We have vowed to be more frugal this year and whilst I am not suggesting my husband buys me a ring from Poundland (as seems to have been advertised everywhere this year), we can still be romantic without the price tag, can't we?

Each year as Valentine's Day approaches there are many among us who begin stressing out over gift giving. A low budget coupled with the desire to show a lover how special they are greatly increases the stress level.

It seems every shop and store we enter has devoted a large portion of the shelf space available to Valentine's Day gifts, candy, and cards. Newspapers are full of advertisements for these gifts and restaurant ads for romantic dinners for two at an unreasonably high price. With a little ingenuity and forethought you can take the stress out of Valentine's Day this year.

The top four gifts expected for Valentine's Day are chocolate, flowers, cards, and jewellry. Whether dating, living together, or married, taking a look at each of these categories can assist in finding a reasonably priced means of showing your love.

Chocolate

Bigger is not always better. While the heart shaped gift boxes of chocolate are lovely to look at, your lover may actually prefer a smaller box. Even if your lover is not allergic physically to chocolate their hips and waistline are. Many of us are tired of the rich desserts offered through the recent holidays and are dieting with thoughts of summer vacation and activities ahead. Opt for a small box and let your lover know while you wanted to give the largest box available you did not want to destroy their diet. Your thoughtfulness will be deeply appreciated.

If you have extremely limited or no funds to purchase traditionally packaged delights, try making your lover homemade treats. If your lover prefers another dessert over chocolate, why not see if you can make it yourself for a really personal touch. 

Flowers

A florist's largest season is Valentine's Day and the cost of roses can be triple the normal asking price. A less expensive alternative is carnations or a mixed bouquet of flowers. It is thrilling to have flowers delivered to the workplace and it elicits ooh's and ahh's from co-workers. If your schedule permits, instead of paying a florist's delivery fee arrive fifteen minutes prior to your partners lunch break with a single rose or carnation and an invitation to lunch. It will not matter how inexpensive the lunch is, your thoughtfulness and presence will make your loved ones day.

Cards

Card shops, department stores, and grocery stores all charge a seemingly unreasonable price for a card. Part of me balks at the cost of cards and then how we recycle them only days later but I do love receiving them. They don't need to be expensive, even hand made but making sure you write heartfelt words inside is the key to the perfect card!

Jewellry

Most newspapers are packed with jewellry store and department store advertisements for jewelry, the cost of which can be frightening if you are working with a low budget. While diamonds are the number one gemstone sold through Valentine's Day, no one said it has to be a diamond or has to be heart shaped. There are many lovely gemstones to choose from and many affordable pieces without gemstones that will be just as highly prized by the recipient.

An alternative to shopping at local jewellry or department stores are those shows on television that sell nothing but jewellry at wholesale prices. Beautiful and affordable jewelry can be found through these shows or their on-line websites twenty four hours a day. 

If you are a teenager or non-working young adult with little or no funds and no credit cards, you might try offering to do extra work for your parents in exchange for ordering an item for you. Most parents will agree to this and be grateful to gain help in cleaning out garages or attics and similar jobs.

Stuffed Animals

Places like the Card Factory and the pound shops are great places to find Valentine themed stuffed animals at great bargains. Most females love stuffed animals but obviously do not give stuffed animals to a lover with an allergy to dust.

Gift Baskets

An alternative to the traditional Valentine's Day gifts is to make a basket for your loved one which holds some of their favorite small items. You can make your own confetti to line the basket with the household paper shredder. Perhaps the man in your life is an avid fisherman or hunter. Perhaps the lady in your life loves hot teas or specialty coffees. A gift basket's contents is limited only by your imagination.

Dinner For Two

Instead of an over priced meal for two in a restaurant, opt for a home cooked meal or take out. It is the atmosphere that counts the most. Dim the lights, turn the music on low, and light the candles. Purchase two roses, one for the table for your lover and the other to sprinkle the rose petals around the table. Bonus points here if you can actually cook!

The Gift Of Time

If you have children offer to clear your schedule to provide your other half with a day to themselves. A gift certificate for a free day can be made on the computer and enclosed in a card and will be a huge hit with a busy parent. Coordinate the date and arrangements with your partner according to whether they would like to spend the day at home alone to relax or a day out of the house.  

Regardless of what you decide to bestow upon your loved one for Valentine's Day, remember if they truly love you the cost of the gift is irrelevant. It really is the kindness and thought that went into the gift that counts.

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Happy New Year, guys! Ish. We’re three weeks in, I know. But perhaps if I keep wishing everyone well, I’ll eventually feel the fresh buzz of the new year for myself.

I’m not sure why I’m feeling a little dragged down by 2019, but I can’t seem to step into the swing of things. I’ve loved having Christmas off with the girls. Frankly, I didn’t want them to go back to school nor me back to work. Rather than starting a fresh and feeling as though I’ve got a whole year of opportunities ahead, I’m hanging on to December’s festive vibes. Reminiscing.

Take me back!

But, all this will never do! I’m absolutely positive that I’m not alone in feeling a little demotivated during January. I know it. After all, the ‘January Blues’ is a thing. How is it, at a time when so many of us are prone to feeling glum, the other half of us are motivated to hit the gym, quit the drink, or eat clean?

I’m not committing to finding some ‘supreme level’ of myself in 2019, and I’m not signing up to any half-hearted resolutions, but I have had a think about my levels of motivation and how I can rediscover my mojo.

Perhaps we all need to invest in a little love for ourselves. Some self-soothing wouldn’t go amiss, I reckon.

I don’t know about you, but I’m much more content when I’m clam, relaxed and have simple things to look forward to. I’m motivated to get through the day and meet my deadlines, when I’ve something cheery to turn to in the evening.

After pondering it over, I’ve decided that they key to giving myself a 2019 kick-start, is simply being and enjoying my days. Letting the pressures of work and school be what they are and focussing on the things I enjoy and the people I love.

While I’d love to, this doesn’t mean booking loads of breaks abroad or splurging out on a new wardrobe.

Rather, I’m going to put time aside to watch a series with my husband, download a film to watch with the girls or do some mindfulness colouring.

I’m going to run a lavender bath and put my head back, let my hair become damp, and feel any worries wash away.

I’m going to creep into bed at 8:30pm with a cup of tea and read three chapters of a paperback, before effortlessly falling to sleep.

In 2019, I’m going to endeavour to take a step back, be mindful, and not become caught up in the fast-paced madness of the modern world.

Now, hit me up with some tips in the comments below. How do you like to relax?

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I can't believe that it has been a month since we have posted on the blog and we have taken some time out and had a really good break. To be honest, having so much "down time" I have struggled to get back up again. And get out of bed in the morning. But you can't keep me down for long.

The New Year always brings new starts for people, new ideas, sometimes new jobs and new homes and for me it is always a spring clean and a fresh approach.

Last weekend I "cleansed" our bedroom of things we were just holding on to and in the words of Marie Kondo, found myself questioning whether or not those things brought me joy ..... or just something else to clean or store.

Having cleaned out a lot of space I have now have some extra room to store some of the bargain savings I have been making.

1. Buy Christmas Cards at less than half the price

I know, I know! But I have bought some stunning Christmas cards for less than half the price and there is nothing nicer than opening a cupboard in November, already being prepared and having one less thing to buy in December.

2. Make the swap

We have swapped some of our brand shopping for local produce and shopping at Aldi. I can't say that I can still do a whole shop in one place but we are being more supportive of local businesses and saving money

3. Buy in advance

Being prepared is one of my biggest money savers. I always check the calendar for upcoming birthdays and events and set a budget. Especially at this time of year when so many expensive items are reduced, it is good to plan present ideas meaning the recipiant gets more, while you pay less!

4. Encourage money management

Both my girls had Christmas money and now when they ask for something, I reply with "do you want to spend your Christmas money on it". If they do, then I know they really want it but if they don't, it highlights that it is just a "want" rather than a "need".

5. Just say NO

This is something I am learning to do this year. I am very much a Yes person. I love to go out, I love to take my girls on activities but in January I have said no on more than a couple of occasions already. Money saving right there! 

What do you do to survive the January pinch?

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As the end of the year draws near, many of us reflect on the good bits, the bad bits and all the bits in between. When it comes to schools, we as parents tend to look at the essential bits. How well is the school performing from a grade perspective? What is the local opinion of the school? What facilities does the school have? Whilst all of these questions are extremely important and very valid when making a decision, one of the things we tend to overlook is the quality of the playground.

Nobody knows your child better than you and I’m sure we can all agree that a good playground can do wonders for our children, helping them grow and develop in ways that we often don’t notice. So, this post is dedicated to highlighting the key activities and factors to look out for when judging a school playground. The hardest part is trying not to be swayed by your own childhood playground memories!

Physical Challenges

The first point to consider is the physical challenges that your child should be undertaking in the school playground. Physical activity has been proven to have a positive effect on classroom learning, so for your child to make the most of their time at school, they must have room to push their physical limits and expend energy.

In particular, you want to keep an eye out for physical challenges that encourage healthy competition or interaction like agility trails, climbing apparatus and themed equipment (depending on the age of your child of course). A good school playground will have a variety of different physical challenges for children to enjoy and use based on their personal tastes.

Socialising Opportunities

The second essential feature to look out for is socialising opportunities that encourage the school children to interact with one another. Humans are social creatures and a massive part of child development is directly linked to speaking, picking up social clues and generally interacting with others.

Social opportunities can be presented in a variety of different forms. Meeting places and seating is always a great way for children to come together and interact but equally, large thematic equipment can be great at encouraging children to engage with each other.

Brain Teasers and Discovery

The final key points we’re going to look at is the inclusion of brain teasers and discovery. This is particularly important in nurseries and primary schools, where the children are still full of imagination. The brain behaves just like a muscle - it needs practice and continual use to become more efficient. Giving children the equipment and materials to let their imagination run free is a great way of helping them develop. For older children, riddles and mental challenges are more appropriate for developing critical thinking and problem solving.

In general, discovery can be incorporated in school playgrounds for younger children through moving parts and physical puzzles. In particular, puzzles that involve walking or moving are really good, which is why lots of school playgrounds feature mazes on the floor. Keep an eye out for this when you’re visiting a school playground. On the flip side, trying to put tougher brain teasers into a playground is much more difficult, though there are still some puzzles that might be appropriate.

Overall, the key to a healthy and positive school playground is variety. No playground should focus on a single goal, whether that be physical growth, mental challenges or social opportunities; instead, they should combine all of these targets into one and have equipment that works towards this overarching goal.

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