We think that the freezer should be every food lover’s best friend!   It’s a great tool for preserving food, sealing in freshness and keeping tasty meals to hand, which can save us time and money and help to reduce food waste.

Follow our hints and tips to make the most of your freezer.

• You can freeze almost any food (including hard cheese, eggs, bread, home made meals, cakes) although some foods do not freeze as well as others. The structure of some foods with a high water content like lettuce and tomatoes will change when frozen, however these can still be frozen and used for soups and sauces, rather than throwing them away.
• Food doesn’t have to be frozen on the day of purchase. It can be frozen at any point up to the end of its “use by” date.
• Food should be cooled before transferring into the freezer otherwise the heat from the food will warm the freezer up causing it to use more energy. Let it cool on the side, wrap up well and label, before transferring it into the freezer.
• There is no need to thaw vegetables before cooking, simply steam or boil from frozen for 5-10 minutes, depending on the variety.
• You can freeze home grown produce, simply top and tail and blanche for 2-3 minutes before plunging into cold water and drain. Freeze flat to avoid “clumping” – once frozen solid they can be bagged in portions to save space. Soft fruit can be frozen whole, or pureed first and frozen for use in drinks or sorbet.
• It’s best to defrost food gradually in the fridge so it keeps cool until you are ready to cook it. Try to put frozen food in the fridge the night before you intend to eat it and it should be defrosted in time for tea. Use it within two days. It is also safe to defrost at room temperature provided you intend to eat it as soon as it’s thawed.
• Frozen raw meat or fish can be defrosted, cooked thoroughly then frozen again. Take care to defrost thoroughly and re-heat until piping hot. Remember, food should never be reheated more than once.
• If uncooked food has been defrosted by accident don’t try to pop it back in the freezer – cook it and either eat it, or re-freeze it, as above.
• You can keep food safely in the freezer for years, as long as it has stayed frozen the whole time. However, it will gradually lose its quality and taste, so avoid “stockpiling” by planning to eat frozen foods more often so you don’t forget what’s in there and “rotate” older foods to the front so they can be used up first.
• For a stress free dinner at a later date, try cooking batches of dishes such as chilli, curry or stew, and freeze them in handy portion sizes. Make sure you reheat your food until it’s piping hot.

photo credit – http://www.flickr.com/photos/sporkist/

The National Housing Federation (NHF) said the average buyer in England paid £216,800 for a home in 2007.

They may now have to wait until 2014 before prices recover enough to make their homes worth more than their loan.

Meanwhile, figures from the Bank of England show that the number of mortgages approved for UK home buyers was barely changed in July at 48,722.

You can read more at the BBC Website here.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sludgeulper/

Do you worry about paying your cash into a self service machine?  Well maybe you should be !!

A legal loophole is leaving bank customers who use self-service paying-in machines at risk, experts warn.  The machines, which require customers to post cash using an envelope, do not issue receipts – meaning there is no legal right to demand it back if the cash goes missing.  Hundreds of people a year are denied compensation by their bank after claiming they have lost money deposited in their account this way, says the Financial Ombudsman Service.

If cash is lost or stolen when staff members count it at the end of the day, the bank can deny it ever existed since there is no evidence of how much was paid in.  According to the Financial Services Authority (FSA), customers have little legal protection if their money goes missing and the acknowledgment slip is the only proof they have.

James Daley, editor of Which? Money, adds: ‘If banks are not willing to provide a guarantee, then they should be putting signs up at the machine warning customers.’  Customers who lose their money in this way can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service, but only half of all complaints it received last year were upheld.

All six of the banking groups have introduced new machines which count the cash and provide proper receipts, but not all branches have them.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/article-1303967/Self-service-paying-machines-money-risk.html#ixzz0wxCO76Zj

Photo Credit – http://www.flickr.com/photos/otama/2520954629/

Previously awarding each and every child in the UK two vouchers of £250, CTF payments will be reduced as from August and be completely axed at the end of the year – but if you’re locking away money for 15-20 years there are loads of viable options still available on the market.

Offshore Personal Savings

Easy access and fixed term offshore savings accounts generally offer low or tax free conditions, easy access and higher rates of interest. The later generally offering a better rate of return for the saver – perfect for long term investments.

Anglo Irish Bank have won the award of best offshore account provider at the moneyfact awards for the past few years so it’s worth checking out their latest offshore interest rates and also reading their offshore banking information.

Children’s Products

There are a few high street lenders in the market who offer products aimed specifically at investments for children. These are great because they tend to deliver on key areas such as control and beneficiary, but if the investment is intended to be long term, any saver would do well to compare returns, terms and conditions with other non-child packaged products on the market.

Trusts

These fall under bare, unit and investment trusts, all of which are opened in a trustee’s name on behalf of the child. Unit trusts are a type of ‘pooled investment’ – a fund manager buys shares in a range of different companies and pools these in a fund; you then buy ‘units’ in the fund. Investment trusts invest in the shares of different companies, allowing investors to spread their risk. The main difference from unit trusts is that investment trusts are themselves companies in which you buy shares. Unlike unit and investment, the trustee’s of bare trusts are simply nominees and must act according to the beneficiary’s instructions.

ISA’s

A long term investment ISA is a great option if you’re planning to lock money away for a long period, and despite recent watchdog revelations in the media about low paying ISA’s, there are still a few choice products on the market that offer up to 5% return – plus they’re tax free. If you want to play with your money, cash ISA’s offer excellent tax-free annual returns.

National Savings & Investments

Backed by the HM Treasury, National Savings and Investments (NS&I) are one of the largest savings and investment providers in the UK and offer 100% security. Alongside Premium Bonds, NS&I offer a variety of products, including index-linked and fixed-interest savings certificates, children’s bonus bonds, direct ISA and investment accounts.

1.  Make a shopping list

2. When was the last time you went to the market?
One way to beat the supermarkets – that is, to eat healthily for less – is to use your local market stall. Lower overheads should mean lower prices. At the time of writing, cherries were on sale in Asda for £2.99 for 400g, the equivalent at the local market was going for just over £1.
Saving: £100+

3. Consider own-brand goods
You can buy a tin of Asda own-brand baked beans for 14p and a loaf bread at Asda, Tesco or Sainsbury’s for 19p. Enough said.
Saving: £100

4. Don’t buy designer labels
Celebrities are given expensive clothes to wear. You’re not. At the end of the day, and let’s face it you may only wear the outfit once, can you justify paying hundreds of pounds over the odds because a top designer has had his or her name sewn on the label? And can you honestly say you can tell the difference at a distance between a £600 designer bag and a £9.99 one from the market? Think about it.
Saving: £100s

5. Sell your clutter on eBay
Take this quick test: You’re at home. Open a cupboard. Look inside. If it’s full of clothes you haven’t worn, or ‘good ideas a the time’ you haven’t used, for, let’s say, three years – you don’t need them. So why not sell them to someone else who does? Ebay, the online auction house, has opened individual sellers to a world of buyers. And you can flog anything for the cost of a small commission. Tip: you may want to buy a few items first to build up your rating as a respectable eBayer before you start selling.
Income: Will depend on what’s in your cupboard

6. Use your talent to earn extra cash
Let’s face it, if you’re not a pop star by the time you reach your 20s you’re never going to be. But you may be able to use your talent as a guitarist to teach other wannabes the rudiments of the 12-bar blues.
Income: It’s not unreasonable to charge £20 an hour

7. Do DIY
We’re a nation of obsessive DIYers and for around £100 you can take a course at your local adult education college to improve the skills needed to tackle most household repairs. If the college runs plumbing courses you could soon be on track to wiping out costly call-out charges and extra insurance policies once and for all.
Saving: £100+

8. Shop around for the cheapest household insurance
Unless you drive – car insurance is mandatory – you don’t need insurance. But it’s strongly advisable. Can you afford to foot the bill if your house burns down? Probably not. Similarly, can you afford to pay over the odds for the same policy available elsewhere because you can’t be bothered to shop around? Possibly, but it’s not advisable. The internet has made finding cheaper insurance easy and you can compare hundreds of policies in minutes.
Saving: £100s

9. Choose cheaper breakdown insurance

The breakdown sector is dominated by big names such as the AA and RAC. But being towed home if your car breaks down is just another form of insurance like any other and there are scores of cheaper alternatives.
Saving: Up to £100 a year

10. Are you paying too much for your life insurance?
We’re living longer. As a result the cost of insuring the unthinkable is getting cheaper all the time. If you were sold a policy when you took out or mortgage you may have been under too much stress to shop around. You could be missing a trick.
Saving: £100

11. Book early
Low-cost airlines have created a market in holidays for people prepared to fly to any destination provided it’s cheap. You can benefit from this too. Just remember, only a few seats on each flight are sold at bargain-basement prices and once they’re sold, the prices rise. So book early.
Saving: £100

12. Book your own ‘package’ holiday online
The popularity of High Street travel agents is waning as more and more people warm to the benefits of researching and putting together their own holidays on the internet. If your holiday consists of flights, accommodation, transfers and possibly car hire, then take this test. Order a brochure from a leading holiday company and work out the price of your holiday including all the complicated supplements. Now go online and, starting with the flights, try to put the same package together.
Saving: £100+

13. Don’t pay full price for theatre or theme park tickets

If you are prepared to tolerate the unwieldy website and hit-and-miss customer service, lastminute.com regularly boasts some amazing deals for London’s theatres and the nation’s theme parks. At the time of writing you can see top West End show The Producers plus a two-course meal for less than £20 a head, a saving of £60 per person, and tickets for Chessington World of Adventures cost from £12, a saving of nearly £50 for a day out for a family of four.
Saving: £100s

14. Stop trying to keep up with the Joneses

Trying to keep up appearances is little more than a costly illness. Remember, you cannot judge someone by what they have because you don’t know how they got it. Chances are they’re in more debt than you are.
Saving: £1,000s

15. Ask yourself: do I really need this?

Imagine the scenario. It’s lunchtime and you’ve got an hour to kill. You find yourself in a department store and there’s a sale on. You pick up a beautifully packaged selection of barbecue tools and associated garden paraphernalia. And it’s half price. Now, stop! Ask yourself: Do I really need this? Exactly. Now, put it down and walk away.
Saving: £100

16. Walk/cycle to the station/work
It maybe a bit of hippie notion to many people but it’s free.
Saving: £100

17. Cut down your drinking

A few beers after work a few nights a week is a financially debilitating state of affairs. Set limits and stick to them.
Saving: £100s

18. Pack up smoking
Never mind the health implications, the guilt and the smell, your 20-a-day habit is costing you nearly £2,000 a year. Pack it in.
Saving: Nearly £2,000

19. Use your library

The local library is a mecca for the money saver. You’ll never need to buy another cookbook, guidebook or lifestyle manual again and if you can bear to wait a few weeks in the queue for the latest blockbuster, you never need to buy books again. CDs and videos are great value too.
Saving: £100

20. Claim your benefits and tax credits

There was once a certain stigma in Britain attached to claiming benefits. Well, not any more. The Government has put benefits at the heart of the family budget and it’s your money so make sure you’re claiming it. That includes Child Benefit, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and other employee-related tax benefits.
Saving: £100s

Photo Credit – http://www.flickr.com/photos/alancleaver/

money saving holidays

A few weeks ago Teletext holidays asked more than 1,000 parents throughout the UK for their best advice on how to save money on a peak season getaway. As a result the firm has combined the results with some of its own insider knowledge from its own travel experts to create a list of the top 30 money saving tips for family holidays.

1. Hunt for vouchers: If holidaying in the UK, the internet can be a great place to search for money off and “two for one” vouchers to family restaurants. Sites like moneysavingexpert.com are a good place to start.

2. Free child places: Every year holiday firms offer thousands of free kids places and they’re even available on some long-haul trips to Florida and The Caribbean. You may have to book early, normally January or February to secure these.

3. Kids eat free: For holidays in Florida or anywhere else in the US look at mykidseatfree.com which allows you to search for restaurants with special offers for little ones.

4. Make self catering fun: The idea of cooking on holiday isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it can be fun and a great way to save money. Celebrity food writer and television presenter Jo Pratt has come up with some delicious, easy and affordable recipes for self catering holidays at  www.villarenters.com

5. All-inclusive: Families who don’t opt to go all-inclusive spend on average around £420 on holiday buying groceries, eating out, drinks, ice-creams and attractions. More hotels offer all-inclusive options now which means all food, drink and many activities are covered in the cost – so you don’t even need to take a purse out with you in the evening.

6. Peak season savings: Some holiday companies do offer peak season savings on family holidays. Look out for their advertised exclusives and family savers. For example Disneyland Paris is offering up to 40% off plus up to two children under the age of 7 “stay and play” for free, if you book before the end of June. (terms and conditions apply)

7. Eat where the locals eat: Not only will it be better value, you also get a chance to introduce the kids to the real local culture. Ask reception staff at the hotel or holiday reps for advice.

8. Travel apps and emails: People spend hours trawling the net for cheap deals but let the holiday companies do the work for you. For example, subscribe to the Teletext Holidays email newsletter at www.teletextholidays.co.uk to be sent hand-picked family offers by a team of travel experts.

To read more visit www.teletextholidays.co.uk/moneysavingtips

Photo credit http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinksherbet/

We have just had the worst snow in twenty years last month which brought some parts of the UK to its knees. The Bank of England is trying to control deflation by reducing interest rate to one percent and still the prices for certain imported foods and energy costs are rising. Everybody is now feeling the fallout of the credit crunch and the recession is starting to take victims. Last month I noticed the biggest jump in my gas and electricity costs so I called my provider. They informed me that the costs were about right for the size of house although my gas was a bit high. My Gas and Electricity bill had jumped to £282 per month. (Ouch!)

Am I being mugged by my utility provider?

It certainly feels as if I am being mugged by my utility provider and the gas and electricity that is being supplied to my home is providing free gas and electricity to the rest of the homes on our development. At least Dick Turpin wore a mask when he was robbing the public. So faced with increasing utility costs I put on my money saving expert hat and started to investigate how I could reduce my gas and electricity costs.

Government Grants website

You could use the Government Grants website which provides a source of information for UK grants for gas central heating, loft insulation and cavity wall insulation. Government grants from 40% to 70% are available to homeowners and tenants for loft and cavity wall insulation. These grants are funded by the utility companies and are non-refundable. These grants will not be around forever and once the funding that has been allocated is exhausted they will finish. They also offer a solar heating grant of £400 towards the cost of installation of solar panels which cost around £4,000 depending on the size of your home. If you do not meet their eligibility criteria for free insulation, then grants from around 50% are available for loft insulation and cavity wall insulation, so you can still achieve a massive saving on the normal cost.

The Governments’ Energy Saving Trust Website

I also discovered that there were grants available to help us implement energy saving measures and help reduce our carbon foot print. The Governments’ Energy Saving Trust website provides grants and they have a wonderful search tool to help you find grants or offers that are available for you in your area. All you need do is complete the questions asked on their search for grants and offers page. You will then be presented with a list of providers offering discounted prices or grants in your area. This is a brilliant site and is packed with great advice and help for saving energy, saving money and reducing your carbon dioxide emissions from your home.

What Savings can I expect from loft and cavity wall insulation

Our homes lose 35% of their heating through the walls and 25% through the roof. At the Governments Energy Saving Trust website they have an Energy Saving House where they show you a full range of energy saving measures. For example by insulating the loft and having cavity wall insulation with a grant you could reduce you’re heating bills by around £365 a year and reduce your home’s carbon dioxide emissions by up to 1.5 tonnes.

You can complete their online Energy Savers report which allows you to understand your homes energy efficiency performance to reduce your energy use and how to save money. The average cost seems to be between £225 to £249 for either cavity wall insulation or loft insulation depending on the size of your home. Although I did find that B&Q the DIY store was charging £199 for either cavity wall insulation or loft insulation depending on the size of your home. If you are over 70 years old you can receive loft insulation and cavity wall insulation for free from the Energy Saving Trust or the Government Grants website.

Old central heating boilers are inefficient

Changing you’re a central heating boiler that is over ten years old will reduce your gas bill as it is thought that these older central heating unit are only 70% efficient. This means that for every £1 of gas that you buy your old unit wastes 30pence of the money you pay for your gas. Add some heating controls taps to your central heating radiators and they could help save you a further 17% of your heating bill when fitted with a condensing boiler along with an upgraded heating control and you could be looking at a total saving of as much as 40% of your heating bill providing a saving of £275 a year depending on the size of your home.

Sixteen ways to save money on your monthly utility bill

To summarize here is a list solutions and other money saving tips that are available to help you reduce your gas and electricity bill. The grants and discounts available will vary according to the size of your home, your location, your annual income and your age.

1. Grants for gas central heating depends on age and benefits being claimed
2. Grants and discounts for loft insulation from £199
3. Grants and discounts for cavity wall insulation from £199
4. Grant of £400 towards the installation of Solar panels
5. Replace existing light bulbs with Energy Saving Lightbulbs, they cost around £2 per bulb and you could expect to save around £45 before it needs replacing. These bulbs use 80% less electricity and will last ten times longer than a standard light bulb. Count the number of bulbs you need and see the savings.
6. Update your Central heating unit if older then 10 years. Consider either a condensing boiler along with an upgraded heating control unit or replace it with a Combi Boiler as this will do away with a conventional hot-water storage cylinder and water tanks in the loft. Costs from £2,000
7. Add heating controls tap to all your radiators, they cost from £7.99 each
8. Switch Utility providers for a better deal.
9. Switch your gas and electricity providers to a duel fuel provider if you have not already done this for further savings, save around £115
10. Pay your utility bills monthly by direct debit for a further discount from your provider.
11. Switch to an online account with your utility provider. You can now read your gas and electricity meters monthly and update the information for an accurate bill. This will prevent over billing from estimated assessments of your usage.
12. If you are on a coin operated meter for your gas and electricity then consider switching as you are paying a premium for this facility.
13. Switch off all light switches and plugs when the appliances are not in use.
14. An estimated £910 million is wasted in the UK every year by people leaving televisions, computers, TV set-top boxes and radios on standby.
15. Use a timer to turn your central heating on and off as required.
16. Consider switching to Energy Saving Recommended household appliances as they could cut your energy consumption by up to a third compared to your old appliance. Obviously only do this as you replace broken or old appliances.

For further ways of reducing your gas and utility bill then you should visit the Energy Saving Trust website where you will find a mountain of further money saving ideas and help.

Anyone can reduce their Gas and Electricity bills

Anyone can reduce their Gas and Electricity bills by at least 20% following the sixteen ways to save money listed above. Unfortunately, like most things you need to spend some money to save money; but the rewards will return each month. By implementing a few of these money saving tips at home you will certain reduce your gas and electricity bills in the future and save money. You’re thinking I cannot afford to make all these changes. Start with the changes that cost the least and then work your way through the list above. Remember by making these changes you will not only save money each month but you will be helping our planet HOME by reducing your carbon dioxide emissions.

About the Author

Contributing author Mark Aucamp has been providing Talk Money Blog with regular Money Saving Advice advice and comments. Mark has extensive experience in providing Debt Management, Quick Mortgage Advice and solutions. He is recognised as an authority in the field of debt management and mortgage advice. Find out how to clear your credit card debts legally!

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Compare prices and find the best deals – It’s important that you find the best deals on the items you’re buying before just purchasing the first one you come to. Different stores have different deals and you’ll be surprised by how much money you could save by simply shopping around. There are many ways to do this but traipsing around the shops in the high street can be tiring and take up a lot of time, the best way to compare prices is by visiting a price comparison site such as moneysupermarket.com and let them to do the hard work for you. The other great thing about checking for deals online is that there are often money off vouchers for the products you’re after and with moneysupermarket.com making sure that they “Search thousands of UK offers for the latest voucher codes and discount vouchers”, you’ll always be sure to get the best deals available.

Clear your credit card debt – One of the best things you can do to help your financial planning along the way is to clear your most expensive debts first, which usually means your credit cards. Now, credit cards offer a very convenient way to pay for goods and services but if you know you’re unable to pay off the whole balance every month then it might be worth considering a low-cost loan as an alternative. Compare the credit card offers online to make sure you know the best deal you’ll get and then decide which option would better suit you and your financial situation.

Consider a pay-as-you go mobile – If you consider your mobile phone a necessity then perhaps ask yourself whether the calls and texts to get with the package are all needed. You could buy a pay-as-you-go phone for as little as £30 and then you’d only have to pay for the odd calls and texts that you need to make.

Make a shopping list – Shopping for food is a huge part of our monthly spending, so it’s worth trying out different strategies and ideas that could help you save money. Many stores spend large amounts of money on researching what makes us buy the things we do and spend more of our hard earned money. Every effort is put into what music is playing in the background and even how fast the music is- you’d probably be surprised if you knew how much these seemingly small things can make a huge difference to what you buy and how much you spend. The best way to make sure you’re only buying the things you need is to simply make a shopping list. By planning what you need for the week ahead, you’ll make sure you don’t go buying things that take your fancy or seem like a ‘good deal’ at the time, but simply the essentials. This should mean you soon start seeing the savings mount up in no time.

A savings article brought to you by the Vouchers team at moneysupermarket.com.

Photo Credit http://www.flickr.com/photos/vinish/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

Some of the best buys include:

Johnson’s baby toiletries from only £1 each, Nappies from £8.00 f0r a mega box and deals on baby wipes.  There are some great deals on baby essential buys such as a microwave bottle steriliser, car seats and dummies.  There are even potties for toilet training at only £1 so you can buy one for each bathroom and an extra for grandmas too !

Instability has racked the UK banking industry since September 2007 with the nationalisation of Northern Rock, part-nationalisation of Lloyds Banking Group (including HBOS) and RBS, the collapse of Bradford & Bingley and the bailout of Alliance & Leicester by Spanish bank Santander.

Maximum compensation limits (and how to make the most of it)

All of your savings are covered up to £50,000 by the FSCS as long as they are not all held with the same savings compensation licence (see link at the top of the page). The limit on joint accounts is £100,000. These limits do not apply to money held with National Savings & Investments or Northern Rock where all of your money is 100% guaranteed by the Government.

• Foreign banks compensation limits

These limits do not apply if your bank is a foreign bank operating in the UK with a higher compensation limit in its home country. For example, as of September 2008, the deposits of the Post Office and Irish banks operating in the UK such as Anglo-Irish Bank, Allied Irish Bank and Bank of Ireland, are 100% covered following an increase in compensation from the Irish government.

• Essential advice: spread your savings

Due to the rule on different savings accounts with one provider, it is best to spread your savings over as many savings institutions as possible. Yet a series of mergers, takeovers, joint ventures and subsidiaries has created a confusing web for savers to negotiate. And this would have huge implications were your savings provider to go bust. If you had three accounts with the same banking group – which does not have separate compensation licences for each of its brands – instead of getting three compensation claims of £50,000, totalling £150,000, you would only get back £50,000. However, if the bank is separately authorised by the Financial Services Authority then you would get a separate compensation limit.