Learning The Value Of Money

Having a mother with Narcissist Personality Disorder means that one of the many skills required to be an independent adult that I wasn't taught was how to manage my finances.

My Sister and I were never encouraged to save and if we wanted something we were just given it to keep us quiet, we never had to earn it which resulted in us both having no idea of the value of money and both getting into a lot of debt in our late teens, getting things on credit that we couldn't afford to pay for and never saving.

Then after becoming a Single Mother and not receiving any financial help I continued to struggle, so I made a decision as soon as Grace was old enough for pocket money that I would use it to best prepare her for financial independence so when I was given to opportunity to try out PKTMNY I was really keen to get involved.

I love the fact that Grace can see how much she needs to save to reach her chosen target which really encourages her not spend everything at once and another thing I like about it is that while she is in control of her own pocket money I can keep an eye on what is being spent and where from my account.

Grace is given £1 for every year of her age (currently 6) and after discussing which is a good amount to save we decided she could spend £4 and save £2 towards the Monster High Doll she has chosen for her target.

It has been great to see her developing a positive attitude towards saving and PKTMNY really is a great tool to help her do this. It’s really helped me to show her the importance of saving and that if she spends everything she is given then she will not be able to pay for the thing she wants. We will definitely continue to use it until she is financially independent.

Disclaimer = This post is part of a project with BritMums, sponsored by

PKTMNY , highlighting it's launch. The new tool allows parents to easily pay and monitor their children's pocket money online, whilst allowing their children to earn, save, spend and manage their money in a totally safe and fun way. We have been trailing the service and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Things to do with your GlossyBox box Number 1!

I decided as the GlossyBox comes in such nice, handy sized boxes, that I'd make good use of them.

I printed off a sheet of flower print I found online and glued it to the lid then typed out what I wanted to store in the box and glued that on too! Simple! Looks cute though I think!

Our Weekend.

So Friday night, I had my niece to stay. She's a toddler. Toddlers are awful little people aren't they? Jesus. Don't get me wrong I love that little monkey to pieces but you forget don't you, as they get older what hard work they used to be? After wreaking havoc on my my poor defenceless flat, she decided she needed to go to bed... needed to but didn't WANT to... subsequently screaming and whacking Grace on the head until 10pm when she finally admitted defeat. 7.30 is bedtime in my house (Unless she's seen an advert One Direction are on something slightly later than that of course!) and I cherish that bit of me time when I get to chill out and catch up on things. All that aside we do absolutely love having her around and she clearly feels the same, her little face lights up when she see's us. It's just nice to be able to give her back.

Saturday we went to visit cousins over in Gosport, bit off Wii playing, bit of X Factor. All the usual Winter Saturday-night-in goings on!

Sunday morning I decided to teach Grace how to cook my favourite dinner (You know just in case I'm ill and that, 6 year olds are allowed to use an oven unsupervised, right?) but we got half way through preparing it and my Dad called to say he and his partner were taking us out to lunch so it's been put in the fridge until tonight when we shall finish it and blog about it as really is too delicious to keep to myself.

So we went off for a pub lunch, a bit of Christmas shopping and then we went to see the Christmas lights being switched on in Fareham Town Centre by non other than the real PEPPA PIG AND SANTA! Followed by some fireworks and the fantastic Ska Band OffBeat Offensive who had Grace and my Dad up dancing when they played their favourite song - The Specials,  Monkey Man! A lovely evening which involved a little trip to TKMAXX where my Dad bought me this little vintage-esque owl lantern with a Christmas Spice scented candle in, I absolutely love it!

Now back to work in the pouring rain. Just lovely!

Prima Princess Nutcracker Ballet DVD Review.

Grace and I recently reviewed this fab interactive DVD for Working Parents United.

You can read the review here.

Owl Stocking Fillers

Don't you just love Primark?

Six Songs Of Me

I came across this over on Kate Takes 5's blog and thought it was a nice idea so here is mine.

The Guardian has a great little feature as part of their Music section that's called Six Songs of Me.

So here is my entry -

1. What was the first song you ever bought?
I remember having a vinyl of Sandy Shaw's Puppet On a String that was the first I ever owned but the first one I actually remember buying myself was Take That's Babe. Still love them!

2. What song always gets you dancing?
The Smith's This Charming Man. They've been my favourite band for a very very long time and this is the most cheerful and always makes me smile when I hear it!


3. What song takes you back to your childhood?
Madness - My Girl. Favourite band in many homes in the 80's I imagine but especially mine. My dad was a mod so any ska music takes me right back to being 6 years old and dancing round the kitchen with him.


4. What is your perfect love song?
Dire Straits - Romeo and Juliet. I think this song is absolutely perfect in every way. I can listen to it over and over again and often do. 


5. What song would you want at your funeral?
Jeff Buckley - Last Goodbye. Decided this the first time I ever heard it. 


6. Time for the encore. One last song that make you you.
The Libertines - Don't Look Back Into The Sun. Fell in love with this band the minute I heard this song and had many happy times over the years because of this, a time that made me who I am today.

Our little Owlie Clock!

Anyone who knows me, knows about my little obsession with all things owl themed. We have owl cushions in our living room, I have a huge owl canvas on the wall, owl curtains, a little one sat on the edge of the edge of my shelving unit, and they are just the things I can see right now as I write this.

On a shopping trip to Spitalfields Market in Shoreditch in the summer I saw a beautiful vintage owl clock, I fell in love with it but I wasn't paying £60 for a bloody clock so G and I had the idea of making our own. Having recently moved house it has only just been taken out of the box and put up so I thought I'd share it with you.

The most expensive part was clock kit for £4.25 on Amazon! We used an old cardboard box and went to Hobbycraft for some pretty patterned paper and a couple of big dark buttons.

I drew out an owl shape on the cardboard box and then some wing shapes on one of the patterned sheets, big circles for the outer eyes, a little beak and  drew round the top half of the cardboard shape on one of the sheets for the head. G cut them all out and glued them on, then stuck the buttons on for the eyes and I put the clock kit in for her which already had a hook on making it ready to hang! Simple but looks fab and all her friends who visit love it and she loves telling them she made it herself!

Here she is showing it off!

And here it is up on the wall...

Five Top Tips For A Greener Christmas

Green campaigning charity Friends of the Earth has put together five top tips to help people save the planet and some cash this Christmas without losing any Yuletide fun.

Paperless Christmas

Abandon wrapping paper - it's expensive, can be hard to recycle and is a huge 10,000-ton burden in landfill every year. Instead wrap presents in fabric, newspapers, old wallpaper, posters or recycled wrapping paper. Tying gifts up with string or ribbon instead of tape can create something truly special for your friends and family and allow them to re-use the wrapping.

Gift buying with a charitable twist

Two online shops have teamed up with Friends of the Earth to ensure you can donate vital funds to their campaigning work to keep the planet safe and healthy at the same time as getting some great gift inspiration. Check out The Natural Collection for beautiful and eco-friendly fashion, beauty and home gifts. Friends of the Earth will receive a donation of 10% of your order. For bookworms, The Book Depository donates 5% to friends of the Earth.

(If anyone wants to buy me one of their gifts... hint hint....)

A tree is for life not just for christmas

Did you know that you can rent a real Christmas tree rather than buy one? Plenty of businesses now offer this service and after Christmas they collect the tree and return it to the ground. I think this is a fantastic idea! Try The Little Tree Company.

Keep it going

Consider buying rechargeable batteries and a charger to go with any electrical gifts - these purse-friendly add-ons are up to 32 times greener than normal battreries. Prioritise gifts that don't need batteries or use solar or wind-up power, such as wind-up portiable radios - perfect for next year's festive season!

Two's company, three's a party

Save money on petrol by sharing lifts with friends when you brave the shops. Transport is the third largest source of UK greenhouse gases and accounts for over 20% of our total emissions. For car sharing friends you have yet to meet try www.gocarshare.com.

Little changes to reduce your impact on the environment over the festive poeriod can make all the difference to the plant - and your purse! 

Our weekend.

This weekend was a bit of a quiet one but lovely nonetheless.

Saturday we went out for lunch with my Dad and his partner and had a little wonder round the shops. Portsmouth and Southsea have the most wonderful charity shops where I never fail to come home without someone else's unwanted crap some beautiful vintage goodies. This weekend I got this beautiful tapestry bag for just £4. I am in love with it!

Sunday morning we spent at home. G has inherited my love for crafts and is really getting into it at the moment so we spent the morning making pretty frames from some old plain wood frames I picked up in a charity shop and lots of buttons! I personally think they look amazing and everyone who has been in since has commented on them! 

We did try and have a day at home but I've never been very good at that so we went off the cinema to watch the HILARIOUS Hotel Transyvania. Absolutely great film, laugh out loud funny for all the family (lots of adult references to keep the grown ups entertained). Then we went for a little wonder around Gunwharf Quays then for ice cream. This earned me the title of 'Bestest Mummy she's ever had' as she isn't usually allowed Ice Cream as she goes MENTAL but she had been very helpful at school on Friday and I was in a particularly patient mood! 

Lindt Heaven!! I had to leave here pretty quickly, I was gaining weight just looking.

October Glossy Box.

Being a Beauty and Make-up Student, I was delighted to discover GLOSSYBOX.

For £10.00 a month +P&P, you receive 5 miniatures of high-end beauty products to sample and give feedback if you wish.

The theme of this months box is DIY Beauty, a selection of products for a cosy, pampering night in. So what with the broken foot, nights in and making myself feel good are right up my street at the moment!! 2 out of the 5 products I received were full size and 4 out of 5 of them were from brands I weren't familiar with so it's a great way of discovering new products.

What I got -

Anatomicals 'don't just clean it woman, scrub it' Body Scrub

One thing I really look for in a product, as long as I'm not using it on my face, is a good scent. This pink grapefruit scented scrub not only smells great but also left usually very dry legs feeling great. After just one use there was a noticeable shine to my skin. The packaging drove my OCD a bit mental with the lack of capital letters but that's just being picky isn't it? It really is a great scrub and I will definitely be purchasing the full size product (200ml for £3.49)

Yves Rocher France Instant Anti-Wrinkle Moisturiser - HYDA VEGETAL.

Now I'm only 29, and not to blow my own trumpet but I have pretty youthful looking skin (I VERY rarely get to purchase a bottle of wine without having to prove I'm old enough to do so... It has it's downsides!) so I can't really give a review on that aspect of this one but it left my skin looking visibly 'plump' around the eyes and goes on really smoothly and feels great. This one was a full size product of 30ml so will last a long time (maybe even til the wrinkles do come along. I've jinxed myself now haven't I!?)

Skinetica Anti-Blemish

I'm prone to blackheads on my nose, bloody horrible things. I don't tend to get spots other than that but I get them in abundance leaving me with a bit of a red nose! I popped a bit of this on my nose last night and again this morning and I've noticed a slight difference, the skin looks a bit smoother but I think I'll need to keep it up for any real affect so seeing as it has started already I'll definitely be purchasing this to see how it goes!

The Organic Pharmacy Enzyme Peel Mask with Vitamin C and Papaya.

Another brand I hadn't heard of before but was VERY impressed with, you put it on as a face mask, leave for 10 minutes then wash off. It spreads really evenly and feels very smooth but you get a slight tingling feeling when it's on which did feel a bit uncomfortable if I'm being fussy but, taking off the top layer of skin it does leave you feeling silky smooth.

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure.

This was the one brand I had heard of before. I've got utterly rubbish nails that are like paper so I have previously tried the Sally Hansen nail strengthener. This products claims to have 5 steps of a manicure in 1 bottle - Base Coat, Strengthener, Growth Treatment, Colour and Top Coat. I'm so bad at applying nail varnish usually, I could ask my 6 year old to do it for me and probably get a similar result but this one went on really well and does have the shine and coverage of a salon manicure, if it stays on longer than a day which is usually my limit then I'll be totally impressed! 

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