I’ll admit was very skeptical about this one…laundry detergent made from ivy leaves?! But thought I would give it a go before I dismissed it completely and I’m sold. Got the recipe from Nancy Birtwhistle during an attempt to rid the house from as many chemicals as we could. You basically pick a big bunch of ivy which we have growing everywhere! Bigger leaves with lots of veins are best. Rinse them, cut into strips and put in a pot of water and boil then simmer for twenty minutes. Let it cool and that’s it! The leaves are full of saponins which make the suds. Cool and bottle then put two tablespoons in a cup in the drum of your washing machine. Add two tablespoons of washing soda to the drawer to soften the water and run on a long, cool cycle (uses less electricity too). Clothes come out smelling fresh. You can add essential oils if you want a fragrance. (Ignore the poison label on the bottle, it was a leftover Halloween decoration 😂)

Food waste is a big deal in our house. If you're like me, you regularly shop for food then either it doesn't scratch the dopamine itch, or you've forgotten its there. Food wasted = money waster. I grabbed a bargain in Tesco before Christmas, two sides of salmon for under £14 (about 10 fillets per side so 20 portions of salmon). Absolute bargain at 70p per portion! I froze them to deal with later and today, I've prepped and vacuum-sealed them which is four healthy dinners in the freezer ready for another day. Highlights: Very quick and easy, took about 10 minutes from start to finish. Healthy but cost-effective. Challenges: Slicing frozen salmon was hard and hazardous! Now that the vacuum sealer is here, I'll do it on the day I buy it rather than freezing it first.

*If you haven't already, please read the review of YNAB in the Reviews/Recommendations category* Below you will find the categories I use in YNAB to budget my expenses. You don't need to use YNAB to find these categories useful - you can create your own manual budget. CATEGORIES: Available for Next Month's Spending (Heading) Debt: - Car Loan - Store Credit (Heading) Credit Card Payments: - Credit Card 1 - Credit Card 2 (Heading) Bills: - Car Tax - Bank Fees - Car Insurance (pre-save to pay annually and save ££) - Charity Donations - Dentist (pre-save so there is always some available) - Dog Licence - Electric - Gas - Home Insurance (pre-save to pay annually and save ££) - Internet - Mobiles - Mortgage/Rent - Pet Insurance (Heading) Subscriptions (Monthly): - Grocery Delivery Service - Doorbell - Music Subscription Service (Heading) Subscriptions (Yearly): - TV Subscription - App Fees (Heading) Frequent Expenses: - Groceries - Parking - School Fees - Public Transport (Heading) Other Expenses: - Boiler Service (pre-save so there is always some available) - Car Maintenance (pre-save so there is always some available) - Home Maintenance (pre-save so there is always some available) - Kids Clothing (pre-save so there is always some available) - Vet Fees (Heading) Allowances & Hobbies - Kids Activities - Family Activities - Kids Pocket Money - Entertainment/Nights Out - Personal Allowance (Heading) Savings: - Kids Savings - Personal Savings - Rainy Day Savings (Heading) Gifts: - Birthday Gifts - Christmas Gifts - Other Gifts (Heading) Goals: - Holiday - Bathroom Refurb If you decide to sign up to YNAB, you can use this link which will give you and me a month free.