Playpennies

The summer is, theoretically, on its way and we have warm days and sunny skies to look forward to. So what do we all do? We leap into our cars and beetle off to camping grounds across the UK (and the world) to enjoy nature and each other.

The thing is, you don’t get a full camping kit with your children, like some kind of package deal. You have to spend a lot of money buying all the right equipment and getting stocked up and, for some, this can be more than a little daunting. Today I thought it would be a great idea to look into how you choose the perfect family tent along with links to some tasty, tenty deals.

As you know, here at PlayPennies we are all about deals, discounts, bargains, vouchers and anything else that can make a parent’s life that little bit cheaper and more cost effective. Considering how every year there is a report that roars out about how expensive one child can be, this mission seems like a good idea.

Today I decided to celebrate those stores that seem to make it their mission to help parents too. These websites and stores always seem to have a tasty bargain or three available for the budget parent and are a great place to start when hunting for a specific item at a discount price. So, here they are….

Last week the government set out its legislative plans for the year, through the usual medium of writing a speech and getting the reigning monarch to read it out.

This, then, is the Queen's Speech. It seems a bit odd to me that someone who has nothing to do whatsoever with the contents and can't even legally enter the House of Commons, give voice to this. But there you go. It is one of those peculiar British things and gives this country its unique flavour. I also suspect that these are the sorts of things that result in literary and comedy classics such as Shakespeare and Monty Python.

Some of the Queen's Speech is directed at families. So here's what was said, and a bit more about what the government intends to do to interfere, I mean help assist, in our lives in the future.

The one thing that I battled with as a child was saving money. I was terrible at it, no matter how hard my parents tried to teach me the basics I was having none of it. My brother, on the other hand, was brilliant. He’d wait for months and months to buy the perfect toy. And today he has an excellent grasp of finance that has taken me much longer to perfect.

The point of my story is that it is extremely important to teach children about money from a very young age. As toddlers and preschoolers they can count it and play with it to get used to it and to learn the various values, but as they approach the age of seven, it’s a good idea to sort out pocket money and bank accounts.

There are quite a few options open to parents who want to get their kids a bank account and I’ve gone out to find which ones offer what rates so you can make an informed choice.

Anything that saves you time cleaning is a good thing. Especially if it saves you a bit of money too. Oh how your perspective on things changes when you become a parent!

My clubbing, 19 year old self would probably be horrified to find that at parties these days I'm most likely to be found chatting with other parents about exciting things, like housecleaning tips and whether we could live without a dishwasher or not.

Here's some of the top tips our collective PlayPennies parents had to tell me about what they do to take drudgery out of every day family life. Otherwise known as the housework.

I've stuck with the tips that focus on using natural products or items you might have around the house anyway. If your favourite housework tip isn't on here, then please do let us know and leave a comment at the end!

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On Monday, Lynley looked at the various things you need to take with you when you go on holiday with the kids. It was an essential checklist that highlighted the most important bits and pieces – some of which are very easy to forget! So, I thought it would be a good idea to look at how you can save on those silly costs when you go on holiday as a nice backup…

According to GOSIM a British family of four may spend an extra £700 over and above the usual holiday costs of food, flights, car hire and hotel bookings. These costs include things like airport parking fees, room safes, extra baggage, travel insurance and plenty more. And these costs, according to GOSIM can escalate beyond that if people have pets or use their mobile phones!

So how can you cut these costs when some of them are rather difficult to avoid?

If two weeks of rain haven't done it for you then perhaps the fast approaching summer school holidays will. If your children are under school age then you really want to make most of that fact now. Especially as the government is getting even tighter about taking term time holidays.

Travelling with children, particularly babies, isn't unfortunately all about which resort you're going to. You also have to figure out what you're going to take. When I first travelled with my son he was just two months old. I had a huge wheelie suitcase, almost entirely filled with things for him. Going on the plane I had a change bag, and another wheelie cabin bag. Again entirely filled with things for baby.

There's some law of physics in there I'm sure. The smaller the baby, the more you have to take on an airplane. Fast forward to the same child aged two, and all I had to take was a drawstring bag with some toys, snacks, and a change of clothes. One single change of clothes.

I was totally flummoxed though. Really, what DO you need to take?

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Honestly, if I hear the word “recession” once more I may just burn that page in my dictionary. It’s so darn depressing. And the fact that the government appears to enjoy targeting women and parents, well, that just makes it a bit harder for us all to cope with raising our kids. But this is a guide that says, “so what!” as these tips will help you save money and laugh in the face of that darn word…

Food glorious food! Except when you go to scrap off your family's dinner plates into the recycle container and discover it is already full. And you only put a new liner in there that day.

Food wastage is constantly targeted by ministerial sorts when they want us to start tightening our belts and saving our household budgets. It is possible to go too much the other way. I think the leftover chicken pie I made a few weeks ago was possibly a bit too left over.

So what great ideas are there on the internet to help save you wasting food, save you money, and avoid giving your family food poisoning? I went for a look to see what I could find.

Incidentally, if you are looking for left over recipes then do take a look at Little Miss Redhead's website here, there's some fabulous ideas.

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Last year I did a piece on apps to save you money and I figured it was about time to revisit that and see what had changed in the mean time. The launch of new apps, the rise and rise of the Android smartphone market, the BlackBerry apps growing by the day, and even Ovi Store’s increased popularity, means that there are far more options to choose from today. Here are some new and some old, and don't forget our favourite - Quidco - for constant apptastic savings!

When you've got kids life gets hectic. You find yourself balancing your life, their lives, your partner's life, with work, housework, and all the other bits and bobs that go with it. Throw in a couple of pets and it is a wonder any of us have any brain cells left.

Apparently there's only so many decisions that anyone can make in a day. And your brain matter isn't indiscriminate. It seems to treat them all the same, from whether to have a cup of tea or coffee, to signing off on that multi-million pound merger agreement.

Maybe that's why busy and harassed parents can be a bit more prone than most to falling into some of those money traps that just suck our wallets and bank accounts clean. Here's the top five of these, and alternatives that won't bite you back. Read up now so you can be prepared later on.

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Over here at PlayPennies HQ our sole purpose is to find deals, get great financial advice, and do everything we can to help parents save money. Recently our big topic of conversation has been the recent budget announcement and the impact on family finances. How can we cut costs to cope with all the financial issues that face us over the next few years?

Every child is different. I find that with mine, an activity that the two of us do together in the morning will pretty much set him up for the day. Usually this involves us going out. A walk in the woods, a trip to the park, a play in the playground, a visit to the museum.

There's a lot to be said in favour of walks in the rain too! It is a really drizzly day out there, and I'm thinking that it might be a good plan for today. There's nothing like poking about in wet leaves with a stick. When he's got his wet weather gear on (trousers and jacket) we have the playground to ourselves too.

But you don't always want to go out, and frankly it isn't so much fun for mum and dad to do this every day as it is for the little ones. Sadly, the weather forecast for our area is for rain, rain, and to paraphrase (badly) a quote, it is rain all the way down.

So if you're looking to avoid the lure of the DVD and/or video game, here's a fab alternative. Cooking. Get them in the kitchen having fun, making a mess, and maybe even doing something a little bit scary (stirring a pot on the hob for the first time for example). Here's three top tips for making kitchen time fun, exciting, and a little bit different on a rainy day.

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Easter weekend is upon us and we’re all still counting the pennies thanks to this nasty and relentless recession, so here are some fabulous free things to do this Easter with your family. I have done my best to find activities and ideas that range across the whole country so that you can find something fun to do in your area. I have also snuck in some cheap offers and ideas just in case the freebies are not quite what your family would enjoy.

I didn't want to go out and buy a whole lot of stuff for Easter themed crafts. In particular, as we weren't doing anything like having an Easter bonnet parade (my son did that at school) I didn't want to have to buy a hat that he's never going to wear. Instead, I had some paper bags, and plates, to use as the base, and I bought some little chicks and Easter themed confetti (£1 each at the 99p store) and we used items that we had already in the craft cupboard at home.

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Your little baby might be gurgling away, happy with just a rattle to keep them occupied. But it doesn't take too long before they'r running about, and trying to climb on your lap to go on your computer.

There are lots of programs and websites to entertain (and educate) children from the age of toddlers and upwards. The important thing to keep in mind is that the internet is going to be a major part of your child's life. This is not something we had when we were growing up. So we've not really got any already tested rules to fall back on.

The best idea is to start to instill good internet practice and commonsense in your child right from the start. There's also a few other tips you can follow, especially as your child gets older and is more independent in their computer use. It is quite possible they'll have their own laptop before they get to secondary school, so pay attention now!

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Over the past few weeks I’ve discovered cheap craft supplies and some ace ways to decorate your Easter eggs in time for the festivities. This week it’s all about ideas for truly brilliant Easter crafts with the kids. Some of the ideas I’ve found are genius…

In case you hadn't noticed, spring has arrived! It is all glorious sunshine today, and I don't know about you but I'm feeling cluttered. Time to clear out all that stuff, and make some fresh, new, space.

Here's an idea. How about swapping your stuff? And not just the unwanted clutter, er precious and loved but sadly no longer wanted, items you have about the house.

There's lots of ways you can get, well not money for nothing but certainly something without having to part with your hard-earned, cash. Swapping is perhaps about the oldest form of commerce. You have something I want, and I have something you want, so we swap. As the Meerkats would say - simples!

Outside of the playground though, it can be hard to form a good network of people to do a bit of swapping with. Until the internet arrived. With the World Wide Web it is possible to find lots of people, all around the globe, who have something to swap.

The Easter holidays are nearly here, yippee, and so is (we all hope) some warm sun and lovely weather. To celebrate these upcoming days of relaxing and enjoying, here are ten brilliant ways you can decorate Easter eggs with your kids…

One of the surest things about becoming a parent is that, sooner than you’d think, you’re up to your elbows in glue, scrunched up tissue paper, cut up magazines, and bits of old cereal boxes.

And as if to help parents out with ideas, just about every month there's something else happening that you can theme your crafts around. This month it is Easter.

There's lots of Easter crafts you can go for. Eggs, nests, bonnets, anything themed with chicks or bunnies. For this particular feature I'm focusing on Easter Baskets. And if you're not doing an Easter Egg hunt then I'd really recommend giving it a try. There's a little wood near us, and for the last couple of years a small number of us have got together and had a little Easter egg hunt for the kids. It is a huge amount of fun!

What you want to do is give the kids enough material to allow them to really go nuts with their imagination. And as it is Easter holidays, to give them an activity that will help keep them busy for a while.

All of which means one thing - you’re probably going to have to spend some money (ideally as little as possible)! To help you out, we’ve ferreted out some of the cheapest places we could find for the basic ingredients, or better yet, Easter basket making kits.

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