mummy duke

                     Harvey Browns           The Island's Deluxe Farmshop During the month of October we normally have a tradition of picking pumpkins at Arreton barns in farmer jacks farmshop, but they recently moved the pumpkins to Harvey Browns. it was our first time visiting since they opened and what a gorgeous place it was. The front entrance was full of a stunning line up of white and orange pumpkins and the place was booming. We had cake and coffee in the café. All their cakes are homemade and they have a selection of cakes that are gluten free and vegan. There's also a tantalising breakfast and lunch menu. they have an open kitchen area where you can see your food being prepped! How fancy ey!? The caramel latte was delicious, I must admit I'm a bit of a coffee snob...you'd definitely want to indulge and try it you won't regret it. As you leave the café you en...

  Money savers: The Christmas Edition  How to be frugal/ money saving ninja around the most expensive time of the year.  Let's face it Christmas can be overwhelming, over stimulated children, the pressure on mums is f#cking ridiculous, everyone's focuse and priorities are different to your own. appreciation of others and understanding one another we may never understand. The amount of gifts or not enough gifts, the most Instagram family picture compared to those who don't have matching xmas pjs. Remembering the real meaning of Christmas! How do we manage Christmas gifts on a budget!? It Totally depends on financials for each family wether thats a single parent household income or two parent house hold income it's manageble if you actually think smart and prep months in advance. Easy breakdown Husband / wife/ other half -  £50-£100  Your own children - £50-£100 per child depending on age. Friends and family  Adults - £15 per person  Children...

Keep all of your childrens Magazines and cut all their favourite characters out ready for a stick and collage session.  What you need:  Magazine cuttings  Glue  Paper  Easter bunny, use an empty toilet roll fold slightly, dip into paint and print onto paper, super quick and easy and the kids absolutely love making bunnies for some extra use Easter stickers!  What you need:  Toilet roll  Paint  Stickers  Glitter  Card  Halloween play! Again use an empty toilet roll cut strips half way up the roll spread out like a spider to make spider and or pumpkin pictures.  What you need :  Paint  Toilet roll  Glitter  Paper  Googly eyes  Glue  Autumnal leaf printing, pick your favourite leaves from your walk, paint them and very gently print them on to paper!  What you need;  Paint  Paper  Pens  Leaves  Decorate your own Chr...

           Gingerbread  Christmas calendar  What you need.  - Brown Plain Gift Tags  -holly sticker  - Acrylic white pen to paint the gingerbread house - Black pen  Activities for each Day;  1- decorate the Christmas tree 2- Christmas toy appeal shoe box style  3- Read a Christmas book  4- wrap gifts together  5- make biscuits  6- write Christmas cards to you friends  7- Christmas light switch on in town  8- visit a Christmas market  9- donate food to your local food bank  10- Christmas arts and crafts  11- festive hand print paiting  12- decorate a ginger bread house  13- make Christmas decorations  14- Christmas jumper day  15-  wear Christmas socks  16- donate to your local age UK gifts for the elderly  17- make a Christmas cakes  18- go to a pantomime  19- family Christmas party  ...

A frugal lifestyle doesn't happen over night, it takes a lot to get into the habbit and being smart with your money. We live within our means and all families are different. Since becoming a mum and home owner you really do become productive about saving money and not wasting every penny,  you find yourself looking for the best deal not the cheapest  Frugal lifestyle....  No splurging  Spending wisely and investing in items, avoid waste, always finding ways to save money and smart money  management. https://www.mummyduke.co.uk/2020/03/4-different-bank-accounts-money-saving.html?m=1 Buying second hand furniture, clothes, cars, baby items,  toys etc things that are close to new with tags or people just wanting to get rid.  https://www.mummyduke.co.uk/2015/04/you-dont-need-money-to-be-stylish.html?m=1 Make it themselves if you can make it yourself do it. I do this with my children's party decorations, baby shower decorations, nothing wors...

Living in a small space we found you don't need half of the things all the parent magazines tell you. You have to work with what you've got and we've saved space and  money by doing it this way.  A baby monitor We have never owned one because we are one door away from the bedroom to the front room we check on our children regularly, i don't see the point in having one in a small flat. If you're in a big house then I completely understand and I would do the same too If we lived in a bigger place.  A changing table We have always used a changing mat followed by a basket full of nappies, creams, wipes, cloths, etc and stored it away for easy access. Changing tables are a large item to have in a small home and as much as I would like one, a baby changing mat does the same thing.  Formula heating machine I've breastfed and fed my children formula and one thing we don't need is a chunky machine to get the formula mixed and hot. We can quiet easily stor...