I had a job when I was 14,  I worked in a hairdressers every Saturday and it was something that my parents actively encouraged me to do. I loved having my own money to spend how I liked, we never really had pocket money as Mom and Dad tended to buy us things when we needed them so my £10 (no minimum wage back then) was all mine and I loved it! Times change and with so many more legislative requirements on employers, should we still be encouraging our children to work from a young age?

Research reveals that young employees (aged 16-29) among the British workforce are most likely to suffer injuries while on the job. In fact, they are more at risk of an injury and illness than any other age group! 

A frightening 71% of workers between 16-29 years old claim their work place to be a health hazard, suggesting many businesses are putting the lives of their employees in danger. Almost half of the same age group said that they have had an accident at work and more than one in five ended up in hospital because the injury was so bad. For me, I think the worst that could happen in the salon was getting a bit of shampoo in my eyes or slipping on the floor but I was also very sensible (puts on my halo) and I think that there has to be an element of common sense too. 

My girls do jobs at home and I am quite sure that they think it is a health hazard (or a reason to get out of doing jobs around the house) but it seems that going to work can damage young workers health, especially as they are not aware of their legal rights.

I have worked in HR for many years and have seen a number of employees make compensation claims (both legitimately and not so much) but it is useful to see a company such as Hayward Baker launch a free to use interactive injury compensation calculator.

Do you encourage your children to work? Does it worry you that they are safe in the workplace?

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Every week I read the Five Fabulously Frugal Things I've Done linky and it always inspires me to look at my spending habits. My love of shopping is well known but that doesn't mean I can't be savvy with it.

So here are the fabulously frugal things I have managed this week. 

1. Last weekend was Mothers Day and rather than buy my Mum something generic, I wanted a really personal gift but it was certainly more expensive than a bunch of flowers (not really the ethos of being frugal). So I spoke with my brother and we agreed to share the cost. Mum got a stunning personalised necklace with the names of all her grandchildren on it (that made her cry), we got brownie points for an original gift AND I saved money doing it

2. On the subject of Mothers Day, I told my husband that I didn't want him sending expensive flowers from the florists. Every year he buys me a gorgeous bunch of flowers made up of favourite flowers but having them from the florist and delivered to me at home means that whilst they are gorgeous, they are not cheap. He popped out the day before Mothers Day and came home with two extra large bouquets of flowers from the supermarket. They came with flower food and were less than half the price of the ones he usually buys and no less beautiful.  

3. Rather than taking my car to have it valeted, I have taken to vaccuming it out every week (and teaching my girls to take their rubbish with them when they get out of the car)

4. My eldest daughter is turning into a shopaholic (I have no idea where she gets it from) and she asked if she can have a set amount of pocket money each month. Now usually she gets money if she wants to go out or if she has helped around the house and I am always buying new clothes for her, so we have agreed that she will get a set amount each month and she has to manage that herself. I have said that I won't be subsiding it and I think that overall I am going to be better off and she learns how to manage her money.

5. I am glad that it is the 1st of April today as I have finished my "shopping" ban for March. My husband always implies that I have a shopping addiction and challenged me to stop shopping for the whole of March (this was only on clothes for myself) and I refrained from buying for the whole month. I daresant admit how much I saved over the month but it has certainly made me think that I should do it again later in the year?

Have you managed to do anything frugal this week?

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The moment I turned 17, I started my driving lessons and worked hard to pass my driving test, although this may be a few more years ago than I care to imagine. When my Nan helped me to buy my first car I had no idea actually how much driving would cost me over the years. 

1. Researchers studied British motorists revealed that over the average lifetime of driving, the typical driver spending nearly seventy thousand pounds on fuel over the course of their lives. 
2. They will also wrack up a bill of forty thousand pounds on MOTs, servicing and repairs
3. There is an incredible £9,404 on parking. 
4. Car supplies like screen wash and air freshener will cost us just under £2,000 
5. Holiday rental car £180 a year £11,610 over a lifetime

Am not sure the last one applies to me though as I am not a big fan of driving on holiday but it is certainly worth considering, especially if you consider the cost of excusions against the cost of 

Cheap Car Rental

 So if my girls want to start driving when they are 17, I suspect I should start saving now!

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In the past couple of years, we have fallen in love with cruising, whether that be on a short weekend break or a family holiday. At one point we did question whether you could comfortably cruise with children and utlimately we agreed that you can. I love everything about going on a cruise and I suppose there is still some elitism about it as a holiday but it is really interesting to read recent research* that reveals hilarious exaggerations Brits tell that relate to food, travel destinations, theatre and literature.

Here are the top 20 places Brits claim to have visited in a bid to appear cultured

1.            New Zealand  

2.            New York        

3.            Australia     

4.            Rome         

5.            Paris        

6.            Iceland  

7.            Cuba      

8.            Brazil      

9.            Venice     

10.          Jamaica    

11.          Moscow    

12.          Dubai      

13.          Milan  

14.          Barcelona   

15.          Morocco  

16.          Berlin   

17.          Miami  

18.          Florence  

19.          Ibiza    

20.          Sri Lanka 

So in an effort to tick some of those off the list (!!) together with our new passion for cruising, I know that I want to look at longer breaks and maybe take a Mediterranean cruise which is a great way to get a taste of a number of different counties, discover differing cultures, cuisines and traditions in a relatively short amount of time

However and maybe even more hilariously, apparently by liking these top 20 foods, Brits feel that they appear more cultured. (personally I love dark chocolate ........ am clearly soooo cultured!) 

1.            Sushi                   

2.            Dark chocolate  

3.            Rare steak           

4.            Quinoa                

5.            Oysters               

6.            Craft ales            

7.            Smelly cheese    

8.            Hot chillies          

9.            Avocado              

10.          Granola                

11.          Raw Vegetables  

12.          Sweetbreads       

13.          Kale                       

14.          Korean food        

15.          Kimchi                  

16.          Sashimi                 

17.          Courgetti             

18.          Rye Bread            

19.          Bowl food (Congee) 

20.          Aged meat        

 

Where are you holidaying this year? Did you choose it for cultural appearances?

*Independent research commissioned by MSC Cruises. Researchers surveyed more than 1500 people across the UK in an online poll in December 2016.  

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