Saturday roundup of this weeks ideas
The weather forecast for this weekend is rain all weekend and so I think there is little chance of me taking more photographs this weekend. It’s only 11 days to the Spring equinox. That will be closely followed by Easter and we will be putting the clocks on an hour so the evenings will be lighter and maybe a little warmer.
Surviving the cuts
A lot of people are going to be struggling because of government cuts. The Welfare Benefits Uprating Bill, will keep benefit rises to 1% for three years from next April. This will hit a lot of people and save the government a couple of billion a year. That’s a lot of money. Not as much as the 12 billions the Olympics cost, but still a lot of money.
Cutting motoring costs by planning journeys
I wrote about motoring costs in last week’s thrifty blog, but my drive down the motorway got me thinking. I sometimes use Google maps to plan a journey and that can save you time and fuel. My journey on Sunday according to Google maps was 12.8 miles and should take about 20 minutes. It took less than that because it was Sunday and so it didn’t seem far. However, I came back on the ‘A’ roads and that didn’t seem too far either. When I checked the shortest route is just 4.3 miles and it should be quicker! On a Sunday it would have been quicker, but on a weekday perhaps not, going through town. You can click that link to Google maps to see what I mean.
Finance | Starting a business
I went to Matalan yesterday and they are surviving the recession well, because people can’t afford the more expensive places. If you go to their website, you’ll see a link to ‘Become an Affiliate Partner’ at the bottom of their web page. I could be a a Matalan affiliate and have a link in the side bar of my blog to their website. If someone then clicks the link and spends money, I get a commission of 5%. I do have one affiliate link in the sidebar to Zopa, but I don’t want more just yet. There are lots of websites that want affiliates and I could also put advertising in the sidebar and at the bottom of the blog. I can also insert links into the blogs like I just did with Zopa. I can even put an advert at the end of each blog. This is one way of starting a money making business. (more…)
Thrifty | After the budget
Budget
We had the budget speech yesterday in the UK. There wasn’t much to get excited about; I was more interested in what he left out, than what he actually said. We still have to be thrifty and watch out for the bargains. I read that some people buy the essentials like food and invest any money left over and some people invest their money and if there is any left over; buy food! That’s a bit extreme, but I am still watching out for more shares to buy. (more…)
Finance Friday | Budgeting
Budget 2012
I learned this morning how many people read my blog and in which countries; I was surprised to learn in how many different countries. I have to be honest there were a few, that were unfamiliar! In the UK, later this month, the Chancellor of the Exchequer will present his budget for the coming year. We too have to budget and be careful with our money wherever we live in the world. This is a matter of understanding money and setting priorities; essentials are more important that luxuries and then keeping proper accounts.
Frugal Friday | Grow your own
Grow your own
It seems a little early for thinking about growing your own in the garden, but you can at least prepare and plan. I have seen seeds for growing salad and root vegetables on offer for just 39p a packet at Aldi and Poundland have offers too. Getting our 5 portions of fruit and veg a day is getting more expensive. We can look for the bargains, the carrots are just 39p a kilo at Aldi this weekend and ideal for winter soups, stews and casseroles. They are still worth growing though! (more…)
Frugal Food | Lots of choose from
For this stir fry, I cooked the chicken in sunflower oil until it became white, then added thinly sliced red onion and the cooked rice and cooked for a few minutes. Then add the peas, soya sauce and 5 spice. It was exotic, tasty and didn’t cost much! There are lots of other meals using staple foods like rice, bread and potatoes. (more…)
