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.

Cafe Kidz Review

If you're a parent then you've probably been in this situation on at least one occasion, sat in a cafe or restaurant with a young child and then suddenly realising you've forgotten to bring something to entertain them.

Well, Cafe Kidz is a great idea for cafes and restaurants to help with this situation, these small packs provide instant entertainment for children age 3 and above and if I was in this situation somewhere and these were available to buy, I would.

Each set contains pencil crayons, a colouring pad, stickers, a key ring and much more, they are a great way to keep younger children entertained.

On opening the packet, the children went through and found the bits they wanted to do first, it kept them occupied whilst my husband and I chose what we wanted for dinner and also whilst we waited for dinner to be served.

The packs entertained them so much, it was difficult to get them to put it all away once dinner arrived.

My daughter loved the fairy set but was equally excited by the monster and robot set that is also available.

Both found it easy to get on with the activities in the pack without much prompting from us.

I can see Cafe Kidz packs sitting well in cafe's and restaurants around the country, unfortunately we weren't out for the evening in which case it would have come into it's own I think, allowing entertainment for a longer dinner.

The packs would also be great for weddings, everyone knows how frustrating it can be for both children and adults during speeches and long dinners so these packs offer a fuss free and compact way to keep children entertained.

With an RRP of £2.50-£3.00 I think the Cafe Kidz packs are well worth the money, if I was sat in a restaurant with restless children I would be prepared to add this to the bill. With so much to do and with a little something they can keep I think it is a great set.

Basilia in Langley Mill

I have worked in Langley Mill for 7 years now so imagine my delight when a new deli style cafe opened but two minutes away.

Basilia offers a huge selection or gorgeous homemade food and cakes you can either eat in the welcoming cafe or take out, perfect if you are driving by on your way to Shipley Country Park.

I have tried several different items from the menu from the wonderful ploughmans with homemade ham and local cheeses to the rather delicious paninis and cheese and broccoli quiche.

Cakes are in plenty supply with my favourite being the chewy choccie slice, this is quite frankly the most amazing thing I have ever tasted, but they have so much more including a selection of gluten free.

They also offer a large selection of gourmet goodies to make into a hamper for a gift and lots of cheeses and cooked meats to take away too.

If you are over that way and fancy something a little different for lunch I can highly recommend Basilia.

The staff are helpful and knowledgeable about the food and everything is freshly cooked on the premises.