These days, Halloween is just about as big in the UK as it is across the pond in America. Because of that, the 31st of October perhaps carries a bit more fanfare than it used to – more parties, bigger and better costumes, and a notably more expensive sweet bill for the month. With said fanfare comes the potential to spend more, and that's not ideal for many of us with credit card bills to think of for the upcoming Christmas and New Year period.

That doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate Halloween in style, though. With these DIY ideas for the coming holiday, you can enjoy the 31st with your kids without your spending getting scary.

Pumpkin carving

Ah, pumpkin carving; the ‘OG’ of Halloween past times – and still a rather popular one at that. Pumpkin stocks skyrocket through October and getting one shouldn’t set you back more than £1 from your local supermarket. The rest comes down to you and your kids’ creative genius and craftsmanship.

Whether you’re making a scary greeting for your front doorstep or making your own little carving competition for the family, it’s a cheap but very cheerful way to get into the Halloween spirit.

Whip up your own treats

Keeping the creative/craft theme going, there are loads of awesome DIY Halloween treat ideas that you can make at home with the kids. From chocolate pudding gravestones to Oreo spiders, you can whip up some seriously fun, tasty and unique treats for the kids to enjoy – plus, it’s a great activity to keep them engaged.

It is much cheaper (and probably tastier) than buying the pre-made Halloween treats you’ll likely find out and about. You’ll no doubt still want a few Haribos and mini-Snickers by the door for knocking trick or treaters, mind.

Spookify the house

Just as you can concoct some freakishly fun DIY treats, you can also create some haunting handmade house fittings on the cheap. Alliteration aside, ideas like a swarming bat lightshade, mummified lanterns and ghostly candles are all simple to make, and the items you need to build them are all easily found and cheaply bought.

It's another great way to engage the kids at home, and there are plenty more ideas you can come up with yourself. Heck – you could even leave that spider’s web you saw under the sink for a day or two. Well, maybe not.

Halloween might be getting more costly for families, but you don’t need to get too heavily involved with the commercial side of the holiday to enjoy it. With plenty of DIY tricks and treats to take advantage of, Halloween 2021 needn’t be too frightening if you’re working to a limited budget.

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Many of us are either morning or evening people, am I right? It often equates to when you feel most awake and productive. We are often encouraged to take full advantage of these times. But do we? The morning is such a great opportunity to make the most of it. And whether you are a morning person or not, simple tweaks and changes to your routine could totally transform the rest of your day. I wanted to share with you some of the morning routine ideas that you could try. You have nothing to lose but a lot you can gain. 

Getting up earlier

It may sound strange, but the earlier you get up, the more time you will have. Simple! But getting up can be hard. Some of the most successful people begin their days at 5am, and while that might seem out of reach, you can slowly build up to it. Start by getting up ten minutes earlier each day for a week, then a further ten the following week, until you reach a time that feels comfortable and attainable for you. It might not be that 5am start, but even an extra ten minutes in the morning could make a difference. 

Exercise 

Exercising first thing is such a great way to start your day right. It gets the blood pumping around your body, fills you up with all of that positive energy and feelings, and if it is done in the morning then you don’t need to think about it again. Whether it is a morning run, a yoga routine you follow on YouTube, or even a brisk walk, it could have a huge impact on your concentration and productivity levels throughout the day. 

Journal

Journaling isn’t for everyone, but it can be an excellent way to put you in the right frame of mind for the rest of your day. You could note down a few things that you are grateful for or simply find some prompts online that really make you think about your life and feelings. The more you get into it, the more it could empower you for the rest of the day and transform the way you think. 

Eat breakfast

So many of us skip breakfast, even though it is the most important meal of the day. It might be time to try and enjoy some breakfast before you leave for the day. It is a great way to give you a burst of energy that is released throughout the day and will stop you from snacking or reaching for a sugar fix mid-morning. If you do have a bit of a commute then why not batch cook some breakfast muffins you can take on the go? 

Affirmations 

Finally, take some time in the morning to recite some affirmations that reflect on how you want to feel or a goal that you might have for your life. It could be simple messages to say to yourself such as being strong, independent, happy, and grateful. Or you may want to be specific such as smashing a presentation or reaching a work goal. Recite these affirmations daily in the morning and you will notice a shift in how you think and feel. 

Hopefully, these ideas for your morning routine will help transform your day.

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Many of us are looking for ways to make a saving on our monthly outgoings. However, if you are also a patriot for sustainable living, then you might be wondering if those two things come together. After all, could living sustainably end up costing you more? The truth is, it won’t! In fact, it is possible to save money if you look at your general habits and make some small changes. With that in mind, here are some of the ways that sustainable living could help towards saving money and the planet. 

Drying clothes outside instead of using a dryer

One of the first things to think about would be to dry clothes outside instead of using a dryer. A dryer can be a costly home appliance, and while it gives you convenience and speed with your laundry, it will also massively increase your energy usage. Drying outside costs nothing and is far more sustainable. 

Ditch the dishwasher

The dishwasher is a very useful home appliance, but again, it can be costly. So instead, why not ditch it and choose to manually wash the post instead? This is not only a more sustainable option but will save you money on your energy usage. 

Avoid an expensive commute to work 

It can be hard to get out of the habit of using your car for the commute, but choosing a public transport option will cut your own carbon footprint. Better still, why not try using a bike instead? Changing your habits and making sustainable choices for things like this will help to save you money on fuel and other expenses. 

Change your habits when it comes to babies and young children 

We all know that having children can be expensive, but when you have a baby you might find there are always costs to consider. One thing you might want to try is reusable nappies instead of disposables? Disposable nappies are a weekly cost and they are also incredibly bad for the environment when it comes to our ever-expanding landfill sites. Reusable nappies will require an initial investment, but in the long run, it will save you money and is much more sustainable 

Things to do in the garden

There are also plenty of things you can do in your garden that will help you live sustainably and save money. Creating a compost area with scraps can be a great fertiliser for your garden instead of having to buy expensive compost options. You could also collect rainwater which can be used to water your plants. Water rates can be quite costly. 

Change your habits with your energy usage 

Energy is big news at the moment so why not look to change your habits when it comes to your energy usage? Switching lights off in rooms you are not using, not keeping appliances on standby, and even switching things off at the plug. It reduces your energy usages and helps you to save money. 

Last but not least ....

And finally you can save even more when you are buying through SaveMoneyCutCarbon's website. We have talked before about how we love working with the SaveMoneyCutCarbon team and when you buy your sustainable products through them you don’t just help to save the environment, you also save money. With every purchase you make, you will collect Planet Points which will be applied to your account and can be used as payment for future purchases. SaveMoneyCutCarbon now provides every non-home club member 1 point for every £1 they spend, and Home Club members 2 points for every £1 they spend.

 – Planet Points can be used on everything across the website

– You can part pay with Planet Points or full pay

– They can’t be used for postage but they do offer free delivery on orders over £40

 – You can save your Planet Points and spend them when you are ready

We all need to be more planet conscious as the world changes around us and hopefully this post has given you some easy ways to live more sustainably and shown that it can actually save you money too!

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Making changes to your home when it comes to wanting to be more eco-friendly can seem overwhelming. After all, you make the choice to be more environmentally friendly, but where do you start to try and implement those changes? While you can make conscious decisions with your lifestyle and start more or less immediately, it may take a little longer to completely overhaul your home. This is when starting with specific areas can make a difference. 

The bathroom is one of the most used rooms of the home, and there are many ways you can implement some eco-friendly changes in there. With that in mind, we have been working with SaveMoneyCutCarbon to show some of the ways you can have an eco-friendly bathroom with some easy eco swaps. 

Change your shower and reduce the time you spend in it

One of the first areas to start with when it comes to your bathroom is the shower. Many people choose to shower thinking it is the most logical choice and less wasteful compared to a full bath tub. But a shower can use up just as much water. You may want to make the change to a low-flow shower head which will reduce the amount of water being used at any one time. Another great tip is to reduce the amount of time you spend in the showers. A few minutes less each time could make a big saving when it comes to the amount of water you use. 

Ditch single-use bottles for reusable containers

There are a lot of single-use bottles that you will find in your bathroom. Shampoo, conditioner, not to mention cleaning products. So you may want to think about ditching the single-use bottles and making the change to reusable containers. OceanSaver EcoDrops are the perfect solution to reuse plastic bottles.

Make the switch to a responsibly sourced toilet paper

A standard busy home may go through around three to four rolls of toilet paper each week. So while you may not want to reduce the amount of toilet paper that is used, what you can do is make the change to a more responsibly sourced toilet paper instead. By doing this, you are doing your bit to tackle climate change by choosing a paper  that is made from more responsibly sourced materials like Uranus Wiper. It might seem like a small change to make, but if everyone made this conscious decision it could have a huge impact on the planet. 

Make swaps for reusable items 

There will always be things that we need to use in the bathroom, so you may want to consider making some swaps to more reusable items. One of the first things to consider could be makeup remover wipes. Having a wipe that you use and throw away is not eco-friendly, and even using cotton pads means that you throw them away once they are done with. You can now buy reusable make up remover pads that can be cleaned and reused time and time again. The less things you look to throw away, the better. 

Use home made products 

You could also use this opportunity to implement some home made products into your bathroom that can be more environmentally friendly. Making your own soap, for example, not only looks great and can be decorative but it can also be made from more responsibly sourced materials. You could also look to make your own cleaning products and even create hair products like your very one dry shampoo. Again these can be small changes that you implement but will go a long way towards your eco journey. 

Saving water

We all might have to wait a few minutes for the water to heat up, so while you wait, why not catch some of that water that would be going down the drain and to waste? This could be used to clean vegetables, water plants, or even be drinking water for your animals. 

Bamboo products instead of plastic 

Finally, it could be a good time to get rid of other single use plastic items that you will have in your bathroom. Bamboo is a great eco alternative for lots of things such as toothbrushes and even cotton buds that you use regularly. Even things like a bamboo bath mat could be a great way to implement some eco-friendly choices that also look great in the bathroom. 

Hopefully, this has given you plenty of ideas on how you can have an eco-friendly bathroom but do you have any top tips we haven't covered?

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