The living room should be a space for the whole family, but it can be difficult getting the balance right. You don’t want your lounge to be a minefield of toys, but at the same time you want your children to feel able to play and enjoy themselves there. A handy compromise could be adding a play area to your living room.

Adding a play area doesn’t have to be a massive undertaking. If you live in a small house or flat, you can create a play area without taking over the whole living room. Start by choosing an area of your living room to dedicate to the play area. The area can easily be marked out by using a bright colourful rug. This is also useful for the children, as it gives them boundaries as to where they can and can’t make mess!

Before you roll up your sleeves and get to work, it pays to plan your budget for this project. Whether you plan to use savings or a  small loan to help foot the bill, thinking of a budget up front is one way to make sure costs don’t spiral out of control as the project goes forward.

Getting organised and investing in some space saving storage is a good next step. In the long run, this storage will make a big difference, as it will be the defining factor from turning your room from day to night. By day, it will be a colourful play room, while in the evening it can be a space for the adults to relax and unwind or entertain guests. Investing in storage tubs, bookcases and cupboards with doors will that help you hide everything away. Choose your storage furniture in bright colours so that the children feel it is their space too.

Furniture can also help divide the play area from the rest of the room. Large, brightly coloured storage units can help separate the play room from the living room. You can face the unit inwards so the children can display their toys and books, or use the storage space to display your own items, utilising the back of the unit as a visual space for the kids. Adding a pinboard or a chalk board to the back means the children can make the space their own by showcasing their drawings and favourite pictures.

You may wish to invest in a small table and chair to encourage quiet play and creativity. Choose furniture that matches the décor of the rest of the living space but also try and incorporate your children’s tastes too so they take ownership of the space.

To keep the harmony of the play area being situated within the main living space, it’s ideal for your children to learn to tidy away their toys. This can be incorporated into other routines involved in the space, such as snack time. Create a routine that toys need to be tidied before they can move on to the next task. Getting your children into this habit from a young age will help you maintain the balance between play room and living room.

If you have more space to play with, then you can start getting really inventive. You can create zones within the play area dedicated to different tasks. You might have a soft area with a beanbag and cushions next to a small bookshelf to encourage reading and quiet time or a creative space with a table and easel for the children to paint and draw. Think about the activities your children like to engage in, and plan the play area around these.

This guest post was written by Fran Swaine on behalf of Money Matters, the Sainsbury’s Bank blog.

There is nothing wrong with taking a package holiday with plenty of time on the beach and little hassle. It can be just the ticket, particularly if you can’t get much time away from a hectic job. Holidays can give a little bit extra, though – they can be a great way to pick up a skill and even find a new passion.

A learning holiday offers the opportunity to take home a skill you can use long after the holiday memories have faded. All you need to do is find the right course. There are plenty to choose from, like sailing, art schools, cookery and photography. For example, if you’ve always loved boats, you could take a holiday on the Norfolk Broads or a French canal. But you could also take an RYA course and get a sailing qualification as well.

An RYA ‘Competent Crew’ will teach you the basics of sailing while enjoying the open water.  You can find courses in the UK and abroad that include food and accommodation, and you’ll leave with a qualification that you can build on in the future if you decide to try and become the Captain Jack Aubrey you’ve always dreamt of.

Cooking is another popular holiday option as you don’t have to be a budding chef to sample the finest ingredients and have an authentic experience. You can find courses for most tastes across Europe and in Thailand. At the top end of the scale, The Two Bordelais offer holidays including accommodation in a 200 year old stone house in Bordeaux, and needless to say, the finest wine. You’ll source ingredients from the local market and prepare them in a professional kitchen inside the 13^th century Chateau La Louviere or the instructor’s private farmhouse kitchen with stone walls and huge fireplaces. Typical meals include duck, seafood, fresh fish and garden vegetables.

If you love the water but sailing’s not your thing, a PADI (Professional Association of Dive Instructors) Open Water course can be a great way to explore the underwater world and can be completed in many exotic destinations, from the Far East to the Egyptian Red Sea. If you find a love for diving you can try the more advanced courses right up to a Rescue Diver course.

These are just a few of the ways you can learn a new skill while on holiday. But if none of these are right for you, there are lots of other options available, such as learning a new language or to dance the Tango.

One way to help you spread the initial cost of a holiday could be by a rewarding credit card, especially if you’ve got a card that offers a 0% period on purchases. It’s important to bear in mind though that if you don’t clear the balance within the introductory period, you will be charged interest.

This is a sponsored post by guest blogger Joe Bond on behalf of Sainsbury’s Bank