Wise Thoughts

It has now been one year since we scattered shake and rake seeds around the garden, we had three varieties, butterfly and bee, scented flowers and wild flowers. We did get some lovely flowers just a few weeks later and an abundance of butterflies and bees that seemed to like the new flower additions in the garden. Although we didn’t get nowhere near as much as the colourful variations as shown on the box we did get some nice flowers that are not so commonly found elsewhere in parks and so forth.

There were some weird ones such as coriander, we found that this fell into the scented flowers pack other than that I cannot recall what other flowers were there that were supposed to be scented. At the time we had just planted more than a dozen roses and some bedding plants, we felt that the garden needed a little more colour and variety in flowers so that’s why we went with shake and rake. Also at the time of buying they were quite expensive, retailing around £5 a box but now you can buy them in your local supermarket for as little as £1 a box with some lovely flowers that you won’t find in your local garden centre.

Well now that we are in summer we were looking forward to having a bright garden with a variety of flowers like we did last year, unfortunately we were greeted with more weeds than flowers! They are supposed to come back every year but for some reason we have seen an abundance of weeds, now I constantly have to de-weed my garden whereas before my flower beds were fine. I am extremely disappointed to say the least, if I want to achieve what I had last year I need to go and buy some bedding plants. As I have such a large garden that’s why I went for shake and rake as it was supposed to be the least expensive.

So initially have shake and rake flowers it did do what it says on the box but a year later there are no flowers and just weeds instead. So beware of this if you decide to go down the shake and rake route, this year I have decided to buy seeds and sow them myself, works out pretty cheap too and so far no weeds!

Age is not in your favor if you are 17 years old and you are looking for a cheap car insurance. Car Insurance companies generally consider teens to be in the high-risk age bracket.  If you are wondering why you have to pay a premium for cheap car insurance, here are the reasons:

1. It is generally accepted that teenagers are not as careful or as responsible as people in the older age group. Probably they are excited about getting  their first car and they cannot wait to show off to their friends and to impress others with their driving speed.
2. Accident statistics show that a high percentage of  drivers involved in accident are teenagers. That is why they belong to the high risk group.
3. Teenagers are more concern about impressing their friends with the look and speed of the car. They will probably modify the car and its specification beyond what is permissible.  These modification can render the car unsafe. What is upmost on their mind is to have a flashy car rather than a safe and secured car.

How then can you ensure a cheap quote when looking for 17 year olds car insurance? There are 5 ways to reduce your cheap car insurance and they are listed below:

1. Use your Parent’s name – Ask your parent to include your name in their insurance policy. Your parents can get better discounts if they insure more than one car in the same policy. This will be cheaper compared to getting a single policy for yourself.
2. Security and Safety – Focus on the security and safety aspect of the car. For example, install seatbelt, airbag, anti-locking system to make your car safe. Install early warning system and steer locks to make it safe from theft. The more secured your car, the lower the insurance.
3. Be trained – Enrolled for driving and safety courses. This is to show that you know how to handle your car well.
4. Less Mileage – The less you drive, the lower your risk, and hence you pay a lower premium. One way to drive less is car pool. You save on your fuel too.
5. Keep a Clean Record – Maintain a clean driving record. Don’t get into trouble with the traffic laws such as fines for parking offences or drunk driving.  A clean record gets you a lower premium.

Getting a cheap car insurance for an seventeen year old is not a major obstacle when you follow the five tips to reduce insurance cost.

It was recently my husband’s 30th birthday and I realised that I needed a special cake at the last minute. I’ve had so much to do that I forgot that to order a custom made cake it needs to be ordered months if not weeks in advance. Luckily for me Marks and Spencer’s now do catering for parties and special occasions. It was a life saver being able to order a cake one week before the party, there are a few cakes to choose from though there isn’t that much choice when it comes to colour and themes etc. I originally wanted a number 30 cake but it was too expensive, in the in end I settled for a triple layer chocolate cake as my husband and I are both chocoholics.

I placed the order on a Friday evening and it was ready for pick up the following Saturday, I even got to choose a time slot which was practical for me. The cake was very pricey at the cost of £50 but I really didn’t have much choice and it was very big, large enough for 40 people. I got an email the day before to tell me my cake was ready for the time slot I had chosen, all I needed to bring was my printed invoice or order number with proof of identity.

When I went to pick up my cake all I was asked for was my name so I’m glad I didn’t bother digging out the printer to print out my order. I wasn’t even asked for identity confirmation either, the cake was very big and heavy so I’m glad my sister was there to carry it for me. As it was a very hot weekend I put the cake in the fridge as you do with most cakes, it was for the party the next day so I wanted it to be as fresh as possible, it’s also good for up to 7 days.

24 hours later I took the cake out of the fridge so that the party could start but when my husband came to cut it, it was rock hard! I didn’t realise that it should’ve been left out, we had to leave it out overnight to thaw out! There was nothing on the box to advise of storage such as the ideal temperature, whether it should be in the fridge etc. When we finally got to taste the cake it was ok but nothing special! I did feel a little ripped off, a cheaper £10 cake off the shelve would’ve been better. My husband didn’t really complain as he loved it but I was the one that paid £50 for a rock hard cake!

I don’t really advise buying a Marks and Spencer’s personalised birthday cake it was nothing special and they are all really expensive. You can get shop bought ones and personalise them yourself for a fraction of the price.

I’ve never been a fan of baby baths they take up too much room and look very dangerous. In the last stages of pregnancy I have found that I am not as strong as I thought I was, so to have a baby bath that I would need to fill and move from room to room was just not an option for me. Also when I moved into my house years ago my partner and I made the decision to take out the bath as we didn’t really use it, we never really took into account that we may have a child so buying support to put into the bath was also not an option.

Luckily I came across changing units that have both a changing mat and a hidden bath underneath, I thought they were a fantastic idea combing the two, thus saving on room and expense. A changing unit that is both portable and has many storage compartments are a must for any family whether it’s your first or last. The changing unit is a good height so you don’t have to worry about bending down too much and there is more than enough room to store nappies, wipes, toiletries and more. As there are a few on the market it’s worth checking them all out before making a decision.

Cosatto Easi Peasi changer Zuton
To be honest I was set on getting the ‘I love my bear’ changing station from Babies r us for £100 but after waiting 3 months it’s still out of stock and isn’t due for delivery until at least July! My little one is due any day now and I really need a changing unit before baby is born, the Easi Peasi changer by Cosatto was my next option. The price range varied a lot which was ridiculous I found it for as little as £75 or as silly as £130, I paid £90 for mine including delivery as it’s not really available in high street stores.

There are three colours available pink, blue and a neutral one, as I don’t know the sex of my baby and intend on using it for my future babies I went for the neutral one called Zuton. What is so great about Cosatto’s Easi Peasi changer, well it already tells you in the name, it does it all. There is a padded mattress for changing the baby that also has raised sides, a bath that is concealed underneath with a drainage tube, wheels that are lockable, a net bag for dirty clothes and plenty of storage trays for everything baby will need. I have so far put in all my essential baby toiletries such as powder, shower gel, creams, shampoo, baby oil, grooming tools and also nappies, wipes and cotton wool and I still have room for more stuff!

I am not sure how long I will be able to use the bath for as babies do grow quick but I know I will get my monies worth from it, it’s also easy to clean and move from room to room so there’s no need to lift the bath fill and bring it back to the unit. Cosatto also offer a free 4 year guarantee so that helps! Another reason why I chose this changer was because although I want a natural birth you never know what can happen so if I was to have a caesarean I know I will be able to cope as there is no need to keep bending.

It was well worth the money for me and although it is plastic it is very sturdy and blends into the room well, if it being an eye sore is the reason you are hesitating then throw a sheet over it but trust me when I say it is a life and back saver!

As I am still on the hunt for a good Indian restaurant the other evening I decided to take my partner along to a nice Indian restaurant where we would hopefully become regulars. I came across Raj of India whilst doing a web search for Indian restaurants in Hertfordshire and decided to check it out. I thought it would be best to call up and make reservations and I’m glad I did because I called on a Tuesday evening to book the following day (Wednesday) and it was fully booked! I made reservations for the next available day which was Thursday evening for 6.30pm.

As it was fully booked I was hopeful that it was a good restaurant that many people keep going back to because the food and service is great. When we first got there I was a little put off as the area is very deprived, there are yobs hanging around everywhere and kicking a football about as well as intimidating passersby on their bikes. My first impressions were that the area was too rough and I would be constantly checking to make sure my car was ok.

When we ordered we weren’t offered a drinks menu so I’m not sure if they have one and didn’t offer it to us or they did not have one. As I was intent on having spicy food I asked if they made mango lassi’s and they said they did so we ordered two. Of course while we waited we had a few poppadoms with the usual condiments but the mango lassi took ages to arrive but we were told this. I was hoping it was worth it but when it finally came it was really sour and not at all as expected, it made me feel sick.

The food took ages to arrive around 35 – 40 minutes even though there wasn’t that many people there, there was us, another two couples and a party of around 9. I specifically ordered all the really spicy dishes but none of them were hot so I had to request some fresh green chilli. The food was very disappointing it was nothing special and the shrimp dish was just really small prawns! I wanted some desert but my partner wasn’t too happy so we decided to leave straight after. The manager came to us with the card terminal for payment and asked us how everything was, I told him that the food wasn’t hot enough and he said that we should have said when ordering how spicy we wanted it! The reason I didn’t specify was because each dish has its level of spiciness next to it, I forgot to tell him the mango lassi was disgusting.

Although the area is unsafe and dangerous the food was appalling and I cannot recommend going there for a meal. I don’t know how people can keep going back when it’s simply not good enough, very bland and service was too slow.

Back when I was a child I remember that my mother always used to put powder on me and my siblings, we all had our own pots with a powder puff. Nowadays it’s extremely difficult to find fluffy powder puffs let alone the container of talc it comes with.

15 years ago all mothers used baby powder on their children but now it seems that talcum powder is not safe to use on young children. The argument is that there are similar components in talc that are linked to asbestos. If this is so why do they continue to sell baby powder in the Johnsons baby range? Talcum powder is said to affect the lungs and lead to asthma and eczema, me and my siblings had powder put on everyday and we are all fine.

It’s funny how scientists keep finding out more and more things that are bad for us when they did little or no harm 10 years ago. So going back to powder puffs there seems to be a very small amount of suppliers that still sell powder puffs and containers. It sounds silly but when did they suddenly go out of fashion?

Years ago women also used to apply powder using a fluffy powder puff, you’ll be lucky if you can spot one  on the high street as they are not so much stocked anymore. There are a few premium brand beauty manufacturers that do such as Prada, Estee Lauder and a less expensive alternative is Benefit. With Benefit you get a small container and a fluffy powder puff that is full of small glitter particles. It is expensive at £20 a pot but you can refill it using powder or glitter for special occasions or days out.

Powder puff for babies
I am expecting my first child and could not imagine not putting powder on my baby so my hunt for the old fashioned powder puffs began; I was disappointed when I could not find them on the high street so I was forced into searching on the internet. Unfortunately they all come from China now and finding a store in the UK that sells them are very difficult. I didn’t want to risk it by ordering online from some dodgy site so I went on to eBay. I was delighted to find what I was looking for and with the peace of mind that I have buyer protection I purchased one, the delivery is slow from 11-15 days but when it came it was well worth it. Plus it cost me less than £10 including shipping!

I know it sounds silly to go to such lengths to buy a baby powder puff but I was really determined to get one. I think its personal choice whether or not you listen to doctors as they are always advising against this and that but at the end of the day only you know what’s best for your child.

As I live in a fairly big house I wanted a secure area that I can keep my child safe and entertained, so when I came across Graco’s travel cot range I was very impressed. They are much better than the previous travel cots as they are ‘multifunctional’. I say this because I recently purchased the Graco Travel Cot Contour Electra and as well as being a travel cot it has a raised bassinet for babies and also a changing table that is detachable.

This is the reason I chose this particular travel cot as I could have a changing station both upstairs and downstairs saving me the trouble of going up and down all day. The raised bassinet is also a clever idea as the baby can use it for nap times during the day while helping you not bend so much as it is raised. When the baby can sit up then it’s time to take out the raised bassinet and use a play area. Due to having mesh sides it is very safe so baby can be seen at all times and will not suffocate.

I loved the idea of having a changing table though it will only be used for a short time as babies grow up quickly and the table will not support the weight. It will also be dangerous as babies get older and start to move around more. Unfortunately there isn’t much choice when it comes to choosing a colour as they tend to be very dull and grey. I managed to get the Hedgerow colour scheme as my house is very neutral and I don’t know the sex of the baby yet. If you are looking for more colour schemes then take the time to search the internet as there seems to be exclusive colours for certain retailers.

The cot also has a vibrating mattress to soothe little ones in the bassinet, music, night light and soft toy bar. So hopefully when its nap time or I need to cook and clean there is plenty to keep baby entertained. I also loved how easy it is to close and move around, I can take it when I visit family and friends as it comes in a handy carry case. Going on holiday is also no longer a problem as baby can use it up to the age of three so if you go to a place that doesn’t supply a cot or extra bed for a child you can bring your own.

Setting up the travel cot was a very hard task as the instructions are useless and not very informative, just pictures of what to do next. It took me and my partner 30 minutes to assemble but once we did it, it looked amazing. Also it looks much bigger when you have it assembled, just waiting for baby to get here so we can use it. We might also get the Graco Travel Cot Petite Bassinet for when baby is at grandparents house, it can stay there permanently as we already have the larger version.

I recently had to go to Roaring Meg retail park in Stevenage as they also have a Babies r us there I decided that if it wasn’t too busy then I would have my chosen car seat fitted to see that it is compatible with my car and that I would be able to use it with ease. I had decided to go for a Maxi Cosi Cabriofix car seat and the Easyfix base that has Isofix points so it could stay in the car and I could just get the car seat in and out without fiddling with the seat belt. As I also have a small car (Nissan Micra) with only 3 doors it made sense and I found that it was justified spending a little extra on the base.

On average the Maxi Cosi Cabriofix car seat costs £125 and the base £120 but there are places where you can get it cheaper such as Halfords and other online retailers. When I went to Babies r us the car seat was priced at £125 and the base £120. After checking the range they had in-store I found that it was very limited if I wanted to purchase there and then. They only had two colours available black or red.

I found a lady who was happy to help and she carried the car seat and base to the car so I could see if it fitted, she explained what she was doing and the different ways to make sure it was installed correctly. As I am using the base with the car seat it simply clicks into place but if I wanted to use the car seat in a car using the seat belt system it was demonstrated and I was confident I would be able to manage should I need to do it myself. The assistant who showed me how to fit it was very knowledgeable and didn’t once try and push me into buying it there and then; I was then free to decide what I wanted to do.

I also couldn’t decide between the Cabriofix car seat and the Pebble but I found two assistants who were willing to explain the difference. I was glad that despite all the stories I heard about retail assistants not knowing much about the shop that they work in I was able to find knowledgeable and friendly staff that were only too happy to help.

I did feel a little bad that after the car seat had been fitted I didn’t actually go on to purchase it but I found it £50 cheaper elsewhere and didn’t want to mess around with ‘price matching’. I recommend having your car seat fitted at Babies r us as I found them to be very good and also know what they are talking about; it made my decision so much easier.

A recent article in the newspaper the other day highlighted the 50th year of trading for Mothercare. If you are a parent then the chances are you already know that Mothercare has been around for some time, offering competitive price and exclusive offers and products both in-store and online. A lot has changed over the years as 50 years ago mothers stayed home with their children until they started going to secondary school whereas nowadays mothers are forced to go back to work within a year as financially most cannot afford to stay out of work for too long.

I remember the days when I used to go to Mothercare to buy presents for friends and family members that were expecting, now 5 years later I am expecting my very first baby so like many women turned to Mothercare to buy all my baby essentials. I prefer to do all my shopping online and pop into the store only if I need to check things such as quality and appearance other than that I happily purchase everything from the comfort of my own home.

As my due date approaches (5 weeks to go) I have left the car seat, and other small essential items for the last shop. When I went online I was very surprised to see how many items are very expensive even the car seat was £50 more than other places I have seen but they had the muslin cloths and swaddle blankets that I so desperately wanted.

I arranged a day to go to my closest store in Stevenage to have the car seat fitted and check out some of the other items I needed such as a cardigan for the baby as I had seen a unisex one online. The Mothercare store in Stevenage is fairly big with a large selection of baby clothes, maternity clothes, prams and car seats but what I wanted couldn’t be found. The swaddle blankets I had seen online were not in the store and the same went for the cardigan. I found an alternative cardigan but for a baby 0-3 months it cost £18! I didn’t want to pay so much for something that was ‘own brand’ and not designer. I ended up buying a beautiful knitted cardigan from eBay for £3!

There wasn’t much staff in-store so I’m glad I had my car seat fitted elsewhere! I wanted to purchase the Maxi Cosi Cabriofix car seat and the Isofix base but found it was very expensive; it would’ve cost me £250 if I bought it with Mothercare. Luckily I waited and bought it elsewhere and saved myself £50.

Mothercare price promise guarantee
When I found the car seat I wanted on Mothercare’s website I was horrified to find it cheaper on at least 10 other websites so was undecided on what to do. I wanted to purchase it from a reputable company but I also didn’t want to pay over the odds for it. I found that Mothercare have a price promise guarantee and that they would match the price of any product I found. I called up customer services to check and it was explained to me by a very friendly customer service assistant.

I was told that I could print out the cheaper price from the online website and bring it into the store and purchase the item or I could do it over the phone. I could phone and tell them which website I had seen the product cheaper and they would match it, plus if the difference was more that £20 I would get a £10 Mothercare voucher. I found it was too much hassle for me as I ended up saving less with the products I needed at Boots but if ever you were in the same situation its worth a try.

For a while my husband and I have been wanting to travel around Europe, we have seen the Caribbean, Turkey, Egypt, Spain and Cyprus but felt like we were not making the most of seeing the places closer to us in the UK. I had been searching for good deals where we can see a few countries and cities at the same time but found them to be very expensive. Two days in Amsterdam followed by two days in Belgium was costing at least £600 each and that was without food and other expenses. Just when I had given up hope I found a guided European tour package that covered 7 countries in 12 days.

It’s worth reading the small print and FAQ’s as you may find that a few things are questionable such as accommodation arrangements and so forth. For 12 days the fully guided tour cost us only £600 each a bargain to say the least. The places that you would visit are: Paris, Chateau Versailles, Burgundy, Geneva, Switzerland, Pisa, Florence, Venice, Italian Dolomites, Austria, Munich, Rhine Valley, Volendam, Zaanse Schans, Amsterdam and Bruges. It seems like good value for money and if you don’t mind slumming it then go ahead.

Before I booked I made sure that all accommodation would be double rooms as sometimes they give you rooms where you need to share with others, this is the case when it comes to Switzerland as accommodation can be very expensive. We were told it was not guaranteed as they use shared rooms where up to four people can sleep in, it would’ve cost us £240 extra to make sure we had double room with private facilities. Also in Switzerland some rooms do not have toilets or a shower you need to use communal ones on the second floor.

Despite all this we still decided to go as it was so cheap and it would be silly to let the opportunity pass us by. The tour is by coach with reclining seats, DVD, coffee/tea facilities and a toilet on board. The coach makes frequent stops every two hours or so for a toilet break so if you want to stretch your legs and also stock up on snacks there’s plenty of opportunities to do so.

The accommodation is most places were very bad, as we travelled in winter we found some places to be very cold whereas Switzerland had the best accommodation even though it was well below freezing. The meals that were included were also very poor, not much choice and very bland, I would’ve rather bought most of my meals outside. The coach was very much full, around 40 or so passengers but you get on with most of them. I did find some people to be rude and not very friendly but I think this was mostly down to the tour guide not allowing everyone to introduce themselves earlier; she did it when the tour nearly finished.

The tour is also very fast paced and found that we had to tell Sammie the guide to slow down, it was very cold so I understand her being rushed but we were told that it was suitable for all ages but I find that it was mostly for younger people.

You do not get too see much of each place you visit as time is limited, most places only require a short stop whereas others have more history and good photo opportunities which we didn’t get. We are used to 4-5 star holidays and this was by far the worst, also Sammie needs to learn to pronounce the places properly as she regularly misinformed us, I also found we were mislead in what excursions we could do as some you do as a group and others you go off on your own.

If you are tight on money such as a student or someone who finds that this is a once in a lifetime holiday then go for it but for me it was a waste. I would’ve rather paid more for better standards of accommodation and food then slum it for two weeks. More interaction should be encouraged for the tour group as a whole as I found Sammie to favourite her native Aussie travellers to the rest of us. I would also like to point out that people have travelled all over the world to go on an Expat tour as far as New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia and I found most to be people who were not residents of the UK. My husband and I were the only British people on the coach and probably the best mannered, the rest were from Colombia, India, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand and China. If you don’t interact well with others from different countries then this is not the tour for you.