Unemployment levels rise close to 2 million
February 23, 2009 | 1 Comment
The U.K unemployment figures reached 1.97 million this week. This came as a bit of a surprise for many who believed it would pass the 2 million mark. They are still, however, the highest unemployment levels since labour came to power in 1997.
The scary thing is that business bosses predict that unemployment will top the 3 million figure by the time this financial crisis and recession are over. Experts have been describing the current employment and business situation as a depression this week.
Even major cash and carry stores such as Makro have closed stores this week. When places geared towards saving money for their customers are closing down you just know that there is trouble afoot is they are not making enough sales.
Meanwhile, job vacancies have fallen by 75,000 to just over 500,000 making the coming months very bleak indeed.
Buying at garage sales and yard sales
February 14, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Here are some ways of buying what you need at the right price at a garage sale / yard sale :- If you haven’t found the item you were hoping for – ask the seller if they have it. You would be surprised how many sellers, once hyped up and in the mood for selling, will go and look in the house for that item then sell it to you. If you don’t ask you don’t get!
- There are often treasures in other peoples’ trash…but only buy what you need or want…otherwise you are simply wasting money rather than saving money.
- When it comes to foodstuffs being sold at garage sales be wary unless the evidence suggests they have been paying attention to hygiene when preparing the food and not going past sell by dates.
- If a yard sale is going on over several days, the last day is a good one to visit it on as the buyer is highly motivated to sell and will often give fantastic discounts.
- When looking for items with a good reslae value, look first for items made of silver, copper or brass. Old china also sells well. Designer clothing can also be gained frugally….if not for you to wear then to resell at a profit.
Saving Money on your Food Bill (Part 3)
October 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment
This post we will start to examine some of the kitchen management techniques that can make your food go further, save money on your food bills and save time on food preparation whilst not compromising on quality and healthiness of food at all.
Effective use of the freezer will help you to save money on food bills
Making effective use of your home freezer is a great way to save money on your food bills and save time too!
- Buy meat or fish in large quantities then divide it into portions for the family to get a cheaper price for bulk buying and a store of fresh meat / fish to see you through the month.
- Buying larger amounts of meat / fish / other ingredients means that you can cook twice the amount at a cheaper rate then freeze a portion for the family to use on another day saving money and time on food preparation as well.
- When you visit the supermarket later in the day, a good capacity freezer enables you to buy up as much of the reduced price produce as you can afford and fit in meaning savings for throughout the month.
- When what you have cooked just a little too much for the household, freeze a portion for the kids or an adult (for when a quick meal is needed) instead of piling up plates and being left with wasted food. This will give a convenient fall back meal when there is not enough time to cook and save money on food bills for those convenience meals from the freezer that can cost so much,
- If it looks like the household may not get through all the bread / cake / crumpets etc that are out of the freezer before they go stale, pop some in the freezer and this will save money on food bills for some carbohydrates and staple foods.
- Making large pans of fresh home made soup can be a great way to save money on food bills as it can be frozen in smaller individual or family portion sized containers and used later. Not only is it tastier and more nutritionally beneficial than packaged and processed soups, but, it costs a fraction of the price.
Credit Crunch Helpdesk will be pleased to hear YOUR suggestions on how money can be saved on food bills by using the freezer effectively.
Saving Money on your Food Bill (Part 2)
October 19, 2008 | Leave a Comment
With a bit of effort, time and pre-planning it is possible to shave up to 30% off your weekly food bill and still eat healthily and well. Here are some more tips for frugal shopping that will save money on food bills:
The cheapest time to shop
Supermarkets will receive deliveries each day. However, a major delivery is often on a Monday. As a result, shopping about an hour before closing time on any day of the week (but particularly on a Sunday) will mean that the reduced shelf will be well stocked.
Check packets of meat for any discolouration suggesting they may not be as fresh. Don’t buy meats that have a grey / greenish tinge to them as they may upset your stomach. With ready meals, check the seal on the packet is in tact. If it is, then make sure the selaphane lid is not blown at all (as this will indicate that bacteria is already breeding in the packet). If lids are level or slightly indented, these will be cheaper food items that will freeze well. It is recommended that you fast freeze them on the day of purchase and use them within a month if bought close to the sell by date and checked as described above.
Bulk purchasing of staple items saves money
This trick can be a bit more challenging if you have limited cupboard or storage capacity. However, if challenged for space a friend may be interested in sharing the cost of a bulk purchase. Ideal items are:
- potatoes (by the sack from a farm shop)
- rice in catering sized bags
- pasta in catering sized bags
- washing powder
- olive oil
- herbs and spices (those little jars in the supermarket only last 5 minutes)
Catering sized packs can usually be bought with at least 30% discount from your nearest cash and carry. If you do not have a business and do not know anyone who can take you on their business card to the cash and carry, it is worth setting up a cooperative of friends who buy bulk items and then sell them within the group. If you produce a letter head and a cooperative bank account’s details, then the group can invest money into the central kitty, buy bulk stock from the cash and carry and share it out fairly.
Cooking from scratch rather than buying ready cooked saves money
Ready meals are exorbitant and probably only make sense if you are cooking for one or two and using these for convenience occasionally. Cooking can be a creative joy if you give time to learning how. Cooking from scratch is essential to save money on food bills for a family.
Home cooking is also healthier and fresher as well as saving up to 50% on the cost of the same meal. Easy adjustments to make:
- use a breadmaker to cut costs of loaves of bread…it’s fresh, tastier and cheaper than a lot of packaged bread too.
- If you can’t bear the thought of cooking everything from scratch, ready sauces then adding fresh meat and vegetables will save money on your food bill.
- Making your own pizza dough then using passata, herbs and lots of fresh topping makes a delicious healthy meal at a fraction of the cost of bought pizza’s and the whole family can enjoy designing their own pizza….quite a fun family event is our household!
Buying exact quantities saves money on food bills
Pre-packed meat, fish, vegetagbles and fruit are rarely in the exact amount needed to feed your household. There are inevitably too many or too few pork chops in one pack, or a tray of minced beef makes just too much bolognaise (so everyone eats too much so as not to waste it or it gets wasted left on the plate).
This is where getting to know your butcher and fishmonger means you can buy the exact amount needed for the family or a specific recipie saving money. Likewise, buying loose fruit and vegetables means counting how much will be needed between shops then not being left with limp broccolli or appleas that have gone soft.
Saving money on food bills in this way is also kinder to the environment as food thrown away creates methane as it degrades and this affects global warming. Likewise, less packaging reduces our carbon footprint as well.
