Saturday 20 September 2014

Stop motion movies

Had fun with stop motion and Lego with the boys over the summer
Here's the videos so far...

Build a bird (practise piece to see if we could get it to work with our very old technology)


Wrecking Ball builds a Lego car (A)



Doom Stone builds a Lego Gup (B)

Friday 19 September 2014

Lava Lamp

An experiment from earlier in the year that I finally got round to posting.  We saw various pins on Pinterest raving about a "homemade lava lamp".  Using just coloured water, oil and Alka Seltzer you create your own lava lamp effect in a bottle.  Not sure what I expected but I was a little disappointed the effects did not quite live up to some of the photos in the pins.  B really enjoyed doing it though and has requested a repeat of the activity.

How to turn £20 into hundreds - week 5

Short and sweet posting this week due to kids with sick bugs (lovely!)

Find of the week more dishwasher tablets - this time in packs of 10 for £1 in Poundland.  Question is how many do I need to buy since I carried over 100 from last week. I am in danger of becoming the mad dishwasher tablet hoarder!  I bought 3 to make the spend in Poundland an even fiver.

Also found in Poundland packs of Fruit Strings (for the kids lunchboxes) Normally I would buy and use 2 packs for £3.50. At £2 for 2 packs I have saved a third of what I would normally pay.   Bought 10 packs (5 weeks worth).  Weekly payback will be £3.50.

From Morrisons bought pasta shapes on the 5 for £2 deal you seem to find everywhere.

Also bought Ariel washing tabs for half price (30 for £6) these are more effective on the kids clothes especially white school uniform tops which cost £18 each to replace! Normal price 21p per tablet, this is 20p per tablet so only 30p saved in total but every little counts!


Friday 12 September 2014

How to turn £20 into hundreds - week 4- 8th to 14th September

tins of mini pasta shapes normal price 45p each
multibuy offer = 5 tins for £2
we use 7 tins a week  payback = £3.15
 (we bought 10 tins so take £4 off the stocking up fund)

240 teabags (PG Tips) - normal price £5.49 price in B and M £3.99
Bought 3 packs so  £11.97 from stocking up fund. These were bought at the end of the week so no payback for week 4 but will be paying back 18p per day (6 cups of tea) in week 5

£6.20 carried over from week 3
payback from dish washer tablets for week 4= £5.88
payback from catfood for week 4= £9.24
payback for baked beans 68p
payback for washing tablets= £2.94
payback for pasta shapes= £3.15




total carried over for week 5=6.20+5.88+9.24+0.68+2.94+3.15-4-11.97
=£12.12

total value of goods in "stock"= £97.91
16 tins beans = £10.88
26 Washing tablets= £5.46
44 Cat food pouches = £5.28
100 Dish washer tablets = £42
3 tins pasta shapes= £1.35
720 teabags =  £16.47


So there we have it- just four weeks in if we add together the value of the stock in the cupboard plus the money in the stocking up purse we already have over £100!

Thursday 4 September 2014

How to turn £20 into hundreds - week 3

Money in stocking up fund carried over from week 2 = £11
payback from dish washer tablets for week 3= £5.88
payback from catfood for week 3= £9.24

total in stocking up fund for start of week 3 = \£26.12

On offer this week (1st September- 7th September)
six pack of heinz baked beans now £3
Normal price per tin 68p = £4.08 for 6 tins
(I would normally use 1 tin of these a week so not a huge saving individually but since I bought 3 packs total saving eventually = £1.08 * 3 = £3.24)
Weekly payback 68p

Surf washing tablets £3 for 18 washes = 17p per wash
Normal price = 21p per wash
Since I do 2 washes a day weekly payback = 14 *21p = £2.94
Number of packs bought =3

Cat food still on special offer so bought 2 boxes of 12 sachets = £5

Money left in stocking up fund at end of week 3 = £26.12 -£9 ( for beans) - £9 (washing tablets) - £5 (catfood) = £3.12

Used 1 tin of beans from stash so 68p paid back = £3.80
Used washing tablets so £2.94 paid back = £6.20 to be carried over to week 4


Value of stock in stash:
17 tins beans = £11.56
40 Washing tablets= £8.40
44 Cat food pouches = £14.52
114 Dish washer tablets = £47.88
Total value = £82.36