Well parents it’s that time again, the days are getting shorter and those lovely summer tans are starting to fade. Yes, it´s the dreaded back to school shopping period.

The new school year can be a stressful time for parents and children, especially for those approaching a change such as a new school or exam time. It´s easy to see why, with the whirlwind of new must have products, new trends and technology getting more and more advanced, mothers and fathers sometimes don´t know where to start.

Although the net is full of advertisements claiming they have the best offers for all the back to school essentials, it can be very hard to know if we are making the right choices. We all want a good bargain but we want the cheap prices on quality products that will last throughout the school year.

I’m here to give you some of my best “back to school” internet findings to help you out.

Uniforms and Accessories – Probably the easiest of the necessities for back to school with nearly every major store doing great deals. One of the best stores I came across was Marshall Ward http://bit.ly/agwhsx where you can get a 3 piece set with a polo shirt, jumper, skirt/trousers all starting from just £6.00! They have great quality products at great prices. They even have handy measuring charts to guide you with sizes. School shoes start from just £10.00 in a range of different styles to suit your fashion conscience little ones. Stationary starting from £1.50 and schoolbags start from £8.00, with their easy to browse site back to school shopping has never been easier.

For the slightly older ones off to college and starting the ever so important year as an adult, image and first impressions are crucial. Check out http://www.newlook.com/ for the latest fashions at great prices, Stylish coats and jackets from £15.99, vests from £2.99 and a back to school section from just £4!

Coupons, Coupons, Coupons – If you’re looking for the best savings on all their favourite brands/stores, coupon shopping websites are the way to go. Get up to 50% discount in some cases on a range of purchases not just for your little ones but take advantage of all the great offers you can indulge in. The best thing is, not only can you find coupons to use in a variety of online stores, you can compare pricing for the back to school items you need, so you find the best online store to make your purchases.

Check out http://bit.ly/bTPyJG for a number of great offers, coupons and discounts.

Sites with Deals and Sales for Students – There are a number of good sites offering great deals for students on eating out, cinema, books, computers, gaming, music and more. http://www.studentbeans.com/ is a great one I came across in which students can sign up for free and get over £6000 student offers and lots of fun stuff to keep them occupied.

http://www.studentdiscounts.co.uk/ is another popular one but they charge a fee of £5.00 for a student cashback card in which students can use to make savings and cash back on all their favourite brands in fashion, entertainment, Insurance, mobile and more. You would be surprised at the savings they can make, keeping everyone happy for less.

So whether you are a parent with young children receiving the back to school allowance or preparing your older ones for college, with the resources of the internet parents can certainly get more for their money with great savings, and more importantly with less stress and more success!

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There´s nothing worse than the sound of your phone battery about to die during your daily gossip conversion, or that most important busines s call. Followed by the both er of finding your flimsy charger, which most of us have purchases again and again only to wait for a decent battery to continue the call.

Well people there´s b een a breakthrough, introducing the new revolutionary “Powermat”. No more wires, cords and constant plugging in, this device is just a simple mat that can be placed on any flat surface not only charging your phone but all of your favorite personal electronic devices. It´s simple, fast and efficient. You just drop and charge!

Now, I bet you´re thinking…how does this work? The Powermat must cost a fortune consuming a lot of energy, but no, this device has been given the energy star rating and can tell when your device is charged and cuts off. Your electronic device, whether it is an iphone, ipod, Nintendo DS has to have light magnetic receiver which is bought separ ately which connects to the Powermat for speedy charging.

The Powermat itself isn’t completely wireless but powered by a small adapter but very discreet in its design. You´ll find 4 models ranging support for 2-3 devices, the family and

office model being the largest supporting 3 devices. If you’re a bit of jetsetter, Powermat even have a portable model which is carried in

a sleek case and comes with a range of travel adapters so you can have easy charging wherever you are!

Powermat launched its premiere product line in the US to great success as consumers flocked to stores with over 750,000 units shipped and widespread sell outs in just the first two months of availability.

It is now available to buy in Europe online or in stores in Italy, France and the UK. The largest and most popular home and office mat retailing at £69.99 http://www.powermateu.com/pm_uk/

Speaking of wireless, the all new apple trackpad puts the standard desktop mouse in the dark ages.

Apple trackpad is the first multi-touch pad designed to work with your apple desktop computer connected via Bluetooth for wireless technology. Get secure and safe connection up to 33 feet away!

The magic trackpad can be used for a number of actions including swiping for easy online reading, naturally scrolling down your pages easier than ever, rotate with your thumb and index finger on the multi-touch surface, or twist clockwise or counterclockwise to rotate an image.  You can also physically click or double-click the whole pad or set your preferences with the “Tap to Click” enabled system preferences, simply tap or double-tap the surface. This also applies to the gestures you do not want to use; you can simply remove them through the magic trackpad pane.

This little wonder sits perfectly aligned with your mac desktop, not to mention it’s made with the same advanced touch-friendly and wear-resistant glass surface.

Give your fingers a treat for just £59.00! http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MC380Z/A

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So what does going green mean to you?

It´s sad to say but for some of us it means, limited choice, expensive products, sacrifice, inconvenience and a waste of money – like a woman on a fad diet, it´s start full motivation but quickly fades with the routine ending in disappointment.

As we are edging towards the back to school period, a time of renewal and resolutions that, let´s face it, end up left by the wayside way before spring.  Questions such as “How we can save money?” “How we can better improve our lifestyles?” enter the mind.

So where does this all fit into going green and how can we benefit from this?

I won´t go into major statistics and bore you with how we are ruining our lovely planet with our careless indulgences, but I will tell you this, going green has never been easier!

Now, even more than ever there are so many websites & stores, offering eco friendly products with helpful advice readily available. More people now are not only helping the environment, improving their lifestyle, taking better care of their health but saving money making it the new resolution you can keep, period!

Need more convincing?

You´ll be amazed to see just how much you can for the environment with little effort in your everyday lifestyle. One of many popular websites I came across included http://www.treehugger.com/ which contained numerous interesting articles, news, blogs from greener homes, travel, health, beauty and much more. You will be pleasantly surprised with the simple ways you can get started with their “Green Basics” section.

For all you fashionistas out there, log onto http://www.ecofashionworld.com/ this is your ultimate resource to all the designers, brands and stores in eco fashion! Not only are the prices affordable, you have individual pieces for all the family, fabulous designs and so much choice!

Whatever it is about changing your ways for the greener home, it can be a little different when it´s comes to looking good and keeping up with the Jones’s.

This is why I recommend checking out this next site http://www.fashion-conscience.com/ which only stocks designs which have an ethical and eco dimension – be it recycled, organic cotton, non-toxic, fair trade, sustainable, vegan or non-exploitative. It has a great range and fabulous maxi dresses starting from just €28 and gorgeous gifts under €20!

The days are at last gone of boring “potato sack-like” clothing but replaced by beautiful, modern, non-hippie sustainable long-lasting fabrics.

Everything on these websites is fair trade, which means paying all actors in the supply chain a fair price for their work. It also points to preserving traditional handicraft techniques that have been used to create fashion for many centuries and community development.

Going green at home is the best way of saving money whether it´s recycling, energy saving, decoration, groceries you´ll find a number of tips easily implemented into your daily routine http://www.mygreenerhome.co.uk/pages/energy-saving-tips-pv-c0-6.html

Try making your own beauty products: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/fashion-beauty/50-all-natural-beauty-products-you-can-make-yourself.html

I personally look forward to trying out the Yogurt and Honey Facial &The Strawberry exfoliation. There are so many toxins already in the air of our daily lives but by making our own products we are not only saving money, but avoiding chemicals & living healthier!

So the question you have to ask yourself is…will you try the change? It´s not a question of what have I got to lose, but more, what will I save?

I know I will, considering the benefits and the feel good factor of giving something back to our planet at no extra cost but rather how it makes my pockets lighter.

People there´s no excuse, it´s time to change.

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