The Budget Parent - Lets start at the very beginning...

A very good place to start I suppose ...

A bit about me. Fact file style

Name : Mama Wilde

Age: 32

Dating prospects : Nil - Happily Married to Mr Wilde

Children : 3 all of the pink variety aged 10, 7 and 16 months.

Location: North Essex

After having our 3rd baby I went back to work part time and failed spectacularly to get any work/life balance and made the decision to become a full time mum again like I was when my first 2 were smalls.  It was a big step and one we knew we'd have to make sacrifices for.  But we both felt it was the right decision for us and our family unit.  They grow far far too quickly and as I watch my first daughter blossoming on the brink of secondary school I knew I didn't want to be here in 10 years time with regrets about baby Wilde's preschool years.

Fast forward 3 months and I'm loving the extra time, loving the space, loving the freedom.  The only thing I'm not loving is how tight things are financially.  Each month we've cut out luxuries, cut down all bills then cut more and more in an attempt to get the ends to meet.  Don't get me wrong - we're not about to be out on the streets but living within our means has always been very important to us and I know I'm not the only one who is having to get 'creative' to live with less.

So that's what I'm hoping this blog will be all about.  A place for me to share ideas, recipes and musing on the challenges of parenting on a budget.  

I really welcome any comments and hope you find it useful :)