Cloth nappies-I've just done really well buying used toddler sized nappies from the Real Nappy Exchange. This is run by Real Nappies for London but seems to cover an area larger than London. Price varies and some nappies are just for the cost of postage. Obviously, the quality may vary. Mine came from two different people and were all in good to excellent condition.
Children's activities. Some of the best things are free. One activity that our three year old loved was getting up to see the sunrise. Somehow, we avoided waking the little one and this was a great chance to talk about the sun's rotation, creation and why we need the sun. It was also a lovely bit of individual time and we finished by having croissants and hot chocolate for breakfast. Not a summer activity-we did this in spring but now the days are getting shorter, this would become feasible again.
Another free activity-birth stories. I don't mean the gory, pain and panic variety but a sanitized version especially for three year olds. Ours cover what Mummy was doing the day before, the time she went to hospital, how she got there, when the baby was born, the size of the baby relative to siblings, the colour of the baby (the fact we've had two blue boys and a pink boy causes some confusion! Conveniently, the girls have been pink), who came to see the baby in hospital and what they thought, details about going home and so on. I have to repeat various stories every day-this is a great in car activity although I do tire of it sometimes. This is a time when the child knows that they and their siblings were welcomed and loved and that we were thankful to God for them. Whilst I might tire, our three year old doesn't!
January-VAT goes up to 20% on 4th January. In my experience, there are few reasonable grocery offers at this time of year and January is grey and cold so heating bills go up. I'm wondering about stockpiling a few staples to make January feel better-probably tins, toilet roll (there is VAT on toilet roll!), cartons, cleaning materials and washing powder. Is anyone else planning to do this? Have you any tips?
I am a bit of a toilet roll fiend and we have been known to have about 60 rolls in the attic when there was a bargain to be had.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, the toilet roll collection! I try to keep a minimum of 24 rolls at all times. When I open a package, I buy a new one. Sixty rolls is a good idea. I may start that!
ReplyDeleteOf course, cloth nappies are a great idea. I use them when I am at home (using disposable, when out). I don't have to buy disposables that often.
That does lead me back to the first item of toilet rolls. I sometimes think that if we can cloth-nappy a two-year-old, perhaps we should use cloths for our ourselves. It really wouldn't be that big a deal, would it? Then we can really save money on toilet rolls (leaving them for guests, so that we don't appear too weird). Chris is not so keen on the idea, though. ;-(