Your annual MOT test is an important signal that your car is in great working order, and of course safe to be on the UK's busy road network. Passing this test should be a simple matter, but sometimes quite silly things are the reason for a fail. In this post I'm going to be sharing five super-simple (but shockingly common) reasons for an MOT failure, and ways to help you to avoid these.

No Screen Wash

It doesn't matter if your windscreen is beautifully sparkling clean - if there is no screen-wash in the reservoir, you will receive a fail on the MOT. This is because driving can be unpredictable: a sudden rain shower can cause the car in front to throw a film of mud on your windscreen, a swarm of insects might be too slow to get out of the way, or a careless fellow driver might chuck the dregs of their coffee out of the window without realising that you are in the path of the flying liquid. In each of these cases, your visibility will become highly compromised until you can clean it off, and you won't be able to rectify this without any screen wash/ A handy tip for this is to buy a larger bottle of wash, and keep the remainder in the boot of the car so you can top up regularly. Of course a regular check of this is also essential!

Having an Unreadable Numberplate

It is a legal requirement that your numberplate should be easily readable at all times, especially when on the road. And it is not the MOT inspector's job to clean a dirty numberplate at the beginning of the test – it is your responsibility. Check your numberplate every now and then as all sorts of things can mount up to make it unreadable. These include damage causing a distortion or loss of one or more of the numbers or letters, fine road dust smothering the high-viz surrounds of the numberplate, or mud plastered to the back of the car. Make sure to check more regularly in the poorer weather months, as dirty road conditions are more likely to have an affect.

Faulty Lightbulbs

The most common MOT fail is with the lights. Many of these issues boil down to a lightbulb having burned out. It is almost embarrassing to fail the MOT because you forgot to check your lightbulbs and spend three pounds or so on a replacement to fit yourself! Of course, sometimes the issues with the lights are more serious, but by testing it with a new lightbulb, you will at least be aware that there is a problem. If you don't think you can change the bulb yourself there are many garages that will help to fit these for you, but you may have to pay a little extra for this service.

Seatbelts

Not only must you wear your seatbelt when driving, but the seatbelts must be fit for the purpose. Give your seatbelts a check before you book your MOT test and make sure that they lock when tugged sharply, click firmly into place when put on, and are not very worn and tattered. Any of these are understandably a point of concern for the MOT inspector!

Having a Dirty Car

Your MOT inspector will not fail your car if it is indescribably filthy, but he or she can refuse point-blank to test it at all. Which is the equivalent of a fail before the test has even begun. Once you've booked your test, take out anything which does not need to be in there (car seats for example if you have a family car), ensure that the windows and mirrors are perfectly clean, and perhaps even get the vehicle valeted so it looks and smells nice for the MOT inspector. 

Now you know some things to look out for and are ready to book your test, make sure to book asap. You can get DVSA approved MOTs in London at Elite Direct with peace of mind and confidence.

This is a collaborative post.

Famileo Gazette - The Family Newspaper | Review

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Whether your parents (or grandparents) live in the next town over, or a different country altogether, we all know how hard it can be sometimes to visit and keep everyone up to date with events and milestones. And keeping in touch with loved ones has been even trickier the last few years thanks to restrictions and lockdowns. But I think this has made it more important than ever to have that communication between families! And that's where Famileo comes in.

Famileo began when Tanguy struggled to keep in touch with his grandmother Elisabeth. He was thinking up ideas that didn't need Elisabeth to use the internet, and was inspired by family albums and postcards to create another way to share family news. Armel then joined the project and together they launched Famileo for French care homes - simply the beginning of their venture. 5 years later and 100,000 families in France had used Famileo, and now their magazines are sent to more than 50 countries all over the world, as languages also include English, Spanish and Dutch.

Famileo was created as an easy and fun way for whole families to keep in touch, whether that's via photos or just simply written memories and messages. Each family member can share messages and photos from their month with just a few simple clicks. These messages are then automatically formatted and printed out in the style of a personalised family newsletter. You can decide who the Famileo newsletter is posted to, but their main audience is grandparents or older parents who want to keep in touch without the need of technology.

It's incredibly easy to sign up and start creating your families Famileo magazines. Head to the website and click the 'sign up for my family' option. Enter your details, and then the details of the person you wish to send the magazines to. You are then you are given a code that you can send to family members so they can join the subscription and add their own messages too. Each member can add children and their birthdays so these feature in the magazines too - a great way for major events to never be forgotten!

Messages and pictures (up to 30 per gazette) are then simply uploaded to the family wall in chronological order. You can choose to get the printed magazines sent monthly, bi-monthly or weekly - with prices ranging from £5.99 to £19.99 a month which includes postage. Plus every registered family member can contribute to the subscription cost too which is a great option.

I chose to get the magazines sent to our home address first for the purpose of this review, so I really enjoyed looking through the pages with the littles. They loved spotting the pictures and remembering all of the things we got up to - excited that nanny would be getting to see all of these too! I love that the pictures are large and really fill the page, and the text is in a larger (although not the clearest) font too which is much easier to read for those with poor eyesight. The magazines really are a great snapshot of your families month and would be perfect to store away and look back on in the future. 

The only big negative I would say about the magazines is that as they are printed on paper, they are easily crumpled, folded or damaged. I think it would be a nice idea for them to add a harder cover page, to help protect the pages inside with the images on. This would make them better protective during the postal process too, as although the envelope says 'do not fold' I still found our magazines were slightly bent and bashed.

Overall though, I really love the idea behind Famileo and their personalised family magazines. They are such a lovely way to keep in touch with loved ones who might not be so up to date with technology, and I think it's fantastic that multiple family members can contribute to one magazine. So if you're looking for a Christmas gift for an older relative this year why not consider a Famileo subscription? It would definitely make someone's year!

How Important is Family Life Insurance?

Whether you have one child or three like we do, family life is busy and hectic. When you're running around after little ones or trying to fit in housework around work, it can be really hard to get life admin done. But if you haven’t already arranged life insurance I really urge you not to put it off any longer.


Taking out a life insurance policy might sound too much like hard work, but protecting your family is always worth taking the time for. Think about it like this; if something were to happen to you or your partner now, how would that impact your children? Aside from the emotional trauma of losing a parent, there may be financial struggles that come with a total change of lifestyle and one less income. No amount of money could ever replace you or your partner but it can really help regain some sense of normality and security during the worst times, to cover costs and lessen the financial stress of losing someone you depend on.

Why is life insurance so important for parents?

Of course life insurance is important for so many people, but generally speaking if you have people who depend on you, you probably should have life insurance. That’s why life insurance is important for parents. Young children need all the care and attention that you can possibly offer. Not only this, but raising children costs money (more money than you might realise before going through it yourself). So having a regular, steady income is pretty vital when clothing and feeding a growing child.

And what about a roof over their heads? Mortgage or rent payments are arguably the most important outgoing each month, so if these cannot be comfortably paid with one less income then a life insurance policy becomes all the more important. The last thing that your family is going to want to deal with alongside a death is potentially losing their home because they cannot keep up with payments.

It’s also important to consider any debts and loans that you may have. Unfortunately, these don’t just disappear when someone passes away. They are passed to your dependents. This is just one more thing for them to worry about having to pay. Again, with a life insurance policy you can make sure that these debts can be paid off.

How do I get a life insurance policy? 

The first step is to make a few decisions about the life insurance policy that you wish to take out. Would you like a joint policy between you and your partner, or two single policies? A joint policy works out cheaper, however there can only ever be one payout and one claim. Hopefully, this is all you’ll ever need! But consider that something could happen to both you and your partner at the same time i.e. a car accident. It’s horrible to think about, but sensible to factor in. If you can afford the extra premiums, a single policy for each parent will give you maximum protection.

You also need to think about whether to choose a decreasing term policy or a level term policy. Decreasing term policies are designed to cover a debt that decreases over time, such as your mortgage or a loan. As your debt decreases, so does the payout designed to cover that cost. This makes it a cheaper option than a level term policy, as this pays the same agreed amount and lasts for the length of time that you choose. If you know that your family will need financial support for the next 18 years, then you’d take out a policy that lasts 18 years. It’ll payout enough to cover the important costs and help your children get by until they are financially independent. You could also buy whole of life cover. As the name suggests, this policy will last your whole life so that you are guaranteed a payout. This is of course the most expensive option though.

The next step is to find yourself a life insurance quote - easy enough to do via a life insurance broker. They’re experts in the industry so will know exactly how to find you the right policy at a price that works for you. And of course the final step is to take out your policy! 

Do you have life insurance?

This is a collaborative post.

4 Ways to Organise your Family Home

When you’re running a busy family home, it can be difficult to keep things continuously tidy and organised. Juggling work, family life and chores can prove to be an almost impossible task. However, there are some ways to make the home run a little smoother, regardless of how busy it becomes. In this post you’ll discover some great tips to help make your house work as a busy family home.

A great place to start is the entrance to the home. This is where shoes, coats and accessories often get stored (or more likely, thrown into a pile!). No matter how many times you tell them, you can guarantee your children won’t ever hang their coats on hangers. So the key is to create a personalised storage system that works for everyone. Use tubs to store shoes or consider adding drawers which can keep shoes stored out of sight. You can also use a tub to keep your keys in and add a large vase by the door to store umbrellas. If the entrance is kept clean and tidy, it’s going to make the rest of the home feel more organised too.

When you have kids, it’s near enough impossible to keep furniture clean and unmarked. Sofas are particularly easy to get marked, either by sticky fingers or spilt drinks - so it’s never going to look clean. Take advantage of the cover up technique to help. You can use a throw to hide stains on the sofa, and a rug to cover up stains on a floor. Just make sure you don't let these become too untidy too though!

Your furniture can take up a lot of space, so in a busy family home this means the furniture can easily become a tripping and bumping hazard. It’s a good idea to try and focus on investing in hide-away furniture wherever possible. Switching from chairs to stools in the kitchen is a great way to save space. Stools take up naturally less room than chairs, plus they can also be stacked for better storage too. Or why not try a fold-away table - it will save space but still be a practical play to eat and do homework.

Finally, baskets can prove to be your best friend when you’re trying to keep a busy family home clean and organised. They can be used to store toys, magazines, remotes, toilet roll and even cleaning products. They’re available in a lot of different sizes and can look really stylish if you want to keep your home looking more 'grown up'.

These are just some of the great ways to make your house work as a busy family home. By investing in the right storage, you can easily keep the home clean and organised. Let me know your best tips below!

This is a collaborative post.