Cheap rail fares for train journeys

Thinking of travelling by train? If you're based in Scotland First ScotRail are currently offering a very good deal for families. For every adult purchasing a weekday offpeak ticket, two children go for free. The offer is limited to travel in Scotland but offers two adults the ability to take up up to four children free of charge. If there is a catch with this offer it is the Monday to Friday limit so if you have school children this might be more difficult. However, First ScotRail have also teamed up with some major tourist attractions to offer further discounts. Definitely worth a look.
More details are available from the First ScotRail website.

Free computers/internet access for families

Reading this blog I assume you have a computer and internet access. But if you are using someone elses equipment or know of a friend who does not have such a facility then visit Home Access. This government funded initiative has been designed to encourage low income families to apply for a grant for a free computer and/or internet access. Certain restrictions apply including the need to have children at primary school age and income below a specific level but it still remains a wonderful benefit.

Back at the blogging

It's a while since I've blogged on this site. Other projects have kept me busy but now I'm back to focusing on ways to save you and your kids money. If you're looking for things to do this Christmas then Enjoy Englands "kid go free" might be of interest. http://www.enjoyengland.com/ideas/special-offers/kids.aspx

Costco offers

If like me you are a member of Costco you will be receiving vouchers for special offers. However, even if you are not they are usually available in-store. Some that have caught my eye include Tetley Tea Bags x440 (3 for 2 offer); Higland Spring Still Water 20x750ml(BOGOF) and if you like to keep fit there is £100 off the Nordik Track E7 SV Elliptical Trainer (£399 rather than £499). In my next posting I hope to do a detailed look at Costco and whether you are better shopping here than in your local supermarket.

Two for one meal offers

The credit crunch continues to make life difficult for restaurants. However, this also offers more opportunities for families to make bigger savings when dining out. Two for one offers are one way of achieving this. Among the restaurants offering such a deal are Pizza Express, Prezzo and Cafe Rouge.

Costco offers

The blog has been quiet over Christmas/January as I have been hit by the dreaded man-flu. (No, it really does exist...) I hope to publish a short review of Costco soon but in the meantime they have been sending me some voucher offers. Some particularly interesting deals include:
1. Danish smoked/unsmoked bacon. (6 pack) Buy two and save £5
2. Huggies Nappies. Buy two and save £14
3. Ribena (27 pack) Save 25%

Family sites that are for real

Nice as it is to look through slick professional websites supposedly tailored for the bigger family, I always enjoy sites that are the real thing. 4ormore.co.uk certainly fits that bill. Created by a mother of five it is both amusing and practical. I especially enjoyed her crash page. Has she been visiting our house recently?! Some good links on this site plus an active forum makes this worth a look.

Christmas shopping

If you are like me, one of those people who prefer to do your shopping from the comfort of your armchair and are a big fan of online sites then check out Amazon's deals. They are offering among other bargains 60% off major DVDs and 70% off health & beauty products. A major saving if it happens to be a product you were already looking at for Christmas.

Petrol prices

Although there is currently little Christmas cheer to be seen in terms of living costs, one key improvement over the last month has been the price of petrol. As someone who travels at least 200 miles every week and needs to fill their tank up at the same time, I take a keen interest in the cost of fuel. I have thus recently subscribed to Petrolprices.com The site claims to have data from over 10,000 stations and receive 8,000 daily updates. It will send me weekly updates on the cheapest prices in my area based on my chosen postcodes. I will be looking at how accurate the data is over the next few weeks and providing a report for this blog.

Mysupermarket

Shopping is a constant theme on this blog and one for which I make no apology. Food bills are not only a large outgoing for large families but also one of the few areas where significant savings can be made on a week by week basis. I have thus been looking at mysupermarket recently. Its an interesting site that combines the ability to shop for groceries online while also acting as a comparison site. I hope to have a more in-depth look shortly and come back with a more detailed review.

Cheap rate on hotel rooms

Last summer we drove down to Cornwall and to break the journey we stayed in a Travelodge. As there were seven of us this required two family rooms. Although hardly luxury the rooms were fine for overnight accommodation and are usually situated for easy access to a motorway. They are now offering big discounts on rooms with some as low as £9 a night. Although there does not seem to be a lot at that price there are plenty on offer for as low as £19 if you are booking for 2009. If you're planning a long journey in the new year and are looking for cheap family rooms to stop overnight then it would be worth looking now.

Family fun in England

Normally I'm not a big fan of websites with weird or zany graphics but I'll make an exception in the cae of monsterfamily.com Run by Visit England this site has been designed to help families choose days out or longer for their kids. There are over 7,000 attractions listed on the site and their short breaks feature allows you to narrow down by region, theme and the age group of your children. Other useful features include places to stay and forthcomng events. However, perhaps the most useful feature for big families is the Offers section which includes a list over 200 places that provide discounts, two for one offers etc. If you live in England or are planning to visit there then this site is worth a visit.

Tips for frugal living

Every day it seems there is another site or blog on how to save money. Over time I hope to review some of these and recommend those that I feel might benefit readers of this blog. One of the more long running sites and one that seems like a genuine guide to saving money rather than a slick commercial site is Frugal Living in the UK. The site includes links to freebies, making a few pounds, and some thirfty recipes! Some good simple tips on this site.

2 for 1 deals for London and the South East

Travelling by train isn't always the easiest option with children but it could save you money. Daysoutguide.co.uk has a large list of places to go and things to see for anyone travelling by train in London and the South. You can search for the type of place e.g beach, location and even the train company to take you there! It also allows you to limit your search to those with offers such as the London 2 for 1 offer or attractions that are free.

Costco - a bargain even at this price

Our family are a big fans of BOGOFs (Buy one, get one free) and with five hungry children we are always on the look out for bargains. However, I had never investigated discount warehouses such as Costco even though we knew of friends who used them. It was with some degree of scepticism then that I popped into the Edinburgh store last week - and was pleasantly suprised. Although the range of food brands is fairly limited and the emphasis is on bulk buying there is definite savings to be made for the larger family. I will be looking at this store in more detail in future postings and highlighting some specific deals.

Save on delivery charges

As a family that has used Tesco online to order groceries we are conscious that the delivery charge can add a premium on to your bill and one we might better use for additional food! In a attempt to get people shopping for Christmas Tesco is currently offering free delivery on orders over £50 through Tesco Direct. If you are a bigger family who sometimes use online shopping then this seems an ideal way to save a delivery charge even if you are simply doing your regular weekly shopping. Note this offers end on October 19th.

Bargain shopping

Getting the best deals in your supermarket shopping can be a bit of a challenge. Are you paying more for that washing powder than you need to? Supermarkets assure us that they are constantly checking each others prices and thus do the work for us. But are we convinced? I thus like the idea of some dedicated shoppers constantly monitoring these supermarkets for the best bargains. Mad about Bargains is a site who through their off the trolley section provide a listing for discounted items and BOGOFS (Buy one get one free). Definitely worth a look.

Mobile phone deals for the family

As a family with four mobile phones (although as usual, one is always out of credit, another missing etc) we struggle to fund all these calls. However, I am particularly interested in the Vodafone family deal. For a payment of five pounds per month you can get unlimited calls between four people on the Vodafone network (limited to a maximum of 60 minutes per call). For the bigger family you can pay seven pounds and get unlimited calls for six people. This sounds a good deal for parents who want to keep in touch with their kids. I will be investigating this offer and report back in a later blog.

Competitions

I hope to include regular news on competitions on this blog. These will focus on family offers although they cannot be guaranteed to include all your kids! (In such a case it is time to call in favours with your friends...) A few recent competitions include such prizes as a four night break for six in a holiday cabin, a family camping holiday in France, a family holiday to Florida (note you will have to fill in a survey for this one) and a family holiday in New York (you will need to by a bottle of French's mustard for the last one.) Let me know if you are a winner!

UK no place for children

According to HSBC the UK ranks badly among expatriates as a place to bring up children. Out of 14 countries the UK scored below average in four out of five categories. These included such topics as "a place to study" and as "a place to learn a foreign language." It also came last in a separate ranking of healthy children.