What About Our Relationship With Money?

We discuss several different types of relationships here on this blog. But an important one that we’ve never mentioned is that relationship we have with our money.

Sadly, not many people have a good or pleasant relationship with their finances. They work hard, and for long hours, only to see the fruit of their labour flushed out of their possession in the form of bills and spending at the end of each month.

I’ve been thinking about spending quite a lot recently, and ways in which so much of what we lose can be saved and utilised for our own benefit. I’ve been researching and constructing a book I called, ‘How to Sp£nd L€$$’ for the past four years. I haven’t included any of my findings here at the Relationship Supermarket, but my completed book is now available at Smashwords, for free downloads (as a limited offer).

As many of you know, I’ve spent four years of active research uncovering well-kept secrets which will help the average family spend less on food shopping, household bills, entertainment, large purchases and arbitrary outgoings. I’ve acid-proofed all the examples given in this book so you don't have to do any of the hard work. I hope you'll have a look at it and tell one friend about it too. It’s available here.

There is also a facebook fan page here. Thanks so much for your continued support. I can promise one thing, This book will help you with your relationship with money.

Why Girls Keep Dumping You

Some guys are blissfully unaware that they’re heading the right way for bottom kick to the curb. For various reasons, many women sadly stick with men who treat them badly. Meanwhile, the other side of the coin, men are given their marching papers for arbitrary reasons like having the wrong sort of laugh.


Are random reasons like the sound of his cough or his inability to sound his Rs, solid grounds for dumping a fellow? After all, these ‘shortcomings’ are mere eccentricities and not major character flaws.

In 'Why Girls Keep Dumping You' I outline some hilarious reasons why women feel the need to axe (well, virtually anyway) their men. Okay, some of them are more serious than others, but would you dump your guy if he behaved like one of the men in the article?

The Best 'Start-Up' Pets for Young Children

Pets play an important role in teaching kids responsibility and many of life’s other vital skills. Having to take care of another creature and many times putting its needs above your own is one of the best ways to teach a child how to give selflessly.

There is no ‘across the board’ best pet for children. Each child is different, so the pet he/she is given has to fit in with the level of responsibility that particular child is able to cope with. When it comes to making the decision of getting a pet for your child, it’s better to start small and with the easiest option possible.
The last thing you want to do as a parent is to overwhelm your child with too much responsibility too soon (unless of course you are prepared to do all the work yourself).

The Best Start-Up Pets for Young Children lists a number of easy-to-care for pets. I also discuss basic ways in preparing for, and taking care of them.

image source  for above picture

Women, Should We Recycle the Old-Time Relationships?

image source

In Modern society we are bombarded with facts about reusing and recycling, and rightly so. We have now found that even though our ancestors recycled only out of necessity in post war Britain, that they actually had a point, an important one!

We have witnessed a resurgence of this new and urgent wave of recycling with not just our rubbish. We only have to look in our own wardrobes to find evidence of the renaissance of fashion like the mini skirt, pedal pushers, low cut jeans and fish net stockings. But it doesn’t stop there, herbal remedies (even rumours of scientists using the leech to aid in healing) retro interior design etc, threaten to dominate our literature and lives.

But where is she going with this I hear you ask. Aha! I’ve said all this because I am venturing out on thin ice, into a world you and I have never lived. Like the return of the aforementioned, some of us think that due to the crazy rise of divorce in our age the time is ripe for the return of a bit of old fashioned love. Why? Simple. It worked!

When we have gone through – in futility – all the modern steps of keeping him ‘whipped into shape’ maybe we can successfully fall back on the use of a little bit of honey and the art of gentle, positive manipulation which our grandmothers practiced so well.

Grandmas didn’t play mind games

For a start, don’t expect him to read your mind, if there is anything men are hopeless at, it’s knowing what a woman is thinking. To make life easier for both of you, tell him exactly what you want for your birthday for instance, where you want it from and what brand and colour you desire. Not exactly romantic but it takes away the misery of feeling that he doesn’t really love you because he doesn’t know your preferences. Besides, when he sees the thrill on your face when you open your present, his mind chooses to forget that you had actually requested it. Result! Both parties are happy and the juice maker stays un-ordered from Ikea’s catalogue.

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How Gardening Helps Your Kids to be Better Individuals

gardening with your kids helps them develop well

gardening image source

Being a fervent gardener myself, I recognise that gardening for many people, started as an activity enjoyed with their parents from a young age. Consider how great a gift you would be handing over to your children, whatever their age, if you taught them the joys, satisfaction and achievements of gardening. Added to this, you’ll provide them the opportunity of healthy, progressive living. Gardening means that kids are more inclined to eat the healthy fruits of their own labour, to indulge in light outdoor activity without even realising it, get a head-start in science, experimentation and the habits of small animals, and eventually learn to cook the vegetables they’ve grown.

At the same time, they’ll be acquiring the skill of nurturing, patience and achievement of planned outcomes, based on time dedicated. Spending time with their siblings and parents to achieve something is also fun and very rewarding. You don’t have to have a massive garden for this to work, as potted plants on a veranda will do just fine if this is all you can spare. Gardening with kids fulfils a number of their needs for an all-rounded childhood. It’s also a perfect way to teach what being ‘green’ is all about by illustrating the practises of Reusing, Reducing and Recycling.

Help foster the relationship with your kids:

By doing something fun

Kids don’t care that gardening helps them develop the fine motor skills needed for writing. They need to see it as entertainment, so make sure they’re wearing plenty of sun cream and some old clothes, because part of the fun of gardening is being free to get dirty.
Add interest to the garden by letting your kids help make a scarecrow. In the theme of gardening ‘green,’ recycle old clothes for the body, and a pillowcase for the head. Pick out unused, sparkly buttons and even old shoes/Wellies for his feet. You can use leaves from your garden, old newspaper or rags to stuff him with. I’ve also allocated a place in the garden where my kids are allowed to dig up, because finding worms and bugs is half the fun.

By doing something worthy

Encourage wildlife in your garden. When temperatures drop, the population of indigenous birds goes with it. A bird can eat up to ten percent of its body weight trying to keep warm in the winter. We can teach our children from an early age – something we hope will stay with them throughout their lifetime – that the wildlife needs our help to survive. Let your children hunt around the garden to find fun places to leave fat balls or leftover food like potatoes, pastries, or bread. Birds will eat many types of berries so take your child to the garden centre and have him/her choose a shrub that provides winter berries for our feathered friends, and help to plant it in the garden at a place which is easily viewed from a favourite place inside the house. Bird watching can be a fun thing to do on a cold day indoors.

Also, leave your summer sunflower plants standing throughout the cold months, or provide
a feeder with other types of seeds and nuts. Don’t forget water. If you have a bird bath, your child could be in-charge of adding some warm water from the kettle every morning, if temperatures had been below freezing overnight. Bird baths provide not only drinking water, but a place for them to clean their wings to facilitate better flying. If you need more information on how you can teach your child to help birds survive the winter months, go to the RSPB’s (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds - UK) website. If you’re going to keep a flourishing garden, you have to remember that Hedgehogs are very helpful in keeping the unwanted pests at bay. Help your child to build ‘shelters’ (piles of old wood) around the garden where the hedgehogs can live. These provide shelter and food (snails, worms and insects feed off the old wood, which provide the hedgehog with juicy munchies). Talk about how important different insects and animals are to our gardens.
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