Recently I've been doing a lot of looking back at old blog posts and it's fascinating to see how much has changed over the years. Before I was doing as much commercial work here on Being Mrs C I really did use the blog to capture so much more of what was going on day to day - both in terms of our lives and also what we were doing with the house and garden - and I really miss that I'm not doing so much of that any more. It's always been fascinating to look back and see what I was planing or doing with the kids a year or more ago and I fear that in future years when I look back ... read more
2014 – The Year of Thrift
Even if you drank enough over Christmas to spend the last few days hidden under a duvet, it can't have escaped your notice that we're in a new year. 2014 is here and from what I can gather hanging around for another 365 days, so I guess we'd all better make the most of it. Last year I wrote about the resolution to end all resolutions I which I pledged to give everything I do 110% over the year. I tried to do that, but I have to be honest and say that I don't think I always managed it. I did learn that to give 110% to everything it is very easy to forget yourself in ... read more
Why this week I’m going to shout praise for Tesco!
On my Working with Mrs C page I've always said that if a company really impresses me then I'm more than happy to provide them with some free advertising here on my blog. In the past I've happily dished out some of this free love to small independents and local shops, but today it's time to actually give praise to a huge company who I know already have a substantial advertising budget. But, they've impressed me so much with one little thing that I want to tell you about it here anyway. The company in question is Tesco and what has impressed me so much is actually ... read more
Review : Ecover Bio Laundry Gel
I've been a fan of Ecover products for several years now so I was rather pleased to be asked if I wanted to review some of their range. I first chose to try the range as I was impressed by the company's eco credentials and then I found that I really liked the products too. Win, win. First up I was sent a bottle of the Ecover Bio Laundry Gel. Now, I should say that I normally use the Ecover non-Bio Laundry Liquid for all the household laundry and I've been happy with it for a couple of years now, so that is what I will be comparing the laundry gel to. The first big difference I ... read more
Review: Washable Cleansing Pads
Since meeting and chatting to Jackie from Green and Natural Living at BritMums Live! in June I have been putting a huge amount more thought into just how green I'm managing to be at the moment. In some areas I'm sure I actually score quite highly, but there are others where I know I could, and should, pull my socks up. The amount of waste that I'm putting into my "black" bin for landfill each fortnight is creeping up and I'm determined to do something about it. I'm currently running a little exercise where I'm trying to keep track of everything ... read more
Review: Rechargeable Batteries
I've never tried to stop and count how many batteries are in all my children's toys, but I do know that there are an awful lots of them and that it's always the way that they seem to all run out at the same time. Good batteries are not cheap and it always seems so wasteful when you have to throw away the dead ones. When I was asked if I wanted to review some rechargeable batteries and a charger from rechargeablebatteries.co.uk I jumped at the chance. I'm constantly trying to make our household more green and getting through single use batteries so quickly was ... read more
Thrifty Friday Five – In the bathroom
One of the smaller rooms in the house, but have you ever thought about how much money you spend on things going on in your bathroom? There's all that water for starters - did you know that 70% of all water usage is in the bathroom. And then think about how much you spend on toiletries too. This week I'm hoping to give you five tips to help you save money in the room where you spend a penny. 1. Reduce the amount you flush Every time you flush the loo water goes down the drain - literally. If your water is metered (and as an aside, if your water isn't metered request a free water ... read more
Thrifty Friday Five – Laundry
Whether you've got a big family or live on your own there are still ways to try to be thrifty when doing your laundry. 1. Make sure you've got a full load If you're going to use your washing machine then you really ought to try to do so in the most efficient way possible. Some machines have settings that alter the programmes to accommodate half loads, but the most efficient way to wash has to be to only put it on when you have a full load - it's unlikley that a washing machine really reduces the energy and water used by half if you put it on a half load setting. This might mean ... read more
Leftovers Lunch
In my eyes a good experimental recipe is one that gets eaten so quickly that you don't have chance to photograph it for a blog post first. That's exactly what happened to the lovely lunch that Mr C made us all earlier today. One thing that I am awful at is keeping food leftovers and then doing nothing at all with them. There is far too much food waste in this house and if I'm honest I'm to blame for most of it. There are some dinners (mainly pasta dishes) where I plan carefully and ensure that we have enough left over for LMC and I to have it for lunch the next day too. Where ... read more
Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Gratin
Pulling meals together from what's in the fridge isn't my speciality. It shouldn't be difficult, but somehow I always struggle and sadly end up throwing away far more food than we should. I'm making a real effort at the moment to change that and reduce what goes into the council compost bin and I'm delighted to say that this last week I've succeeded and come up with a great new simple meal as a result. Based on the Waitrose Baked Pumpkin Gratin recipe that I picked up on one of their cards a while back I managed to concoct a delicious sweet potato and ... read more