Fearne Cotton launched a range of clothing for Boots Miniclub last year and how could it fail not to be the epitome of cool? We were therefore excited to hear that the second instalment features Fearne’s first baby collection for newborns, and continues to offer gorgeous garments all the way up to 6 years. 

Featuring cool and vibrant prints and colours, Fearne’s range is about standing out and having fun – while being able to move easily and feel comfortable. Filled with confident and colourful pieces, the range captures the essence of the British spring and summer vibe. From pastel pinks to trendy charcoal greys, the gorgeous colour palettes are brought to life in stylish shapes and animal prints across the collection of chic and compatible clothing including reversible bomber jackets, sweaters, dresses and easy pull-ups. 

The Mini Club Cat dress is a particular favourite of our little fashionista as it is so wearable (and washable) so it gets a thumbs up from both mum and daughter. It has an all over cat print and has functional front pockets, for when the little one wants to stash away her collections of LOL Surprise Dolls or stones .... whatever takes her fancy on that particular day. At £12.00 it is also really affordable too! 

The Mini Club Fearne Frill Sweatshirt  is 95% cotton but has a super soft feel to it that my daughter loves. Trying to strike a balance between comfort and fashion isn't always easy but the FEARNE by Fearne Cotton range manages to make cool clothes feel comfortable!

The FEARNE by Fearne Cotton range has everything for rock chick girls and super cool boys. It provides a style that combines adorable with on trend styling but at afforable prices.

My only criticism of the range is that it only goes up to Age 6 ..... what am I going to do when she gets too big for MiniClub at Boots?

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My tag line is "creating content online since 2009" and for years I used to call myself a pretend blogger. I kind of fell into it for SEO purposes on my ecommerce site but as the years went by, the blog I wrote began to take a life of its own. I don't claim to be a coding expert and whether you are a new, aspiring blogger or one who has already begun to grow, there is always room for more improvement and development.

Blogging is great because it’s so versatile – some people view it as a hobby whereas others take it much more seriously and earn a living from their online presence. But whatever blogging means to you, there’s no reason not to try and be as successful as possible thanks to your efforts.

So, how can you become more successful in your own blogging? Here are some top tips, tricks and ideas to help you out.

Practice

While it may sound straightforward, the more that you practice, the more you are likely to improve. However, this doesn’t just mean churning out endless posts about topics no-one is really interested in. Instead, you should do plenty of research, check out other blogs and get creative with your idea generation. Once you begin to let small parts of everyday life influence you, you are bound to be well on the way towards curating a better, more interesting blog.

Specifics

If you are just starting out in the world of blogging, one of the most common pitfalls is to begin writing about anything and everything. However, what you should do is try to pick a specific niche and stick to it. It’s impossible to be an expert on everything, and many general blogs fail to take full note of the specifics of a particular topic. This can lead to dull, flimsy content that may end up losing your readers – the exact opposite of what you want to achieve!

Marketing

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you don’t need to do marketing just because you don’t own a business. In fact, for many bloggers, their blog is effectively their business anyway, so if you don’t actively promote your work and try to expand your reach, you will only be making yourself suffer in the long run. Even if you aren’t looking to expand fully into SEO, there are still plenty of techniques used by digital marketing professionals that you can expand into your blogging. Go to this website for more information because sending out one tweet per post is never going to promote your blog effectively.

Network

Similarly, another important part of blogging is the sense of community that can develop. Spending time actively getting to know other bloggers and investing in their blog and their content is a really valuable way to build strong connections and develop relationships within your industry. Of course, it may be more valuable to get to know bloggers within the same niche as you, but even chatting to a blogger who posts different content may be a great way to get handy tips and ideas for your own blog. Some of my best online blogging friends have become "real life" friends so it is not only good for your professional persona but your personal one too!.

Persistence

On the surface, this may not initially seem like a particularly important part of life. However, this isn’t to say that it is unimportant – quite the opposite, in fact! Sometimes, blogging can seem like a difficult, thankless task. Day after day you are beavering away at your blog, writing posts, sharing content and interacting with others. When you are caught up in the blogging whirlwind, it can be all too easy to feel trapped or stuck in a rut, as though you aren’t making any progress. This is the point when many bloggers can end up giving up, but you should try your best to stay persistent and maintain your approach. There’s no point trying to sugarcoat it – blogging is time-consuming, lonely and often thankless, but when you finally reach that milestone, there’s no better feeling than watching all that hard work eventually pay off.

Of course, every blogger chooses to approach blogging differently. However you choose to make the most of your blogging, the fact remains the same – if you want to become more successful, you will have to put the extra effort in. But regardless, the rewards are sure to be more than worth the while. 

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Most people experience challenges when it comes to keeping some cash for use in the future. Especially as parents, it is crucial for you to focus on your long-term goals. The goal could be to save money for home renovation, purchase a car, buy a home, or start a business. To succeed in saving the target amount, you have to start monitoring your spending habits and reduce expenses. Here are some of the best saving boosting products on the market.

Open an Individual Savings Account (ISA)

Opening an ISA at your preferred financial institution is one of the best products that will boost savings. At the end of every week or month, you deposit a certain amount of money in the ISA account. It will help you grow savings efficiently without paying taxes, as you are limited to £20,000 each year. Once you lock your cash in the deposit account for a fixed period, you earn an interest income which adds money to your account.

Automate Savings (Use an App)

To boost your savings further, it is crucial to automate savings into your ISA. You can you use automated programs to transfer a certain amount of money to your account. You can set the app to deposit at payday or several times during the month.

No Credit Card

To increase your savings, limit access to cash in the account. Put the funds in your savings account, which is not linked to a credit card.

Lifetime ISA

A lifetime ISA can help you increase your savings. You can use the cash to purchase your first home or use it after retirement. Once you save £4,000 per year, you get 25% bonus in your account from the government. The maximum amount is £1,000 and age limit is 50. Additionally, lifetime ISAs can have cash or stocks or combination of the two.

Help to Buy ISA

In case you are saving to purchase a first home, you should consider keeping cash in a help to buy ISA. The account attracts a government boost of 25% of the amount of savings. The maximum bonus is £3,000. It is available for first time home buyers.

Stocks and Shares ISA

The account allows you to invest your money in a flexible and tax-efficient manner. It offers higher returns than a cash savings account. The gains are tax-free, and you can invest up to £20,000. The stocks and shares ISA allows you to invest in the best portfolio. You can spend on shares, cash, bonds, or commodities, but remember, your capital is always at risk.

Pay Debts

Paying old debts such as education loans, will not only improve your credit score, but also boost your ability to save. Once you have repaid all old debts, you can focus on increasing your savings. Subscriptions To increase your savings, you need to reconsider whether you need various subscriptions services. You can reduce payments to magazines, premium channels subscriptions among others to lower monthly bills and boost savings. Do you really use that gym membership (be honest)? Can you reduce your phone bill?

Coffee and Other Unnecessary Spending

If you love coffee, you can cut daily visits to café and start making coffee at home. Importantly, reduce shopping on items not in the budget.

Consult a Financial Advisor

Set aside some cash to purchase a book on savings tips or consult an advisor. The guide will motivate you to continue savings and we love stuff that motivates you!

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We have had lots of discussions with friends recently about planning for the future and so many of our friends don't have the "pension pot" that their parents did but are choosing property over pensions. The theory is that property is an investment and unless something really terrible happens, you are never going to actually lose money on it. (fingers crossed).

Lots of people now have "blended" families with two people coming together after divorce and are faced with the dilemma of having two houses. Again, so many of our friends have chosen to live in one house and rent out the other. Sounds simple doesn't it? What I didn't realise was all the red tape involved in this from changing your mortgage to the different insurances you need. You need a crash course in the etiquettes and rules of renting not to mention a guide for first time landlords on property insurance.

There are lots of things to consider but equally you avoid all the costs and headaches associated with selling a home too. Ultimately, if you rent your old house out rather than sell it, you could end up over time with a valuable asset that generates a regular income ..... which maybe better than the ever reducing pension pots that our forecast for our generation!

What do you think?

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