Christmas is an expensive time of year.  Before you know it, with the presents, extra food, wine, and all the festive extras, many of us end up spending on our credit cards and resort to paying it off well into the following New Year and beyond.

It's at times like this, every little helps, and it's often useful to start looking at your outgoings to see where you can save some money.




In our household we have looked at simple things like turning off lights when we leave a room, using energy efficient light bulbs, putting on an extra layer of clothing on instead of putting the heating on, and changing energy suppliers. One area we haven't really looked at though, is saving energy by saving water.

Did you know that less than 0.5% of the World's total water is freshwater? It's a precious resource we shouldn't waste.

There are lots of water saving tips on the Happier Homes website that can help reduce waste, saving energy and also your money in the process. 

Do you use a dishwasher? Did you know that you could use 11 times less water by using a dishwasher than washing up by hand? I was surprised at this - I guess the key is, only put the dishwasher on when it's full, scrape the dishes of food and don't rinse them with water, and use an energy efficient cycle. Dishes washed in the dishwasher are also more hygienic and cleaner too.




What about baths and showers? It's a well known fact that a shower uses less water than a bath. Adjusting the temperature of your water can save money too. I have a combi boiler and turning down the thermostat a degree or two means less energy is used in heating the water, and most people wouldn't feel the difference when taking a shower or bath. And while we are here, let's discuss that B word... bath. 

It's a well know fact that if you have a shower instead of a bath you can save a water, short showers are the key and if a family of 4 replaced a shower by a bath once a week it can save £25 over the course of a year. As I said earlier, every little helps.

Other easy ways to save water include:- 

Turning off running taps when you are brushing your teeth.
Using a water butt to catch rainwater to water your garden.
Making sure dishwashers and washing machines are full before you use them.
Replacing washers on dripping taps promptly.
Replacing inefficient shower heads with an energy efficient type.

This water saving calculator can help you examine how much water you use and gives helpful tips on saving water too. By using these tips your family can be more energy efficient, saving precious resources and saving you money too. Check out more tips on saving water here. 

Tell me, do you think about saving energy in your household? How do you save water in your family? A controversial one here, but would you ever share bath water?

* a sponsored post

Jam Audio is a company that specialises in affordable headphones and speakers. Their philosophy is to bring innovation and technology in accessible consumer products backed with a warranty.

As you may know, if you or people you love are into music, some branded headphones are pricey and can be well over £100 or even more. Jam Audio headphones are priced at £59.99, £39.99 or £29.99 depending on design, which I feel is very realistic for well-designed headphones with great sound quality. 

I was given two sets to review which were the Jam Transit Bluetooth Headphones and the Jam Fusion Buds Bluetooth Headphones. The Jam Transit headphones are classic 'over the head', headphones, perfect for when you want to block sound out, whilst the Jam Fusion headphones are the 'in your ear" style of headphones suitable for walking and exercising amongst other things.

My husband is into music and also loves to jog so I gave him the task of comparing and reviewing both sets of headphones.




The Jam Transit Bluetooth Headphones

Specifications
Wireless up to 10 metres
Built-in microphone for taking calls
Precision drivers for super bass
Speakerphone lets you move between music and calls
Rechargeable for up to 11 hours of play
Available in white, red and black 
2-year guarantee


The Jam Transit Bluetooth Headphones are a really comfortable, wireless, over the head style of headphones.  The top of the headphones is made from a smooth plastic that is adjustable to fit and the padded earphone section makes them super comfortable. The earpieces can move slightly too for a superior fit.


Wireless up to 30 feet
Built-in microphone for taking calls

This month's Degustabox was an eclectic mix of foodstuffs as always, with lots of new products. The monthly box scheme, always guarantees to provide value for money, with a number of surprise products every month. The value of the items received this month was just under £25. When you consider the box is only £12.99 to buy it is a great surprise for foodies.

This is what I received this month.



If you would like to subscribe a Degustabox subscription costs £12.99 per month, inclusive of delivery. The value of the items is usually a lot higher. If you would like a discount of £3 enter code SRV6J into checkout when registering. 

Angara is a family run fine gemstone company that have been in the jewellery business for many generations. Experts in their field they really know about precious stones, such as sapphires, rubies, emeralds and the most precious stone of all - diamonds. Angara's founder Ankur holds an MBA from Harvard business school where he honed his business skills before setting up the company due to his love of gemstones.







If you are wondering what "Angara" means, it is an ancient Sanskrit word meaning "the fire within". It is with this "Angara" that the Earth created the beautiful gemstones we all know and hold precious and precious gemstones is that Angara specialise in. Ankur, the founder is especially fond of Columbian emeralds and fine Ceylon sapphires. 

Do you have a good set of saucepans and frying pans? They never seem to last long in my household. Either they get scratched or the coating comes off, or food gets baked on and hard to remove, and I end up using scourers on it ( I know I shouldn't). So when I was invited to try some I was looking forward to it. Would I ever have a frying pan that was really non stick, that was difficult to scratch? Would a saucepan be economical, easy to clean and last me a long time?






So I was sent a range from Premier Housewares. Premier Housewares makes the Ecocook homeware range of saucepans and frying pans. This range has been developed to be super hard wearing, non stick and stylish. However in my opinion the most important feature is what makes the range 'Ecocook'.
What does 'Ecocook' mean you may ask? The 'Ecocook' range is free from the synthetic substances that release harmful toxins and the way they are made makes them very economical too.

Often when pans are heated to a high temperature if a synthetic coating is used toxins can be released, with the 'Ecocook' range the coating is made of minerals so it is able to withstand tremendous heat – up to 280°C – without the risk of blistering or cracking and no harmful toxins are released. The body is also made of ceramic coated aluminium which is a very efficient heat conductor too, food cooks quicker and thus money is saved, and who doesn't want to save money in this day and age?

At this time of year I am always on the lookout for new clothes to wear over Christmas. There are many occasions such as Christmas work parties, dinner parties with friends, Christmas dinner with the family and so on. So when Marisota challenged me to put together a series of looks for the Christmas holiday period I relished the chance to browse the website and come up with some festive ideas.


Christmas Work Party