SUMMER BUMMER

How can we survive? The British summer could well rain on us again, and we are in the middle of the country reverting back to pauper-ville. Here are some suggestions to survive both disasters!

Things for the Home:

BBQ
We may have managed to curb our bbq urges last year, but to deprive yourself of yet another year without the possibility of even a slight case of food poisoning would just be inhumane. Our suggestion is to buy a free standing parasol for such an occasion that you feel you want some charred offerings, but the weather has other ideas. If you wanted something more permanent, and are doing any summer diy, why not think about erecting a sheltered area with plenty of ventilation for your bbq and your diners, to sit undercover. dhleisureandgarden.com for a range of garden products.

Outside living room
One of things we can almost count on, is that summer is going to be warmer than winter, so even if it is a bit grey, as Brits we must take advantage of this chance to get a bit of fresh air. Make it a little more pleasant by investing in an outdoor bean bag or two. If it is dry but a little chilly, wrap up in a blanket or sleeping bag on your beanbag, stick the radio on, and catch up on some reading or magazines for a relaxing bit of al fresco goodness! Just like the fun of a festival but with no camping or communal toilet facilities to contend with!

Siesta Fiesta
Maybe not a fiesta, but bad weather is one of the best excuses ever, to love your bed. If you can feel the springs, or find yourself waking up more tired than when you went to sleep, why not invest in a new mattress. Do so without guilt, knowing you will get some great use out of it by way of under the duvet film days when the weather outside is playing out its own drama.

On the Move
When money is tight, sometimes buying new furniture is a great way to make yourself even more broke. Why not instead try a re shuffle of how your current furniture is organised. By moving furniture, you are forced to tidy and clean up in your wake, and could breathe new life into a tired corner of your house. All for free! If you have a few pennies left over from this cost saving makeover, try and find some cheap accessories and a pot of paint, and really inject a bit of fresh colour.

Camping
We have established it might be a bit grey and cold, but camping doesn’t have to mean soggy bedding, mud everywhere, and endless claustrophobic boredom-busting card games. Boutique camping sites are popping up all over the place. A little more expensive perhaps than pitching your own, this will definitely work out to be less expensive than a trip somewhere exotic, and more fun with friends, family and lovers than sitting at home moping about how poor you all are! Ready pitched canvas cottages with proper beds, bathrooms, electricity and floorspace most first-time buyers would envy could be the answer to your holiday woes this summer! featherdownfarm.co.uk - various working farm locations throughout the country, with luxury permanent tents, farm shop, hen coop for fresh eggs, and wood burning stoves to cook and warm yourself on. Also featuring bike hire. £305 - £385 for a four day stay during July. coldatnight.co.uk is near Cardigan Bay in Wales, and offers Dome tents, nomad tents, and tipis, all in their own private location on the edge of woodland, with breakfast delivered to your door, and all creature comforts so you needn’t feel like you are even remotely ‘roughing it’. Prices for the nomad tent are £175 for a 4 day stay. If you prefer the tipi, you will pay around £275, and for the geometric dome palace!, you will be £330 lighter for the experience.

Eat with your family
If you are lucky enough to live close to family (parents or siblings), don’t wait for a special occasion for a get together. With food prices rocketing, why not share the cost of a good hearty meal, but dining together more often. The same hunk of meat can be made to go further with extra roasted veg, potatoes and lashings of gravy. Admittedly you may need to jump in the car for this suggestion but ensuring you drive economically will keep you safer, and shouldn’t make too much of a dent on your wallet.

Save a bit down the pub
If you are friendly with neighbours, why not take advantage of supermarket alcohol savings, and instead host pub evenings at each others houses. There will be no need for a baby sitter, no taxi ride home, and all the time you can be saving for that luxury camping holiday!

Therefore the message is this; we are British, so we must persevere. Your pins may be blue, goose-pimply, and numb from the cold, but those trusty shorts must be made use of! Before too long it will be back to the winter layers, and the poor things will be forgotten about for yet another year. Eventually we will get the odd bit of sunshine, and all our worries will be forgotten as we rip off all our clothes and let the white wobbly bits run free. It will be at this moment, no doubt, we will yearn for those winter days to return so that we need not reveal how our money saving diet of macaroni cheese, tin of spam and packets of oven chips has affected our once svelte outline.