Today is day one of the school and pre-school summer holidays and apart from the two days a week that Taylor will be with his childminder I’ll have both boys at home. I’ll be working throughout the hols and as ever am supremely thankfully that I am my own boss and that I’ll be able to work flexible hours around the kid. There will be many early mornings and late nights over the next six weeks but I like a challenge and previous summers haven’t beaten me yet!
Due to changes with husband’s job recently we’ll have to tighten our belts somewhat over the coming months however being of a moneysaving mind anyway and being no stranger to frugal living we see this as a challenge as opposed to something negative.
I’ll keep posting as we move through the summer about saving money on food, treats, activities for the boys and more and perhaps some of these posts will be useful for others?
Here’s to a fabulous fun and frugal family summer holiday!
Dropping down a brand, shopping around, meal planning and being clever with leftovers are all part of how we are saving money this summer.
Some might know this while others won’t but I used to be a smoker, quite a heavy smoker in fact. My smokes of choice were Lambert and Butler lights normally, Malborough when going through my X-files stage and Silk Cut when I was trying to cut back.
To say that I was a heavy smoker is a slight under-exaggeration as some days I smoked as many as twenty to thirty, numbers which horrify me now. When I gave up the cost was approximately £3.22 for a packet of 20 so the amount I would have been spending now is eye-watering.
I’ll have been cigarette free on the 4th November this year for nine years and am rather chuffed with that. The money I’ve saved let alone the health benefits are undeniable. The reason for my post today is not to do a “I gave up” dance however but to explore the e-cigarette world.
E smoking intrigues me somewhat. I’ve done a fair bit of research on the subject for a client and I have to say that I feel the introduction of e cigarettes, given that for many it has helped people cut down or completely stop tobacco smoking, has been a positive move.
This is my opinion obviously so feel free to disagree however I am fairly sure that had e cigs been around back in the day when I was chain-smoking and inhaling who knows what that I would have given them a go and that giving up would have been a lot easier. I expect that I would have given up sooner and that in the meantime I would have saved a not so small fortune!
For those that don’t know much about it a basic description is that the e cigarettes are loaded with e liquid or e juice (these contain a base, water, nicotine in variable levels or not at all and flavourings) which is heated via an enclosed battery and produces the vapour which may be inhaled in the same way that the conventional cigarette is.
There is talk that by 2016 e cigarettes will become an official smoking cessation device and even available on prescription which I do find interesting.
One retailer I’m aware of, ePuffer even offer an e-pipe so that pipe smokers may get in on the action. Looking at the vast numbers of e liquids, types of e cigarettes, accessories and more already available it is clear that the e smoking revolution has well and truly started.
Could you see yourself with an electronic pipe?
I’ve not smoked an e cig myself and I am aware of both sides of the e smoking arguments however I’m throwing the idea of e smoking out there for you, my readers, to see what you think of it. I’m nosy like that.
Roy and I were talking about it the other night and while I said that once upon a time I might have moved from a L&B to an e cig to help cut down / quit or simply as a somewhat healthier alternative Roy didn’t think he would have. For him it was a cig or nothing and he too chose nothing and we are both now non-smokers.
