizing to a smaller car.

For many people who own a home, the mortgage is their biggest outgoing but it is often one that is overlooked when trying to save money.

At the end of last year, we spoke to a mortgage advisor, we discussed our situation and that we were concerned about the possibility of the interest rates rising and we wanted to fix our payments for a few years.

It was a simple process and one that took an hour out of our life but in the end saved us £85 a month on our mortgage for the next 2 years. We didn’t need to extend the term or borrow any more money so it was a straightforward fix.

So what can you do? You can check you are getting the best mortgage deal, Santander have a great selection of mortgage calculators and tools to help you out.

If you don’t have a mortgage, then this is a great way to see how much you could borrow to buy a home, they also have a budget planner to help you work out what you spend each month.

So why not have a look and see what you can save.

NB: This is a collaborative post, all words are my own.

A Family Day Out with Cineworld & Tamatanga Review

Myself, along with several other bloggers and our families were recently invited to try out Cineworld Nottingham's Movies for Juniors, followed by lunch at Tamatanga just around the corner.

Now, it wasn't until a few months back that I found out about Movies for Juniors but it is a really great option for those with younger children who might not make it all the way through a film and for those looking for a cinema trip without spending a fortune.

For just £1.50 each, you get to see a film that is suitable for all the family. We saw Muppets Most Wanted, but they have a choice of a few each weekend. They also open the Movies for Juniors in the school holidays, which makes it the perfect place for those not so great weather days.

During the Movies for Juniors mornings they also offer a fab munch box for £2, which consists of popcorn, a drink and some sweets. There was more than enough popcorn for my 6 year old and 3 year old and I got to pinch some too. They also have fab little booster seats for their younger patrons, meaning they don't slide through the back of the chair!

All of this means that a family of four can go to the cinema for as little as £10, which I think is great value for money. The staff were also really helpful and couldn't do enough to make our visit an enjoyable one.

We were also spoilt with some treats from Cineworld including cinema posters and a Muppets watch. And for the mums a goody bag with some gorgeous L'Oreal products from Icon Hair also in the Corner House so a huge thank you to them too.

After we had watched the film, which was brilliant, we went on to Tamatanga. I had been a few years back and it was good then so I had high hopes, thankfully I wasn't disappointed.

It's a really great restaurant, bright, airy and we were greeted by scent of josticks. Not too overpowering but added to the atmosphere.

The menu is substantial and there is so much choice and with meals starting from as little £9.95 for a curry and rice or a naan this was the perfect place to spend lunchtime.

Whilst we chose our main courses we were bought over some poppadums and chutneys, the chutneys were really tasty, the apple and mint was a particular favourite. The children were also kept entertained with some crayons and the place mat which is always useful in case you forget to bring something for them to do.

It's not just curry though, for children they do have a less spicy menu including chicken goujons and chips, not all children like curry but it is on the menu. My son chose the chicken tikka masala and loved it, he thoroughly enjoyed the naan that came with it.

I settled on the combo! veggie heaven, from the tandoor section of the menu. Now, I am by no means a vegetarian but it's nice to try something different when you eat out so I gave this a go. The Broccoli, Paneer kebabs and mushrooms were cooked perfectly and what I couldn't manage I took it home in a goody bag.

We also had the papdi chaat as a side, this is a really beautiful and light side dish made with chick peas and yogurt, which added an element of cool to the spice of the main course.

Both of the children had a pudding, a chose your own ice cream combo which was a great option and finished off the dinner. I didn't have a pudding as I was really full from dinner but they looked great, they also have a selection of coffee's if you prefer. The staff were really helpful and knowledgable about the food and made us all feel so welcome.

NB We were invited to Cineworld and Tamatanga to try out the Movies for Juniors and food free of charge. All words, opinions and photos are my own.

Magpie Monday - Charity Shop Goodies

This is my first Magpie Monday, mainly because this week has seen some gorgeous bargains being found!

First these pretty trousers, they are a really gorgeous purple cord with a paisley lining and were £1 from a Cancer Research shop. I had a quick look on the internet when I got home and as expected the would have cost about £15 new so quite a bargain as they look as they have hardly been worn.

Next I found this playsuit from Baby Gap, when I saw it I nearly squealed. I bought the same thing in a smaller size when my daughter was first born and she always looked gorgeous in it so when I saw this I had to get it, it was a snip at £1.50.

 

Finally, these gorgeous glass bowls by ARC, France were only £1 for 4! As soon as I saw them I knew they had to be mine. The pictures don't do them justice but they are really pretty, the gold is sparkly and they are quite translucent. I used them to serve Madeleines and strawberries in for breakfast yesterday and they looked great.

I hope you enjoyed my finds as much as I did, the bowls were definitely my bargain of the week!

Mummy is ill again!

I don't think I have been well for more than a week this year, maybe something is wrong, I don't know!

Probably a mixture of being tired, going back to work and my daughter starting nursery!

All I know is I need a break, so this weekend I will be looking for some cheapish holidays, just something that means I can get away from the four walls of home and chill.

Preferably near a beach, so should it be warm we can eat sandwiches by the sea and chips on the sea front.

See, just thinking about it is making me feel a bit better!

I'm 30 in June, we have a few weeks booked off work and I think it's my right to have a few days away to chill as I don't want a party (not being miserable just prefer to be with my family)!

So if anyone has any caravan site recommendations, cheapish beach locations or anywhere really that they have good last minute offers but that they can highly recommend then leave a comment....pretty please.

World Foods Aisle Bargain Buys

When buying herbs and spices I always look in the world food aisles in the local supermarket.

Often you can get 100g bag of spice for a fraction of the price you'd pay for branded and even shops own brand.

For example a 100g bag of Natco cumin is only 69p compared to 95p for 46g of an own brand cumin or £1.48 for 28g of a branded box of cumin!

The difference? I certainly can't tell and neither can my family!

For things like coconut milk if you look on the world foods aisle a tin of Dunn's River coconut milk is about 99p where as on the cooking sauce/Thai food aisle the branded coconut milk is £1.99! You can even freeze it in ice cube bags for future use so no need to worry about it being a big tin!

My husband who is particularly fond of Bombay Mix always buys it from the world food aisle as it is much cheaper for the same size bag as on the crisp aisle, for example this 350g bag is only 99p whereas the a 200g own brand bag is £1.00.

So next time you are shopping for spices and other world foods check to see if you local supermarket has a world food aisle.

In a time where every penny counts it makes sense to look at these things, the cheapest cuts of meat and vegetables can be improved with the addition of herbs and spices and at these prices you can afford to experiment.

If you are a member of Makro or Costco or know someone who is then do check out the large tubs of herbs and spices in there. They last for ages and if you could always go halves with another family member if you don't think you'll use it all!