In this age of information, loads of different companies are jumping on the loyalty card bandwagon, offering points, discounts or money back for their customers in exchange for details of our shopping habits. But which are the best ones to use?

For today's post, I'll summarize my five favourite loyalty cards for British mums, complete with details of the rewards and value earned from using them.

1. Boots Advantage Card

This is by far my favourite all-time loyalty scheme, the one which earns more rewards than any other scheme I have yet tried.

Each point earned on your card equals a penny to spend in store; for each pound you spend, you'll earn a minimum of 4 points on your card, though double/triple points days and promotions for extra points on selected items means it's easily possible to earn far more than this.

For mothers with young babies, I highly recommend you also join the Mother and Baby club, which entitles you to triple points when buying Huggies nappies, plus you'll receive many other great offers to help you and your growing baby.

Once you've earned enough points, you can spend this in-store or online on anything you want (except for gift vouchers). You will need to have earned enough points to buy your purchase outright, as points cannot be used in part-purchase.

Personally I save up my points for expensive treats and luxuries (perfume and Chanel lipsticks are wonderful when no money needs to be exchanged) though you could just as easily redeem against your usual shopping to save money on your everyday needs.

How to apply

You can apply for a Boots Advantage card in store and begin earning your points right away, or visit the website to make your application on-line.

2. Nectar

Nectar helps you earn points from spending at a huge variety of high street stores, online retailers, petrol (via BP) and even on your holidays (through Expedia and others).

These points may then be exchanged for a variety of rewards including cinema tickets, days out, travel and beauty treats.

You can earn roughly two points for every pound spent with Nectar sponsors. These points roughly equate a penny each, though rewards start from around 500 points which could get you:

• £2.50 off at Argos
• A free DVD rental from BlockBuster
• £2.50 off your shopping at Sainsburys
• A £2.50 voucher for Gala Bingo

There are many many more rewards you could get depending on the number of points you have saved. Take a look at the Nectar card calculator to see how many points you could earn towards your dream reward.

How to apply

Many of Nectar's sponsors offer application forms in-store (such as Sainsburys and Debenhams), though you can also make your application online. This way you can make a note of your Nectar card number and begin collecting points straight away.

3. Tesco Clubcard

Here's another card which I use regularly, not just for shopping but for my fuel and mobile top-ups too (which earns three times as many points).

You can earn 1 point per £1 spend in Tesco stores, online and at Powergen, Marriott, Johnsons Cleaners plus a few other retailers. Each point earned represents a 1p discount to spend in store, and is redeemed in the form of vouchers which are sent out by post.

However, by redeeming points on Tesco's specially selected offers, each point is worth around 4p instead. These special offers include magazine subscriptions, family outings and even RAC membership.

How to apply

You should be able to pick up a temporary Clubcard from any Tesco store and begin earning points right away. Alternatively, visit the Clubcard website to apply online; you'll be able to collect points right away on online purchases, but would need to ask for a special receipt to credit your points by telephone after shopping in-store until your permanant card arrives.

You may also be interested to apply for the Tesco Clubcard Plus account by calling 08457104010 for an application form. This works like a prepaid card (no credit facility) which can be used only in Tesco stores and offers double points on your spending. I'm yet to receive my own card to explain more, but since I shop at Tesco so often I'm sure it will be worth the effort.

4. Toys R Us Gold Card

If you regularly shop at Toys R Us, have a young baby or are expecting one, then it's well worth joining the Gold Card scheme. Don't worry, this is not a credit card (though admittedly I was put off applying for a while since this was the impression I'd been given!).

The Tous R Us Gold Card offers a point for each pound spent when you spend over £10 in store or online. When you have accumulated enough points, you will be sent vouchers to the minimum value of £75 against selected future purchases.

It does take ages to collect enough points, and admittedly the vouchers may not always be for goods you would normally purchase. But if you have a baby or very young child, it is advantageous to join the related Mother and Baby scheme, where further discounts are offered and a regular newsletter is sent out.

How to apply

You should be able to apply in any Toys R Us store by filling out a quick application form. Alternatively visit the Gold Card page of the Toys R Us website to fill in a form online.

5. Air Miles

Although the Air Miles scheme seems to have been around for years, I've only recently discovered how useful this can be in collecting points for free family days out (travels too, though this aspect would rarely benefit us personally).

Air Miles points can be collected through loads of different retailers (more than 200 in total, both online and off) such as Currys, Evans, Shell petrol stations and even by transferring points from your Tesco Clubcard.

The number of Airmiles earned for your spend varies between retailers, from 1 mile for every £10 spent on eBay to a whopping 750 points when you take out a subscription to The Times.

For best value, redeem Airmiles against "experiences" rather than flights. This seems to offer more monetary value for your saving and enables you to visit some great attractions for free such as Legoland or the London Eye.

How to apply

You can register to collect Airmiles by filling in the application form on the Airmiles website. I'm unsure if there are ways to apply in any stores, though you could also call the customer contact centre on 0844 49 333 94.

What are your favourite schemes?

Have I missed out your favourite loyalty scheme from this list, or do you use any of my favourite 5 schemes regularly? Please feel free to leave your comments below.

Over the weekend I took my children to see Coraline (in 3d) at our local cinema. Now as anyone who's read Glamumous for some time would understand, I don't usually review films on this blog (books yes, but never movies). However, we were all so blown away by Coraline that I simply had to write about this here for any other mums who've been hesitant about seeing this amazing film which I believe is truly best experienced in 3d.

Based on the novel by the British author, Neil Gaiman, Coraline is the story of a young girl who stumbles upon a magical, parallel and seemingly perfect world where everything she wishes from life becomes a reality. Whereas her real parents barely have time to talk (let alone play) as she explores her new home in the Pink Palace, in the other world, her "other mother" spends time baking cookies and delicious meals to entice her, while her "other father" lets the piano play him (no kidding) and takes rides on a magical mantis in their living breathing garden.

However, all is not as it seems. When her other mother wants to keep Coraline in the other world, Coraline is set to battle with all her wits (and the aid of a wise talking cat) to save her soul and free the ghosts of children trapped in this realm.

I don't want to give the story away since this is a film you really must make the time to see, or rent on DVD as soon as it's released!

Despite being marketed as a kids movie, Coraline is rather sinister and I doubt it's suitable for young or sensitive children as some scenes offer the potential for nightmare material in little minds. Having said that, my four year old daughter positively adores this film. I was a little apprehensive (having seen some of the trailers for Coraline) and at times she was a little edgy, but the sheer magic of this wonderful film won her over.

To summarize, Coraline is "handmade" - the attention to detail is exquisite, and once you realize that the sweaters and those mittens from the clothes shop are actually knitted in miniature by a real person, you'll understand even more what makes this film so special.

I'd certainly recommend this, and believe this is definitely the best family film of the year (if not the past five years). If you loved The Nightmare Before Christmas or James and the Giant Peach, this will truly be a film you and your family will love. Just be sure not to take very young children, and if in doubt, visit the official website to get a glimpse of what Coraline has to offer.

For those who do stay to the end of the film (as I always do!), you may well wonder what "Jerk Wad" means to "those in the know"... I sincerely doubt Henry Selik intended the meaning offered by The Urban Dictionary for this phrase! Instead, this was a password which could be used in Coraline's room on the official website to enter a competition for a pair of Nike trainers. Sadly the competition is now closed, and as far as I can tell there is nowhere else on the site to enter this curious phrase, but if you were burning with curiosity at least you now know what it means.

Here's one of the best trailers I've found for Coraline, in fact, the one which made me book tickets so we could see this film the very same night. Enjoy, and if you do watch in cinema 3d, be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think too.

Here is a calendar of Family Friendly events happening around the UK this summer:

Thesedays we are awed by the sheer number of books available to us, and it'sdifficult to choose something relevant to our needs. As parents, we arelimited in the time we can spend reading, and as frugal families wecannot afford to spend on books we may later find irrelevant. So eachWednesday, I aim to review a book on a range of subjects from parentingguides to home-making, fashion/beauty and cookbooks which are most relevant for fabulous, frugal mums!

Being quite the fan of Anthea Turner's "How to be The Perfect Housewife" series, the book tie-in was one which I looked forward to reading. Or devouring, as it turned out.

In this day and age we are inundated with advertisements end endorsements for the latest, greatest cleaning products to enter the market. Fancy blocks which stick under the rim of the loo; grease-busting kitchen cleaner with lime-power; scent-infused wipes specifically designed to cleanse our hard floors... If we listened to the advertisements, our homes would cost a small fortune to maintain, with cupboards full of cleaning products designed to perform only one job!

In days gone by, our fore-mothers used natural products to clean their homes where each product could be used for a multitide of tasks. Being both ecologically sound and cost-effective to boot, it's no wonder that many parents are turning to natural solutions for cleaning their family home. Such products can save us ££'s, take up far less room in the maid's cupboard, and ultimately the lack of chemical ingredients make them safe to use around our children.

So here ladies, are my favourite 5 natural cleaning products, tried and tested with ideas for how they can be used. Try them for yourself to see just how effective these can be in comparison to your favourite chemical brands. Once you've seen the effects for yourself, I doubt you'll ever browse the chemical aisles again!

1. White Vinegar

While growing up, my only experience of vinegar was as a condiment for chips. My mum didn't really subscribe to the notion of natural cleaning, and even today her cupboards are filled with bottles of chemical solutions which probably cost more than the fees she could pay to hire a cleaner each week!

So when my good friend (and household mentor) suggested I use vinegar to clean my grimy windows, I was somewhat aghast. Why on earth would I want to make my home smell like a chip shop, I asked. But once I'd seen the gleam produced by diluted vinegar and scrunched up newspaper, I never looked back.



White vinegar still smells like the stuff you put on chips, but it's truly an excellent degreaser, ideal for all manner of cleaning in the family home. If you can't stand the smell, add a few drops of your favourite essential oils to your vinegar solutions to disguise the stink (and make your home smell wonderful at the same time).

Where to buy white vinegar

White vinegar is often known as "Distilled vinegar" (a title which confused me no end when I first tried to find this in the supermarket!). Unlike malt vinegar, this product is colourless and is usually sold alongside other condiments in your local supermarket at around 50p for a half-litre bottle.

For ultimate savings, try to find this in a larger bottle. Asian and Arabic supermarkets often sell 2ltr bottles for a couple of pounds, and other frugal home-makers have found this in the natural cleaning section in Boots stores (though I've been unable to find it in my local stores up North).

If you do buy from the supermarket, be sure to grab a few bottles at a time, as you're sure to use up a 500ml bottle in no time when you realise how useful this is!

Using White Vinegar to Clean your Home

• For cleaning windows, glass and mirrors, use a solution of half-vinegar and water in a spray bottle (the type you use to spray your house plants). Squirt your windows a couple of times (don't be over-zealous) and buff off with scrunched up newspaper. The vinegar makes the glass sparkling clean and even removes the grease from cooking/smoking with ease!
• For unblocking drains, pour neat down the plug hole, leave for 20-30 minutes, and follow with a kettle-full of boiling water. For very stubborn blockages, pour a handful of bicarbonate of soda down the drain first. The vinegar will make it fizz and unblock even the greasiest deposits.
• For general cleaning/surface sprays, use half and half with water. This is a great solution for cleaning cooking spills, wiping down kitchen surfaces and even cleaning the bath-tub. Add lemon juice for a nicer smell or extra-degreasing power.
• To soften clothes and fluff up towels, use in place of your regular fabric softener in the washing machine. Just a quick slug will do (about half a cup). I promise your clothes will not smell of vinegar once dried, and this really does fluff up towels (great for times when the fibres are flattened from accidental use of fabric conditioner in the wash).

2. Bicarbonate of Soda

Not to be confused with baking powder, bicarbonate of soda is another fabulous multi-purpose cleaning solution. I use this often as a mild abrasive, but it's excellent for stain-removal and deoderizing too.

Where to buy Bicarbonate of Soda

Most supermarkets sell this in small tubs beside home-baking products. Usually this is less than £1 a tub, though I've found the cheapest place is Tesco where I buy mine for less than 50p.

You may also be able to find large tubs in a local ethnic supermarket or wholesale supplier for a few pounds. It is worth investing in a large tub to save money over the long term.

How to use Bicarbonate of Soda for cleaning

• For a mild abrasive (great for cleaning cooker tops and stubborn marks), mix to a thick paste with water. Leave on for a couple of minutes then buff off with a cloth.
• To clean your fridge, dissolve half a cup in a basin of water and use as a solution to wipe down the interior.
• To deoderise the fridge, leave small amount in an open container in the back of the fridge (this will not tarnish the interior or taint the food)
• To de-scale a kettle or clean stained cups, dissolve a couple of teaspoons in a mug of hot water; leave to soak and rinse clean.
• To remove stains, dampen the fabric and sprinkle a little bicarb on top. Leave to absorb the water, then rub gently with a sponge.
  

3. Borax (Sodium Borate)

Borax is a natural mineral with disinfectant properties which can be used for cleaning and disinfecting areas of the family home.



Be careful though: borax must be used with caution and kept far away from children and pets. Be sure to always wear rubber gloves when using borax, and keep in a sealed container.

Where to buy borax

Personally I have found borax to be among the most difficult household cleaners to find. If you're lucky, you may find this in the natural cleaning products aisle in your local Boots store. Some chemists sell borax (ask at the counter), and local hardware stores are known to stock this too (this is where I buy borax).

Alternatively you can try the Dri-Pak website, where borax can be purchased in bulk. Occasionally you can buy this from eBay in single tubs for a few pounds each.

How to use Borax for household cleaning

• As a disinfectant, mix 1/2 a cup of borax with a gallon of hot water and use as required.
• For cleaning very dirty floors, mix 1/2 a cup of borax with a gallon of vinegar. This will cut through grime and provide disinfectant qualities at the same time.
• For a multi-surface disinfectant spray, combine 2 tablespoons borax, 1/4 cup of lemon juice and 2 cups of hot water. Decant into a spray bottle and use to clean the cooker, kitchen surfaces or any place where a strong disinfectant solution is required.
• For cleaning grimy toilets, flush the toilet to wet it then sprinkle 1 cup of borax around the bowl. Spray with 1/2 cup of vinegar and leave overnight. Then simply brush clean in the morning for a clean, shiny bowl.

Lemons

Another multi-purpose product, lemons make an excellent degreaser; what's more, by using lemons (or lemon juice) for cleaning your home, you will also be exuding a fabulous citrus scent.

Best value lemons - where to buy

I've found the cheapest place to buy lemons is usually the supermarket (particularly Asda and Tesco), where you can buy a bag of lemons from the budget/value range for less than 50p. Depending on the season, you may be able to pick up lemons for as little as 10p each when sold singly.

If you prefer to buy lemon juice, try visiting your local ethnic supermarket for a large bottle (rather than the 200ml ones sold in supermarkets).

Using lemons for cleaning

• To clean and disinfect your chopping board, rub with half a lemon and a little salt.
• To clean a grimy microwave, quarter a lemon and place in a microwavable bowl with a cup of water. Cook on high heat for 5 minutes, then leave the bowl in the microwave for a further 1/2 hour. Once the water is cooled. use the water to wipe the inside of the microwave. All of the dried on grime will simply wipe away, leaving your microwave sparkling clean.
• To boost cleaning when soaking dirty pans, add half a lemon to your bowl of washing-up water. The grease-busting power of the lemons will help dissolve the grime on your pans.
• For a fragrant furniture polish, combine the juice of one lemon with a teaspoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of water. Apply a coating of the mixture to the item to be polished; leave for 5 minutes then buff off with a soft cloth. Also useful for polishing leather sofas (but use slightly more olive oil for this job)
• To deodorize your kitchen, use leftovers from your lemons (perhaps after cleaning other things?) and simmer on the stove for an hour in a little water.

Washing soda (Sodium Carbonate)

Traditionally used for washing clothes, this mild detergent is an excellent grease-cutter too enabling it to be used for washing dishes, walls and indeed anything else which requires cleaning.

Where to buy washing soda

I usually buy washing soda in packets from the supermarket from around 50p for 500g (and it lasts ages!). You may also find this in Wilkinsons, Boots stores (near the natural cleaning section) or at your local hardware store.

The most common brand appears to be Dri-Pak so try their website if you're unable to locate anywhere close to home.

When buying in packets, be sure to transfer to a sealed, labelled container or place the opened packet in a zip-lock bag to prevent spillages or damp.

How to use washing soda

• For extra laundry cleaning power, add half a cup to the powder drawer of your washing machine
• For hand-washing delicate items, sprinkle a handful in warm water and add a few drops of your favourite essential oil to make clothes smell wonderful.
• When washing dishes in the sink, dissolve half a cup in the dish water and add half a lemon for grease-busting power.
• Create your own dish-washer detergent by combining equal parts of borax and washing soda (far cheaper than branded tablets and powders!)

Which are your favourite home-made cleaning solutions?

In this article, I've covered only a handful of the home-made cleaning solutions we can use to clean our family homes cheaply and without chemicals. The five products mentioned above are my favourites, but I'd love to know what you use for your own family homes too.

Please feel free to leave your own ideas and suggestions in the comments below.


Image credits: Eco-cleaning (top right) by extended.epiphany; Vinegar by Gorgeoux; Bicarbonate of Soda by solylunafamilia; Borax by luce_beaulieu; Lemons by terriseesthings;  Washing Soda by Liquid Lucidity. All via Flickr Creative Commons.

The Debenhams Beauty Club is a new loyalty scheme offering points-based discounts and freebies exclusively for it's members. Debenhams isn't a place I would usually visit for my beauty products, but after seeing a feature about this scheme in yesterday's You magazine (with the Sunday Mail) I decided it was worth a second look.

How it works

The Beauty Club offers points on your card whenever you make a purchase in-store in the Debenhams Beauty Department.

These points can then be exchanged towards money off credits - in increments of £5 - against future purchases in the beauty department.

At present, points can only be collected and redeemed in-store. Online purchases cannot collect points, nor can points be redeemed when shopping online.

The Beauty Club also offers exclusive freebies for it's members and a regular email newsletter featuring the latest beauty news.

How to collect and redeem points

Points are collected according to the amount you spend on each transaction in-store on products from the beauty department:

• For purchases up to £25, you will earn one point per £1 spend.
• For purchases over £25, a more generous three points per £1 spent are earned.

Transactions can include more than one item in order to earn these points. For example, if you were to buy a Touche Eclat at £23, this would net you 23 points on your card. However, if purchasing a YSL Touche Eclat and  a Mascara Volume (value £21) in a single transaction, totalling £44, this combined purchase would earn 132 points in total.

Rewards are calculated on a monthly basis, in lots of 500 points. Each 500 points rewards you with a £5 discount against purchases, which can be redeemed as part payment.

This means that you need to earn more than 500 points in any given month to qualify for a £5 discount. If you earn 1000 points, you would earn a £10 discount, and so on.

Points can be carried over from month to month, and rewards are given in the month following that where enough points were accumulated. For example, if you earn 200 points in May and 300 points in June, your £5 reward will be credited in July.

To earn enough points for each £5 credit, you'll likely have to spend at least £163 (in transactions over £25 each time). For many mums, it may take a long time to accumulate this many points, though Debenhams assure us that there will be frequent occasions where bonus points will be offered.

Freebies for Beauty Club Members

I'm a sucker for freebies, and must admit that this aspect of the Beauty Club is what I'm most interested in.

At present, Debenhams are offering quite a few freebies for Beauty Club members, some of which are "no-spend" offers (meaning we don't have to spend anything to get them - hooray!).

Here's some of the best offers available right now:

• No Spend - Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream: get a free sample of this cult moisturizer when you ask at an Elizabeth Arden counter
• No Spend - Clinique 3 Mini Lipsticks: when you have a free makeover or skin consultation at a Clinique counter
• £5 worth of points for a £25 spend on cosmetics or fragrance. The website states that this offer is limited to one transaction per customer, per day, so I'm not sure if we can acquire £5 of points each time we spend more than £25, or if this is a one-time offer. Anyway, this offer ends on the 14th of June so be sure to get your points if you plan to buy fragrance or cosmetics this next month!
• Free gift worth over £50 from Elizabeth Arden, with two or more purchases from EA (one to be skincare). I love the look of this gift set, which includes a full-size lipstick and summer make-up pallette. 

Other current offers include a minumim spend/purchases from their relevant departments. Take a look at the Beauty Club events page for more details.

How to join the Debenhams Beauty Club

To become a member, you must visit a Debenhams branch to collect your free Beauty Club card. You can begin earning points straight away, but will need to register your card online for your rewards to be credited and to receive the regular beauty newsletter.

You must remember to take your card each time you make a purchase, as points cannot be transferred after purchase. If you lose your card, points cannot be transferred to a new one.

One good thing may be that friends and family can also help you build up points by borrowing your card when they make purchases too.

Is it worth joining?

In my opinion, the Debenhams Beauty Club is most rewarding for those who regularly purchase premium beauty brands, either for themselves or as gifts for family and friends. As much as I adore my Chanel lipsticks and fragrances, these are purchases I buy only on rare occasions (or receive as gifts), so to earn even a £5 voucher, it would take me literally years to clock up the points I'd need.

The prospect of free gifts and consultations is somewhat enticing; however, in my experience we can receive these without having to join a loyalty scheme. Perhaps the Beauty Club will make these more accessible?

Personally, I will not be ditching my Boots Advantage card in favour of the Beauty Club, since I can earn points on all my purchases from Boots and my points build up much more quickly.

Have you joined the Debenhams Beauty Club (or are considering this)? What do you think of this scheme so far, and how do you think it could be improved? Please feel free to let us know by leaving your comments below.

Since hubby-dearest is away at the moment (long story), I've been trying to organize some fun yet frugal activities for the kids and I this Bank Holiday weekend. Money is a little tighter than usual (being the week when most of our household bills get paid) so I've been brainstorming some free and very cheap days out which we can all enjoy together.

So far, we've decided to:

Go to the cinema for £1

Each Saturday at 10am, Cineworld presents "Movies for Juniors" - a selection of fairly recent films for the kids with tickets at just £1 each, even for any adults who attent.

This weekend, the films on offer are Madagascar 2, Escape to Moonacre and Beverly Hills Chihuahua (I'm hoping we can settle on Escape to Moonacre, but we'll see what the kids vote for).

Visitors should also be able to buy a kids snack box for around £3.10 which includes popcorn, sweets and a drink. Be sure to ask for this as it's not usually on the price boards, and the cheapest alternative popcorn starts from around £3.95!

You can book online/by telephone but there is a charge of 60p each ticket. If you can, it's better to visit the cinema in advance and buy tickets as on the day the queues are huge and unless you're early you can't always guarantee a seat.

Visit a Car Boot Sale

We regularly visit the Old Coates car boot sale, which is about 30 minutes drive from where we live (and is among the largest in the region). I love visiting these sales as we always seem to find something great for the house. I wrote about this some time ago if you're interested to look. or you could visit Car Boot Junction to find a sale close to where you live.



This week, we're hoping to buy some established plants for our developing garden, particularly any vegetables that we haven't already grown from seed, and perhaps a small bench for the kids (provided we have room in the car to hold it!). I know the kids will not come home empty handed - they always find something of interest, which is why a pocketful of loose change comes in handy. And when haggling over 10p, it's hardly fair to hand over a ten pound note!

Have a picnic in the park

On Monday (good weather permitting) we're going to have a picnic in the park. We've not yet chosen which particular park to visit, but chances are we'll visit the large "country park" on the outskirts of town, which offers a beautiful walk around a man-made lake.



For added enjoyment, the kids will help me make a batch of muffins to take with us the evening before. It's always a messy experience, but I love to watch their faces as the soggy dough transforms into delicious risen dessert.

Which frugal activities do you enjoy with your family?

We're all experiencing the effects fo the credit crunch this year, so with little (or no) money to spend, what activities will you enjoy with your children this spring? A little closer to the main summer holidays, I'm hoping to write a feature-length article of fantastic low-cost activities for the kids, so please feel free to offer your ideas and I'll be sure to credit you if I use your idea for my article.

Image credits: Boy playing on balls by Pink Sherbert Photography; Car Boot Sale by Dominic's Pics; Picnic by Stewart. All via Flickr Creative Commons.