Guest post
Having children can be a seriously expensive hobby. If they aren’t in need of a new school uniform every six months, they’re damaging household items, demanding to be driven back and forth and eating everything in sight.
You love your children, so you don’t mind – but you do have to watch the pennies. Financial planning is a tricky business for just one person but when you’ve got to make your money stretch that bit more, and to cover people besides yourself, it assumes added importance.
By 401(K) via Flickr.com
What with the rising cost of heating bills, the winter can require extra careful budgeting. With children in the house, you don’t want to take any chances with cold weather. Youngsters can prove particularly susceptible to cold temperatures and telling them to put another jumper on isn’t necessarily the wisest thing to do.
According to ThisisMoney.co.uk, many British families are seriously struggling with their finances. A study completed in November 2012 has indicated that a lot of people are delaying major purchases until later in the year, unconvinced that their wallets can handle the strain alongside the weight of Christmas shopping.
Rising energy bills have been cited as one of the biggest causes for extra wariness, with the high street suffering a great deal as a result.
However, when the snow is falling in drifts outside or the rain is hammering against the window panes, you deserve a little extra treat. Horrible weather is the perfect excuse for hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows, for cuddling up on the sofa under a blanket and watching your favourite film, for staying in bed an extra hour with a warm cup of coffee. What could be better time spent with your family?
The good news is that you can free up money for those extra little treats by opting for Sainsbury’s winter deal mobile plan, which has been designed for ordinary, working people who need to balance the books.
Should you top up your mobile by £10, you will receive a free 30 day bundle that would ordinarily cost you £20. This gives you unlimited texts, to send out hither and thither on Christmas Day (you know how expensive that could be otherwise), 1GB of data and 800 minutes which allows for plenty of quality conversation with people you might not get to see in person for some time.
As well as all of that, you will get a whole 30 days of double nectar points with such a purchase, meaning that you can save a lot of money on both shopping and fuel over what can be a very expensive time of year – especially given how much we all eat over the festive period!
According to an infographic produced for Mobile by Sainsbury’s, double nectar points could save the average family as much as £180. This can translate to 27 girl’s school skirts and polo shirts or 24 boy’s trousers and polo shirts.
Alternatively, it could be used to buy one well-deserved spa day for mum or even 18 roast chicken dinners for everyone to enjoy. Want to put the money on more everyday purchases? Well, for that £180 you could get 200 loaves of bread, 225 bottles of washing up liquid or a staggering 315 litres of semi skimmed milk.
Whatever you choose to do with cash, the truth is that sorting out your finances this winter could lead to happy faces all round where you’re family is concerned. What better Christmas gift is there than that?
*All prices and figures true at time of writing
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