Looking After Children's Mental Health with Mindscreen

I was approached by the lovely team at Mindscreen to ask if I would review their Mindscreen Experience Toolkit, which helps parents learn more about their children's mental health and how to support them. I was very excited about this prospect, as it's no secret that mental health is a massive issue for children and young people today and, as parents, it can be really worrying. There are more outside influences than ever before in our children's lives and most are not easily accessible to us. Technology constantly advances and throws up new potential threats with each new app or chatroom and the pace of life and demands on our kids can seem relentless, so I am right behind any tool that helps parents navigate those tricky teenage years. 

How I Cut My Bills by £130 a Month

Last year, I decided to overhaul my finances to see if I could save some money each month. I felt that I wasn't fully in control of what I was spending and it was too easy to use my debit card without really thinking about my outgoings overall. Along the way, I found out a lot about why my spending was higher than it should have been and some great ideas to get better control of the monthly bills. As times are hard for a lot of people right now, I thought I would share how I did it, in the hopes it helps someone else avoid the same traps I fell into and save some money too. The first and most important step I took towards getting better control of my spending, was to get a banking app on my phone. 

20 Ways to Personalise a Rental Home

When my daughter was small, I lived in private rental properties for six years. During that time, three landlords wanted to change the use of the property, so I had to move, which threw up a couple of problems. When you rent privately in the UK, you quickly learn that everything you buy has to be removable, as you could have to leave with a couple of months notice. You also find out that it takes a lot of imagination to make your house a home, as landlords don't like you drilling holes or messing with the decor. Here are 20 ways to personalise your rental space, without spending a fortune or annoying the property owner when it comes time to compare landlord insurance.

Understanding the History and Basics of Reverse Mortgage

The chances of you coming across the term “reverse mortgage” may be high. However, do you knowwhat this term is and how it works? Not everyone has access to in-depth research on this subject matter. You may or may not find this area useful at the moment, depending on how close you are to retirement. Nevertheless, it is worth understanding this financial opportunity as it may come in handy for you or a close relative. A reverse mortgage is the financial safety net any retiree, who is also a homeowner, needs. 

Guest Post Collaboration with All Reverse Mortgage Inc.

17 Ideas to Help You Relax

We're fully in the swing of work and school now and it's surprising how quickly normal routines kick in and you almost forget about that weird six-month blip where the world just sort of stopped. It's hard to believe it's possible for the whole of society to just grind to a halt, but it did and now we're all trying to find our way back into some kind of normality. One thing I have really noticed since all this crazy Lockdown business started is how important relaxation is. We've been through some pretty stressful stuff, but going back to work is stressful in itself and I've found myself quickly falling into the old pattern of not fully relaxing because there are always more things I could be doing. 

Finding the Best Childcare in your Area, with Childcare.co.uk

There are certain advantages to having a ten year gap between your children and one of them is that, by the time your youngest is school age, you have a ready and (for the right price) willing, babysitter. A large age gap between children doesn't suit everyone, but it was a win-win in our family because my eldest learned skills that she then used to secure more babysitting work, which gave her an income and experience while she was still at school and I never had to find someone to watch my youngest if I needed to go out at short notice, or if my work commitments changed. 

Five Cheap Easy Meals to Teach your Child for University

 Sending your children off to University is a very strange time. As parents, it's in the job description to try to raise confident, healthy, happy people, who can make their own way in the world and be successful. Then the time comes for them to do just that and it's suddenly a bit nerve-wracking. It comes around so quick, it's easy to forget they've become adults, while we haven't been concentrating. One of the biggest concerns for parents is whether or not their offspring might starve, or become very unhealthy, due to a mix of ineptitude and laziness, so here are the five meals I taught my daughter to make before she went to university, they're cheap and easy, so will suit every budget and motivation level!