Money Hacks Money Hacks while travelling while travelling with kids with kids

BY: LIZ MICHELLE BY: LIZ MICHELLE

Travelling can be expensive! Kids are expensive! So travelling with kids can often break the budget if we are not careful with our planning, bookings and our money management BEFORE WE LEAVE!

Ever heard the saying ‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail’? We may not be talking failure here but if there is a lack of planning before travelling with kids, then you may come back without any money at all, or even worse, put yourself into debt.

Here are my top tips or money hacks when travelling with kids:

Do your research! Spontaneous holidays have a certain charm to them, but if you don’t put time and effort into researching locations, accommodation options, local travel, attractions and flights, you may end up spending more, compared to a very similar location with better, more cost effective options.

Use cash back apps, such as Cash Rewards and ShopBack when booking accommodation. They sometimes have deals where you can get cash back for 15-20% of the cost of your booking! I never book anything without using these cash back apps now.

Make sure you get travel insurance. Plan for the unexpected. I have been caught overseas with a sick child before, and I’m so glad I decided on travel insurance so I could claim back the cost of seeing a doctor overseas, as well as getting meds. Kids are unpredictable and travel insurance is not usually a huge cost when it comes to breaking down your holiday expenses.

Holidays don’t need to be jam packed with paid entertainment! There can be days where you hang out at a beach exploring rock pools or you go on fun bushwalks or just play by the pool. Kids will most likely love the relaxed pace and it will save you some money too.

Food! This is always a big cost when travelling, because all those ‘small’ purchases really add up! A $7 scoop of ice cream here, a quick sandwich and milkshake there, and a pub meal thrown in for good measure, and next thing, you’re $100 down, just from some snacks and quick meals! My tip here is to decide on which meal for the day will be the one eaten at a cafe, pub or restaurant. Have some quick snacks either in the car or in your travel bags for when the kids get hungry, so you don’t need to buy expensive takeaway or pricey snacks. Stock up on bananas, muesli bars, a pack of bread rolls, some apples, dried fruit and bags of popcorn for example. These items don’t need a fridge and you can give them to the kids between meals (or even as a quick, small meal) to save spending big on all meals and snacks. A good dessert hack is to buy chocolate bars or dairy snacks, and ‘surprise’ the kids after dinner, back at your hotel room or caravan with your treat, to save on buying takeaway ice cream or desserts which can get really expensive!

What do you really value when it comes to holidays? Do you love to do water sports with the kids, go to exhibitions, take them to shows, theme parks, movies, mini golf or fancy restaurants? All of these things cost money, but they will not appeal to everyone. Decide what you really want to spend money on, and what you don’t really care to get involved in. Ask the kids too! Maybe they would prefer to explore rock pools (a free activity), rather than go to an exhibition or to a theme park. Don’t spend money on things because it’s socially expected or seen as a ‘holiday experience’. Decide before you leave, what you will be happy to spend money on, and what you don’t want to spend money on.

Don’t buy souvenirs ‘just because’. Souvenirs can be expensive and there are so many times I have bought souvenirs only to come home and regret the purchase. Once you’ve spent the money, it’s gone! If you have to have souvenirs, make it a fridge magnet or just print out a few photos of your holiday instead! Buying t shirts, hats, bags or other items as souvenirs can get very expensive!

Track your spending as you go along. You might lose count of all the times you’re pulling your card out to make purchases, so take a look at your bank account or credit card transactions online from time to time and make sure you’re staying within budget. If you’re overspending, make sure you pull back on spending in certain areas.

Pack some basic first aid items to save you buying them on your trip. Bandaids, first aid antiseptic cream, bandages, paracetamol, a thermometer, antihistamines, as well as any individual medications of course, and sunscreen, after sun cream, and Aerogard.

Just remember, holidays are for parents too! Make sure the holiday is a balance, and not all about providing entertainment for the kids! If you have brought along devices for the kids to have periods of gaming or screen time, one idea is to buy them a new game before you leave and give it to them while on holiday. I’m all about limiting screen time and not giving the kids too much of it, as discussed in my article on the Dangers of too much Screen time HERE, but if it means you can have a quiet wine and watch a movie that’s not animated, while the kids are busy on their devices for an hour or two, then it’s really quite harmless. It may also save you money on a kids club or other type of entertainment.

My last hack is probably the most important – budget for, and SAVE for your holiday before you go! If you don’t have the money to go on a holiday, then you can’t afford it! If you’re putting a holiday on a credit card and coming home with debt, then your holiday will end up costing you WAY more than you realise, in credit card interest payments. If you can’t afford hotels, flights and entertainment, choose a cheaper holiday experience, such as camping, or a caravan stay beachside.

By: Liz Michelle

You can find Liz on her blog TeachingBrave.com, which has more than 130 articles with parenting tips and money saving tips, and you can follow her on Instagram and Facebook.

THRIVING IN THE SECOND HALF OF MY LIFE - HOW I OVERCAME MY HEALTH CHALLENGES TO FIND MY PURPOSE

BY: BECCY FREEMAN (FOUNDER, BREATHE AND BLOSSOM)

My story begins 39 years ago, when I was just 12 years old living with my Mum, Dad and twin brother in the gorgeous countryside, majestic rolling hills, land of the Taungarong people in north central Victoria Australia. The first 12 years of my life were fairly uneventful. Mum and Dad were considered “hippies” in the conservative small country town, and ran a successful certified organic berry farm business.

In my twelfth year however, I became very unwell and following a battery of tests and a two week stay in the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, I was diagnosed with the autoimmune condition known as SLE, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, or “Lupus”. It was during this time that my lifelong interest in women's health was born, as Lupus is more prevalent amongst women.

Life went on, with some minor adjustments. My day now included taking medication every morning, and while my condition was generally well controlled I was never able to sprint, and stairs and hills were torture. I learned from a young age to disguise my symptoms in a multitude of ingenious and creative ways. Shoe laces that suddenly needed tightening, a book that needed to be retrieved from my student backpack, or an imaginary “did you see that?”, anything for a moment of respite.

It wouldn’t be until decades later, in my 43rd year, that I actually received the diagnosis that explained everything. The most distressing symptoms, attributed in my teens to Lupus, in fact turned out to be due to a much rarer condition altogether – a chromosomal recessive muscle enzyme deficiency known as McArdle disease- Glycogen Storage disease type V.

I felt such an overwhelming sense of relief – everything, every struggle, every symptom, suddenly made sense. All the dots connected. The validation that the diagnosis provided was immense, a feeling that anyone who suffers with an invisible illness would understand.

Despite these lifelong challenges, my working life has been varied and very rewarding. Reading and study for me have always been a delightful refuge. At University I completed my Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice Administration which lead me to my first career as a Court Registrar in the Victorian Magistrates court. No two days were ever the same and I enjoyed the variety of this job, but what I most loved was having the opportunity to help people and make a difference in their lives. This led me to complete my Counselling qualification and begin my career working in the public health system as a Counsellor –work that I still find meaningful, real and so very rewarding.

I love connecting with people – connecting to their stories, their sorrows and their victories, and supporting them as they move through difficult and challenging seasons in their lives. I know THIS is the work I’m on this planet to do.

This passion ultimately led me to return once again to study and train as a qualified Health and Lifestyle Coach. What I discovered through my work in public health was a glaring service gap. After seeing their GP, people were often left without any support to implement their doctor’s advice. They didn’t know how to break down the goals that were set for them by their GP’s to make them more achievable. They didn’t have the support or accountability they needed to give them the very best chance of achieving sustained healthier habits. I knew I wanted to help.

It was also around this time in my life, at 44 years old, that I began experiencing some unpleasant symptoms – insomnia, uncharacteristic moodiness, hot flushes and inescapable weight gain. Perimenopause had arrived!

I was relieved to rediscover my love for essential oils and the multitude of ways they can enhance your health, both mental and physical. With the support and assistance of a naturopath, a solid plan that included leaning in hard to my essential oil protocols, self care, and really examining my own mindset and “stories' about what this season in life is all about, I was able to find some relief. I would make up diffuser blends with Rosemary, Peppermint and Frankincense to help my focus. I created a life saving cooling spritz that I would apply liberally before bed using Clary Sage, Peppermint, Geranium essential oils. I used the same essential oils to “cool down” the daytime hot flushes with my own rollerball blend.

The more I used the oils, the more I loved them and the more I learned, the more passionate I became about sharing my knowledge. I completed my Clinical Aromatherapy for Health Certificate online and found more and more ways to incorporate the benefits of aromatherapy into my life and also my work.

I tested and played with different ways to bring the oils to life and discovered candle making. I knew I was on to something and, in February 2021, took 17 weeks long service leave from my job as I immersed myself in learning all there was to know about essential oils candle making. My business Breathe and Blossom was born!

g in support, as I had no business nce whatsoever, I launched my two ranges, Country Life and Simply Be ber 2021. I was 49 years old and stepping out on faith and trust iness vision was always to expand erings to include Coaching support, I grew the product side of my s, securing retail outlets to stock ations, and running candle making sential oils workshops, I began g on mapping out my signature and lifestyle coaching program, . Radiant is a 90 day 1:1 Coaching nce designed specifically to support to transition through the seasons r life, in particular the journey h peri-menopause from Mother to Summer to Autumn, First half to half.

a unique blend of holistic utic interventions, tools provided ther Nature and my 10 years nce as a Counsellor, I now support ide women through this powerful of change and realignment to their vitality, rediscover their for life and redefine their sense of

Radiant and the Breathe and Blossom Signature Framework was born out of my own personal journey through both the challenging mental and physical symptoms associated with the years of Perimenopause, and the need to explore who I actually am now in this, the Second Half of my life. I know first-hand the unique transformative power of my three pillars – Wellness, Mindset and Meaning.

I’ll be 51 this month, and I feel a deep sense of gratitude each and everyday. I have my oils, I have my business and I have reached this place in the second half of my life where I feel more happy and fulfilled than ever before. My days are filled with the things that genuinely light me up – my business, essential oils, nurturing self care practices and rituals, movement, spending time with my partner, and my pet dog and cat.

I am so very passionate about the fact that no matter where you are in your health and wellness journey, what your health looks like right now, there are things we can do, steps we can take and strategies we can put in place to support you to have a better quality of life. This is what I do. This is my life’s work. It is such a joy and a privilege to have finally arrived here.