Today I want to write about something a bit different… skincare.

Now I know that you’re probably wondering why on earth I want to talk about skincare? Well that’s pretty understandable. However, I think that if you prefer to use natural products, and you care about the damage that we’re causing to the planet, you might find what I’ve discovered pretty interesting.

That’s why I’m writing this Tropic Skincare review.

Where My Tropic Journey Began

Let’s start at the beginning.

A few months ago, I was feeling a bit rotten. After having my boys, I’ve got to admit that taking care of myself swiftly ended up at the bottom of the ever growing ‘to do list’. Shamefully, I need to confess that my boys are 8 and 10 years old now. Yet I still hadn’t been looking after myself properly.

Taking care of my skin was once a big part of my daily routine. I even went to college to do Beauty Therapy Sciences, so I know the importance of taking care of my skin. Things changed when the boys came along, though, and it was starting to show in my face. My skin was dull and dry but with an oily t-zone (perfect). I could see that I was starting to age in my face. Now, I know that this is an inevitable part of getting older, but at 31 I thought that I was looking a little worse for wear. So things had to change!

I’ve never really felt 100% comfortable using chemicals on my skin. The thought of putting a whole load of chemicals that are claiming to do wonderful things onto my skin, to then be absorbed into my bloodstream just didn’t sit quite right with me. This is probably one of the reasons why I hadn’t bought any skincare products (other than face wipes) for a very long time.

So bearing this in mind, I felt that it was important for me to find a natural skincare range.

Discovering Tropic Skincare

I had been to one or two Tropic Pampers – which my friends and organised a few months earlier – and I must admit that I really liked the sound of the products.

The skincare range is made up of 100% natural ingredients. They looked, felt and smelled absolutely amazing! At the time, though, I wasn’t quite ready to try it out for myself.

Like I said earlier, for years all I had been buying for my skin was face wipes, a cheap moisturiser and a run of the mill exfoliator. So it felt like quite an investment to go from the bare minimum, to a full 100% natural skincare routine. I was also worried that I wouldn’t like it and that would be money down the drain that I could have spent on something that my boys needed. 

That being said, I knew that I had to try it. There are times when us mums are allowed to treat ourselves and feel a bit pampered. So I thought that I’d give the Tropic skincare range a go and see how I got on. Knowing how much my friends loved the products gave me the confidence I needed to take the plunge.

The ‘Green’ Tropic Ethos

Before I talk about what Tropic products I bought, I just wanted to talk about the environmental ethos or ‘green’ side of Tropic as a brand, as this was just as impressive to me as the products themselves. 

Ingredients

So, as a company, Tropic is passionate about all things natural. So much so that all of the products are freshly made each day in the Tropic HQ kitchen. There are never any nasty preservatives added to the products, which is proven by the fact that they each have sell by dates. 

Tropic also never hide what ingredients are used in their products, unlike most other cosmetic companies. You can easily find a full ingredient list for each product on their website. 

There are also many ingredients that they promise will never be used in their products. For example, alcohol, microbeads and honey/beeswax. You might be wondering why honey and beeswax are on the list? As we know that they are wonderful, natural ingredients. The reason for this is that the way they would have to farm the bees to collect the amount of honey needed, would be distressing for the bees. This brings me to another eliment to the Tropic ethos, they promise to now and always be 100% animal cruelty-free and vegan!

Carbon Footprint

Another area which Tropic are addressing, is their carbon footprint.

For a long time now the beauty industry has been causing a lot of damage to the planet, but Tropic don’t want to follow in the same footprints. They are so dedicated to giving back to the planet and only using sustainable sources for their ingredients, that they actually have been given a Carbon-Neutral Certificate, and as of mid 2020 this is due to change to a Carbon-Negative Certificate, meaning that they offset more carbon than they use! 

Try the Think Dirty App

If you want to check out what nasty chemicals and toxins are in your current skincare collection, then I’d suggest checking out the App Think Dirty. This is an independent company which test products for chemicals and toxins. They then rate the products on a scale of 0-10. The highest level – meaning that it contains a very high level of chemicals and toxins – will be shown as a number 10 in a red box. The lowest level – meaning no chemicals or toxins are contained in the product – will be shown as a number 0 in a green box.

Tropic have been awarded the Think Dirty certificate as they have scored the lowest level possible across the range.

So now we have discussed the Tropic ethos in more detail, you can probably see why I love it so much. Now let’s do a little review of the Tropic products I bought.

What Tropic Products I Bought

Deciding what to order was very easy. This is because Tropic have made it super simple by only selling one cleanser, toner and moisturiser set. This might sound like a bad thing, but actually what they have created is a skincare range that is suitable for all skin-types – even really sensitive skin – as they do an unscented option too.

I think the best way to tell you all about the products that I bought is to go through them individually.

The ABC Skincare Collection

The ABC collection works just as the name suggests. This means you can easily work out your skincare routine.

A is for Abolish

To start, the A stands for abolish. This is what the Smoothing Cleanser Complexion Purifier does. It is Tropic’s number one best selling product. This is because it is a luxurious, creamy cleanser that is created for all skin types. It easily melts away all makeup and dirt. It detoxifies the skin using green tea extracts, which are rich in antioxidants that help to fight the damage done to our skin by pollution and UV from the sun. The Tropic cleanser also stimulates skin cell renewal.

The cleanser is also full of golden jojoba oil, which has very similar properties to our skin’s natural sebum. This is good because it means that we aren’t stripping our skin of the good oils it needs when we cleanse our face. Finally, the smell is amazing! They add eucalyptus oil to the cleanser. This is really uplifting and makes you feel like you’re in an expensive spa rather than your own bathroom. 

Another little bonus is that the cleanser comes with a free organic bamboo face cloth worth £5. The cloth gently exfoliates your skin whilst removing the dirt and grime. It is so soothing to use when it’s been soaked in warm water.

B is for Balance

The B stands for balance. This is where the Vitamin Toner Pore Refining Mist comes in. It balances the skin tone and refines the appearance of pores. With its ph-balancing qualities it brightens and smoothes your complexion. Instead of using the usual way of putting your toner on a cotton pad and spreading over the face, this toner is a mist spray that really cools and soothes the skin, with cucumber and aloe vera extracts that are super refreshing. You can also apply this after your makeup if you want to refresh your skin on the go! It’s a handbag staple.

C is for Care

Finally the C stands for care. The Skin-Feast moisturiser is Tropic Skincare’s number 2 bestseller. It is a concentrated moisturiser that is jam packed full of 20 different plant, flower and fruit extracts. Hence the name feast! It literally is a feast for your skin. Giving it all of the nutrients that it really needs to be healthy. This also smells amazing! 

The price of The Smoothing Cleanser and bamboo face cloth is £16.00, the Vitamin Toner is £14 and the Skin Feast moisturiser is £24. So if you’re quick at maths, you will have worked out that the total for all of these skincare products comes to £54. However, when you order an ABC Skincare Collection, you can pick a face mask worth £20 for free. You know how much I love a freebie! 

Tropic Face Mask

I decided to order a mask called the Face Lift. This is because I really felt like my skin was looking old and tired. The mask is amazing, it is a clay mask that feels like it is literally lifting and tightening your skin. It also left it looking really bright and smooth. There are three different types of masks that you can choose from. These are the Face-lift, the Deep Hydration, and the Clear Skin mask. One for each type of skin.

My Tropic Verdict!

I was really impressed with my purchases. I can seriously tell the difference on my skin with the products being 100% natural. They leave my skin feeling so nourished and cared for, that I now feel confident about how my skin looks. 

Unfortunately, my husband is well aware that I will be wanting to buy it again once it runs out. Considering that I’ve had them for over 6 months now, though, I think that’s pretty good news. Obviously, everyone will feel the need to use different amounts of the products for their skin. But because they are so concentrated, I can happily use just 1-2 pumps of the cleanser, 3 spritz of the toner, and 1 pump of the moisturiser. A little really does go a long way!

In conclusion, I am so happy that I took the plunge and treated myself to some Tropic products. They really have given me peace of mind. I’m happy knowing that I’m not putting any harsh chemicals onto my skin to then be absorbed into my bloodstream. I now feel happy to use their products on the whole family, knowing that as the boys get older and may develop skin problems, I can help them with 100% natural products that really do work. Also, knowing how ‘Green’ the company is shows how different Tropic is from other beauty companies.

The post Tropic Skincare Review appeared first on Bunny on a Budget.

One of the most used items in our house has to be the vacuum cleaner (or hoover). It feels like the minute I put it away in the cupboard it’s back out again to clean up the trail of crumbs that my kids seem to enjoy leaving everywhere they go.

So, I’m sure that it won’t surprise you that I think that getting the right vacuum cleaner is a pretty important purchase. But with so many options to choose from it can be pretty overwhelming, especially when you’re on a limited budget!

With this in mind, I thought it might be helpful to review my personal experience of a range of vacuum cleaners that I have used over the past few years. Hopefully you might find it useful when making your own decision on what hoover to buy next.

Henry Hoover (or Hetty)

To start with, I thought that it would make sense to talk about our current vacuum cleaner, Hetty Hoover*. Yes I said Hetty (the girl version), not the ever so popular Henry*.

This is because we had a lovely little Henry Hoover for about 8 years. He was like a part of the family. He was totally reliable and even battled through some tough periods when my boys were tiny and thought that he was some sort of ride on toy. However, when he did eventually pack in I decided that I was happy to get another vacuum cleaner like Henry, but this time I wanted the girl version. I just thought it was about time there was some pink in my house of big and little men.

This time, however, I haven’t been as pleased with this range of hoover. I don’t know if there has been some sort of change in the manufacturing of the vacuum cleaners or maybe there is a difference in quality between Henry and Hetty?

Like I said, I’m not sure, but we have had Hetty for about 2 and a half years and we have already had a replacement tube sent out as they were constantly slipping in and out of each other when you’re trying to use it. Just last week the plastic part which attaches the tube to the main body of the vacuum cleaner split, which means it constantly falls off.

Now I have to hold my hands up and admit that I probably haven’t been as careful with the hoover as I possibly should have. This can be hard, though, as the design of the hoover is to follow you as you move around, but maybe I should have took more care when manoeuvring around corners.

All this being said, I did use the Henry version in exactly the same way for 8 years and we didn’t have to replace any parts.

On a positive note, the capacity in the vacuum bags are great and they are very easy to replace. Also the suction power is amazing. I especially love the super suction setting when cleaning our deep pile rug!

Miele

Another vacuum cleaner that I have been using recently is my mother-in-law’s Miele Complete C3* Cat and Dog Bagged Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner. It’s a bit of a mouthful but I thought I’d best write the full title as there are quite a few ranges on Miele vacuum cleaners.

Like the Henry hoover this is a pull along type, although it is much lighter than the Henry Hoover. Personally, after using it quite a few times I feel that it is a much better product. It has been designed in a way to make using it easy and it feels like a higher quality vacuum cleaner.

The reasons why I think that it has been designed in a much better way are these:

1. The accessories for the vacuum are cleverly kept in a compartment in the main body of the hoover. Which means that you never have to rummage through your under-stairs cupboard for each little accessory, they are always to hand whenever you need them.
2. The main attachment is secured to the tubes by a clever little mechanism that clicks into place. So unlike the Hetty Hoover, the Miele parts aren’t constantly coming off when you’re using them. You can easily and securely swap the attachments confident that nothing is going to fall off.
3. The final design feature that I like is the button that you press (with your foot) to wind the wire back in. There’s no need to break your back bending down to wind it in manually. It is as simple as pressing a button!

If I was to pick out a negative for this hoover I think it would be that it can’t be stored very compactly. But I suppose that that’s only an issue if you’re tight on storage space.

G-Tech

The final vacuum cleaner that I’m going to write about is the G-Tech Cordless vacuum*. I do some cleaning for a friend and this is the vacuum that they have.

It is the most modern of the three with it being both cordless and bagless. Now I’ve got to admit that it is brilliant using the vacuum without having to deal with any wires. Constantly plugging and unplugging it as you move around the house. However you do need to be organised and make sure that you have charged the battery before you need to use it.

Like I said earlier, it is also a bagless vacuum. The storage compartment for the dust is very easy to remove and empty, and you can see exactly how full it is, so you don’t need to worry about overfilling any bags.

However, the only downside that I have come across with the bagless vacuum is that if you have a dust allergy this is not the type of vacuum for you. My mother-in-law (who I spoke about earlier) is allergic to dust and after buying a bagless Dyson vacuum, she had to replace it with the Miele as the clouds of dust that come out when emptying the compartment was affecting her allergy.

This being said, I do think that it is a great vacuum. It was light-weight, really easy to manoeuvre and very flexible, so I can clean underneath furniture without having to move them first. It also has a little carry handle for when you go up and down the stairs.

However, I think that my favourite feature has to be the lights on the front. I don’t know why all vacuums don’t come with this feature? It makes it so easy to see mess in dark places such as under the sofa, but it also highlights every crumb that’s in your path, which means you do an extra thorough job!

Which Would You Choose?

Ok, well there are my three vacuum reviews. I hope that they have been helpful for you as you try and figure out which is the right type of vacuum cleaner for you!

The post Which Hoover is Best? appeared first on Bunny on a Budget.

If you have been a reader of Bunny on a Budget for a while then you might remember a post I wrote back in 2014 titled Why we decided against homeschooling – at least for now.

Well about 4 years have passed since writing that post and things have certainly changed. As of September 2018 we made the leap and took our two boys out of school! So I wanted to tell you how we got started and share some tips if you’re thinking about homeschooling yourself.

How to get started

If you have already decided that homeschooling is the right choice for you and your family, or, if you’re still in the process of making that big decision, then you might be wondering how to get started? 

Here are the first steps you’ll need to take, along with some homeschooling resources I’ve personally found really useful.

Informing the school

If your child/children are currently in school, then you will need to inform the headteacher of your decision. It’s important to remember that at the time of writing in England this is completely legal, so you don’t need the school’s permission to homeschool your children. The school does have the right, however, to refuse a request to send a child into class part-time.

What you will need to inform the headteacher of your decision is a letter requesting that they deregister your child from the school. The school will then pass on the information to your local education authority. To make your life really easy you can use the free template of this letter from www.home-education.org.uk

The day I handed the letters into my boys school I felt a real mix of excitement and nerves. I was happy with our decision, but I was also trying not to feel overwhelmed by the thought of being solely responsible for the education of my children. So it was really nice when I got a phone call later that day from the headteacher telling me that they will really miss the boys, but also that if I need any help I can always ask them.

If you are planning on homeschooling your children from the very beginning, then you don’t need to write a letter to the local authorities to get them deregistered, as they won’t be registered with them anyway.

Homeschooling Resources

There are so many options available today with regards to resources that it may feel a bit overwhelming. Don’t let this bother you. What I have come to learn is that you work out over time how you and your children work the best.

Homeschool Forums

There are lots of homeschooling websites that can offer advice and support through forums, such as netmums, home-education.org.uk and mumsnet.

Workbooks

The route that I decided to start with was to buy some workbooks for my boys age groups that support the national curriculum. We decided to use the Gold Stars range* and found that they were a bargain. We bought ours from The Works* for about £4 each but they are similarly priced on websites such as Amazon* and Wilko*. I felt that it would be easy to use the workbooks as a foundation for each subject and then to build on the topics in more detail.

Pinterest

I was informed that Pinterest has a huge amount of free resources that you can download and also some really great lesson ideas for kids of all ages. It really is true, Pinterest is a great place to find ideas to make lessons fun, but people also share lots of great worksheets too.

However, I did feel that I was spending a lot of time in the evening preparing for the following days lessons. This is because even though both of my boys are in KS2 they are in different year groups, so I was having to search and find appropriate work for both of my boys and if I’m being completely honest, it was quite time consuming putting together lesson plans from scratch.

Twinkl

I then remembered a website called Twinkl that my friend who works in a nursery mentioned. As it turns out, my boys old school also uses resources from Twinkl which didn’t surprise me because I think that it is a great website. It is a website designed to help teachers (and also homeschooling parents) with a huge amount of lesson plans, worksheets, activity packs and the list goes on. They are created by teachers for teachers and I can’t stress enough how much Twinkl has helped me.

To use Twinkl you pay a yearly subscription fee, and the amount you pay depends on the type of pack you want. Once you do this you then have wonderful resources at your fingertips to print off. I think that one of the reasons I really appreciate this website is because it gives me peace of mind to know that I am teaching my children in a way that is recommended by teachers. It also saves me a lot of time and the worksheets are so vibrant and colourful that my boys really enjoy the activities. However, this is my personal opinion, there are many different ways to teach your children, and a lot of people choose to steer clear of the type of work that is done is schools so please remember to do your research and only choose what is right for you.

YouTube

YouTube is another great place to find help. There are lots of great videos that can help with basically anything that you need help with. I would recommend checking the videos out yourself first, though, as one of the problems with YouTube is that you never know exactly what you might find.

One of our favourite YouTube channels is Mathantics, it’s very fun and vibrant and his teaching methods seem to click with children.

Plan a schedule

Depending on what type of homeschooling you are wanting to do, another important step may be to create some sort of schedule.

My children work best with a routine, they like to know what time lessons start, what lessons they will be doing each day and how long the lessons will last for. Amazingly they like to start early, so we aim for an 8:30 start so that they can finish early too. But we also do a lot of cooking, baking, p.e lessons and outdoor activities. This means that they are learning for the majority of the day but in a fun way.

Remember that you can change your schedule as time goes on and you find a routine that works best for the whole family.

Don’t stress

One of the easiest things to do when your starting on your homeschooling journey is to stress out. I am a natural worrier and so this was something that me and my husband spoke about before we made the leap. Whether my children were in school or at home, I would worry about all sorts of different things. However, teaching your children is a wonderful experience and an experience that we want our whole family to enjoy.

I’m trying to remember that I am learning too and it will take time to really figure out how our family will benefit the most from this new journey. I took a week off after handing the letter into school to get myself organised and I’m really glad that I did.

So there we go, a few simple tips on how to get started with homeschooling in the UK. Obviously I am only writing about what seems to have worked or is working for us, but hopefully you might find something in the post useful. Keep a look out for more posts that I’ll be writing about our experiences.

The post Homeschooling in the UK – How to get started! appeared first on Bunny on a Budget.

A little while back I told you about a different eco-friendly washing detergent I was wanting to try called ‘Soap Nuts’. I heard about them from a friend of mine who was thrilled with the totally natural and mild detergent. After using them for a few weeks I thought that it would be a good time to let you know how I got on.

What are Soap Nuts?

If you haven’t heard of soap nuts* before, then here is a quick overview of what they are.

Soap nuts (or Indian wash nuts) are a totally natural product that grow on trees in areas such as South India. They are are harvested in October and dried out. Once the kernels have been removed they are ready to use.

They work as a detergent when they come into contact with water because they create mild suds which gently wash your clothes. The fact that they are 100% natural and a mild alternative to your conventional detergents has made them appeal to a variety of different people.

What has my experience of using soap nuts been like, though?

Getting started

When the bag of soap nuts arrived I was really disappointed that the small wash bag* that was supposed to be included in the package wasn’t there. This obviously delayed me being able to try them out because we had to wait another couple of days for them to arrive. However, the company that we bought the soap nuts from were very apologetic and reimbursed us for the trouble.

Now, because I was going down the whole eco-friendly route I decided that I wanted an eco-friendly fabric conditioner too. My friend advised me to use white vinegar with a few drops of organic natural essence oil. I think that this is a bit of a trial and error area because you need to find the right smell for you and also you need to work out the ratio of vinegar to oil that you feel works best.

Personally I preferred the organic lemongrass oil* at a ratio of about 1 cap of vinegar to 10 drops of oil. But like I said, this is completely up to you.

How long do they last?

The instructions that came with my bag of Soap Nuts said that 5 half shells in a small bag should last up to 5 washes before they need replacing. This is great value for money as you can buy a 1kg bag of soap nuts* for around £10!

Once you’re finished with the nuts you can either pop them in the bin or to be super eco friendly you can chuck them onto your compost heap.

How well did they wash?

OK, so I suppose that the main thing you’re all wondering is whether they actually work or not. The answer to that is yes they definitely do wash your clothes. They look clean and bright which really did surprise me. Although I have got to admit that I struggled with the natural fabric conditioner at first, I didn’t feel that the clothes were as soft as usual but I persevered!

Now even though the soap nuts washed the clothes quite well, I did notice that the natural mildness of them meant that they struggled to remove the harder marks or stains without the help of a stain remover pre-treatment. I suppose that for some people this wouldn’t really cause any issues if maybe you only have to do it rarely or maybe you do that as part of your normal laundry routine anyway, but for me this was an extra effort that I didn’t really have the time to do. I think having 2 young boys who seem to pick up grass stains and chocolate stains on a daily occurrence it felt like too much effort.

Would I swap?

Would I swap my regular detergent for the cheaper, eco-friendly soap nuts? I’m very sad to say that I wouldn’t. The reason that I’m not happy about this is because they could possibly save me a (very) small fortune. They are such good value for money that I don’t think there is another detergent out there that can come close to how much they can save you.

I’m also sad that I won’t be making a permanent swap because I love the idea of using something 100% natural. Knowing that it doesn’t harm the environment and that they aren’t harsh on the boys skin are two reasons that I really wanted them to work for me.

However, even though all of the above are very good reasons for using the Soap Nuts, unfortunately for me I just can’t spare the extra time in pre-treating the clothes before each wash.

If you aren’t too worried about pre-treating some of your clothes before popping them into the machine then I would definitely recommend that you give soap nuts a try*!

The post Soap Nuts Review appeared first on Bunny on a Budget.

Ok, so I have made an exciting new discovery today that I really want to share with you all! Maybe you already know about it and I’m just finally catching up, but even if that’s true I have to write about it anyway

Have you ever heard of Soap Nuts*? I was just introduced to them today as my friend is trying them out. As she was pretty excited about them, I thought that I’d look into them myself to see if they are worth a try.

What are Soap Nuts?

Soap Nuts – also know as Indian Wash Nuts – are a 100% natural washing detergent which are a great alternative for our normal chemical based laundry detergents. They grow on trees mainly in South India which have beautiful white flowers. In October the Soap Nuts are ready to be harvested, when they are picked from the trees they are quite sticky and golden in colour. They are then dried out and the kernels are removed from the shells. Once this has been done the shells are then bagged up and ready to use as a mild detergent.

How do they work?

They work in pretty much the same way as any other form of soap. Once they come into contact with water they create mild suds. This is because the shells are made of natural saponine which creates the foam.

When using Soap Nuts as a washing detergent you place around 5 half shells in the muslin bag that is provided. This then goes into the drum with the load.

Apparently you don’t have to use a fabric conditioner with the Soap Nuts, however, my friend has recommended using a small amount of white wine vinegar with a few drops of your favourite essential oil to give a really soft finish that smells lovely.

How much do they cost?

So, the next question to consider is the cost. If you are looking to buy them online from sites like Amazon* and eBay* then you are looking at around £8.99 for a 1kg bag of Soap Nuts*. This usually also includes at least one small muslin bag for the Soap Nuts* to be put into in your machine.

They are supposed to be a cheaper alternative to our popular laundry detergents as a 1kg bag should last you around 240 washes. This is because the nuts can be used for around 4-5 washes before they need to be discarded.

Environmentally friendly

Another reason why I would like to give Soap Nuts a try* is because they are a great environmentally friendly alternative to my usual chemical based washing detergent. This is because they literally do grow on trees and come from sustainable agricultural plants. Once you have used the Soap Nuts they can be added to your compost heap to be disposed of naturally.

As you can probably tell, I think that this is a pretty interesting swap for my usual washing detergent. My Soap Nuts should be getting delivered tomorrow so I’ll be writing a review in a few weeks to let you know how I’ve got on with them.

The post Why I’m Replacing Washing Detergent With Soap Nuts! appeared first on Bunny on a Budget.

I have finally joined the millions of Brits who order their weekly food shop online! You may be thinking that it has taken me way too long and that I’m only just catching up with the modern world, which I suppose is true, but there is a good reason for this. I have always found the delivery charges a bit on the expensive side and not really worth my while when I live so close to a supermarket. However, the Tesco Delivery Saver* has made me think again! Having said all that, I do still like to shop smart so I want to tell you how I make ordering my food shop online work for me.

What is the Tesco Delivery Saver?

What is the Tesco delivery saver? It is a great way to avoid a delivery charge on every order you make. All you you need to pay is a monthly one off payment starting from £3.49 and then you can pick a delivery slot that suits you without worrying about any peak time prices.

The two options that you have to pick from are the Midweek plan and the Any day plan which I will briefly explain.

The Midweek plan: This plan offers you free delivery on either a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday for just £3.49 a month as a 6 month contract, or £3.99 with no contract. This plan is a brilliant way to save money if your routine allows you to be home at some point during the midweek.

The Any Day plan: This plan is the most popular as it offers you free delivery any day of the week for just £6.99 a month as a 6 month contract or £7.99 a month with no contract.

To qualify for a Tesco Delivery Saver you need to spend the minimum basket amount which at the time of writing is £40.

Getting organised

One of the best things about ordering my food online is that it makes me get organised! I have to sort out a meal plan, which is a great way of relieving myself from the daily stress of trying to decide what to cook for tea in the supermarket (usually with the kids with me!). It also helps to save money because I am at home when I’m sorting out the food shop I can check what ingredients I have in the cupboards instead of buying more just incase I don’t have any at home. Only to find out that I have 3 unopened tubes of tomato puree ready and waiting when I get back.

It saves time as well as money

The most obvious way that ordering my food online has saved me money is that I can’t get distracted. I don’t feel the need to look in the clothing and home section, and I’m also not tempted by the delicious treats that are conveniently placed on every corner.

However, ordering my food online not only saves me money, it also saves me a lot of time each day. I don’t need to spend half an hour wandering around the supermarket looking for inspiration. Not to mention the time it takes to physically find the food and buy it, especially with all of the lovely distractions that the supermarkets are full of these days!

I still shop smart

Even though I am really pleased with the amount of time and money the Tesco Delivery Saver* has saved me. I do still like to check that I am getting good deals on my groceries. I do this by checking my other local supermarkets prices for things such as washing detergents and other big items so that I’m not missing out on a good deal. I also still like my local independent shops and bargain shops in my town centre, so I make sure I head up town once a week to pick up certain items from there too.

As you can probably tell I am very pleased that I have decided to change the way I shop. Ordering my food online has simplified my life and has made it a lot easier to monitor how much I’m spending. Although to be honest if it wasn’t for the Tesco Delivery Saver I would probably still be shopping the old school way.

The post I’ve Finally Been Converted to Online Food Shopping! appeared first on Bunny on a Budget.

Recently, my husband and I bought our two boys a Nintendo Switch*. Personally, I didn’t know much about them, I wasn’t sure exactly how it worked or whether it would be easy for our boys to use as they are only 7 and 8 years old.

However, my husband did all of the research and felt that it would be a great gift. I on the other hand was still a bit confused as to why it was so different from the game consoles that they already had, but figured that I’d just go along with it.

We’ve had it for only a few days, so it’s still very early in our Nintendo Switch experience, but I thought that it would be a good idea to write a short Nintendo Switch review about how the console works and how my young boys have got on with it, in case there are any parents out there who are considering buying one but still aren’t too sure.

How Does the Nintendo Switch Work?

The biggest difference between the Nintendo Switch* and other game consoles is the amount of options you have on how you want to use it.

Playing it Through the T.V

For instance, it firstly comes with a docking station which allows it to be used through the T.V just like a Playstation or Xbox.

It comes with two remotes (or Joy-Cons) that can be used separately for 2 player or co-op games by attaching the Joy-Con controller straps to them. This allows you to play games in the two player mode. A great detail that I love about the Joy-Cons is that they come in two different colours, so if you have two kids like me they can decide who has which colour. As one of my boys is a Manchester United fan and the other is a Chelsea fan, it was pretty easy deciding who has the red and who gets the blue controller.

If they are wanting to play in the one player mode then this is easily done by sliding the two Joy-Con controllers into the Joy-Con grip which has the appearance of a standard games console controller. The Joy-Con grip comes with the Switch so you don’t have to buy it on top. They can also use the two Joy-Cons separately in one player mode – one in each hand – if that suits the gameplay better.

As an extra option you can buy a pair of Joy-Con wheel accessories* that work in the same way as the Nintendo Wii steering wheels. These can to be used in racing games such as Mario Kart.

I was concerned that our boys would find setting up the controllers for different uses quite difficult, but they didn’t at all. However, we are checking that they are doing it correctly as it would be gutting to get one of them stuck, but depending on the ages of your children they should pick this up pretty quickly. Although, I would definitely recommend doing it yourself for any younger children as they are quite expensive to replace. At the time of writing they would cost around £69.99 for a pair on Amazon*. Obviously you know your children best so you are the best person to decide if they can change the accessories on the Joy-Con controllers themselves or not.

Using it as a Mobile Device

The Nintendo Switch can also be used as a mobile device, similar to a tablet. To do this all you have to do is remove it from the docking station.

If just one person is wanting to play on it then the Joy-Con controllers can be attached to the side of the screen and used in that way. Even though it is quite a lot bigger in the hand held mode than they are used to, they found it really easy and the big screen makes it really enjoyable for them to play.

They can still use it in the two player mode like on the T.V when it is out of the docking station by removing the Joy-Con controllers and by propping up the switch screen using the prop stand on the back. We have found this to be quite flimsy, however, so we’re going to buy a more sturdy prop* so that they can set it up at the table or any flat surface without worrying about it falling.

This mode is also great because unlike the Playstation or Xbox, they can enjoy a bit of time playing on their games without either taking over the living room, or having to go into a separate room. You can still be in each others company minus the annoying noise!

It is worth noting, however, that after doing some research we found out that the screen can be easily scratched when taking it in and out of the docking station, so we ordered a pack of 2 screen protectors* when we bought the Nintendo Switch so that we weren’t going to be too worried about it getting scratched.

Using the Switch Out and About

You can also take the Nintendo Switch out and about. For instance, if you are going on a long car journey this could be a great way to keep the kids entertained. You can buy a travel bag for all of the accessories* to be carried about without it getting broken. And by using the prop, it can be a great way for them to not argue about whose turn it is.

Are There Many Kids Games For the Switch?

Even though the Nintendo Switch is a relatively new console, there are quite a few games available to choose from already. As we don’t like our boys playing games that are dark and violent we think that it has a good variety of games to choose from for a whole range of children. We bought Mario Odyssey* which they absolutely love! And also Mario Kart Deluxe 8* which is great fun. Another game that we would like to try is Monopoly* as all ages can enjoy it.

There are some more games that are due to be released in 2018 such as Yoshi*, Donkey Kong*, Mario Tennis Aces* and Runner3*. So there will be plenty to make the money you’ve spent on the Nintendo Switch worth it.

Is it Any Good for Younger Kids?

After having the Nintendo Switch for about a week now I can honestly say that both my 7 and 8 year old absolutely love it! They have so many options of how to play it, it’s colours and designs make it really attractive, and to be honest it’s pretty amazing how something so small can do so much.

They have also learnt how to use the controllers and the different settings really quickly and are being very careful with it, so we definitely don’t feel that they are too young to have one. Instead it just seems like they are going to get years of enjoyment from it.

The post Is The Nintendo Switch Good For Young Kids? appeared first on Bunny on a Budget.

Buying a new kettle should be one of the simplest tasks you can do. However, there are so many different options to choose from when shopping for a kettle nowadays, such as deciding between an electrical or a stove top kettle or choosing between a modern, retro or heritage look. However, I think that the hardest choice to make is whether to buy a metal kettle or a plastic kettle.

The reason I say this is because it is pretty straightforward to pick between an electrical or stove top kettle as it depends on whether you have the time and patience to wait for the stove top kettle to boil. Also, to choose between modern, retro or heritage looks totally depends on your style in the kitchen.

However, choosing between a metal and plastic kettle can be a bit trickier. For example, a lot of the thoughts and opinions on metal and plastic kettles vary. These thoughts can be some of the following:

• You often get more choices with metal kettles.
• Plastic kettles appear to be of a lower quality.
• Metal kettles are more expensive so should be better kettles.
• Plastic kettles are cheaper but not as stylish.

But are these thoughts and opinions true?

My personal experience

Well, I recently went through the process of shopping for a new kettle. My last two kettles have been metal kettles from the Russel Hobbs Legacy range* that cost around £49.99 at the time and I absolutely loved them! They looked really good in the kitchen and worked amazingly. However, I ended up giving the first one away after having it for about 5 years as it had gotten all scratched and rusty and was looking a bit worse for wear. Like I said, I really loved the kettle though, and I put the scratches down to the fact that I hadn’t packaged it up very well when we moved house. So, I wanted to buy the exact same kettle again, but this one wouldn’t get bumped around in the back of a removal van.

Unfortunately, even though we haven’t moved house since buying the second metal kettle this one also started to look a bit scruffy after only a year. The cream paint layer over the top had started to bubble, and if you accidentally knocked it, the bubble would burst and the paint would start to peel. Also, the rim around the top of the kettle had been knocked a couple of times when filling it with water and so it had started to scratch and rust from that area too.  

Now, the problems that I have found with metal kettles might not be something that everyone will experience. This is because both me and my husband work from home a few days during the week, so it may just be that our kettles get more than the average use (due to our constant cups of tea and coffee) and so start to show signs of premature wear and tear. Also, we have to keep in mind that I have only used metal kettles with a coloured finish over the top, so I can’t say how a plain stainless steel kettle* would fair.

After putting up with the bumps and scratches for a while I finally decided that it was time to try something new. A plastic kettle! I had always thought of plastic kettles as being a bit on the cheap and boring side. However, there are more and more brilliant plastic kettles coming to the market. Instead of them just being your budget kettle that costs under £10 there is now a huge variety of styles, colours and prices that means that pretty much everyone can find one to suit their needs and styles.

I decided to buy the Breville Impressions kettle* in cream for under £30 and I absolutely love it. It is lighter than the metal kettle, but it works just as well, and it definitely doesn’t feel that I’ve compromised on the quality of the kettle by choosing a plastic one. Best of all though, it is still immaculate after a few months of constant use!

The Verdict

So, I think that what you need to bear in mind when buying your next kettle is that every kettle is different, you can choose a top end kettle for over £100 or you can pick a budget kettle* for just £10. But don’t feel put off buying a plastic kettle if you’re worried about the quality or style. From my own experience I can tell you that I am over the moon with my new plastic kettle.

The post Should You Buy a Metal or Plastic Kettle? appeared first on Bunny on a Budget.

Once you’ve grabbed what you want, be sure to share this list with your friends so they can bag a great deal too!

Amazon

£20 Off Fire 7 Tablet – £29.99 with Free Delivery*

£15 off Amazon Echo Dot – £34.99 with Free Delivery*

£15 off Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote – £24.99 with Free Delivery*

Xbox One S 500GB Console – Rocket League Blast-Off Bundle – £169.99 with Free Delivery*

Sony PlayStation 4 (500GB) with FIFA 18 + Gran Turismo Sport + Knowledge is Power – £199.99 with Free Delivery*

30% off Family Games including Twister, Speak Out and more*

Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal Cylinder [Energy Class A] – £200 with Free Delivery*

Up to 50% off Coffee Machines including De’Longhi Dolce Gusto…*

Up to 40% off Whiskies including Gentleman Jack and Glenlivet*

Boohoo.com

UP TO 50% OFF ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING + FREE DELIVERY!*

John Lewis

LEGO City 66493 Remote Control Cargo Train, Station, Tracks and Power Functions 4 in 1 Super Pack – Exclusive to John Lewis – Save £75 (saving applied to price) – £159.99 with Free Delivery*

John Lewis Country Play Wooden Kitchen – Online Exclusive – Save 20% (Saving applied to price) – £100.00 with Free Delivery*

Issey Miyake L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme Intense Eau de Toilette Natural Spray, 75ml – Save 50% (Saving applied to price) – £20.00*

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser, 100ml with 2 Muslin Cloths – InStyle Best Beauty Buys Award Winner – Save 15% (saving applied to price) – £13.60*

L’Occitane Moments Of Delight Bath & Body Gift Set – Exclusive to John Lewis -Save 33% – (Saving applied to price) – £22.10*

Next

70% Off All Black Friday Lines + Free Delivery Today Only*

Tesco

LG 43LJ594 43 Inch Smart Full HD LED TV with Freeview Play – £299.00*

LG 49LJ594 49 Inch Smart Full HD LED TV with Freeview Play- £399.00*

Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote- TV & Media Streamer- £24.95*

Huawei Mediapad T3 10 Inch Tablet with Wi-Fi and 16GB – Space Grey- £89.00*

FIFA 18 Standard edition Xbox One – £36.00*

Debenhams

Mantaray – Light grey yarn striped jumper- Now £20.00*

Philips – Lumea emerald face and body epilator BRI950/00- Now £250.00*

Oral-B – Oral-B genius pro 8000 rechargeable electric toothbrush- Now £90.00*

Mantaray – Dark blue textured jumper- Now £20.00*

J by Jasper Conran – Baby girls’ grey striped knitted dress and tights set Now £10.00*

Argos

Philips SHB3075 Wireless On-Ear Headphones – Black £29.99*

Dyson V6 Animal Extra Cordless Handstick Vacuum Cleaner £199.99*

Sim Free iPhone 7 32GB Mobile Phone – Black £499.00*

iPad 9.7 Inch Wi-Fi 32GB – Space Grey £299.00*

Acer 15.6 Inch i3 4GB 1TB Laptop – Black £289.99*

Ebay Uk

Nespresso by De’Longhi EN550.B Pod Coffee Machine 1400 Watt Black New £119.00*

Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Hi Lo Tops Mens Womens Unisex Canvas Trainers*

Beats by Dr. Dre Studio Headband Headphones – Flashing Lightning £219.00*

VTech 178503 Kidi Super Star Toy Multi-coloured £37.99*

New Womens Superdry Storm Fur Ziphood Brick Burgundy Marl*  

Currys

HP Pavilion 15-cd054sa 15.6″ Laptop – Red £379.99*

DELL XPS 13 9360 13.3″ Touchscreen Laptop – Silver £1,549.00*

PANASONIC DMP-UB390EB Smart 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player – with 4K Ultra HD Upscaling £129.00*

SMEG KSED65NEE Chimney Cooker Hood – Black £289.00*

SONOS PLAY:1 Wireless Smart Sound Multi-Room Speaker – Black*

Asos – Get 20% off Everything with Code WIN20 including…

Boohoo Velvet Cold Shoulder Wrap Over Dress*

ASOS PACIFIC High Heels £45.00*

ASOS Leather Wallet In Black With Internal Coin Purse £12.00*

Casio Classic Digital Watch F-91W-1XY*

ASOS Oxford Brogue Shoes in Leather £32.00*

Vertbaudet

Black Friday Extravaganza ! 35% off everything + free delivery with code 8132. Ends Monday!*

Very Exclusive

JOSEPH Leather Leggings – Black*

KAREN MILLEN Metallic Knitted One Shoulder Top – Gold*

Ted Baker Kyla Bobble Detail Dome Clutch Bag – Grey*

BARBOUR Men’s Tartan Cashmere Scarf – Winter Tartan*

BARBOUR Men’s Monty Thinsulate Tartan Slippers – Camel*

That’s it for today! We’ve hope you’ve grabbed a bargain and don’t forget to share the list with your friends so they don’t miss out.

The post The Big Black Friday Deals Roundup Post! appeared first on Bunny on a Budget.

With around 8.5 million pet dogs in the UK, it’s pretty safe to say that we are a nation of dog lovers. However, owning a dog does bring with it a lot of responsibility, and one of the most important decisions that we are responsible for is choosing what to feed our four legged friends.

A recent tv advert from Pets at Home* has brought to light the fact that a lot of the dog food that’s out there is actually not as good for our pets as we’d expect. So, this got me wondering, how do we know if the food we are feeding our dogs is good and also how exactly is our dogs health (and also our bank balance) affected by the food we choose to feed them?

Check the Ingredients

The best way for you to know exactly what it is that you’re feeding your dog is by understanding the list of ingredients on the back of the packaging. Here are a few tips on how to understand the ingredients list.

• The first ingredient that’s listed is the main ingredient that they use in the food, so taking note of what comes first on the list will help you to decide if that particular brand of food is right for your dog.  
• Animal derivatives and unnamed meat is as uninformative as it sounds. As they don’t name a specific meat or protein, these ingredients can come from any part of an animal carcass, including the organs, and they can also contain a variety of different proteins, so you can never be sure which proteins you are actually feeding you dog!
• Unnamed derivatives from vegetables can be a number of things such as cereals, vegetables, oil-seed and legumes. However, it is hard to know whether these are of a high or low quality.
• The named % of poultry/fish lets you know how much of the total meal is actually your chosen dish. For example, if you choose chicken as your meat of choice, then this will let you know how much chicken is actually in the food, whether it’s 20% or 4%

It is worth noting here that we are looking at dry food, not wet food in this article.

How Much Can You Afford to Spend?

So, now that we have more of an idea of what we’re actually looking at when we read the ingredients, we can make a more informed decision as to what we want to feed our beloved dogs. But we would be kidding ourselves if we thought that the decision is really that easy. No, there are a few more factors that we would have to consider such as the price. We obviously want to give our dogs the best food that we possibly can, but how much can we really afford to spend on dog food?

Prices can vary quite drastically, for instance, you can pick up a 2kg bag of dry dog food* for as little as £3.00 or as much as £15.00 depending on where you are shopping and what brand of dog food you choose to buy. So, taking the time to do a bit of research will be well worth your time and effort, to make sure that you are happy not only with the quality of the food that you are giving your dog but also that you are happy with the effect that it will have on your bank balance.

The Real Long-term Cost

When considering the quality of the food vs the cost, it is also good to remember that choosing the cheapest option might not actually work out to be a financially smart move overall. This is because in the same way that our own diet has a profound effect on our own health, a diet lacking the necessary nutrients that your dog needs will also affect their health. Which could possibly mean that you will have a few vet bills to pay that could have been avoided if you’d have spent a little more on buying the right dog food.

I really hope that our tips on how to understand the dog food ingredients list and also what you need to consider before choosing your dog food has made, what could be a very confusing decision, just a little bit easier. If it has then please do share this post with your friends.

The post How to Choose the Best Dog Food on a Budget appeared first on Bunny on a Budget.