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.

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.