Easy Money Saving Tips for the School Holidays

With the summer holidays fast approaching, we are all looking for ways to save some money and lower the expense of having to entertain the kids over the long, and hopefully, sunny days. From booking holidays or short trips away to days out. To simply all of the extra food you will need to buy the keep them fed whilst at home, the cost of the school summer holidays can spiral out of control if you're not careful.

But if you are smart, you can hack your holidays and make some savings on not only your grocery shopping but also days out and any extra items you may need to keep them occupied, especially if you are a work from home parent. Getting work done with kids at home all day is a challenge in itself!






Hacking the Summer Holidays




Staying Home


There is nothing wrong with a bit boredom to help kids exercise their imagination and entertain themselves. That being said, sometimes you need to give them a push in the right direction. Kids these days have a huge variety of options when it comes to being occupied at home.

From watching videos online to surfing the net. Playing in the garden or pulling out a family favourite board game. If you feel you need to get your kids a little bit more active why not encourage them to get moving by joining in with a child-friendly workout video on YouTube.

If you have a printer you can find a plethora of resources to print out from colouring sheets to workbooks to help keep the learning going over the holidays.

But if they are glued to their computers as most kids can be, then maybe you can treat them to an Xbox live gold 12-month code to help keep them entertained. This is a great opportunity to get them to help out a little around the house in exchange for the code!



Days Out


Keep an eye out on cereal boxes and bags of chocolates and sweets for some great adults visit free offers. This is a great way to save on the cost of admission to some of your favourite places to visit. For a group of 2 adults and two children, you can really see the savings add up meaning you have more spare cash to enjoy your day out.

Consider purchasing an annual pass. If you are likely to visit the same attraction more than once in the year, it may be worth your while to purchase a yearly pass for the family. In most cases, it works out a lot cheaper. This means you can keep visiting again and again without having the worry of finding a lump sum for the entrance fees.

Take a packed lunch with you. From just taking a few items or drinks only to a full lunch for the family, choosing not to dine out can help save you a lot of money. Especially if you take the food you already have in any way. 



What are your top tips for saving money over the school holidays?


*Collaborative post

Post Comment Love 28th - 30th June

Welcome back for another Post Comment Love. Stephanie and I love welcoming you back every week, but it's also lovely seeing new people join in occasionally. So to one and all "hey!", it's lovely to see you linking up.

Well this is it folks. LP goes on his residential trip on Sunday. Hubby starts his job on Monday. So from Monday I'll be at home on my lonesome all day every day. What on earth will I do with myself? I mean, I know I'll get on with the blogging stuff (obvs) but the house will be so quiet!

I think the biggest thing is that it's all happening at once. So from about 8am I'll be in the house on my own with no school runs or anything planned. Of course there's always the cleaning - but it's not something I particularly want to do. Anyway, I have no doubt after a while, particularly after LP gets home, I'll get used to the new routine.

In a way it's kind of nice that everything is changing all at once. We did it before too. When LP was born Hubby decided he would work from home. And that's how it's been for the last 10 years, and now LP is going into Year 6 in September and on his way to becoming a teenager and Hubby is going back to work in an office. And then there's GCSEs for BP! Crazy few years ahead but I think as a family we'll rock it!

One thing I am looking forward to, and I'm going to make myself do it, is to sit in the lounge on Monday - when the house is quiet and still - and just enjoy a hot coffee. I've been crazy busy getting everyone ready for this new stage and feel like I haven't taken a moment just for me, so that's what I'm going to do.


So that's it from me for this week - although I do just want to say I'm going to be reading through past weeks of PoCoLo as I've been a bit awol with the reading. I will catch up - just give me a little time. 😊


How do you and your family deal with changes to your routine?




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Pocolo


Each week you'll be able to link up from either of our sites and between us Stephanie and I will comment on every post linked.

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Help us spread the #PoCoLo word on Twitter and include the badge on your post.

Please do pop over and say hi to this week's Blogger Showcase. It's always nice to get a comment or two. 

If you'd like to be featured in our Blogger Showcase please do check out the questions and email your answers to us at postcommentlove@gmail.com.

Thank you for popping by.


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How to cope when your kid goes on a school residential trip

Being a mum to school-aged kids means that at some point you'll be faced with residential trips. Your kids will want to take an overnight trip with their school and you have to let them. It's one of the difficult things during the parenting journey, you have to learn to let go - usually before you're ready. And then of course there's helping your son/daughter cope with the trip too. As LP is about to go on his first week-long residential trip I thought I'd put a few tips together for coping when your kid goes on a school residential trip.


How To Cope When Your Kid Goes On A School Residential Trip | Your kid is about to go on a residential trip with school...



Helping them cope with the school residential trip


As a mum your first thought is always for your kids, which means when it comes to residential trips you want to make sure they can cope with being away from you. Whether it's just an overnight trip or a week-long excursion you need to know they can cope before you can even start to be okay with it yourself.



How to help them



  • Talk to them about the trip. Whether you have nervous kids or your son or daughter can't wait to go there are going to be things they're either worried or concerned about. Discuss their worries - make them feel better about going away. Chat about the different things they'll be doing, how they'll be with their school friends, and their teachers will be there if they have a problem. 

  • Get them excited. Talk about the new opportunities they'll find, perhaps they'll get to go in a canoe or maybe even rock climbing. Help them see how exciting the trip will be, how they'll get to experience new things and maybe even find something they can continue at home as a hobby. Tell them it's a chance for them to be a little more grown up, they can show you how responsible they can be by going on a trip and having a wonderful time. Make sure to talk about all the wonderful things that can happen on a residential trip - like being able to stay up late chatting to friends! 


How To Cope When Your Kid Goes On A School Residential Trip | Help them see it will be fun for them.



  • Plan for them to be bored. No matter how many exciting opportunities the teachers have planned there's always going to be times when they could get bored - the coach trip for example. Make sure you, and they, have thought about what they might do when they get bored. That could be an activity book, it could be a handheld console (if they're allowed to take them), or it could be a book. If you plan for them to be bored you know they'll have something to turn to, rather than thinking about how worried they are about the trip.

  • Don't pack anything they'd miss if it got lost. As much as you want them to take something that will comfort them if they're worried, you really don't want them to take a loved teddy bear or something extremely sentimental. The chances are whatever they take could get lost, and if it's something they'll miss it could increase stress rather than help ease it. On LP's last residential trip he lost a teddy bear, because he let someone else use it. Thankfully it wasn't a teddy bear he was particularly fond of so we didn't mind when it wasn't returned - but as a mum it was annoying to find out it was missing. If they really want to take something help them choose something they like but wouldn't stress them if they lost it.

  • Write thoughtful notes for each day. I was reading an article recently from Working Mother entitled 10 touching ways moms make being away easier on their kids and while it wasn't exactly what I was after I did like the Mommy Mail idea. This one is great if your kids are feeling a little worried about the school residential trip. Write them little notes they can open at the start of every day - you could make them sentimental, or inspirational, but it either way it could help them cope. Giving them something to show you're still thinking about them could make them feel better about being away. It's also something exciting for each day that they could look forward to.





Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.

Andre Gide





By helping your kid feel good about going on a school residential trip you can help yourself too, especially if you're worried about them going away. 



How you can cope with your kid going on a school residential trip


Despite already going through it once with BP, as LP gets ready to go on a residential trip I still find myself worrying. It's not that I don't want him to go, I guess it's just a mum's job to worry. I don't like the idea he'll be far away from home and I won't be there if something happens. But I do know that he'll be with people he knows and people who have a responsibility to make sure he's safe. 


How To Cope When Your Kid Goes On A School Residential Trip | They'll have fun with friends, and you'll be fine...



There are a few things you can do to help yourself cope when your son/daughter goes on a residential trip...


  • Be organised before they go. Spend the week before they go organising their clothes, toys, and bits and pieces, so you're sure they have everything they might need. You're not expected to fill a huge suitcase but making sure they're prepared will help you feel better. Include them in the preparations so they can see where everything goes and what you're including. Talk to them about the trip while you're packing, and as they get excited you may start to feel a little better about them going.

  • Plan for an easy few days. This is for you - the last thing you want is to give yourself more things to worry about when you're already stressing about your kid being away from home. Whether they're away for a week or just overnight give yourself a break. Don't stress about getting the dishes done or the washing mountain - it can wait until you're all back to normal. With LP being away for 5 days I'll be planning to take a little time for me to relax. There'll be no school runs, there'll be no play dates. So I can concentrate on me - why not try it?

How To Cope When Your Kid Goes On A School Residential Trip | Sit and drink a hot coffee, maybe even read a book!


  • Organise your week/day. If your kids are on the school residential trip for a week why not plan some things in for you. Perhaps a day shopping, or head to the spa. You could arrange a catch up with friends, or visit family. For us Hubby starts a new job the day after LP goes on his school residential trip so it's all a bit different - but it will give me a chance to get used to a quiet house. As LP grows up (he's almost in Year 6) he wants more independence and I need to get used to that. Being in a house that is suddenly quiet will help me get used to it.

  • Distraction is key. I've written before - back when BP went on his first residential trip - about how I distracted myself when he was away. This time will be no different. I'll dive into my blogging, I'll get housework done, I'll watch my favourite movies and TV shows. I will do all I can to not think about my youngest being away from home - because if I think about it for too long I may cry! Worry will seep in and I'll make myself ill - so distraction will be the word of the week.

  • Focus on self-care. It's a stressful time, so focussing on taking care of yourself may help. Take a shower in a morning, put on make-up, maybe even have a hot coffee and read a book! Whatever it is you like to do to take care of yourself, make time for it while your kid is on their school residential trip. By taking time for you you're easing the stress - and that's got to be a good thing!

School residential trips are a big step for both you and your kids, but by taking steps to make it easier on all of you it will be a lot less stressful. The worry will always be there, you're a mum after all, but you can take steps to ease it, and that will help you function. And when they return from their trip and talk to you about all the amazing things they did you'll wonder why you worried in the first place.





Don't listen to what they say. Go see.






To get another perspective head over to Dad Blog UK to read John's story and check out what other people have to say about preparing your child for their first residential school trip.


How To Cope When Your Kid Goes On A School Residential Trip | Tips to help them and YOU cope when they're away.



What tactics will you use when your kid goes on a school residential trip?




Grab my list of 24 ways you can spend your alone time - it may help distract you from your worry!

Post Comment Love 21st - 23rd June

Welcome to Post Comment Love. Mine and Stephanie's little linky where we welcome all bloggers, all topics. It opens every Friday and is open throughout the weekend. What will you have in store for us this week?

I feel exhausted this week. I've got LP with lots of things going on at school, BP who is starting his Mock GCSEs and the Hubby meant to start his job soon. I feel like my head is about to explode because I'm trying to think of everything I need to do and that has meant I haven't been able to think clearly when it comes to the blog. You may have noticed I haven't posted anything this week - and that's because my brain simply won't work!

It's a struggle and I will definitely be happy once everything has settled back down and I can find some sort of routine - whatever that ends up being. The not knowing what's happening from one day to the next is driving me mad!

So just a short update from me this week. I'm sure once things are settled I'll be back rambling on about nonsense again! Until then...

How much are you hoping the weather improves soon?




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Pocolo


Each week you'll be able to link up from either of our sites and between us Stephanie and I will comment on every post linked.

The rules; Link up your best post written in the last week and we'd like you to comment on at least two other linked posts, as well as the hosts. 

Help us spread the #PoCoLo word on Twitter and include the badge on your post.

Please do pop over and say hi to this week's Blogger Showcase. It's always nice to get a comment or two. 

If you'd like to be featured in our Blogger Showcase please do check out the questions and email your answers to us at postcommentlove@gmail.com.

Thank you for popping by.


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Post Comment Love 14th - 16th June

Welcome back to Post Comment Love - Our little linky hosted by myself and Stephanie where we welcome all bloggers, all topics. I'm looking forward to getting back on track with reading all your posts - I'm slightly behind but I'll get there!

Well it's all go for us at the moment. We've got BP starting his Mock GCSEs next week - he's been revising for weeks and I think he's taking it very seriously. He does need nudging occasionally but all in all I'd say he's doing well. LP has all the school trips coming up. He's had Maths challenges at  a different school, a sports day at a different school, and he's going to watch a cricket match next week. He's also going on a 5-day residential trip at the end of the month - which completely terrifies me but I know he's really looking forward to it.

And that's just the boys!

Remember I was being a bit cryptic a few weeks ago? Something was going on but it was all up in the air? Well I can now reveal why I've been so absent recently. Hubby has got a new job!

After 10 years of working at home he'll be off to work in an office from the start of July, which means huge changes to our routine from then on. Of course it won't make a lot of difference to my working day but it's exciting all the same. We've talked to the boys about it, we've planned for our new routine, and hopefully it'll all work out.

One thing I will say is that the house will be very quiet during the day. I'm so used to Hubby being at home and hearing him on the phone or playing music that it'll be eerily quiet when he's in the office. But I'm sure I'll get used to it.

Other than that it's the same as usual for us. I'm the same old mama plodding along making sure everyone is healthy and happy.



How do you deal with changes to your routine?




Blogger Showcase Michael from Your Money Geek




WHO ARE YOU?


I'm Michael and I blog at Your Money Geek. I'm married to a wonderful and supportive woman who goes by the name Mrs. Money Geek on the blog. We have two children who are growing up waaaay too fast. 

We enjoy watching science fiction movies, playing tabletop games, and going to comic book conventions. 



HOW DID YOU DISCOVER BLOGGING?


It's was a complete accident. I hired a company to promote my business and they talked be into setting up a blog.

I had no idea what a blog was, however, they convinced me. Our agreement was I would approve the post they wrote. When they started sending me over drafts, I was disappointed in the content.

I fired them and took the blog over, after writing my first post I was hooked.



WHY DID YOU START BLOGGING?


When I took over, I started studying information online about blogging. I quickly realized I had to decide to use the blog promote my financial planning practice or to turn it into a side hustle.

I choose to make the blog a side hustle because it felt more objective. Since the blog isn’t beholden to my practice I free to network with more people, and I don’t have to worry about offending a potential client.

Not to say it couldn’t happen anyway, I just don’t worry about it. 😉



WHAT DO YOU FIND MOST CHALLENGING?


Writing for Google is my biggest challenge. I like to write posts that I'm passionate about, that are unique, and fun. It's extremely hard to get those kinds of posts do well in Google. 

I'm trying to grow my social media and email list so hopefully someday I won't need to worry about Google.

So, if you are looking to read some cool money posts, success story interviews, or geek culture mash ups follow me on Twitter @YourMoneyGeek and join our email list for updates. ;)



WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE TOPIC TO WRITE ABOUT.


I love writing about unique way to save or make money. The personal finance community tends to focus on delays satisfaction or no satisfaction, that feel the public thinks the only way to save money is to do without.

However, life is about balance, its ok to save some money and spend some money. We just want to make sure when people spend money you do it as efficiently and responsibly as possible.

So, if your goal is to save money to go on vacation, then we are going to help you do it.

The are a ton of blogs and it is hard to stand out; so, I always opportunities to try things another bloggers wont. Once we interviewed women who sell worn panties online (Don’t worry Mrs. Money Geek was onboard with it) and we teamed up with cool food blogger to make zombie animal crackers for the release of Zoombies 2.


ARE YOU BLOGGING FOR FUN OR DO YOU HAVE GOALS?


I blog for fun, but I do have goals. I would like to turn the blog into a full-time business. 

My mission with the blog is to make personal finance fun and help inspire people. I would love to turn the blog into a full-time business so I could focus on helping more people.



WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT BLOGGING?


The readers are the best, I love when I get an email of comment from a reader telling me I helped then. 



HAVE YOU EVER ATTENDED A BLOGGING CONFERENCE AND IF SO, WHAT DID YOU THINK?


I attended FinCon last year and It was a great experience. Having an opportunity to meet some of the leading personal finance bloggers really fired me up and motivated me to turn the blog into a business. 



WHAT ARE YOUR THREE BEST POSTS?


The first two posts were written to address some of the condescending information that tends to circulate in the personal finance space. The last post I wrote with some fellow bloggers because I felt a placed name Your Money Geek, should have the best Star Wars financial lessons post ever!!!






DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 3 WORDS.


Snarky Money Geek



ARE YOU A TEA AND BISCUITS OR COFFEE AND CAKE PERSON?


I wouldn’t survive without coffee. I have a year’s supply of green coffee beans stored to ensure survival of the Zombie apocalypse or the unlikely chance of a disaster. 

I would favor the biscuits over cake, but if I have plenty of coffee, I would get along with either choice. 



WHAT'S YOUR IDEA OF THE PERFECT NIGHT OUT?


Dinner and a Movie! It’s a classic for a reason. 



AND THE PERFECT NIGHT IN?


It is hard to beat pizza night and some silly sci-fi movies. 



WHAT WOULD YOUR BEST FRIEND/OH/MUM OR KIDS SAY IS YOUR BEST QUALITY?


I think the kids appreciate that I enjoy Lego and video games as much as they do. 😉



Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions Michael, I love that you enjoy Lego and video games - me too! Hubby and I have a huge collection of Lego sets that we regularly build and take apart. Please feel free to grab our 'featured' badge and display it ever-so-proudly on your blog.

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Pocolo


Each week you'll be able to link up from either of our sites and between us Stephanie and I will comment on every post linked.

The rules; Link up your best post written in the last week and we'd like you to comment on at least two other linked posts, as well as the hosts. 

Help us spread the #PoCoLo word on Twitter and include the badge on your post.

Please do pop over and say hi to this week's Blogger Showcase. It's always nice to get a comment or two. 

If you'd like to be featured in our Blogger Showcase please do check out the questions and email your answers to us at postcommentlove@gmail.com.

Thank you for popping by.


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Cervical Screening could save your life!

In 2017 I was diagnosed with cervical cancer after attending a routine cervical screening appointment. It was not something that was on my radar, I hadn't even considered it a possibility, but it is thanks to cervical screening that I am still here today. That routine test saved my life, and I cannot think about what might've been if I hadn't had that screening. That's why I'm here today, to tell you why cervical screening could save your life.



About Cervical Screening


The examination itself takes about 5 minutes. Yes, that's right - just five minutes and it could save your life. 

It can be uncomfortable for some women, me included, and so I tend do try breathing exercises to calm myself down. In the past the doctor has advised me to take painkillers before the cervical screening to help with any pain, and it does help. 


Cervical Screening Could Save Your Life! | I am thankful every day.



You should also consider the clothes you're wearing. If you're going to be uncomfortable stripping down then wear a long skirt that you can hitch up, that way you may feel more covered.

I can understand why some women are uncomfortable or even afraid of going to their cervical screening appointment. It's a scary thing to think this is to test for cervical cancer. But actually cervical screening is done to prevent cervical cancer from developing. The screening tests your cells and should identify if any of your cells have changed. If there are any abnormal changes to your cells you'll be contacted so further checks can be done. By having your cervical screening any abnormal changes can be detected and the earlier these changes are found the easier the treatment.

If you'd like to read more the NHS website is a great place to start.



A few facts


  • 1 in 10 people will have an abnormal result after cervical screening - about 220,000 women every year.

  • Cervical cancer is rare thanks to screening and early treatment - our screening programme saves 5,000 lives every year.

  • 80% of people who have treatment won't have cell changes again.





Sometimes you get to choose your battles and sometimes the battle chooses you.






My experience


Back in 2017 I attended my cervical screening appointment after being nagged by the Hubby. My reminder letter had been sitting on the kitchen counter for weeks. Finally I went and I never imagined anything would come of it.

Three weeks to the day later I received a letter that told me I needed further checks. Thanks to the cervical screening they had found I had high-grade dyskariosis - this means my cells had changed a lot and I needed further tests, and possibly treatment. This was a scary letter to receive, I had no idea what high-grade dyskariosis was or that it was any indication of what was to come. 

I had to go to the hospital for them to do a colposcopy - that's like a cervical screening but this time instead of using a tiny little brush to check your cells they use a microscope to look at your cervix and determine if you need further treatment. During my colposcopy the doctor decided to do the treatment then and there. It was basically surgery - where they took cut out some of my cervix in order to test it later. Using a device which had wire to cut out the cells they did the surgery and told me everything should be fine and it was all just as a precaution. 






First of all the surgery was uncomfortable. Very. I was in a lot of pain, despite anaesthetic, and I was very scared. The nurse was lovely though, and tried chatting to me the entire time. The surgery had recovery time too - I couldn't go for a swim for 6 weeks, I couldn't have a bath, and I wasn't allowed to have sex. Certainly not what I had expected when I went for that first check. 

But what came next was the biggest shock I have ever had. A letter first, that said the doctor wanted to discuss results. Again I went to the hospital to chat to the doctor, and this time Hubby went with me. That's when the doctor told me I had cervical cancer. They'd tested the cells they removed and found cancer. I was stunned - I think I sat there with a stupid smile on my face unable to take it in. 

The doctor said the cancer was very small, but as a precaution they wanted to do the colposcopy and surgery again, to make sure they'd cut out all the cancer. So after my 6 weeks recovery, and an extra week for good measure, I was back in the hospital having more surgery. More recovery time. More restrictions. And the second time the surgery was more painful. But to be honest I was happy for them to do it if it meant making sure I didn't still have cancer.

A couple of weeks later my doctor called me - the first time a doctor has phoned me, EVER. It was good news, and I cried over the phone! I was so pleased that they hadn't found more cancer. Because of the diagnosis I'd had to discuss things like hysterectomy and other options if they'd found more cancer. Thankfully I didn't have to worry about those things now. 



So how are things now?


I had no idea that that first cervical screening appointment could save my life. I mean, you hear it all the time but you don't actually think it'll happen to you. You think it's just one of those things that doesn't happen to real people - but it does.


Cervical Screening Could Save Your Life! | I am so thankful I'm still here for my boys.
If it weren't for cervical screening I may not be here today.



After my surgeries I had to have more regular screening - basically more colposcopies without the surgery. Every 6 months following my diagnosis I had to go back to the hospital for the doctor to check my cervix and make sure the cancer hadn't returned. This September, if everything is okay, I go to annual checks - still at the hospital. But if things stay the same eventually I'll be able to go back to regular cervical screening. That day can't come quick enough!



Still scared of cervical screening?


I hated going for my cervical screening, I was always uncomfortable and it hurt. But now I'm looking forward to having regular cervical screening because I've had to go through the colposcopy and surgery. Every 3 years? Yes please. At the moment my checks are every 6 months, and hopefully going to annually soon. Attending a routine cervical screening appointment at my local doctor's surgery, every 3 years, sounds brilliant to me.

Thanks to the cervical screening I am still here for my boys. I haven't had to go through chemotherapy because the cancer was small enough to be cut away. I am healthy (for the most part) and happy, and the cervical screening programme really did save my life.





A smear test lasts 5 minutes. The impact of cervical cancer lasts a lifetime.






The chances of you being diagnosed with cervical cancer are very low, but wouldn't you want to catch it early if you were diagnosed? 

That's why cervical screening is so important. Those 5 minutes you're uncomfortable could save your life.


Cervical Screening Could Save Your Life! | I am here today thanks to cervical screening.



If you've been diagnosed with cervical cancer, or experienced cell changes, or just want to chat, Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust is a great website that offers support to women who have experience these issues.



When did you last attend a cervical screening?




Being diagnosed with cervical cancer helped me realise I can spend time on me! If you're struggling to spend time alone here's a few ideas you could try out...