Raising a family can be expensive as we know but with a little organisation and careful planning you can have a family on a small budget. One thing that all families cannot go without are of course nappies. Most young children are in nappies until the age of around 2 years old but you may be lucky enough to be able to potty train by 18 months, nonetheless nappies are expensive and an essential necessity that all families will need plenty of.
How to buy nappies cheap?
Many expectant mothers make the mistake of ‘stocking’ up on nappies but this is unnecessary and can be expensive. It’s expensive because you may stock up on one brand and your child may be allergic, also babies grow very quick so they may also out grow them quicker than you think so you’ll just be wasting your money by buying too much. ‘Stocking’ up is also unnecessary as you will find that there is always a supermarket or store that has them on ‘special offer’ unless you are running there is no need to buy some ‘just in case ‘or because you ‘might need them’. Buy nappies only when you are on your last box and remember to buy one size up if your child is approaching the maximum weight of the size nappy that he or she is wearing.
Re-useable cloth nappies
One way to save money on nappies are to buy re-useable cloth nappies, they can save money on the long run but many are put off with washing and the general car of having cloth nappies. Here in England you can get money towards using cloth nappies and this is usually a big incentive for most parents to give it a go but there are many people that prefer the convenience of disposable nappies as it is the easier choice. Also as England has unpredictable weather washing and drying clothes and nappies on a regular basis can get expensive if you need to switch on the heating just so they can dry. Some people still prefer to hang out their clothes to dry as it is cheaper than having a tumble dryer as they consume a lot of electricity and can also ruin clothes if the setting is wrong.
Whichever you decide, cloth nappies or disposable remember that you can always save money if you really want to!
Each item on an NHS prescription costs £7.40 irrespective of their actual prices. This means that if you were to get something which costs £10, you would only pay £7.40 if it was on a prescription but the same applies if the medicine you were after costs less.
After a visit to my GP, I was prescribed an anti fungal shampoo called Nizoral and the GP said that it is available off the shelf and it would be better if I get it over the counter than her putting it on an NHS prescription. However when I went to boots, I had to pay £9.60 for the Nizoral shampoo and because I had already asked the guy to bring it over and already tendered my money, I thought it had to be same price everywhere and the GP was obviously mistaken. I was not very happy about it and decided to enquire about it later.
Onc e home, I thought I had 2 options; one was to go back to the GP and asked her to put the shampoo on a prescription and the other was to return the item to Boots and get it somewhere else cheaper. I saw that other supermarkets were selling it for £6.80 and obviously Boots was ripping me off. The problem was that on the day that I purchased the shampoo from Boots, their payment system was down and I had to pay cash and didn’t ask for any receipt because it would have taken much longer, waiting for their system to get up and running again. So I couldn’t just go back and ask for a refund without any receipts and decided to just count my losses but learn from my mistakes.
To sell this item £3 more than other places is a rip off to me because it’s nearly 33% more than what it should be. I think Boots knows that some medicines which are available over the counter will not be put on NHS prescriptions by GPs and they put up their prices to make a profit on innocent people because not many people will go back to their doctor and ask them for a new prescription or will go other places to check prices for convenience purposes and to get their medication faster.
You may have noticed that many retailers now offer a price matching guarantee to many products they have to offer.
What is price matching?
Price matching is when you see a product cheaper elsewhere and the retailer you purchased the product from at the higher price gives you a refund for the difference. For example you buy a lawnmower at Homebase for £80 but find the same thing at B&Q for £70.
Some places have strict requirements so you may not always be able to guarantee a price match elsewhere. Some places will state clearly that if a store is currently having a sale then they cannot price match the product.
You can always try your luck and search online as many online retailers also offer good value for money by choosing them over high street chains. Print out the webpage and take it along to a retailer where you can get the cheaper price rather than the store price.
I have also found that some stores are charging online customers less than what is advertised in store. For example a little while ago I wanted to purchase windows 7 but in store it was selling for £30 more than online. When I queried this I was told that I should have ordered it online and picked it up free in store, but they do not offer this option to do this online for this particular product. Luckily the manager in store accepted to price match the online price and I got it £30 cheaper.
Price matching is a good way of saving money before and after purchase as you usually have up to 30 days claim back. You can use price matching before you buy as a precautionary measure, for example I wanted to purchase a car seat from Mothercare but found it cheaper elsewhere. The cheaper deal was with a company I was not familiar with but Mothercare agreed to price match and I saved £50 on my new car seat.
You can use online comparison sites to price match too, so if you go to Asda but find that Tesco is offering the same product for less you can go to customer services who will be more than happy to give you the difference back or deduct it from their current sale price.
Since the launch of the iPhone it looks like most people have converted and started using Apple instead. Then with the launch of the iPad many decided to fall into this trend too using it for various reasons but what happens when you let your children play ‘free’ games on your iPhone or iPad? Apple created many apps that are free to download and use the most popular ones being free games that can be enjoyed by both children and adults. I have noticed how people with children happily hand over their mobile phone to their kids to keep them from having a tantrum but what happens is in time they realise that there is so much they can do on mobile phones nowadays that parents simply give in to their children.
Apple ‘free games apps’
There have been a few reports that were released last year as many parents who own an iPhone or iPad were shocked to see that their bill was up to £200 more than it should be. After calling their bill provider it was found that the so called ‘free games’ were racking up huge bills unbeknown to the mobile phone owner and bill payer. Games such as Smurfs, Tap Zoo and Zombie Farm are the worst offenders when it comes to charging and as children don’t understand they unknowingly purchase items that they think is just a game.
You may wonder how it’s possible for children to make such a mistake but the problem was because if you had previously entered your password then it gets saved and you don’t need to enter it again so children are free to purchase things in their gaming session. Apple has now changed the security settings so that you need to enter a password each time you need to make an in-app purchase.
I for one do not understand why children need to have access to such expensive gadgets when they have toys and other consoles to keep them entertained. All Apple products are expensive costing hundreds of pounds and if parents are stupid enough to let their children play with them then it’s their own fault!
With more and more people turning to the internet to make purchases there are many things you need to look out for to make sure it is safe. I have been shopping online to make the majority of my purchases for the last 8 years but internet security has improved a lot in the last three alone.
How to stay safe with online shopping?
Most people shop online for convenience, now you can order and have items sent to your workplace, a long time ago you couldn’t set up an address book with different addresses so you could choose someone who would be home to sign for your delivery. You also needed to pay additional charges if you were not home when a courier came to deliver your goods, now most places try to re-deliver up to 3 more times for free, then they charge you if they are unsuccessful.
Some people shop because they find a reputable website that sells goods for a competitive price so instead of driving to a store to buy what you need without any guarantee its in stock you can order it online for home delivery or check stock and reserve it for in-store collection. Those who have commitments such as childcare or are carers also find it useful to be able to order anything they want online and have it delivered.
PayPal is also a safe way to pay with many online retailers signing up to use this as a method of payment. If you were to have any problems with a company you can get your money back quicker than if you used a debit card.
There are so many personal blogs on the web with people writing firsthand what they experienced, there are also other websites that are for reviews only and are unbiased and written by those who are happy or unhappy and want to share their view with other potential customers.
As April approaches prescription charges are bound to increase again as they have done every year. As the rest of England are penalised and have to continue to pay for life saving prescriptions Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish residents do not need to pay a penny. Scotland has just announced that they plan to scrap the prescription charges so that all their residents will be entitled to free NHS drugs regardless of age, status and employment.
The rest of England will have to continue paying for prescriptions that cost £7.20 for each item dispensed. There are some people who are not usually ill and don’t have to worry about the cost of medicines as they rarely visit the doctor. In some cases if the doctor finds that it will cost too much money for the patient they advise buying over the counter instead as most items are usually available both on and off prescription.
Save money with a pre-payment certificate?
If you find that you need NHS drugs on a regular basis and cannot buy them over the counter where it is sometimes cheaper you may have heard of a pre-payment certificate. Available for 3 or 12 months you are covered for the duration the certificate is valid for, no matter how many times you need a prescription.
A 3 month certificate costs £28.25 and will only benefit you if you need four or more items within three months. A 12 month certificate costs £104.00 and will only benefit you if you need more than 14 items in 12 months. I personally need 4 inhalers a month at a cost of £28.80 by purchasing a PPC I will save as much as £58.15 for a 3 month PPC alone or £241.60 for a 12 month PPC.
If you find that you become ill all of a sudden and require medicines on a regular basis you can pay for your medicines but ask for a receipt and refund form FP57 you must do this at the time the medicines are being dispensed and not a later date. You then have up to 3 months to claim the money back if you go on to purchase a PPC, just be sure to back date it to the date you had to pay for prescriptions so you can obtain a refund.
There are exemptions such as if you are under 18 and in full time education, over 60, have a low income, are pregnant and certain other medical conditions. If you fall into these categories then you do not need to pay, you can get help if you think you need it by contacting the NHS or asking your GP for advice.
The Scottish have been battling to get free prescriptions since 2007, well before the credit crunch but now as many of us down south have to tighten our belts the Scottish Parliament have agreed to allow all patients North of the border free prescriptions. Currently for the rest of us in the UK, excluding Northern Ireland and Wales, people under the age of 18, over 60, have long term conditions, are unemployed or claim benefits are entitled to free prescriptions. Everyone else who does not fall into any of the above categories have to pay £7.20 for each item.
When Labour were in power they promised to offer patients of long term conditions free prescriptions even if it was for a short period of time but when the Coalition took over they scrapped it with. Currently the charge for NHS prescriptions in Scotland is £3 compared to £7.20 for the English.
Free services is Scotland
There are many differences to living in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK, in some ways you are better off there, here is what you can benefit from if you live far up North:
When Wales abolished the charge for prescriptions many people flocked there to claim free medicine known as ‘prescription tourism’. When the change goes through with Scotland English patients will try their luck there too. You need to be registered with a Scottish GP to qualify but if you live close enough to the border then there’s nothing to stop you.
Many people who live outside of Scotland and Wales are outraged that they Scottish have different rules for themselves when they are still part of the United Kingdom, again it’s a postcode lottery and those who have illnesses that require medication on a regular basis and masses of it are the ones that are suffering. It’s also unfair that the unemployed can claim free prescriptions, reduced transport costs and free dental treatment when most of them are fit and able to work.
Currently there is nothing we can do but if you need prescriptions on a regular basis you will save a lot if you purchase a pre-payment certificate. They are valid for three or twelve months and during this time you can have unlimited prescriptions. Currently a 3 month PPC costs £28.25 and a 6 month PPC costs £104.00.
For decades those who are self employed and get work cash in hand have been hard to keep track of and make sure that they are paying tax as well as declaring all money that they earn. Now HMRC have had enough and are offering all self employed tradesmen a tax amnesty before the crackdown begins on those who do not declare their earnings.
As we know builders, plumbers, electricians and gas fitters are they most notorious offenders who fail to declare most of their earnings, they still pay tax but only on the small amount that they declare it on. All people who are self employed have to submit their paperwork yearly so that HMRC can calculate how much tax they need to pay, the more you earn the more tax. Those who work for companies do not need to do this as they will pay tax and NI contributions on a monthly basis and not as a lump sum once a year.
It’s important that all people who work pay tax and contribute NI as this is what will pay towards your state pension when you are older. If you do not have sufficient NI contributions then you will not receive the full state pension but in some cases a letter will be sent so you can cover the gap that you didn’t pay so that you don’t miss out. Tax on earnings also play a huge part in the country’s economy it’s what goes towards child benefit and other help you are able to get from the government.
Tax amnesty
The tax amnesty is up until May 31st after this time HMRC will start investigating those that still refuse to declare earnings and are working cash in hand. Those who are caught will be investigated and asked to pay back all money earnt, fines of 35% or more on the money owed will also have to be paid. If however a tradesman admits to underpaying tax then fines of 10-20 % will apply.
The national chairman of small businesses has said that this will cripple small businesses and that HMRC should have a system in place to help self employed people with better record keeping skills and provide more education on tax obligations.
So if you are self employed and have been under paying tax for the last few years or more, your luck may be about to run out.
A landmark case was brought to the Supreme Court just recently when a council tenant had rent arrears of £3,500 but under the new European human rights ruling couldn’t be evicted. A single mother from Hounslow with four children in her care and raking in an impressive £15,000 in benefits was granted permission to stay in her council house because evicting her and her family would be a breach of her human rights because she would be made homeless.
Legal experts have said that they find this has become a new trend for council tenants, by saying it would breach their human rights the courts are powerless to pass any hard sentence. Neighbours from hell and those that fall behind in their rent are regularly looking for loopholes that mean they do not get evicted so easily.
Hounslow council have had to accept defeat but the tenant has agreed to pay back her £3,500 rent arrears at a rate of £5 a week or contribute more if she can. Seems like a joke really and all the other council tenants out there who find out about this will no doubt try to do the same. It’s shocking that the council and courts have no power over this matter so scroungers can continue to try their luck.
I don’t see why a homeowner with mortgage arrears couldn’t do the same thing; I somehow don’t see how they could get away with it? Others have also seen this ruling as a joke that could pave the way for even more benefit fraud that could make the economy worse. As this case was dragged through the courts in 2007 the money it has cost taxpayers to date is a whopping £200,000! Surely they could have resolved the case without the need to involve so many costly lawyers and no doubt the woman in question got legal aid and did not have to pay a penny for legal advice.
The Government really need to do something about this as they promise to crack down on benefits, if council tenant is genuinely struggling then they should be offered help but if they can afford to pay but choose not to their benefits should be reduced until the full amount is paid for in full with interest!
During these tough times we are all on the lookout to save money and also make some money whichever way we can. A top London restaurant has now come up with an unorthodox dessert containing breast milk called ‘Baby Gaga’. At £14 a dish it is served in a Martini glass served by a waitress dressed up as ‘Baby Gaga’ and surprisingly it is going down a storm.
Aimed for mothers who are looking to make money they are paid £15 for every 10 ounces of breast milk that they donate. The company screens all women who donate to make sure that they are free from infections and diseases; they then donate milk using breast pumps on site in a sterile room.
Although some find this to be unsavoury demand for this dessert is increasing every day, so much so that the restaurant has had to advertise for more women to come forward and donate some breast milk.
The women who have come forward to donate their breast milk think that breast feeding should be encouraged and this is a novelty way of advertising the idea.