We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum... Read More » This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are - or become - political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.

We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.

📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Marriage, relationships & families

Archives for January 2005

FREE HELP TO ALL MSE'ers
Hi. I'm a Social Worker/Counsellor and I love this site. I thought to go along with the MoneySaving theme; I would offer some free help on here. I've discussed it with Martin and decided to give it a go. The idea is this - send me a PM and I will then post your PM (anonymously) and the answer in this thread, so it'll be a…
Private healthcare advice????
After a recent knee injury took a LONG time to get sorted on the NHS, i'm looking to get myself covered with private healthcare. I'm also going to be joining a gym to build myself up after my operation and i've seen a good offer from Prudential saying that if you buy their healthcare you will get cannons membership (which…
Can you help?
Hi All, My brother is getting married very soon. There are a couple of people who cannot attend and they want to give a little gift for them to enjoy. They have asked me to help with ideas and so now I am coming to you! Can always rely on you lot me thinks.. They were thinking of a little bottle of champagne and choccies.…
World Record Attempt
I have Martin's permission to post this here. The Big Feed Do you want to be a record breaker? Saturday 14th May 2005 Little Angels is organising ‘The Big Feed’ to take place on Saturday, 14th May 1pm – 5pm in Lancashire. The venue is yet to be confirmed. To celebrate National Breastfeeding Awareness Week this year, we are…
Can I save any more money?!
I have cut down food shopping to about 25 a week, am positively miserly with the central heating, do the credit card tart thing so they are actually getting paid off instead of just paying interest. I am switching my phone and internet provider which will save me at least a tenner a month. My mobile has an o2 payg sim…
When should children start pre-school?
I'm a first time parent and my daughter will be 2 in March. All the other parents I know are frantically putting their kids' names down for pre-school, with a view to them starting from either 2 or 2 and a half dependant on which pre-school they choose. This seems quite young to me :( I've got the prospectuses and see that…
wedding buttonholes - sunflowers
Does anyone know which charity sells artificial Sunflowers (and where you can get them) which you can use as buttonholes. We thought this would be a good idea for a wedding we are planning as I think real sunflowers would be too big and this way we could donate to charity too. An idea gleaned from this website by the way!
trust deed - anyone got one?....
I'm buying a house with my partner. We are putting down very different deposits. I hope everything goes well in the future between us - but how do I protect my initial investment so as to possibly avoid a messy court process in the future if things go wrong and she decides she wants to, er, kill me or something!!!? Isn;t…
Plz Help find my Dad!!
Sorry - messed up the title on the last threa dand there doesn't seem to be a 'delete' option anymore!! If a mod can delete my previous post that'd be great!! Original message: Can anyone recommend a free (or very cheap) service to find my Dad? All I have to go by is his full name and the name of the road where his Mum and…
.
Can anyone recommend a free (or very cheap) service to find my Dad? All I have to go by is his full name and the name of the road where his Mum and Dad possibly live (or used to live). So far I've tried 192.com and had a look on a few websites but they're all so expensive!! I'm 20 now and he left before I was born so I've…
breastfeeding advice required - no milk supply!
on quite a few threads it's been said that anyone can breastfeed. i couldn't. i'm wondering if anyone can help as i'd prefer to breastfeed the baby i'm having in july if i can. it seems to be more and more popular so i thought maybe somebody would have experienced what i did, or know someone else. i just didn't have any…
Newbie, and first time expectant mum. Help.
How do all, This is my first ever post!! How exciting. I'm 35, and expecting my first baby in June, and I'm completely clueless as to what we NEED for the Jelly Bean's arrival. People have told us lots of things that we should get, but we're not sure what is a necessity, and what we can do without - and are also quite…
Cheaper baby milk
Hi there, first post so please be gentle!! Big Grin I went recently to my local health centre to get my baby weighed ( the clinic where they do all the health checks and weigh in's) and noticed they had baby milk for sale. I asked how much it was and it is 1.60p cheaper than in tescos etc. You have to show proof that you…
How many hours sleep for kids ?
I would like to ask people's opinions on how much sleep children need. Also do you think it's a good idea to let the kids stay up later on non school nights or does this just upset their routine?
Baby savings plans
We (and a few thousand other parents), are about to be the happy owners of a £250.00 govenment baby savings voucher. Does anyone know who/what/where to put the money for the best returns? I'm sure Martin must be working on something as its had such a lot of media coverage recently.
Travel Cot?
Anyone got any advice/ info on travel cots? Which are best?, is it worth buying a cheap one or splashing out on a expensive one? And finally..... Anyone seen a good deal in any shops/ online stores?!
account hacked
I want to make people in this area of mse (as i use these threads a lot) aware that in the last few days, I believe my account has been accessed by someone other than me, and some details altered. I have now changed my password, but if anyone has read anything in the last couple of days from "me" then to dismiss it. i will…
Help for making a wedding cake?
I am hoping to make my own wedding cake (with help from mum) but we are a bit unsure about knowing how long to cook it for etc.. My mum makes a fabulous Christmas cake so we were planning just to increase the quantites does anyone have any recipies or can anyone give any advice about adjusting the cooking time? I have 92…
School fees
Help, I can't be the only stupid mother with a smart kid, can I? My daughter has just passed her 11+ at an independent school and tho on paper it looks like I earn good money, my financial situation is quite complicated. So not much of a bursary, if any at all, coming our way. I've thought of the obvious like remortgaging…
40th Wedding Anniversary Suprise Party - tips ?
Hi It is my boyfriends parents 40th Anniversary in March.We have decided to give them a suprise party, with about 50 people and will probably have it in a local hall, as my house is too small and there is not a lot of places near here. We are also on a budget. ;D Now I have never done anything like this before so your tips…

★ ★ ★ Meet your Ambassadors

Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

MSE News

Ofgem proposes new 'no standing charge' Price Cap – but Martin Lewis warns vulnerable customers need to be opted in or it won't work
Ofgem has today launched detailed proposals for a major shake up to its Energy Price Cap that dictates the price over 80% of homes in England, Scotland and Wales pay for their energy bills.
Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland to cut overdraft rates for millions but hike them for others – here's what's happening and full help
If you're a Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland current account holder, the interest rate you're charged for using your overdraft could change soon as part of a fees shake-up. The Lloyds Banking Group, which owns all three brands, says millions of its customers will pay less after the changes – but a "few" will pay more.
Warm Home Discount expansion confirmed with millions more eligible for the £150 top-up this winter – here's what we know
Around 2.7 million more low-income households, including 900,000 families with children, will become eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, as the Government has confirmed it will remove the existing 'hard to heat' eligibility criteria. The extension has only been confirmed for winter 2025/26, with further changes possible for future years.
Martin Lewis: At last a chance to fix Council Tax flaws impacting millions – debt collection, difficulty challenging your band, discounts and more
Major flaws in the Council Tax system in England could finally be fixed in future, as the Government has launched a wide-ranging consultation to review hideous debt collection practices, the difficulty of challenging your band, the overly complex and horribly-named Severe Mental Impairment discount and more. MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis, who has long campaigned on these issues, shares his response and analysis.
Energy complaints to be dealt with more quickly and Energy Ombudsman to get new powers under Government plans
If you have a complaint about your energy firm, it may be resolved more quickly in future, as the Government has announced a raft of proposals to strengthen consumer protections in the energy market. The planned changes include giving the Energy Ombudsman new powers to force firms to comply with its decisions – but it's still very early days. Here's what we know so far.
Warm Home Discount expansion confirmed with millions more eligible for the £150 top-up this winter – here's what we know
Around 2.7 million more households, including 900,000 families with children, will become eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, as the Government has confirmed it will remove the existing 'hard to heat' eligibility criteria. The extension has only been confirmed for winter 2025/26, with further changes possible for future years.
Base rate held at 4.25% – here's what it means and when it might be cut next
The Bank of England has held the base rate at 4.25%. Below we explain why, when it might be cut, plus what it means for your mortgage and savings.
Applied for South West Trains 'boundary fares' compensation? Act now to claim it
If you applied for compensation from South West Trains before the deadline in January 2025, you now need to provide your bank details to the claim administrator so it can be paid to you. Here's what you need to know.
Winter Fuel Payments to be reinstated for millions – Martin Lewis explains how it'll work, what it means and if it's an improvement
All State Pensioners in England and Wales will receive a Winter Fuel Payment this winter, though those who earn over £35,000 will see it clawed back through the tax system. It means nine million pensioners will get the £200 or £300 top-up. Here MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis shares his instant response and analysis, and we include answers to your key questions.

View All

Marriage, relationships & families

Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

🚀 Getting Started

Is this how you want to be seen?

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free

Marriage, relationships & families

Discussion List

Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

🚀 Getting Started

Is this how you want to be seen?

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free