Tired of giving presents that cost you too much money and people don’t really want? Then here’s a gift that might do the trick. Won’t break the bank, is useful, helpful and possibly life-changing…. http://http://stores.ebay.co.uk/CELEBRITY-CHRISTMAS-SHOP_W0QQsspagenameZMEQ3aFQ3aSTQQtZkm

I don’t know about the rest of you but I am suffering from a serious case of CreditCrunch-itis. Everywhere you turn there’s bad news. I can’t speak for the rest of you but I find that if I actually DO SOMETHING then it takes some of the pressure off.

With that in mind I’ve come up with a few things we’ve been trying in the Hughes’ Houseshold. So far - so good

TOP FIVE CRUNCH-BUSTERS!!!!!!

1. INVOLVE THE ENTIRE FAMILY: everyone pitches in, choose a Topic of the Day for mealtime discussions. Prize for Did You Know? (super fact of the day). Winner gets to choose the next day’s menu or relief from chores.

2. FUN PROJECT RATHER THAN CHORE: get out the manuals for all your gadgets from dishwasher to mobile phone. Read through to see what else you can do to get the most value from what you’ve already paid for. When you go to the supermarket split the list with your partner or sensible teenager. My 13 year-old son and I did that yesterday and did the weekly shopping in 15 minutes!

3. REWARD SYSTEM: Emptying the dishwasher earns you an extra hour of telly. Cleaning the oven earns you a day off chores, or whatever will work best in your home.

4. THERE’S STILL ROOM FOR A TREAT: You will find that sensible planning and careful shopping will actually save you money. Take a 1/4 of the savings and treat the family or someone who has earned it. Yesterday we saved 40 pounds at the supermarket so 10 of it is going towards a family ticket to see Wall-E

5. GETTING TO KNOW YOU: Take advantage of the extra time you’re spending at home to get to know each other better. Find out about the youngest child’s science project. What music is the older one listening to. Have friends around and instead of a harried text have a proper conversation.

I’ve been working with the people at Hotpoint on a recent study which asked people how their priorities have changed in light of the CreditCrunch. 82% of us are changing our priorities. I love it and consider a challenge, but a rewarding one to see how I can improve my daily life. I was about to move house but like many have decided it is more prudent to stay put. We redid the bathroom and now it is time to approach the kitchen.

One of the overwhelming things which came out of this research we did is that people want to reduce their food wastage and energy consumption. One way to do this is to use your appliances more smartly, look at the features that the machine has and use them - here are some top tips from Hotpoint:

1). Fridge Freezers - some fridge freezers have a holiday setting which will use less energy, yet still keeping you food chilled/frozen while you are away and the fridge freezer is virtually empty.

2). Washing Machine - many now have Eco Cycles which use less water and energy, but still provide top performance with most detergents on the market, e.g. the Hotpoint Aquarius+. Newer machines often have a time delay, so you can set the wash to finish when you get home (saving valuable minutes loading and setting the machine when you could be doing something else like putting the dinner on) - this feature is on the
Hotpoint Aqualtis or Aquarius+ range.

3). Dishwashers - did you know you can save money and water by using a dishwasher as opposed to hand washing dishes? It really shocked me the difference in gallons of water used. Same with shower versus bath.

If you want to check out the products and get even more tips products visit www.hotpoint.co.uk.

The idea is for us to regain control of our lives. Changing our spending patterns is no bad thing so maybe the Credit Crunch is actually doing us a favour.

Good luck and send me your ideas and we’ll share them.

All the best,
Jenni

Please be advised that I am currently working on the high seas so access to cyberspace is difficult and limited. Apologies to those of you who have contacted for advice. I shall be back and in full operation after the 18th of July.

Every now and then someone comes along and puts forth your beliefs in such a way that you just lay back and say ‘I couldn’t have done it any better’. That happened to me today and I just want to share this with you courtesy of the inimitable Caitlin Moran.

If you’ve ever worn a too-tight-bra, or stuck your blistered feet in a bucket of icecubes then this one’s for you…… http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/
article3862287.ece

I am still laughing!

I have now heard everything! Dr. Gaby Badre of Gothenburg has decided that along with the fear of Arachibutyrophobia (fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth) - we now also have to worry about becoming addicted to our mobile phones.

According to Dr.Gaby ‘addiction to cell phones is becoming common’, especially among teenagers. They may suffer disrupted sleep, stress, fatigue and restlessness. And even more frightening is the news that there is ‘a connection between unhealthy compulsive behaviour such as smoking, sniffing and use of alcohol’ and overuse of your mobile.

Once we get past the side-question of ’sniffing what exactly?’ we can address the more serious issues.

I am certain that some of you are nodding away. ‘Most definitely!’ you say. You agree beyond any shadow of a doubt that telephone addiction is at the root of the demise of society. If we weren’t desperately clutching our mobiles we wouldn’t be smoking, sniffing, and binge-drinking.

Saints preserve us. I don’t know about the rest of you but I suspect a lot of the distressed sleep, stress, etc. is more likely to be caused by overactive hormones and a fear that the evil mobile phone is NOT going to ring, rather than it is.

For those amongst us who are permanently attached to our phones it isn’t because we’re addicted to the phone - it’s because we are desirous of establishing connections with people who make us feel better/good. Now I guess if you really wanted to you could say that in itself is an addiction. But I really do think we have to stop this business of labelling everything we do as an addiction. We’re addicted to television (Big Brother), shopping (Primark), food (coffee, diet cola, anything with chocolate on it).

We like our phones because we like being in touch with folk. Or like me you may like playing Solitaire on it Maybe you pretend to constantly be on the phone just to convince other people that you’re popular. Whatever it is, you’re not ‘addicted’ to your phone, you just like it.

So don’t worry you won’t need to go to rehab for it, however E-mail Addiction, now that’s a different story altogether…..

‘If you were going to die soon and had only one call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting……’

[Stephen Levine]

There is a phrase bandied about a lot these days, it is called being ’self-aware’. Basically translates to being aware of what is going on with you to an extent that you know yourself, thereby removing the need for you to be constantly searching for your reflection in mirrors held up by the outside world.

Why do so many of us have difficulty knowing who we are? Why are we constantly asking other people to define us? ‘Am I ok?’, ‘Do I look ok?’, ‘Is he/she right for me?’. I have been asked everything from ‘Why doesn’t anyone like me?’, ‘Am I really that ugly?’ - please, please, please STOP IT! We’re all grownups, or mascarading as such - learn who you are and stop asking others to tell you. It is very, very dangerous for a lot of reasons.

You don’t know what their agenda is. You have no idea why they answer in the way that they do. There is no one standard for ‘ok’ or ‘looking ok’. Neither is there one definition for what makes someone right for you. If ten people don’t like you they might provide you with ten completely different reasons as to why. In the same way that ten people who love you may all love something different.

Don’t let folk blow you about. If you hold yourself up in front of a dirty, cracked, broken mirror then what you’re going to have reflected back at you will not be a true reflection of who you are.

I know it isn’t easy. We all struggle with it but life works so much better/easier/grander and more like how it really should be if you are the person who flicks your own switch.

“The truth that many people never understand, until it is too late, is that the more you try to avoid suffering the more you suffer because smaller and more insignificant things begin to torture you in proportion to your fear of being hurt”.

[Thomas Merton]

At the end of 2007 I decided that after five years I was tired of my boyish hairdo. It was time to be a girlie-girl again. But how to keep looking presentable while I went through that raggedy process of growing locks. Ah! A wig - that’s what I’ll do, I’ll get a wig.

So first I decide I’ll ‘get used to it’. I take it with me to Paris, I wear it for a week, decide ‘this wig-gig is a good thing’ and back to London, wig firmly pinned on.

I wear this wig for 6 months. I wear it on television, to weddings, funerals, Tesco’s and everyone, and I do mean everyone - tells me how stunning it looks. Except, in his defense - my son. He says ‘Mum, no offence but it looks dreadful’. He’s 13, what does he know?

Last night I needed to look at a tape of something and for the first time got a proper look at myself with The Wig In Motion………

Why the HELL wasn’t anyone honest with me????!!!! I look like a TOTAL madwoman! It looks ridiculous and Tall Child was right - it looks DREADFUL!

So here’s the question. How come no one was honest with me? Were they all being polite? Did they not really care one way or another? Surely they didn’t really think it was as gaw-juss as they were saying? But you know what - I wasn’t being honest with myself either.

When I looked in the mirror I too thought it looked dreadful. So now we get to the real point of this rather silly story….

HONESTY : It really is the best policy. And don’t rely on other people to be honest with you when you know you’re not being honest with yourself. That is the real danger. When you try to convince yourself that some load of codswallop is really a packet of pearls. Then you try to convince everyone else that they should string them up and make a necklace.

If something walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and waddles like a duck - most likely it is a duck. Trust yourself. Trust your gut instinct. If there is something in your life that just doesn’t feel right listen to what the voice inside you tells you.

Now I’m off to find those bloody scissors and give myself a haircut - wish me luck!

“Dating is like going on a job interview. You don’t know if you’ll get the job, but if you do well, you get to see the interviewer naked ;)…….

[Anon]