The Mirror: Save on your petrol bills

Credit crunch crusader has some good tips on how to save on your petrol bills due to the 2p per litre hike in fuel duty.

If you have a Sainsburys' locally then it's worth ordering our Sainsburys' Gift Cards which will save you 5% on your petrol each time!

You can find your local Sainsbury's here: http://tinyurl.com/lhc6on

BaBeeCard is £9.95 to buy for 2 years, on an average weekly spend of £41.75 you would save £108 a year in fuel alone that's not including the additional saving of 5% on all your groceries, drink and other items you could purchase from Sainsbury's if it's your supermarket of choice.

Tescos' gives new meaning to buy one get one free!

Every little helps is Tesco's slogan, and in the case of handing out double at the ATM, it seems their slogan is ringing true.

Imagine the delight when putting in your bank card and requesting £20 and getting £40 back, I am sure some people must have thought there was a camera somewhere for a "youv'e been punk'd" episode.

I am such a worry wort and have a massinve guilt complex, so much so that I just put the last Smarties Mini Bite back in the fridge for my son when he wakes up from his afternoon nap, even though that little gooey chocolatey bite is a calling me and won't let up!

Just as Tesco launch their big PR campaign to inrease footfall by doubling the clubcard points they manage to give out an extra £5000 in cash due to computer blip at the ATM. It seems it would cost more money to chase each customer to retrieve the money so they have just written it off as a loss.

Technically, taking the money and not reporting it is theft, but the Crown Prosectution Service has said there is no crime that deals specifically with being overpaid by an ATM.

It's funny how things always seem to balance out in the end, some families are desperately struggling with the rise in food prices and general living costs. Life works in mysterious ways and some prayers are answered in the way you would least expect. It seems every cloud has a silver lining, so, ENJOY your windfall people and be grateful to Tescos' for giving you a helping hand.

You can read the full article here

Sainsburys': from paper voucher to Gift Card

We have now moved to a Gift Card from paper vouchers for the Sainsburys' 5% discount available to BaBeeCard cardholders.

You can still use your discount on petrol and can also use your discounted Gift Card to purchase other companies Gift Cards instore at Sainsburys.

Here is a link to the FAQs surrounding the Sainsburys' Gift Card.

With summer sunshine and BBQ's galore, I am sure the 5% discount on everything in-store will come in handy this summer.

You can use the Gift Card at the till against other in-store promotions or coupons from magazines and newspapers.

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.