Girls holidays are pretty much a right of passage. My first one was in May 2001, when myself and my two best friends headed off to Faliraki on a Club 18-30 holiday. I was 17 and a half at the time, and my friends had both turned 17 that week. We learnt a lot that week, and in the many girls holidays which followed. So today I am sharing some tips on staying safe on a girls holiday. Read on for some great ideas and suggestions.

Staying Safe On A Girls Holiday

As a group of 3 young girls, we definitely stood out in the crowd. I always looked a lot older than I was, but my two friends looked younger, if anything. So naturally, we got a lot of curious glances and attention from the groups of guys we inevitably met.

The first piece of advice is pretty obvious, but it needs saying nonetheless… DRINK IN MODERATION. I was terrible for drinking so much I’d lose my memory. Binge drinking was a huge part of my first girls holiday, and it’s not something I’d recommend. It was only when we’d got home from our holiday and one of my friends asked me how my rendezvous with the hot holiday rep was, that I realised how little memory I had of our first night.

I was lucky – anything could have happened to me. To my knowledge, it didn’t but that’s not to say you’ll be so lucky.

Watch Your Drinks

I discussed this recently, but it needs mentioning again. Don’t leave your drink unattended at any time, as it can easily be spiked. It’s not just drugs you need to watch out for either. When you’re on holiday, the measures are a lot bigger, and the cheap local spirits can affect you differently too. So pace yourself and drink water in between.

Remember Where You’re Staying

Again, this sounds so obvious, but you’d be surprised how difficult it can be to remember the name of your hotel after a few drinks. My friends and I always left our mobile phones in our hotel safe and just took out whatever money we wanted to spend each night. So it was old skool methods for us. I’d write it on a piece of paper and put it in my shoe so it wouldn’t get lost. (I usually took just a small coin purse out with me – no handbag. Another friend always put a note inside her purse (But she lost this note, often).

Emergency Funds

It’s easy to get lost when you’re in a strange place. So make sure you have enough cash on you for emergencies. I carried one of these keyrings, with a spare €20 note inside, just in case. Additionally, I also made sure I had cash in the hotel safe, just in case.

Leave The Key At Reception

If you’re staying in a hotel, they usually offer a key holding service at reception. This is a great option for several reasons. Firstly, you don’t need to worry about losing the room key. Additionally, if one of your friends has the key, then gets lucky, you won’t be forced to sleep on a sun lounger when you get back to the hotel and realise you can’t get in. *Speaking from experience*

Finally, even if paying €50 to hire the safe for a week seems steep… pay it! It’s far cheaper than replacing lost mobile phones / passports / bank cards / cash will be.

Dear 16 year old me, I’m writing to you from 20 years in the future. Things are pretty strange here. I’m writing today to give you a few bits of advice, but without any spoilers. So read on to hear what I’ve got to say.

Dear 16 Year Old Me

Life is pretty crazy right now for you. You’re about to do your GCSE’S and your Mum is in rehab. Things are overwhelming, and you’re doing the best you can to ride out the storm. You’ll be fine. Keep your head down and don’t let the fun times alcohol plays a part in make you forget just how destructive it can be.

Dear 16 year old me. Please remember you’re not alone. Right now, it feels like you’re surrounded by tons of people, yet you’re so lonely. Hardly anyone gets you. Your life is so different from everyone else’s. Don’t worry. The close friends you have now will be around for a long time to come. You’re also about to make one of your life-long friends, later this Summer.

What’s Next?

You’ll have finished school soon, and already have a Summer job lined up. You’ll love working in the bubble bath factory. It’ll be hard graft but you’ll make some amazing friends and memories. Also, don’t worry too much about which college course to take – Academic Education really isn’t everything. You’ve got more life experience at 16 than most of your classmates will have by the time they are 36.

Trust your gut. If college feels right, stick with it. If it doesn’t, work on a plan B. You’re good at that. One of your strengths is your ability to think outside the box, and come up with alternatives other people would miss. It’s a skill that will get you out of a few jams over the years ahead.

Don’t worry too much about your career. I know you’ve got your heart set on being a social worker, but your passion and empathy may be too strong to fit in within that role. Your time (and platform) will come though. You’ll find plenty of ways to help those who need it.

Be Brave

Right now, you’re afraid of rejection. You’re afraid of letting people get close because you can’t stand the thought of them rejecting you down the line. You’ll soon learn who your true friends are, and who isn’t worthy of your love and time. As the years roll by, remember not to accept treatment from people that you wouldn’t give out. If someone is hurting you, step away.

You’re in for some really rough years ahead. You’ll lose so many people and your heart will break so many times, you’ll wonder if you can put it together again. But you will. You’ll dust yourself down, pick yourself up and carry on putting everyone else first. Just as you always have.

Keep Your Friends Close

You’ll make some amazing friends over the years to come. Keep them close. You’ll need them just as much (if not more) than they’ll need you. Listen to them when they tell you to slow down with the good times – they have your best interests at heart.

Enjoy your teens and early twenties. You deserve to let your hair down now, after so many years being a young carer. There’s plenty of time for being a grown up ahead. Also, make sure you go and get the pill like you keep threatening to do – And keep taking it. Even if you’re told he’s infertile. It won’t end well otherwise.

Finally, dear 16 year old me, please remember that you are only human. You’ll constantly be trying to spin too many plates for one person, and it’s ok to pass them on to other people when required. Above all else, remember that you are loved, and you only need to ask for help and people will be there. Just like you will be for them. Time and time again.

So for now… Go and enjoy what is probably going to be the best Summer of your life. You’ve earned it! X

As a Thirty – Something woman, I have seen plenty when out with the girls. I have also learnt my fair share of tips for staying safe on a girls night out. So today, I am sharing some of them. Read on to find out how I keep myself and my friends safe.

Tips For Staying Safe On A Girls Night Out

It was back in 1999 when I first started going out drinking. I was only 15 then, but looked much older. By the year 2000, I was out clubbing and partying almost every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. Before long, I witnessed someone slipping something into another girl’s drink. From that moment onwards, I never EVER left my own (or my friend’s) drinks unattended.

Never Leave Drinks Unattended

Women never seem to go to the bathroom alone, when out with friends. So I (like so many other women) tried to go with a friend, whenever I needed to powder my nose. I was obsessed with making sure my drink was safe though, so if I was out with just one friend, we’d break the “go to the bathroom together” rule, in order to keep our drinks (and our table) safe.

Safe Word

My next piece of advice is to have a safe word which you share with friends and family members. If they ever phone or text you and drop the word into the conversation, you ask them if you can join them (to safely escort them home). Should they say yes, you go and meet them – no matter where they are. If they say no, you phone them back 5 minutes later with an “excuse” as to why they need to leave.

My friends and I always used the safe word Trifle. So you could say “I’m a trifle drunk” or such like. I’ve never had to use it myself, but did rescue my friend from a truly awful date, once. She text me saying, “I’m a trifle drunk – love you x” and then replied no when I asked if I could join her. So I rang her and said “Ben’s just thrown me out – please can I come to yours”?

She was so grateful, and was in a cab, escaping the date of doom within 5 minutes of my call. I’ve written before about staying safe when dating – so be sure to read that post too.

Emergency Funds And Keys

When I was 18, I was out with my sister, and my handbag was stolen. The club we were in was massive, and I couldn’t find her. My phone, door keys and purse were gone. I didn’t know her mobile number, so couldn’t even reverse the charges to her. We didn’t live together, and my parents were on holiday, so I was home alone.

In the end, I went to a local taxi rank and explained what had happened. I offered to give them my gold bracelet as a “deposit” until I could return with the fare the next day. They agreed. I was taken home and given a receipt with the information on about my bracelet. When I got home, I had to wake up the next door neighbour to get the spare key.

Now, I have a mini key safe in the garden, which has a spare set of keys and an emergency £20 note inside. I haven’t had to use the money yet, but have locked myself out more times than I care to admit, so it’s been money well spent.

Have A “Boyfriend” On Standby

If you’re in a nightclub with the girls, it’s inevitable you’ll get hit on sooner or later. 99% of the time, this was fine and you could brush off the chancers with “I’ve got a boyfriend, sorry“.

One time, in a taxi queue, a guy wouldn’t believe me, so I phoned my friend, “D”. We went to Drama class together, and he thankfully, he realised quickly that some improvisation was required, when I said “Hey babe. You’re on speaker phone. I’m in the queue now waiting for a taxi. The guy next to me doesn’t believe I have a boyfriend though – please can you just tell him I’m on my way to yours“. He replied with a quick, no nonsense… “Ok. Hey Dude. Sorry but she’s spoken for.” 

After that, we both added each other to our phones with “babe” as the names, so we could “show” annoying pests that we were spoken for. I can imagine a couple of selfies would have the same effect now though.

So what about you? Have you got any tips for staying safe on a girls night out? Feel free to share them in the comments.

Finally, I”m linking this up to day 11 of Blogtober, as the prompt ” Girls just want to have fun fits nicely.

It’s day 9 of Blogtober, and today’s prompt is Imagine. So it seemed only fair to share which I’d choose if I had to give up one thing or another. Read on for my answers to the This or That Quiz – And get to know me a little better.

Welcome to the this or that quiz! 

All good quizzes need rules, so here they are! Firstly, you get 3 passes. You can use passes to say “both” or “none”. That’s it. Go forth and enjoy my this or that quiz! 

Round One

1). Cookies or cake? Cake

2). Cat or dog? Dog

3). Computer games or video games? Oooh though one. I love both. 

4). Pop music or Rock music? Rock

5). Stuff animals or dolls? Another tough one. Stuffed animals.

6). Pancakes or waffles? Pancakes

7). Hot chocolate or coffee? Coffee

8). Morning or evening? Evening. 

9). Day or night? GAH! Day – just. 

10). Text message or call? TEXT TEXT TEXT 

11). Library or museums? Museum

12). French or Spanish? Spanish 

13). Summer or winter? Summer

14). Theatre or cinema? Theatre

15). Love or money? Love 

16). Book or movie? Book

17). Tea or coffee? Tea

18). Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate 

19). Coca-Cola or Pepsi? Neither really but if I have to choose… coke 

20). Rain or snow? Rain

Round Two

21). Car or motorcycle? Oooh toughie! I was obsessed by motorbikes as a kid (thanks to Grease 2). But I think on a safety / practicality level, cars wins now I’m a grown-up. 

22). Comedy or horror? Comedy

23). Hamburgers or hot dogs? I’m veggie, so Veggie Burger? 

24). Paper or plastic? Paper

25). Boat or plane? Plane

26). Painting or drawing? Drawing

27). Reading or writing? Reading – Writing is my job now so down time wins! 

28). Singing or dancing? Singing – I never stop! 

29). T-Shirts or sweaters? Sweaters

30). Flowers or trees? Trees – every time.

31). Phone or computer? Phone

32). Brown or black hair? BLACK! 

33). Superman or Batman? Batman – Heck, my kids are known as Batman and Robyn. 

34). Doctor Who or the Walking Dead? Dr Who. Not seen The Walking Dead.

35). Lions or Bears? Lions

36). Milk or juice? Juice

37). Gold or silver? Silver (or white gold).

38). 50’s or 80’s music? 50’s. My Mum was a huge Patsy Cline fan, and I’m a sucker for rock n roll. 

39). Google or Bing? Google

40). Frozen yogurt or ice cream? ICE CREAM! 

Round Three

41). Blue or green eyes? Mine are almost green. So Green lol. 

42). Witches or wizards? Wizards

43). Fire or ice? Fire

44). Straight or curly hair? Straight

45). Fruits or vegetables? Veggies

46). Burgers or tacos? Burgers

47). Roses or daisies? Daisies

48). Pandas or whales? Pandas

49). McDonald’s or Burger King? McDonalds

50). Books or magazines? Books

51). Circles or squares? Circles

52). Ketchup or mustard? Ketchup

53). Money or fame? Neither drives me, but one is necessary, so Money. 

54). Piercings or tattoos? I have neither these days. Piercings

55). Puzzles or board games? Board Games

56). Living room or bedroom? Bedroom (I’m lazy)

57). Sandals or sneakers? Trainers

58). Apples or oranges? Oranges 

59). Bagels or toast? Toast (with a mug of tea on the side, please)! 

60). Weird or crazy? Weird.

Round 4

61). Skates or bike? Bike

62). Go skiing or snowboarding? Neither lol. Can I just build a snowman?

63). Watch or play sports? Watch

64). Swim in a pool or in the sea? Sea

65). Sweet or salty? Sweet

66). Cars or trucks? Cars

67). Leather or lace? Lace

68). Steak or chicken? Still Veggie! So Chicken pre-slaughter please 😀

69). Alaska or Hawaii? Hawaii

70). Shower or tub? Bath every time! 

71). TV Shows or movies? TV shows

72). Breakfast or dinner? Tea 😉 

73). Bananas or apples? Bananas

74). Facebook or Twitter? Facebook

75). What’s up or Viber? Not got a clue what Viber is, so WhatsApp 

76). Mountains or beach? BEACH

77). Digital watch or analog? Analogue

78). Freedom or hope? Wow, this is deep. Hope? You can hope for freedom, then?

79). Alice in Wonderland or Robinson Crusoe? Alice In Wonderland

80). Snow White or Cinderella? Cinderella

Round 5

81). Sitting or standing? Sitting (still lazy)

82). Comedy or drama? Comedy

83). Being too warm or too cold? Warm

84). Pasta or pizza? PIZZA IS LIFE

85). Online shopping or in-person shopping? Online. Always

86). Writing poetry or reading poetry? Writing

87). Wild animals or domestic animals? Oh! This is far too hard! Domestic because my dogs save my sanity on a daily basis.

88). Family or friends? Family – Close friends are basically family anyway, right??

89). Scooby Doo or Tom and Jerry? Tom and Jerry

90). Spiring or Autumn (Fall)? Autumn

91). Chinese or Italian food? Italian

92). Dogs or cats? Dogs

93). Tea or Coffee? Tea

94). Lie in or early start? Lie in

95). Friends or couple holiday? Couple

96). Rich or Loved? Loved

97). Clean home or make memories? Make memories – always!

98). Jeans or a dress? Jeans

99). Pub / bar or club? Pub

100). Pie or Salad? Pie!

So there you have it – A little insight into how I tick! I hope you learnt a thing or three about me when reading my this or that quiz! Were there any surprises?

Feel free to copy and paste my this or that quiz, and do it yourself! Link back to me as the creator though 😀

I shared earlier last year that we’d got a Peugeot 3008 GT Line. What I didn’t mention at the time was that this was my son’s Motability car. At the end of August, I was involved in an accident, and caused significant damage to the passenger side. Thankfully nobody was injured, and it was a straight forward process to report the accident to the insurers. Read on to find out what happens when you crash your Motability car, and the process you should follow.

What Happens When You Crash Your Motability Car?

If you’re unlucky enough to be involved in an accident in your Motability car, the first thing you need to do is make sure nobody is injured. If they are, you should call an ambulance. Additionally, if the other driver leaves the scene without handing over their insurance details, call 101 to report the incident.

I know you’re wondering what I did, so I’ll come clean… I parked in the disabled bay outside the shop and ran in quickly for milk. My son was in the car at the time. When I got back into the car, there was a vehicle parked across the carpark, meaning I couldn’t drive straight out of my bay. Upon checking my mirrors, I saw nothing but the empty bay on the passenger side, so made the call to cut across the empty bay to exit.

Unfortunately for me, there were low level bollards which were below my wing mirror’s line of sight, so I drove right into them. This caused significant damage to both my front and rear door panels and wheel trims. OOPS!

Get The Details Of Any Other Involved Parties

If any other vehicles are involved, make sure you get their details. The same goes for any witnesses, or if (like me) you damage property, make sure you get the owner’s details. Try to take photos of the damage on all of the vehicles. This may be required later on.

Is Your Vehicle Drivable?

If your car is drivable (like mine was), head home and then call RSA Motability to report the accident on 0300 037 3737.

Should your vehicle be undrivable, call the RAC on 0800 73 111 73 or 0333 202 1878 for roadside support. If you’re in the Republic of Ireland, call 1800 535 005. They are available 24/7, so hopefully you’ll be towed as soon as possible.

Contacting RSA Motability After An Accident

When you call, you’ll be asked for your customer number. Don’t panic if you don’t have this to hand. Your policy can be found with your personal details too. They’ll ask lots of questions about the accident and decide whether or not repairs need to be made.

The insurance excess on a UK Motability policy is currently £100. So if repairs are required, you have to pay that towards the cost. If your vehicle is still drivable (as mine was), you’re given the option to not have the repairs done.

It is worth remembering the £600 “Good condition bonus,” you get back at the end of your 3 year Motability car lease. If you don’t have the repairs done, chances are, you won’t get the £600.

Arranging The Repairs

After speaking to RSA Motability, they transferred me to the local repair centre. They arranged to bring me a courtesy car the following week, and drive away my damaged car for repair.

I was advised to remove any equipment I had added to our car. (This included my dash cam, Sam’s safety harness and my mobile phone charger etc). The £100 payment was taken by them over the phone. (Via my debit card).

Courtest Car

When I was booking the repairs, they asked me did I need any moderations in the vehicle. I explained the car needed to be 5 door and the back seats needed to drop so I could fit Sam’s harness, and they said that was fine. The courtesy vehicle I was issued with was a 69 plate Vauxhall Corsa. It was tiny, and fuelling it cost a fortune, but it was far better than having no car for the 5.5 weeks it took to repair our car though.

My vehicle was collected on the agreed day, and 5 and a half weeks later, it was returned to me, looking all shiny and new. I was kept updated via text on the repair status, and covid caused issues sourcing some of the required parts.

So there you have it – a full breakdown of what happens when you crash your Motability car. Fingers crossed you’ll never need this info, though.

PS I am linking this post up with day 6 of #Blogtober. The prompt is “she drives you crazy,” so I think this fits in nicely.

This year, I’m taking part in Blogtober, over all 3 of my blogs. This is a blog linky, which you join in with every day and interact with the other blog participants. Today’s prompt is The One I Love. Most people will probably talk about their significant other today, but I’m not most people… So with that in mind, I am sharing how self-love doesn’t come easy to me. Read on to find out what I did to address that.

Self-Love Doesn’t Come Easy To Me

When I was a kid, I was frequently the target for a particularly mean girl in school. Just the usual name calling etc. I was twice her size, so she never tried to get physical – well, except once in year 10. But she didn’t try again after that. Anyway, the name calling left me with a pretty low opinion of how I looked.

I spent all of my teens and even my twenties absolutely hating the person looking back at me in the mirror. It didn’t matter whether I was a size 10 or a size 20. (Trust me, I was both, a couple of times over). I just never felt like I was worthy of anyone or anything. Also, I was insanely critical of everything I did.

The Youngest

Maybe it’s because I’m the youngest of 6 kids, and I was always being compared to someone else. For example, I was rarely Tina… I was always “someone’s” little sister. When I left school and my siblings left home, I became “Tee”. Suddenly I was my own person and felt like I could breathe for the first time. I was still really negative of myself all the time though. I’d spend hours replaying and re-hashing the way I’d handled something, or the way I looked.

Now I’m a Mum, I do that more than ever. I’m so critical of everything, it’s unreal. Whether I’m blaming myself for Sam’s Autism because I didn’t take him to enough baby groups, or blaming my exhaustion on the fact I was working until after midnight. It’s always my fault. I’ve tried to practise what I preach and be more positive around the kids, but self-love still doesn’t come easy.

My eye with a matchstick holding it open. **DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME**

How I Practise Self-Love

Around the time my marriage ended, I was feeling just about as low as I ever have. I woke up one morning, just after we’d called it a day and thought, “Nobody can change how I feel but me, so let’s get to it”. That day, I went out and bought some new (less drab) clothes. I took the dogs out for a huge walk and used that time to clear my head.

Within a couple of hours, I’d decided it was time for things to change, and to put myself first for once. Firstly, I took on extra slots presenting on the radio. (The one thing I did for myself). Next, I told the kids’ Dad he would be looking after the kids some evenings moving forward, so I could get some time to myself. (We were still living in the same house at this time).

It was amazing how getting those few hours to be Tee and not Mum helped me to see straight. I couldn’t help but wonder if things would have been different, had I got more of a break when we were married.

Now

I’ve moved on since, and am in a new relationship. This person makes me feel good about myself every day. If I’m calling myself “mum of the year” because of a nappy leak or such like… Rather than ignoring or agreeing with me, he tells me to take a breath and reels off all of the good things I’ve done that day.

It’s amazing how someone breaking the cycle like that snaps me out of the critical moments. It was like a revelation to me. So much so, I started doing it myself, and it really has helped me to grow.

So the next time you’re chastising yourself for something which didn’t go to plan… Try to remember all of the things which did. That one thing is usually a drop in the ocean compared to the successes you’ve had.

Finally, you can check out more Blogtober posts here:

This Summer is definitely not a typical one! I don’t know about you, but I’ll definitely be spending more time than usual at home and in the garden. So when I heard a group of awesome UK bloggers were giving away a CosmoGrill 6+1 Gas Barbecue, I had to be involved!

The prize itself is worth over £335, and the BBQ comes packed with a huge amount of bells and whistles! Some things worth mentioning include the fact the Barbecue measures in at 149x110x54cm. Additionally, it has a working height of 88cm. All 7 of the burners can be used individually, so you won’t waste fuel burning the entire grill area unnecessarily.

The CosmoGrill 6+1 Gas Barbecue requires a standard UK gas pipe and gas regulator to operate. These are not supplied with the prize. Additionally, it needs Butane Gas with a 28 MBar Regulator or Propane Gas with a 37 MBar regulator and standard UK hose to operate. These are not provided as part of the prize.

The Bloggers Taking Part

Reinventing Neesha | Boxnip | Codiekinz | Real Girls Wobble | Lylia Rose | My Three and Me | Looking After Your Pennies | Wood Create

Rachel Bustin | Welsh Mum of One | Nourish Your Glow | Thrifty Londoner | Savvy in Somerset | Mind Over Meds | Keiran Crying | Lisa’s Notebook

Two Hearts One Roof | Savvy Squirrel | Reality in Reverie | Otis and Us | Your Best Life Advice | Alice in Sheffield | Just Average Jen | The Secret Life of Me

My Money Cottage | Mum On A Budget | So Nostalgic | Mighty Mama Bear | Jupiter Hadley | The Little Landeg | I Always Believed In Futures

Big Family Organised Chaos | Melissa Jane Lee| Rose Above the Thorns | Lottie Lately | From Fiona | Kayleigh Zara | Katie Floss | Oh Mummy Mia

Boring Mother | Mummy Matters | Paternal Damnation | Life Loving | Girls Gospel | Sparkles & Shoes | Wander & Luxe

The Prize

One lucky winner will win themselves a CosmoGrill 6+1 Gas Barbecue worth a whopping £335! The barbecue comes in black or silver and the winner can choose which they prefer.

The barbecue features 6 stainless steel burners that ignite individually. There is a cupboard beneath the barbecue to store equipment. And it comes complete with a side burner. It really is the ultimate cooking machine for this years barbecues.

How to Enter

To enter simply complete all or any of the rafflecopter entry options below. The more you complete the more chances you have of winning.

The competition ends at Midnight on Sunday 28th June and a winner will be drawn on Monday 29th June. If for any reason the chosen prize is out of stock at the time of the draw, the winner will be able to select at alternative prize up to the same value.

For full entry terms and conditions please see the rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Finally… Good Luck Everyone!

When you live in the UK, it’s almost expected that your first family holiday abroad will be to Spain. Mine certainly was. So it’ll come as no surprise that I am currently planning a family holiday to Salou. Lots of my family have been there, and have recommended lots of accommodation and attractions. So with that in mind, today I’m sharing my tips for planning a family holiday to Salou.

*This is a partnered post

Planning A Family Holiday To Salou

The first thing you should do is decide what type of accommodation you would like. If you hate cooking, then an all inclusive hotel may well be the way to go. However, if you enjoy exploring local establishments and eating somewhere different each night… Self catering accommodation will be best suited for your break. Alternatively, you can always hire a villa and cook your food in your home away from home, if you prefer. Holiday Village Spain offer a great range of self catering accommodation.

As a family, we love to go camping in the UK. So I had to consider camping Spain style. There are clamping, camping and touring caravan options, so you can pick the option which best suits your family.

Family playing at the beach

Location Location Location

My Aunt and her family have been to Salou many times, and her top tip is to choose accommodation close to Llevant Beach. She says its super clean, not mad busy and perfect for chilling out, away from the crowds.

Alternatively, opt for Playa de la Pineda for a more upmarket feel. This area has plenty of bars, restaurants and amusements, but isn’t as “tacky” as other areas of Salou.

Money Money Money

When it comes to planning a family holiday to Salou, it’s worth considering your budget well in advance. If you opt for self catering and plan on eating out a lot, you can expect to pay at least £8pp for a basic evening meal, not including drinks. So it’s realistic to assume you’ll need £50 for your evening meal each night, with a couple of drinks each.

Personally, we always save money by buying in cereal or chocolate croissants for breakfast. Given the constant stream of ice creams, drinks and snacks, the kids will probably opt to skip lunch most days anyway.

Closeup of Spanish omelette served with bread slices on table in restaurant

Things To Do In Salou

The local water park costs €25 per child and €29 per adult, when booked in advance online. There is also a theme park and Ferrari Land close to Salou, and all 3 are owned by one company. So if you love having days out when you’re on holiday, it’s worth considering getting their 3 day passes. That way you’ll get 3 days out for a reduced price, when you book in advance.

Transport

Most families opt to book a hotel close to the beach so they don’t need to travel at all once they’ve checked in to their hotel. Alternatively, others choose to hire a car so they can explore the local area. Additionally, you can use public transport. There’s a good bus route in Salou, which will get you to plenty of other areas.

The water park is approximately 3km from the main Salou beach, so it is walkable. The bus is around €2 pp and the bus runs every 10 minutes, so it’s perfect if you want to avoid the walk.

Finally, if this post on planning a family holiday to Salou has been useful, why not check out my post on planning a budget family holiday to Majorca.

If you’re reading his post, chances are you’re looking for Valentines gift ideas for men. If that’s the case, you’ve come to the right place! Read on for suggestions which are both traditional, and way out in left field.

This is a partnered Post

Valentines Gift Ideas For Men

I have decided to split this post in half. Firstly, I’ll share some quirky Valentines gift ideas for men. These will be followed by some cute and traditional suggestions for the man in your life.

Quirky Valentines Gifts For Men

If your man is anything like my ex husband, chances are he’s not one for hearts and flowers. Or overly sentimental gifts. If that’s the case, you can still spoil him this Valentines Day.

One thing which never failed to make him smile was a decent beer to enjoy in front of a good film once the kids had gone to bed. Melvin Brewing knows more than a thing or two about decent beer – that’s for sure!

Personalised Lego Family

I received a personalised framed lego family a few years ago. It definitely ranked up there as one of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever received.

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I found this one on Amazon, but you could always make one yourself. I’m sure plenty of lego geeks would love to receive one of these for Valentines Day.

Traditional Valentines Gifts For Men

If you’re looking for sentimental gift ideas, then you won’t be disappointed. The first Idea I want to share is a home made wallet insert. I found this idea over on Pinterest and thought it was super sweet.

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I can definitely imagine the man in my life shedding a secret tear when he received something like this wallet insert. Additionally, he’d be reminded of your love every time he opened his wallet – win, win!

A Mix Tape

Ok, so maybe not an actual cassette, like we made for our boyfriends back in the 1990’s, but a Spotify playlist. This is another gift idea which doesn’t cost anything. I made one a few weeks ago and filled it with songs which reminded me of my partner. Since then, he’s also added songs which remind him of me. So now we have a super cute playlist, which makes us both smile when we play it.

Reasons I Love You

Why not put pen to paper and create a letter, which lists the reasons you love your partner. It doesn’t have to be a huge long letter, either. A bullet point list will more than get your point across. Think of the film, “10 Things I Hate About You”… Why not create a “10 things I love about you” type of list instead.

If you’ve left it until the last minute to organise a gift, don’t panic. You can always write them an IOU for some naughtiness – I’m fairly confident that’ll go down VERY well with the man in your life.

Finally, if this Valentines gift ideas for men post has been useful, why not check out this post on being adventurous in the bedroom.

So it’s the start of a new decade, and chances are, you have been scouring the internet for tips on improving your finances. On my own financial journey, I have found lots of little ideas, which added up to making a big difference to my finances after a year. Read on to find out more.

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Tips On Improving Your Finances

When I decided to look for ways to improve my finances… I noticed that almost every site tells you to work out your essential outgoings and regular incomings first. So that’s what I did…

Work Out Your Essential Monthly Outgoings

The first thing I did was sit down and work out my essential monthly outgoings. This included all of my bills, fuel, food, etc. I then subtracted this amount from my total monthly income to work out how much disposable income I had each month.

Disposable Income

Knowing how much I had left after bills each month meant I could work out how best to clear my debts. I knew I had £500 per month available to use however I chose. So I opted to pay £200 of that off my overdraft. This would mean I’d have it paid off within a year. Also, I’d then have even more disposable income the next year.

Mortgage Tips via Clay Advisors

I found lots of useful tips and ideas from Clay Advisors. The one which really stayed with me essentially said…

If you were to reduce your spending on non-essential personal items by £100 per month… You could use this money to pay off your mortgage early. So that means on a £130,000 30-year mortgage… The extra £100 per month could allow you to pay it off 10 years early, as well as save you thousands of pounds in interest payments. Knocking 10 years off your mortgage seems like a no brainer to me!

Paying More Than The Minimum Payment

I have a credit card, and for a long time, I only paid the minimum amount each month. Eventually, I realised that 80% of that repayment was covering the interest, so my balance was hardly reducing. In the end, I applied for a balance transfer credit card, which offered 2 years 0% interest on balance transfers. I paid a 3.5% fee for doing the transfer, but that was less than the equivalent of 2 months’ interest fees. I then paid the same amount back each month, and I will have cleared my credit card in full by the end of the 0% period – HOORAY!

Cutting Back

All of the above was achieve by cutting back on some activities, which were eating up a fair amount of my disposable income before. I haven’t totally given up on my treats though. I have joined Quidco, and have saved hundreds of pounds shopping via there for stuff like broadband suppliers, Christmas gifts and appliances for the new house. Additionally, I have been using groupon to get great deals on stuff like haircuts, days out with the kids and meals out for special occasions. It’s amazing the deals you can find online now!

Finally, if these tips on improving your finances have been useful, check out my Finances category.