Seven tips to beat the rising food shopping bill

A recent survey carried out by Organised Mum found that three-quarters of mums are spending at least £20 per week more on food, with 25% saying it’s at least £40 per week more.

When asked what measures families are taking to cut down weekly food bills, 59 per cent said they are taking greater care when planning meals and are generally trying to buy less, a further 22 per cent said they were buying the same products but have switched to cheaper own-brand versions and 19 per cent have even ditched their favourite supermarket for a cheaper alternative.

Sarah Sadler at Organised Mum commented, “More now than ever, families need to ensure they are getting value for money from what they spend on food each week, but focusing on what you buy is just as important as not overspending in the first place. Our survey has already revealed that people
are making changes to the way they shop and that they are prepared to look
at different ways of making cut backs if needed. A little bit of good old fashioned organisation and planning can also do wonders for your bank balance”.”

Here are Sarah’s seven tips for saving money on food:

1. Buy your free range eggs from local farms rather than the supermarket at around 75p for a dozen rather than £1.50 for half a dozen. Eggs are also very versatile and can make a great evening meal for the family.
2. Buy your meat from the supermarket “reduced” cabinets and freeze it for use at a later date.
3. Buy a bread making machine where you can make a loaf of bread for around 52p compared with a premium brand at around £1.20 per loaf. You get to wake up to the smell of freshly baked bread and it won’t have anywhere near as many preservatives in it, which can only be a good thing.
4. Change your lunch habits. Make your sandwiches at home in the morning before you leave for work, or do one single shop at the supermarket on a Monday morning and buy everything you need for your lunch that week. You will still save pounds over buying pre-packed sandwiches every day.
5. Look out for special offers at your supermarket, stock up on good deals – but don’t be tempted to overspend on something that you didn’t need. Stick to your list and only indulge in special offers if you need or will need the item anyway.
6. Take the time to sit down and make a weekly meal plan making sure that you include recipes that will use any food stuffs that are nearing their use-by-date. When making the list ensure that you have considered the week’s activities. For example, one of your children may be out at a sleepover and won’t require dinner that night. You can then use the meal plan to make a shopping list that makes sure you only buy the food you will need for that week’s meals.
7. Finally, the golden rules of shopping: don’t shop when you are hungry. Inevitably, if you food shop whilst hungry you are more likely to be tempted by the mouth watering delicacies on show.

These are by no means exhaustive ideas. What are your money-saving tips? How is your family being affected by the “credit crunch”? Share in the comments below.

Fifth of UK families liken themselves to the Royles?

According to a recent survey by Vodafone, one in five British families liken themselves to the Royle Family, while just over one in six saw a likeness between their own family and The Simpsons.

TV soap families like the Battersbys, Mitchells, Gallaghers and Trotters were among the families Brits thought they were the least like.

The strong traditional values of the Waltons made it the family that over half of Brits would most like to emulate even though only 16% could say they were actually like them. Only 32% of families say they are part of a family that follows Waltons-like traditional family values, even though 92% of people have a good idea of what makes traditional family values.

The survey reveals the top three most important things for a family to do is to talk regularly (90%), eat dinner together (71%) and celebrate special occasions together (69.%).

Also underlined by the survey was the old adage you can choose your friends but not your family. Two-thirds of the UK population would love to be able to choose their family, with over a third wishing they had a personal friend in their family and 15% even wanting a celebrity to be a relative.

Ian Haynes, Head of Product Marketing for Vodafone UK, said, “What’s clear from our survey is that while there are many different types of families in the UK, everyone wants to keep traditional values alive. Talking regularly to one another is voted as really important. Not everyone can always sit together at the dinner table, so whether by voice or text, family communication is generally made easier with the mobile.”

Of course, that leads nicely onto a plug for Vodafone, who has just introduced the Vodafone Family tariff, where one person pays £5 a month and can nominate three contract or pay as you talk people to join their “Family”. They can then make unlimited calls between each other. There’s also a £7 per month package for up to six people to join.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt may retire to dedicate time to family

According to a recent press release, it seems that movie stars Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt plan to retire from the movie industry in a few years to dedicate time to raising their children.

They have four children, three of whom are adopted.

Jolie says, “I think both of us only plan to work for a few more years. Brad and I have a lot of kids. And we want to have more kids, and they demand a lot of time. You can’t balance everything.”

In an industry where it’s rare for couples to even stay together, I have to say “Good on you guys!”

I do hope you stay together and can fulfill what you want for bringing up your children.

(PR Inside)

The Reality of Arranged Marriages

Arranged marriages have been a topic of interest for centuries. Authors across the ages have explored this theme at length, and it still surfaces in literary works today. What’s the appeal? Is it the fascination with the lack of lust and desire we cultivate in North American society? We strive on the element of danger, of the forbidden, while an arranged marriage is usually a safe way to ensure a family’s approval of a union.

And yet, many of today’s romance novels deal with marriages of convenience. We’ve all read them: the heroine marries the hero because she needs him, whether for financial reasons, or because her children need a father — there are as many reasons to marry as there are novels dealing with this subject. Yet although the marriage isn’t initially based on love, there’s always that sensual tension simmering beneath the surface, and as readers, we know it’s inevitable that the two are going to fall deeply and irrevocably in love.

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Why parents kill their children

The New Straits Times has written an article on Why parents kill their children based upon the recent tragic events in Malaysia.

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Ancestry.com members have created over 1 million family trees in last 6 months

OK it’s a blatant plug for Ancestry.com (with which I have no affiliation) but their latest news is that in the past six months, over 1 million people have created family trees using their online service.

Their press release states: “In building family trees, users have added an estimated 150 million names, uploaded 400,000 photos and attached 10 million family history documents directly from Ancestry.com’s 23,000 historical records collections.”

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Family Relationships Forum launched

I’m pleased to announce that the Family Relationships Forum has now launched - a place to discuss anything and everything related to families: marriage, living together, children, education, finances, teenagers, grandparents, elderly care, social ideas, and resources.

What it needs now is a community, which is where you come in.

I know all too well how difficult starting a forum can be. Anyone who visits it and sees a lot of empty space will often be unwilling to take the time to sign up and start posting. However, we have to start somewhere, so if you’d like to be part of a new, friendly community, head over there now and register your interest.

I’ll be around every day so if nothing else, you can talk to me!

Family Relationships Forum

Leeds family forced to live in car because of appalling temporary accommodation offers

A family of three say that they have been forced to live in their Ford Mondeo car because, since they have were made homeless in May last year, they have been taken off the priority list for Leeds City Council housing because they turned down accommodation they felt was unsuitable.

Ms Prestwich said: “We saw one place at Broadlea Hill in Bramley, where huge gangs of yobs roam the streets.

“While we were there, some yobs were throwing bricks at passing cars, just for fun.

“We were warned not to take the place by neighbours. It was not a safe, we would rather stay in the car,” said Duncan, who finds his hunt for joinery work hampered by lack of a permanent address.

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Overuse of technology could be harming marriages, survey suggests

A new study in America shows that, of 1001 adults surveyed, 65% admitted to spending more time with their computers than their spouse or partner.

84% of people said they’d grown more dependent upon their computer in the past 3 years. I wonder how many have grown more dependent (or interdependent) on their partner in that time?

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