Phil & Teds 3-wheeler - Save 20% with BaBeeCard and Babyworld.com combined discount

Now that I have finally come to terms with having another baby (took me a while to get my head around my life turning upside down again), I have started to think about all the little hiccups that may present themselves whilst nurturing a newborn and a toddler tearaway. The pram issue is first on my list to solve!

I ADORE my Quinny travel system and bought it purely on the hydraulic system, the shape and of course, the acid green colour only a Shrek fan could love. I then bought a lightweight foldaway buggy which I hate, it's so flimsy, I have already broken it in a temper when trying to fold it away and worst of all, it's black, which I find totally boring. Give me colour, stripes or polka dots, anything but boring black but after seeing a Phil & Teds on http://www.babyworld.com/ with a 10% discount, coupled with my BaBeeCard 10% discount, I may just have to settle this time for something a little more understated. (wonder if they do any diamonte or blingtastic accessories?)

I really don't want to spend another £400 plus on a new buggy system but it'll be sods law that once I make the decision to buy a toddler board for the Quinny, my son will decide he doesn't like walking anymore at all and will be a total pain to take anywhere. He is already displaying some early signs of "carry me mummy, walking is tooooo much like hard work" with arms stretched upwards, big puppy dog eyes and blocking my path whenever I want to take a few steps forward, so heaven knows what he will be like when his rival sibling is cacooned in the buggy and is being pushed.

I have heard some very good reviews about Phil & Teds and a few bad ones but then even my Quinny drove me mad occassionaly as I live in the country and the woods really don't like the pram wheels, also it says up to 3 years old but the straps are impossible to release to accomodate even a 2 year old!

Original price: £426.45
Babyworld members price: £383.00 (10% discount)
Additional BaBeeCard discount: £38.30 (10% discount)
Total: £344.70

You save a total of £81.75 when purchasing from babyworld.com and using the BaBeeCard discount code - if you don't have a BaBeeCard then paying the £9.95 to get one will STILL save you £71.75.

Before I take the plunge, do any of you have a Phil & Teds 3 wheeler and what are your views on it's usability, value for money etc?

Post retail sex - trip to the sausage counter at the butchers anyone?

According to mycelebrityfashion.co.uk women feel more in the mood for sex after shopping for themselves, erm, now I don't know about other people but shopping for "myself" these days consists of a bigger bra, maternity clothes, flatter shoes and bio-oil!

Even before I became pregnant again, shopping for myself was occassionally a new dress to shoe-horn my post-baby body into, a pair of high heels that I look nice but I can't actually walk in or some new underwear that is "comfy" rather than sexy. (Oh the joys of motherhood!)

A study of 2062 women between 18-35 shows that 38% of women and more likely to have sex with their partner after a good spree.

"When asked “are you more likely to feel ‘in the mood’ for sex after shopping?” 38% of respondents said ‘yes’."

I wonder what percentage of the 38% had children running amok at home?!

Shopping these days leaves me tired, frustrated and longing to escape the bright lights, assault on my cash flow and disappointment that the mirror trickery in-store doesn't work in the same way as it does at home. The shock of finding out that I am actually 5 foot 5 and slightly larger around the bottom and thighs than the shop mirror led me to believe always leaves me feeling depressed and determined to "get in shape", in fact, those blooming mirrors give me a complex!

The overiding feeling post retail these days is one of "guilt", imagine how many nappies I could have bought with that money......

Ladies, I would LOVE to hear your comments on this research as it really can't be true, can it?

Every body needs a dream and mine is Barbados!

Foul Bay, Barbados

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” C S Lewis

Dreams keep us sane amongst the madness of every day stresses and strains. With being 6 months pregnant, dealing with a toddler, running a business and a home it's enough to drive me to gorge on triple chocolate fudge cake all day and keep me bed bound curled up into a ball watching Come Dine With Me back to back.


One thing that really has kept me focussed this year is the post baby, post tantrum toddler thought of planning another trip to my favourite destination of all time; Barbados! Now, I have been lucky enough to travel to some of the most beautiful countries in the world but there is something about Barbados that makes me feel as though I am home from home.

I have been twice so far, once back in 2002 with a best friend who convinced me to take a charter flight to a series of beautiful islands even though I am PHOBIC about flying. After much coercion I agreed and nearly fainted when I saw the pilot was younger than me, I was only in my mid twenties at the time but this guy looked a complete pup! even worse was to come, he fancied my friend so promised to let her sit in the pilot’s seat on the way home and take control!

The islands are stunningly beautiful and we sailed on a catamaran all day drinking rum punch and listening to reggae, on the way home my friend did as the pilot promised and sat up front, hands on controls. She took one look back at me, saw the sheer terror on my face, my hand clutching the door lever and decided she had put me through enough.

I will never forget that experience for as long as I live! To make it up to me I made her drive a mini-moke across the island in blazing heat to what I can only describe as heaven, Crane Beach (voted one of the world’s best 10 beaches), this is on the Atlantic side of the island and is everything you would imagine of paradise, beautiful blue seas, white surf and sand so bright it’s blinding.

The second time I visited Barbados was in October last year for my honeymoon, one week of absolute bliss (hubby’s idea was solely baby making but my idea was copious amounts of sleep, pina coladas and Caribbean food!)

There are lots of things to do in Barbados and the people are so beautiful, smiley and welcoming. We drove to Sunbury plantation house, swam with turtles (although I was a complete baby and wouldn’t swim far enough out for fear of Jaws), went on a night time cruise, stopped at Foul Bay (only me, hubby and our two friends on the entire beach) and to top it all off, had Sunday brunch at the Crane Hotel whilst being sung to by a gospel choir.

If you are a fish lover, you must go and visit Oistins on a Friday night where they have fish stalls selling the most scrumptious food alongside a party atmosphere, my hubby hates fish so I made sure he had eaten before and then made all his nightmares come true with the smell of fish, fish and more fish! to say he left me alone that night was an understatement :-)

Even after 10 days I didn’t want to leave and had already starting talking about “how much would a villa be to buy” but I had an 18 month old to get home to and missed him sorely. I did promise myself that I would be back again for another holiday as soon as I could and my husband seems to have found the perfect excuse. The cricket in 2010!

The newest edition to the family will be 6 months old, Granny can spend some “quality time” with her grandchildren, mummy can have a much earned break sitting in the sunshine whilst daddy watches the cricket. Heaven!

So here’s to my new saving plan, taking my trusted BaBeeCard with me to keep my money secure and enjoying the sound of steel drums and surf lapping the shore. The taste of the freshest fish you could ever hope for and another unforgettable experience on my favourite island.

My travel tips would be to experience the following:

· Rent a mini-moke and drive up the cost to Bathsheba
· Visit Sunbury plantation house
· Swim with and feed the turtles
· Take a night time cruise with limbo dancers
· Sample the local lobster
· If your budget can stretch – visit the surrounding islands for the day
· Go to Oistins fish market on a Friday night and eat until you have to be rolled home
· Sunday brunch at Crane Beach Hotel with gospel choir singing harmonious notes in your ear
· Dinner at Daphnes (they do the most amazing granny smith sorbet, that really is indescribable!)

London, a cheaper city! you sure?

Well, before I fell head over heels with my now husband (yes, it really was one look and ooeer missus) I used to live in East London in a bubble, yes you read that right, I literally lived in a bubble called Bow Quarter which had it's own fitness centre, underground shop, bar, restaurant, estate agent, telephone box and statue in memory of all the little matchbox girls.

If someone had told me then that London was inexpensive to live in I would have laughed them outside the big iron gates that seperate "the bubble dwellers" from the real world but apparantly London has droped 13 places to number 16 in the annual worldwide cost of living survey from Mercer.

It seems that the recession and the weak pound have helped London become more affordable.

Now that I live in the countryside and have a son and another baby on the way, I view my cost of living in a totally new light, my money used to be spent on me, me, me and now it's spent on the family so I tend to equate things to how many nappies, wipes and toys could I buy with the same money I just blew on a light bite or meeting a friend for lunch.

When I think back to my days of singledom, I cringe at just how much money I spent on completely unecessary things like another handbag, going out 4-5 times a week and an obscene amount on convenient and tasty food & drink!

I am still not convinced London is really cheaper than it was, I think people have altered the way they live and are consuming less and tightening their purse strings more.

It will be interesting to see where London sits on that list in the next couple of years as we slowly claw our way out of a recession.

Some London facts:

- Over 300 languages spoken
- In 2008 52 Michelen stars were awarded to London restaurants
- 5 airports server 155 worldwide destinations
- Every week the 409 escalators in the London tube cover equivalent of several trips around the globe

What are your thoughts on London, do you still find it a very expensive place to live or have you noticed (apart from interest rates dropping) a decrease in your living expenses day-t0-day?

Check out the TimesOnline for London living on the cheap http://tiny.cc/livingcheaplyinlondon

If you already have a BaBeeCard then why not take advantage of the London based offers we have available to you, some examples below such as:

Taste London:
Eat well, pay far less! Taste London membership gives you half-price meals at 400 of London's best restaurants for 12 months.

Annual membership normally - £69.95
BaBeeCard special rate - just £34.95!

Supermarket discounted vouchers
Save 5% on every shop at ASDA, M&S and Sainsburys' (all in-store products)

Clothing:
10% discount at GAP
8% discount at TopShop, TopMan, Dorothy Perkins, Outfit & New Look
5% MotherCare

Department stores
5% discount at Selfriges & Co
10% discount at Debenhams & House of fraser
8% discount at John Lewis

Out & about
8% off at London Eye & London Zoo, Theatre Tokens, Madamme Tussauds, London Dungeon

Plus many many more offers at over 100 retailers.

BaBeeCard first tip of 20 money saving tips you've never heard before

As seen on Timesonline.com Money Central Blog

Dinner party conversations are dominated by ways to reduce the amount we spend. We are now all familiar with cheap restaurant deals, or the benefits of shopping around online. We all know someone who is growing vegetables in the garden or darning their socks.

But do you know how to store your fruit so it lasts longer, or what to use instead of washing powder? We have scoured the internet to find 20 money saving tips we think you might not have come across before. If you are already practicing these thrifty tricks, use the comment space below to share other suggestions.

1. Get a BabeeCard
Parents should join the BabeeCard (http://www.babeecard.com/) prepaid card scheme, which offers discounts of up to 20 per cent at a number of high street retailers.

2. Join fixture Ferrets
For 10p a week you can join Fixture Ferrets (http://www.fixtureferrets.com/), a website which will keep you up to date on the various offers available at supermarkets across the UK. It will even send you text alerts about the latest deals.

3. Visit the deal centre online
Sign up to http://www.dealcentre.co.uk/ or http://www.searchfreebies.co.uk/ for a comprehensive guide to the best promotions available across the internet.

4. Ask for a "rain check" voucher
If a special offer has run out, ask for a "rain check" voucher. Tesco, Sainsbury's and a number of other supermarkets offer the vouchers, which allow you to benefit from the offer the next time you are in the store, even after the promotion is over.

5. Do not assume that bigger packets mean better value
Some items, such as dog food or washing powder, can be more expensive in bigger packs. Check the price per 100g on the shelf label before buying in bulk.

6. Use vinegar in place of whiteners in your wash
Adding vinegar to your wash ensures your whites emerge from the washing machine whiter than white at a fraction of the cost. It also doubles as a stain remover if applied directly to your clothes.

7. Use baking powder in your wash
Add baking soda to your washing machine powder or dishwasher powder to make it last longer.

8. Use glycerine as a moisturiser
Glycerine is an effective moisturiser and is the foundation of many more expensive products on the market. However, it can be bought for next to nothing from you local chemist.

9. Create your own "mulch"
You can prevent soil from drying out around flowers and plants in your garden by adding "mulch", effectively a layer of any material used to cover the garden bed. However, instead of expensive options such as wood chippings or peat, collect fallen leaves or grass clippings and
store in a black bag with some water until it is rotten then spread over the bedding.

10. Keep your fridge full
You can help your fridge work more effectively by keeping it full - use bottles of water to fill empty shelves. However, if you rarely fill your fridge, downgrade to a smaller model. You will save energy and are likely to buy and waste less food.

11. Make "mop-up squares" from old T-shirts
You can save money on kitchen cloths by cutting up old T-shirts to make square cloths you can use to wipe up spillages, suggests thrift expert Rebecca Ash.

12. Store bananas separately
Bananas release a gas which hastens the rate at which other fruit goes off.

13. Protect your apples in paper
You can keep apples for several months by wrapping each one in newspaper as it makes it much harder for rot to spread.

14. Do not put some fruit and veg in the fridge
Do not keep satsumas in the fridge as the cold can turn them to mush. The same is true of peppers, cucumbers, courgettes and marrows.

15. Store mushrooms in a wine rack
It may sounds silly but if you store mushrooms in a paper bag and keep them in a wine rack they will stay fresher for longer, according to experts.

16. Watch TV live
Instead of paying for theatre or cinema tickets, get free tickets to the filming or recording of TV or radio shows. Visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/tickets/ or http://www.itv.com/beontv/tickets/ for more information.

17. Save on train fares
Buy train tickets over the phone, even if you are already at the station - prices over the phone can be cheaper than buying from the ticket office directly.

18. Stay in a halls of residence
University halls of residence are much cheaper than hotels for city breaks.

19. Swap your old books for new
The website http://www.readitswapit.co.uk/ allows you to exchange the books you've already read for the books you want to read next. Postage is around £1.40 per book.

20. Buy eggs from your local farmers market
Farmers markets have become synonymous with expensive organic meat and cheese, but some items on sale at your local market are markedly cheaper than the supermarket, namely eggs. In some markets, you can buy a dozen of free-range eggs for half the price of the supermarkets.

By James Charles

10 top money saving tips when preparing for your newborn

1. Furniture
Try not to buy anything until you have checked with family and friends to see if they have any old pieces going for free, borrow or to keep. Freecycle is a neat little site to find freebies in your area that you can go and collect; it’s great way to keep the landfill sites down whilst furnishing your nursery absolutely free.

Top tip: Always buy a new mattress for a cot or Moses basket and always buy a new car seat as it may have previously been in an accident and be unsafe.

2. Breast v Bottle
If you can breastfeed it is by far the cheapest option. Formula milk is a money sponge and is also pretty fiddly with all the bottles and teats, not to mention the added cost of all the sterilising equipment.

As they say, breast is best!

3. Clothes and baby shoes
It’s SO easy to spend a small fortune on all those cute little outfits for your newborn.
But babies don’t need shoes, they are perfectly happy kicking about in their teeny weeny socks, plus what parent doesn’t love kissing the soles of their baby’s feet? I learnt the hard way as my son didn’t wear one pair, they either fell off or after getting him all changed putting them back on seemed pointless as I would only have to take them off again.

SAVE your money for when they start to cruise and really need shoes!

4. Toys
Save your pennies, don’t buy toys for newborns. Babies mainly sleep, eat and need a cuddle. Car keys, wooden spoons, Tupperware, TV remotes and a phone handset will be more than enough to keep them fascinated.

5. Thoughtful and practical baby shower gifts
Guess the birth weight? Guess the size of clothing? Now that is a waste of money. Why not ask friends and family to club together and buy you either store vouchers or supermarket vouchers that you can use over 6 months to buy your essentials like nappies, wipes, and formula (if bottle feeding).

You could put a list together of your absolute essentials that would take the financial burden off you if they were bought as gifts? These need not be expensive items and you will be surprised how chuffed your givers will be when they buy you something that you really need.

6. Burp clothes and other fancy non-necessities
Walking into a baby shop can be completely overwhelming. The range of items available is staggering, but how many of them are actually necessary? Do you really need patterned burp clothes, or would a clean flannel or tea towel do? It is easy to overspend on the non-essentials and before you know it, your budget is straight out of the window. Make a list of what you need and see if there is a cheaper alternative to each item.

7. Nappies and wipes
Reusable nappies work out the cheapest and some local authorities will give you a small grant to offset some of the cost. If you are going to go for disposables then supermarket own brands are just as effective as well known brands and are a lot cheaper. Buying in bulk will also save you money, but you do need ample storage space for this kind of purchasing decision. For your local incentive scheme visit BabyKind.

8. Changing table
There are many great looking changing tables out there, but the top of a waist height dresser will do just the same job and you can use it for storing blankets, sheets and baby clothes. You will get years out of it, whereas the changing table facility will cease being useful once your baby can stand and is cheeky enough to wriggle about and climb.

9. Baby baths - back to basics
Newborns need topping and tailing for the first few weeks and then they can snuggle up safely on your chest getting skin-to-skin contact when you bathe. A kitchen sink is big enough to bathe your baby in if you don’t feel comfortable being in the tub. Baby baths are a waste of money as they grow out of them so quickly and I am sure there have been quite a few “Oops who put that toy there?” when carrying a full bath to empty it.

10. The best things in life are free
· Your soothing voice as you sing your little one a lullaby.
· Your warm skin and motherly embrace as you hold them close to your beating heart.
· The stories you can tell them about all the things they are going to see and experience.
· The love and affection from all those around them that care.
· A baby needs warmth, love, food & security – this really doesn’t have to cost the earth.

If I didn't laugh - I would cry...

Tears of joy that is as my son will be having a little sister in early November, well that's what the sonographer told me. Don't buy anything pink she said, just in case.....that's like telling a child not to put his hand in the cookie jar when you leave the lid off and at mouth height!

Anyway, have been missing my blogging with so much going on and have been trying to save the general public from any hormonal ramblings I may be tempted to post. I seem to have them in check at the moment hence daring to come on here and share my good, albeit disruptive news.

I have only JUST got my head around a wobbly throwing 2 year old and am now thrown in at the deep end, it's sink or swim baby!

I think I might just make a swim for it.