Here are five ideas for saving money when traveling in London. If you have more ideas please comment and let us know!
1. Use a charge card without any international transaction fees. We used a Capital One card and got a 1 point better rate than our ATM rate and 4 to 6 points better than the conversion offered by the local merchant.
Here are some specific rates:
March 13: ATM Heathrow bought British pounds for 1.52 USD
March 13: Capital One credit card charge 1.51 USD
March 16: Harrod’s exchange rate: 1.55 USD
March 16: Capital One charge 1.51 USD
March 16: Hotel exchange rate 1.57 USD
So if you are making a purchase costing 10 British Pounds you could pay between $15.10 and $15.70 depending on your method of payment.
We did NOT use other credit cards as we have received international charges on Discover and another Visa card (don’t remember which one as we got rid of it).
2. Purchase family rate tickets where available if you are 4 or more in your family. The London Eye and the Tower of London both offer family rates.
3. The Travelcard versus Oyster Card dilemma in the underground. Travelcards are simpler and don’t require advance planning to get 15 and under discount rate. Oyster Cards will never cost more than a Travelcard. If you are making 4 or more trips a day or want the simplest option then get the Travelcard. If you’re traveling less or have time to get a child’s photo card in advance then go with the Oyster Card.
Children up to 10 years: free on the buses, trams, tubes, DLR and London Overground when traveling with an adult. But if they look older then they need an ages 5-10 Oyster photocard to travel free.
Children 11 to 15 years: Free on bus and tram BUT need an Oyster photocard (see below). Can purchase a Day Travelcard.
Children 16 and 17: Half adult-rate Oyster fares BUT need an Oyster photocard (see below).
The Oyster is the cheapest way to pay for single journeys on bus, Tube, tram, DLR, London Overground and National Rail services in London. BUT it’s more time consuming to add funds to especially if you don’t have internet access.
IMPORTANT: You need to plan ahead to get an Oyster photocard as they take awhile to process (on the order of 2 to 4 weeks).
We used daily travelcards as we took 4 rides each day. Teens up to 15 can get half price daily travel cards at the Underground ticket windows. If you take 4 or more journeys a day then a Travelcard and an Oyster card cost the same for adults.
4. See the national museums! They have free admission. We went into the National Gallery just to see a couple of paintings and then enjoyed the sunshine on Trafalgar Square.
5. If you make a large purchase to take back to the states make sure you get a form to have the VAT rebated. The vendors should have the forms and fill out most of the information. You complete your personal information and then get the form stamped when you depart the EU. At Heathrow terminal 5 look for the (slightly small) red VAT signs. We found the office is located AFTER security, but we were told there was also an office before security (never saw it).
What suggestions do you have for saving money in London? Let others know in the comments.
Cell Phone Etiquette for Kids
We can all benefit from better cell phone etiquette. So parents, it’s up to us to teach our children cell phone etiquette from the first time a child uses a cell phone.
When your child buys or receives his or her first cell phone, talk with your child about cell phone responsibility. Specifically, cell phone responsibility falls into three areas:
Think of it as an easy version of the S-E-X talk-- it's the S-E-C talk for cellphones. Set these cell phone habits – safety, etiquette and care—from day one and we’ll all be happier and less annoyed by inconsiderate, irresponsible cell phone users.
When your child buys or receives his or her first cell phone, talk with your child about cell phone responsibility. Specifically, cell phone responsibility falls into three areas:
- Cell Phone Safety: NO phone/digital use while driving. Make it clear with your child that cell phones are not to be used while driving—no talking, texting, emailing or any other digital distraction while driving is acceptable. Teach this precept when your child first starts using a phone and again when your child starts driving (presuming the phone precedes the driver’s license).
- Cell Phone Etiquette: Cell-phone communication does not pre-empt in-person communication. Specifically, no phone use at a dining table, no phone use when interacting with a store clerk, carrying on a conversation with a friend or listening to a teacher.
- Cell Phone Care: The cell phone is the responsibility of the owner—if it breaks or is lost it’s on you. In other words, if your child lends his or her phone to a friend and the phone is broken, dropped or used inappropriately, your child takes responsibility. Think before lending your phone
Think of it as an easy version of the S-E-X talk-- it's the S-E-C talk for cellphones. Set these cell phone habits – safety, etiquette and care—from day one and we’ll all be happier and less annoyed by inconsiderate, irresponsible cell phone users.
Great iPhone Apps for Parents
Never Bored ($2.99)
If you’ve ever heard, “I’m bored!” you need this app. There are 100s of creative activities to keep your children mentally or physically active on their own or with a friend. The car games are especially fun and can be used not only in a car, but waiting in a restaurant or while hiking. Many of the games can be adapted for 2 or more players, making them great for a family road trip. All of the activities get your child thinking or moving—the app is used to generate age appropriate ideas—flick through a list until you find one that looks interesting, easily get details and then set the iPhone aside and get your brain or body in motion.
In addition, there are numerous suggestions for places to visit and a quick tap on location brings up a map showing the locations nearest you. We use Never Bored when we need an activity for 10 minutes while we wait for a doctor appointment or when we need a family game to play while driving. Never Bored can generate lots of ideas with just a quick tap—check it out at http://www.mainelysoftware.com/ .
Hangman. By JamSoft (free)
This version of hangman (note the ‘.’ at the end of the name) is great for your child to play alone or to play with you or a friend. When playing alone, there is a choice of word lists, so your child can work on learning countries or chemical elements or just pass time guessing nouns.
My daughter and I enjoy playing in two player mode. In this mode, one player enters a word or phrase that the other player tries to guess. When we play, our phrases can take on the humorous or quizzical as well as the educational—can she spell the words she thinks up? We have even had conversations back and forth in the form of hangman phrases while waiting for a restaurant table.
Shazam Encore ($4.99)
Try out the free version of Shazam and see what the buzz is about. Not only can you find out the song titles and artists of songs you like (called tagging a song), but you can also tag songs your children like and learn the names of the artists they are listening to as well as check out the lyrics if you can’t quite understand the words as they are sung or rapped.
After you have tagged a song, you can preview and purchase the song, read a biography of the artist, and for some tunes, read the lyrics. So the next time you’re wondering what your children are listening to just use Shazam. Learn more at http://www.shazam.com/ .
Geocaching ($9.99)
If you are a parent who would like to get your family outside together, then geocaching is a great activity for your family. Geocaching is a high tech treasure hunting game played the world over. Geocachers search for hidden containers (called caches) which often contain small trinkets to trade, and record their finds online—a game, a goal and a prize all in one. And I have found adults equally motivated by having a prize while hiking.
If you are a geocacher then this is a must have iPhone app. The user interface for this application combined with the quality of the gps in an iPhone, have made my iPhone my default gps device for geocaching. Using this app, you can find nearby caches, look for caches in a particular area, save information for offline use if you’re headed to an area without good data coverage (a common issue when hiking) and upload your finds directly to the geocaching web site. The interface is simple and intuitive yet comprehensive. Purchase this app and get your family hiking together. Check out the sport of geocaching at http://www.geocaching.com/ .
Now Playing (free)
So it’s a rainy day and you’re unlikely to head out geocaching. Now Playing is an outstanding app to see what movies are playing at the local theaters.
We use this app when we’re out and want to quickly find a good movie for our family. You can quickly get a list of the movies playing at local theaters with the rating, length and show times all listed in one easy to read interface. Dig a little deeper and you can read detailed reviews from individual users as well as go to your favorite movie review website for their opinions.
If you’ve ever heard, “I’m bored!” you need this app. There are 100s of creative activities to keep your children mentally or physically active on their own or with a friend. The car games are especially fun and can be used not only in a car, but waiting in a restaurant or while hiking. Many of the games can be adapted for 2 or more players, making them great for a family road trip. All of the activities get your child thinking or moving—the app is used to generate age appropriate ideas—flick through a list until you find one that looks interesting, easily get details and then set the iPhone aside and get your brain or body in motion.
In addition, there are numerous suggestions for places to visit and a quick tap on location brings up a map showing the locations nearest you. We use Never Bored when we need an activity for 10 minutes while we wait for a doctor appointment or when we need a family game to play while driving. Never Bored can generate lots of ideas with just a quick tap—check it out at http://www.mainelysoftware.com/ .
Hangman. By JamSoft (free)
This version of hangman (note the ‘.’ at the end of the name) is great for your child to play alone or to play with you or a friend. When playing alone, there is a choice of word lists, so your child can work on learning countries or chemical elements or just pass time guessing nouns.
My daughter and I enjoy playing in two player mode. In this mode, one player enters a word or phrase that the other player tries to guess. When we play, our phrases can take on the humorous or quizzical as well as the educational—can she spell the words she thinks up? We have even had conversations back and forth in the form of hangman phrases while waiting for a restaurant table.
Shazam Encore ($4.99)
Try out the free version of Shazam and see what the buzz is about. Not only can you find out the song titles and artists of songs you like (called tagging a song), but you can also tag songs your children like and learn the names of the artists they are listening to as well as check out the lyrics if you can’t quite understand the words as they are sung or rapped.
After you have tagged a song, you can preview and purchase the song, read a biography of the artist, and for some tunes, read the lyrics. So the next time you’re wondering what your children are listening to just use Shazam. Learn more at http://www.shazam.com/ .
Geocaching ($9.99)
If you are a parent who would like to get your family outside together, then geocaching is a great activity for your family. Geocaching is a high tech treasure hunting game played the world over. Geocachers search for hidden containers (called caches) which often contain small trinkets to trade, and record their finds online—a game, a goal and a prize all in one. And I have found adults equally motivated by having a prize while hiking.
If you are a geocacher then this is a must have iPhone app. The user interface for this application combined with the quality of the gps in an iPhone, have made my iPhone my default gps device for geocaching. Using this app, you can find nearby caches, look for caches in a particular area, save information for offline use if you’re headed to an area without good data coverage (a common issue when hiking) and upload your finds directly to the geocaching web site. The interface is simple and intuitive yet comprehensive. Purchase this app and get your family hiking together. Check out the sport of geocaching at http://www.geocaching.com/ .
Now Playing (free)
So it’s a rainy day and you’re unlikely to head out geocaching. Now Playing is an outstanding app to see what movies are playing at the local theaters.
We use this app when we’re out and want to quickly find a good movie for our family. You can quickly get a list of the movies playing at local theaters with the rating, length and show times all listed in one easy to read interface. Dig a little deeper and you can read detailed reviews from individual users as well as go to your favorite movie review website for their opinions.
Raising a Teenage Daughter Starts When She's a Toddler
Teenage daughters are awesome! However, beware, raising a teenage daughter starts when they are toddlers. I don’t mean that little girls act like teenagers. What I mean is that good parenting starts when a child is born, and the key to raising well-adjusted, strong, compassionate teenage daughters is to put good habits in place when your daughters are small.
Take clothing as an example. A parent should have a lot of control over what clothes are purchased for his or her small children. While it may look cute to dress a child ‘up’ by purchasing that cami for her when she’s four and letting her wear it out, is that the habit you want her to carry into her teenage years? Sure words across her pants on her behind may be cute when she’s 6, but do you want people staring at her bottom when she’s a 14 year old? And high heels at 5? Yes, I’ve seen it. How practical is it for a child to be walking down the street in high heels—do you want her wearing high heels to middle school? Sure, it’s great for little girls to play dress up. It’s wonderful to have a big box full of old high heels, feathery boas, shiny dresses and oversized hats. But a child should know that this is dress up clothing, not what is worn to preschool or out to a restaurant.
Good habits extend far beyond clothing. If you want your 15 year old daughter to only attend parties where a responsible parent is home, then check on who is going to be in the house when she is going to a friend’s home when she is 8 and 10 and 12. Make calling the friend’s parents a habit and she won’t be thrown off when you check before she goes on a ski weekend as a 16 year old and you call the friend’s parents to ensure they will be going along as well.
Similarly teach fiscal responsibility from a young age with appropriate use of allowance. Some money can be saved. Take your young daughter to the bank to open her own account. Some can be donated to charity—let her choose where to make her donation. Some can be spent—help her decide what is worth saving for and what isn’t a good value when she is young and she will be more financially aware when she becomes a teen.
While starting good habits at a young age takes time—it takes a lot more time to explain banking to your daughter, take her to a bank and open an account, then it does to simply deposit the money yourself when she is at preschool—the time and aggravation you save as she grows into a teen will be immense. Raise your teenage daughters from the time they are toddlers!
Take clothing as an example. A parent should have a lot of control over what clothes are purchased for his or her small children. While it may look cute to dress a child ‘up’ by purchasing that cami for her when she’s four and letting her wear it out, is that the habit you want her to carry into her teenage years? Sure words across her pants on her behind may be cute when she’s 6, but do you want people staring at her bottom when she’s a 14 year old? And high heels at 5? Yes, I’ve seen it. How practical is it for a child to be walking down the street in high heels—do you want her wearing high heels to middle school? Sure, it’s great for little girls to play dress up. It’s wonderful to have a big box full of old high heels, feathery boas, shiny dresses and oversized hats. But a child should know that this is dress up clothing, not what is worn to preschool or out to a restaurant.
Good habits extend far beyond clothing. If you want your 15 year old daughter to only attend parties where a responsible parent is home, then check on who is going to be in the house when she is going to a friend’s home when she is 8 and 10 and 12. Make calling the friend’s parents a habit and she won’t be thrown off when you check before she goes on a ski weekend as a 16 year old and you call the friend’s parents to ensure they will be going along as well.
Similarly teach fiscal responsibility from a young age with appropriate use of allowance. Some money can be saved. Take your young daughter to the bank to open her own account. Some can be donated to charity—let her choose where to make her donation. Some can be spent—help her decide what is worth saving for and what isn’t a good value when she is young and she will be more financially aware when she becomes a teen.
While starting good habits at a young age takes time—it takes a lot more time to explain banking to your daughter, take her to a bank and open an account, then it does to simply deposit the money yourself when she is at preschool—the time and aggravation you save as she grows into a teen will be immense. Raise your teenage daughters from the time they are toddlers!
-free zone
My life has become a series of –free zones. My driver’s seat is a cell-free zone. The dinner table is a telephone-free zone (cell or land). I attempt to keep a computer-free zone in my family room and kitchen immediately after school to ensure I can focus on my children as they return home. Each of these zones is intended to reduce my multi-tasking.
I recently read, not to my surprise, that multi-tasking is an oxymoron. We cannot focus on two disparate tasks simultaneously. A condition that is abundantly clear as I attempt to write amid the chatter in the orthopedists’ waiting room. There’s the toddler dancing around the mom and continually chattering until the mom says, “behave or I’ll call daddy and then you’ll be in trouble.” (I didn’t think parent’s used this threat anymore). Then a quiet pause for 30 seconds or so followed by, “okay, call daddy.” Several other people waiting chuckle along with me. See, even in writing I have been completely unfocused by trying to blog while listening to idle chatter.
Sure, there are plenty of –free zone established for the comfort and safety of the public—smoke-free zones, cell phone-free zones, even backpack-free zones to improve security or minimize shoplifting. But my –free zones are more personal—an attempt to reduce the clutter in my mind and allow me to live in the present. Just this morning I found myself creating a daily to do list while I was in the shower, then I paused and thought to myself, the shower should be a list-free zone. Perhaps I have created a whole new compulsion— -free zones. Maybe I’ll create a –free zone-free zone…
I recently read, not to my surprise, that multi-tasking is an oxymoron. We cannot focus on two disparate tasks simultaneously. A condition that is abundantly clear as I attempt to write amid the chatter in the orthopedists’ waiting room. There’s the toddler dancing around the mom and continually chattering until the mom says, “behave or I’ll call daddy and then you’ll be in trouble.” (I didn’t think parent’s used this threat anymore). Then a quiet pause for 30 seconds or so followed by, “okay, call daddy.” Several other people waiting chuckle along with me. See, even in writing I have been completely unfocused by trying to blog while listening to idle chatter.
Sure, there are plenty of –free zone established for the comfort and safety of the public—smoke-free zones, cell phone-free zones, even backpack-free zones to improve security or minimize shoplifting. But my –free zones are more personal—an attempt to reduce the clutter in my mind and allow me to live in the present. Just this morning I found myself creating a daily to do list while I was in the shower, then I paused and thought to myself, the shower should be a list-free zone. Perhaps I have created a whole new compulsion— -free zones. Maybe I’ll create a –free zone-free zone…
Packing in Blue States vs. Red States
Herein lies the basic difference between the red plain states and the blue coastal states—each decorates their business doors with friendly reminders to their clientele. Guess this gets to the difference in ‘packing’ between the two regions as well. In the plains, they put up a friendly reminder to leave what you’re packing in the car, while in the coastal region, a reminder to bring what you need for packing with you. Maybe if we could resolve these two differing perspectives on packing, we could reduce partisan politics.
Social Media: Conveyor Belt versus Assembly Station
Sometimes I’m in the mood for the conveyor belt approach of Twitter. I like to see comments on the day’s news, feelings and non-news passing by in a continuous stream. Unlike a factory conveyor belt, I am hardly seeing the same information in a repetitive fashion. This is more like a pizza oven conveyor—sometimes pepperoni going past, sometimes plain cheese, sometimes the works. Like a pizza conveyor just before the Super Bowl, there’s a constant, dense stream of comments which I find endlessly entertaining.
Then at other times, I need something along the lines of a factory assembly station where everyone comes together in the same place to add a piece of the final product. That’s more or less how I view Facebook. Sure there’s a conveyor belt of statuses flowing by, but when I make a status comment I can watch the assembly of an entire conversation in one place—the replies to comments, the extension of comments, the disagreements, all come together in one location.
It’s just social media mimicking real life.
Then at other times, I need something along the lines of a factory assembly station where everyone comes together in the same place to add a piece of the final product. That’s more or less how I view Facebook. Sure there’s a conveyor belt of statuses flowing by, but when I make a status comment I can watch the assembly of an entire conversation in one place—the replies to comments, the extension of comments, the disagreements, all come together in one location.
It’s just social media mimicking real life.
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