How to Get the Best Deal when Renewing your Mobile Phone Contract

Teenagers Texting Image by Akhenaton Images from Shutterstock

I've recently just renewed my mobile phone contract and I wanted an upgraded phone but not to have to pay any more per month. I thought this was going to be a very tall order and I'd have to pay quite a lot up-front for a new phone or accept that my monthly bill would be increasing. But no, with some shopping around I was able to secure a new phone that met my specification, the same monthly tariff and only a £50 upfront phone cost. Then considering I was upgrading 40 days before the end of my contract term I even managed to avoid paying off the buy-out charge as I stayed with the same provider and thus the £50 was around the same money. I was suitably impressed!

About a month before the end of your existing contract is a perfect time to look for new deals and to speak to the retention team about leaving your existing network supplier

Let me share with you the stages I went through to get my great value new phone deal -

1.  Choose which Phone you want next
I've been an iPhone user since 2012 and generally I love my phone. I find iOS very easy to use and intuitive and importantly all my music is stored in iTunes and this has kept me tied in over the last 6 years. Personally I've never had the newest iPhone on the market as I can't bear to part with so much money and I've found that by the two year mark each of my iPhones are pretty much done-in and are ready for the scrap heap. At two years my iPhone 4 totally refused to start-up, my 5C camera stopped working and now my SE also has a poor and slow camera!

With this in mind I decided I ought to bite the bullet and give an Android phone a go and I assumed I'd move to Samsung as it is a name I know and trust and my girls had Samsung tablets that worked well but when I started to speak to people everyone kept telling me to try Huawei. The same kind of specs as iPhone and Samsung flagship models but at much lower prices.

Our Fabulous new Laptop Bags from Inateck

Just a few weeks ago JJ treated himself to a new laptop but not just any laptop, a super-special gaming laptop, one that cost twice as much as my regular laptop. With this in mind we said that he definitely needed to get some protection for it and something sturdy to be able to carry it around in.

We started to have a look around and settled on the Inateck anti-theft backpack with USB charging port and it was a super bargain price of just £23.99. The bag is available in a dark grey, black or blue and it has more pockets than you can ever need. Or so I thought but JJ tells me all the pockets are perfect as he can use the bag for school too and it means he won't have to root around looking for things as they can all have their specified space.

I'm pleased to say that the part where you put your laptop in is very padded and there is an elasticated strap that Velcros it in, so it can't be easily stolen. It takes up to a 15.6" laptop, which is good as that is what JJ has. Also inside is a USB cable that you can attach to a power bank, that will sit in the inside pocket and this then feeds out to a another USB port so you can plug your own cable and phone in to charge whatever gadget you want. You can see the external port in the far right photo below.

A Family Trip to Polesden Lacey - National Trust, Surrey

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I absolutely adore National Trust properties. Looking around an old character house, exploring the grounds and enjoying some good food whilst I am there is my idea of a dream day. I am super lucky that there are so many of them around and I can always find somewhere new within a couple of hours of our home in East Sussex. 

A couple of weeks ago my girls had a Friday inset day so we headed off to Surrey and met my Mum at one of her local National Trust properties - Polesden Lacey and as I expected it was a delight. As you can see from the photos we were very lucky with the weather and this helped us to have a wonderful time there. 

Getting there/ Parking

We took a bit of an 'odd' route as we were picking my Mum up on the way but once we joined the A246 it was a very easy drive and Polesden Lacey was well-signed with the brown attraction signs. They advise that it is best to use the postcode KT23 4PZ for sat navs. There appeared to be plenty of parking and it was on hard-standing. This is free if you are an NT member or otherwise £2 for up to 2 hours or £5 for the whole day. 

There are toilets right at the entrance (including accessible ones and baby change) and also the pleasant Cowshed coffee shop with outside seating, which seemed to be a hit with many dog owners. In fact, we saw so many dogs at this NT site and it thrilled my daughters. Dogs on a lead are welcomed in the pleasure gardens and in the wider estate but not in the house or the cafes. 

Reasons to be Cheerful - A Right Mix! #R2BC

Good morning friends, how are you today?

All is fairly good here, my Miss E has a cold, which I think she got from me and I appear to have got from JJ. So we've had headaches, coughs and sneezes hanging around for the last week. Hopefully this will be the last of them and off they'll go!

1)  Miss E has been a trooper, despite feeling ill she has still gone in to school and sat her SAT's. I've been very happy to hear Miss M and Miss E both say they were easy and they feel really confident. They have an end of SATs party tonight at a local soft play and I pray Miss E is feeling well enough for it as she has been looking forward to it for weeks.

2)  I've hardly had to cook this week, which is always an R2BC for me as I don't particularly enjoy cooking. My husband has had relatives staying so we have joined them for food, been out and eaten up at the main house. Then tonight whilst the girls party, JJ will come with my husband and I for a yummy Indian meal whilst we wait to collect them.

5 Great Places to Mountain Bike as a Family in Sussex

Image thanks to Jonty Wilde

Mountain Biking can be an immense amount of fun and it is a superb way to get or stay fit. My husband loves to go out with our kids for bike rides and I admit that I'm tempted to join them. It's therefore perfect that Halfords have created a comprehensive but super easy to navigate Beginners guide to Mountain Biking and now I can get myself kitted out and on the tracks with them.

Getting Kitted Out
Of course as a newbie I need to head off to my nearest Halfords to check out what mountain bike will suit me. There really isn't a standard bike that fits everyone, so you do need to go in and try them out. All our family's bikes have been bought from Halfords and we've found their staff to be knowledgeable and helpful. I also like the fact you can take your bike back in for a six week check after purchase and if anything needs adjusting they do this free of charge for you.

Once I've sorted the bike then I need to ensure I have the proper kit to wear as nothing is more important that personal safety. A well-fitting helmet is a must, comfortable trainers that are not too hard, gloves to help with my grip and some anti-glare sunglasses will be my first purchases.

Visiting Hever Castle With Kids - 10 Top Tips

Last Bank Holiday Monday we had a wonderful trip to Hever Castle in Kent. It really is the most beautiful place and so well maintained, so we would definitely recommend it as a wonderful place to visit with kids, whatever their age. We visited with our 10 year old twins and 14 year old and they all had a good time. Younger kids would enjoy it even more I imagine.

Let me share with your our ten top family things to do at Hever Castle and some tips for enjoying them!

1)  Enjoy the Water Maze
This was definitely my kids favourite part of the day and I was glad we had taken some spare clothes and a towel. You definitely need these for a warm day as your children will want to spend ages in the water maze. Everyone has to wear footwear in the maze so maybe pack some flip-flops or water shoes, something you don't mind them getting soaking wet. Don't be fooled into thinking this is just for a hot day though as it will be far quieter on a mild day and you can see where the water will squirt, so just avoid those bits if you don't want too get wet.

A Very Cheery Week #R2BC

I'm pleased to say this post was super easy to write this week. After a 4 days weekend, I was bound to have loads of things to be happy about.

1)  A fabulous couple of days with my parents, we headed to National trust Polesden Lacey and it was as fab as I thought it would be. The first picture is my Mum and the girls dancing down the stairs. My Mum is always up for a laugh with them and they love her for that.

2)  Saturday night TV is my favourite. I love Casualty and at the moment there is Britain's Got Talent and the new Who wants to be a Millionaire? too. Could I ask for any more? lol

3)  Sunday afternoon my husband and I took the girls into Hastings to catch a bit of the Jack in the Green festival.  We didn't see too much as we arrived late in the day but we did enjoy some drumming, the atmosphere of the crowds, fresh chips on the beach and a play in the penny arcade.

Looking Forward to our Eurocamp Holiday at Club Farret Camping, Vias, Languedoc

All the family are on countdown, there is just 15 days until we fly over to the South of France for our stay at Club Farret Campsite with Eurocamp. I'm really pleased to have chosen this 5 star parc for our next Eurocamp holiday. Brilliantly it is just 10 minutes from Beziers airport and we were able to pick up good value flights with Ryanair from Stansted and and a really competitive in-resort transfer with Sun Transfers.

I can honestly say that every one of us is excited and each of us for our own reasons. Let me share with you what we are looking forward to -

Enjoying the Swimming Pools
We are lucky enough to have two great pools at this campsite. There is Tao Beach with a swimming area for both adults and kids (which is heated in the low season), as well as a counter-current river and bubble massage seats. There's also the Pirates Bay Pool area where there is fun by the bucketful with slides, diving board and loads of water games. My girls will also be thrilled to find there is a swim up bar. I do hope they serve mocktails as that will make one of Miss M's dreams come true!

I also see an exciting new aquadome pool with a retractable roof is being built right now. Sadly I think we'll be a little early for it as I believe it opens in Summer 2018. I'll give you an update once we are back.

What to Do When You're a Stay-at-Home Mum Who Wants to Go Back to Work

Image Credit

When you’ve been a stay-at-home mum for a while it can be too easy to think that any career prospects you ever had have gone down the drain. Especially if you’ve been working exclusively to take care of your kids for a long time, but it’s simply not true. Whether you’ve been staying at home for twelve months or twelve years, you can get back to work and create a life that is fulfilling in terms of both work and family life.

If you’ve decided it’s time to get back into the world of work, here’s what you need to do:

Do a Self-Assesment

There is absolutely no point going back to work just for the sake of it. Don’t let anyone pressure you with their expectations. Unless you actually want to do the job or unless you really need the money, you would be better off staying at home with the kids if that is what makes you happy. So, first of all, sit down and think about what you really want to do. Do you want to go back to your old job or a similar one? Do you want to try something totally new? Do you want to do an online masters in school counseling or become a teaching assistant so you can work in school hours and term-time? Really try to pin-point your desires and then you can work on achieving those goals.

Try Things Out

It may not always be possible, but if you can try out various new careers before you make a commitment, perhaps by volunteering at a local school or doing admin for a charity to see how you go, you’ll get a greater sense of what you do or do not like and find out exactly how capable you are of doing things. It will also be an easier way for you to ease yourself back into the world of work. Over the last five years I’ve undertaken around six different volunteering roles and they have all been good for my development and confidence in different ways.

Whoops! Very Late Reasons to be Cheerful

Hello friends, it is still Thursday, just about! I have to admit that I totally forget about #R2BC, es its May but it hadn't occurred to me this meant I was back on Reasons to be Cheerful watch!

Anyway better late than never. Thanks Kate for the nudge to get posting. Here are this weeks things that are making me cheery -

1.  A lovely evening walk with Miss E
The other night Miss E and I set out for a walk together, we ended up being out about an hour and took so many photos, it was so lovely to just amble along together and chat about nothing in particular. All whilst taking tons of photos.

7 Things Your Travel Planning Should Involve

Tourist taking photos image by LiskaM, thanks to Shutterstock

{This is a Collaborative post}

If you’re going to go travelling pretty soon, your planning should already be underway. If it’s not, what are you waiting for? The planning process is when you lay down all your plans and make sure that you’re ready for the adventure that currently lies ahead of you. There are so many different things that you have to give your attention to when you’re planning an exciting trip.

Don’t be overwhelmed by the planning that you still have to do though. It’s actually pretty simple to break down most of the important things that you have to do into seven simple categories. Each of these is as important as the one before it, so read on to learn all panning a successful trip. It’ll give you the impetus you need to start properly making your own plans.

1. How You’ll Travel Light

Packing as little as possible is a really good idea, especially if you’re going to be moving around a lot from place to place. Even if you’re not planning on doing that, it’s still a good idea to pack light because it makes the travel part of travelling a lot easier and less straining. Give some thought to this and be strict regarding what you need to take and what you really don’t need.

2. The Key Things You Want to Do

There might be a list of 100 different activities you want to fit into a week, but you know as well as I do that you’re not going to get all of those things done while you’re away. Rather than fooling yourself and then having regrets later, you should prioritise your list of key things you want to do. That way, you should be able to ensure you get the most important things done before moving onto the other less important activities. 

Review of the Holiday Inn Kensington, London booked via Groupon

The week after Mothers Day my Mum and I met in London for an overnight stay to enjoy some time together without the kids constantly disturbing us. I'd bought the hotel room as my Mums Christmas present and got a very good deal via Groupon. If I'm honest I hadn't really known where I was booking for, as it was advertised a bit cryptically on Groupon. It just said 4* Kensington Hotel with Full English breakfast for two and spa access for £97 in March. It was only upon investigating the postcode that I discovered it was the Holiday Inn.

I'd also bought the same deal for my husband and Miss M to stay there in February and that was just £86 and I had a Groupon 10% off code. With both deals, I was able to go via Quidco too and claim 5% cashback on both bookings. So both bookings turned out to be excellent value for a stunning hotel, that I will happily book in to again.

Arrival at the Hotel

The hotel is literally a 5 minute walk from Kensington High Street tube station and this makes it so easy and accessible. There are shops, coffee shops, restaurants, bars and everything you need very close to hand.

You're greeted by a doorman when you arrive and he'll take your bags if they are big or heavy. Check-in was very easy and not at all busy when we arrived at about 2.30pm. Officially the rooms are ready from 3pm but we were lucky we could access our room straight away. We were up on the 6th floor and there was two lifts to access the upper floors but one appeared to be out of order whilst we were there. It was easy enough to walk down though. I like that you have to use your key card to access the upper floors, that makes you feel safe.

Public Areas

As you walk in the hotel to the left there is a nice Starbucks coffee shop, which is 24 hours and that's so useful. There is also a very large bar area with plenty of comfy seats and it looks stylish and somewhere you'd happily meet friends or colleagues. There is also lots of big seating areas in the lobby so you can relax or wait for a friend. Of course we didn't use them but we saw loads of conference rooms at the hotel too. 

Visit Guernsey to discover the real Island behind the Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

For most of us living in the U.K it is hard to even imagine war nowadays. We are so far removed from the concept of war that truthfully it can be hard to relate. But roll the clocks back around 75 years and some of our fellow countrymen were in a completely different situation. Guernsey was under occupation and the Islanders were having to live alongside their oppressors, the Nazis.

When we travelled to the Channel Islands around four years ago I was fascinated to discover that many locals had to live through occupation. I would never have called myself a history buff but it is all riveting and there is so much to see and to learn. Especially when you have children with you as they'll be learning about WW2 at school and visiting Guernsey becomes a living and exciting history lesson.

But why am I bringing this up now? Well, I'm sure you'll have seen the trailers for the new film that was released on 20th April - The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society and if not, take a peek below. I'm can't wait to see it this weekend at the cinema, it looks to be a story of courage, tragedy and love all rolled in to one.

Personalised Phone and Tablet Cases from GoCustomized.co.uk

Let's be honest, personalised phone cases are nothing new. They've been around for years now and there are hundreds of suppliers of them. I've never had an interest in them before as the ones I've seen have mostly been low quality hard cases or wallets and that's not what I like. I know what I want and I'm quite a hard woman to please.

Since I got my first iPhone back in 2012 its always been a soft silicon type case I like, usually plain as I like to keep it simple. I choose silicon or rubber as I love the reassurance of the big plastic bumper around my fragile glass screen and in the four iPhones I've had I've not had a broken screen yet! So for me its the right choice.

My New Phone Case
However, now I have a personalised phone case I have to admit that I didn't know what I was missing. I haven't compromised, I still have my flexible silicon cover but I also have the most divine picture of myself, my twin girls and my mum smiling at me each time I grab my phone. It is the best photo and it reminds me of a great day together.

My phone cover came from gocustomized.co.uk and cost £14.99, this seems a very reasonable price to me as the generic ones that I can find in the shops are either that price or more. It's also one of the better silicon covers I've owned as the material is nice and thick and fits my phone very snugly, so it can't escape. The lip (or bumper) over the glass screen is also thick and quite raised to give the best protection.

Fancy Changing your Teens Life with NCS?

If I told you that your year 11 could develop leadership skills, build their confidence and make new friends this summer would you be interested?

Would you be even more interested if I said all this would cost you just £50 (maximum) and that your teen would be fully engaged in the most amazing outdoor team-building exercises, a residential for participants to learn ‘life skills’, a community-based social action project and an end of programme celebration event, all over a period of two to four weeks?

The National Citizen Service (NCS)
It sounds amazing, right? I'm sure you want to hear more about the National Citizen Service (NCS), the providers of all this fun. My JJ isn't even 15 yet but I am so pleased to have discovered NCS as I'll definitely be chatting to him about taking part once he has finished his GCSE's. He despairs of me sometimes as I'm forever on at him about being a good citizen; it is one of the most important values I aim to instil in JJ (and my girls to as they grow) as I feel it is far too easy in this day and age to be self-centered and to forget the value of community and working together for the greater good.

“Programmes like NCS are a good way to develop confidence and leadership skills to encourage a new generation of business and community leaders.” Sir Richard Branson

Easter Happy Holiday Days

We've had a lovely couple of weeks with the kids off school but I have to be honest, I am now ready for them to go back to school. I haven't really done any work and my house is feeling neglected BUT if you asked my girls I bet they'd say they've had a wonderful time and whilst JJ hasn't done half as much with me as they have I bet he'd say he was happy too, as I let him indulge his online gaming passion with his mates these last couple of days!

Easter was spent at home relaxing and we had a great early morning service up by the cross on Easter Sunday morning. Then Monday we headed to Bridgwater and stayed over there before a stop at the beautiful Dunster Castle.

Booking a Cottage via Airbnb: The White House, Fakenham, Norfolk

Booking with Airbnb
Last summer for my birthday we took our first Airbnb break. I was a little nervous as I booked because I'd heard both good and bad stories of people's experiences. We just wanted a few days away as a family of five but because it was the Summer school holidays everything costs a bomb. Luckily we’d already had our main family holiday so I figured if it all went wrong we’d still be OK, only four hours from home.

Nothing went wrong though, I need not have feared, we had the most amazing stay at the White House, Little Snoring, Fakenham, Norfolk. The owner Ceila was efficient from my first email communication and when we met her it was clear she could not do enough to make her guests stay memorable. We stayed for three nights and it so was good to be able to choose our length of stay rather than being dictated to by a holiday park. I paid £275.35 in total for the three nights, so that's less than £100 a night for the five of us and I think that's good value for the school holidays. 

With Airbnb bookings it is worth noting that you have a price per night quoted when you search and then there will be a cost on top for cleaning he property and also the service charge, which goes to Airbnb for running the website and providing the support.

I found all the communication very good via Airbnb, you can send questions to prospective property hosts and then communicate with the host of the property you book. I got both emails and text messages from Ceila and she was happy to help with all my queries.

Each host has their own terms and conditions in regard to cancellations, so it is worth checking those out before you book and see if there are any reviews. I like to book a tried and tested property with a number of good reviews. I have seen a few properties and the only reviews are that the host cancelled the booking at short notice, of course I wouldn't dream of booking one of those. 

Reasons to be Cheerful: Social Media, Baptism and Italian Food

Happy Thursday friends. How are you doing? Can you believe it is Easter tomorrow? This month seems to have gone by in a flash and next Thursday Reasons to be Cheerful will be back over with Becky at Lakes Single Mum for the month of April.

I've had a good week and here are just a few of the things that have been making me really cheerful in the last week -

*  I've been getting great feedback on the social media work that I'm doing for Ashburnham Place. It's so nice to be doing something that is appreciated and hopefully making a difference to the number of people who know about what we do and perhaps want to volunteer here.

*  One of our community members got baptised on Sunday evening.We had a great time of worship and prayer by the bonfire and then she braved our lake for a full-immersion baptism, it was really beautiful.

A Beginners Guide to Giving Blood in the UK

Last week I was super happy to give blood. A pint, that's all they take. My body doesn't miss it and luckily for me I've always found it a really easy and painless process. This time I was at the donation centre for 35 minutes start to finish and that blood I gave might save someones life. It's worth it, right?

This was my 23rd donation and I'm already booked in for my 24th in September. As a woman I can give blood every 16 weeks and men are able to give every 12 weeks but of course you have to do what is convenient for you and that's why I've only given 23 times since 1998. But I refuse to beat myself up that it could have been far more because that is 23 pints of blood that have made a big difference to some people and I really love the fact nowadays that I get a text after donation to tell me where my blood has gone to, it really helps me feel connected to the process.

Surely they have enough blood already?

I bet you know someone who has received blood. Most of us do whether we realise it or not. The NHS need 6,000 blood donations every day to ensure there is enough blood to meet demands within England. This means they need 200,000 new donors every year to replenish those who can no longer donate. Over half of regular donors are over 45 years old and as such more young people need to start donating to ensure there is enough blood in the future.

There is a particular need for more people from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities to give blood so there is adequate supply of certain blood types. Especially blood from black donors that can be given to black patients with sickle cell disease.

JJ, Age 14 Reviews the Young Driver Experience at Bluewater, Kent

Today we took the 90 minute drive from our home on the South-east coast up to Bluewater, the massive shopping centre in Kent. Shopping wasn't our main reason for the visit though, no today was about JJ enjoying one of his Christmas gifts. He had received a gift voucher for a 1 hour Young Driver experience and he was super keen to get behind the wheel of the car.

He's nearly 15 but hasn't tried out driving before so we had no idea how well he would take to it. On the one hand he is very intelligent and takes in information really easily but on the other this was the kid who had occupational therapy for a few years as he could hardly balance and had no spacial awareness. I need not have worried though as JJ took to it like a duck to water.

Off they go to start the lesson

What are Young Driver Lessons?
If your child is between 10 and 17 years of age they can sign up for a 30 or 60 minute lesson at one of over 60 venues across the UK. Young Driver have been giving lessons since 2009, delivering over 500,000 lessons with hand-picked, DBS checked instructors. The cost is £36.95 for a 30 minute lesson or £67.95 for a 60 minute lesson. I also see that they do birthday party packages and I think the price of £66 for a 15 minute lesson for four children is excellent. Do keep your eyes peeled on money saving sites too, as I've spotted a number of special offers around.