“Recession Session” A- Level Home Economics Teachers’ Conference Philippa McKeown Senior Consumer Affairs Officer The Consumer Council

Look after the pennies… This 10 minute presentation could save you a minimum of £3, a year = £ per month

Tackling the Rising Cost of Living Tips on managing your money; food shopping; motoring; public transport, running the home… Check oil prices in your area. Updated Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays See how much more you're paying this year for essentials ie mortgage, heating, electricity and food compared to this time last year. Ready-made budgeting presentations, quizzes and other downloads

Tackling the Rising Cost of Living

Money - where does it all go???? “Money Leakage”

Where does it all go??? A survey of 1,000 people revealed that the average adult spends £33 every week and can’t remember what they spent it on. Source: Visa study, London Reuters, Burrows, D. 21:07:06

Where does it all go???  Spending diary  Receipt wallet  Weekly allowance  Save the difference

Food for Thought  61 per cent of people admitted throwing out at least one bag of salad each week without even removing the packaging.  A similar percentage threw away unused fruit and bread.  Slightly fewer threw out milk, cheese and meat.  Ready meals were also regularly binned. Source: The Guardian, Friday April 15, Prudential Insurance, based on a survey of more than 1,000 households.

Food for Thought A third of all food we buy ends up being thrown away. Almost ten per cent is still in date 1 The average UK household throws away £8 of leftovers a week 2 1 Newsletter article

Food for Thought  We could fill 12 double decker buses EVERY DAY with the apples we throw away. Source:

Food for Thought How to rescue foods that get thrown away most often:

Food for Thought We spend approx. £12.70 weekly in Northern Ireland on takeaway food. Source: Family spending 2008 edition, Office of National Statistics

Cutting the food bills Before you shop…  Plan your meals  Decide your maximum budget  Visit  Eat first!

Cutting the food bills At the supermarket…  Out-smart supermarket psychology  Reach to the back  Take the “Downshift Challenge”* and save approx £800 a year * *

Deal or No Deal? Best to BOGOF? If it’s something you were going to buy anyway If they’re non-perishable What’s the worst deal? A) Buy 2 get 1 free B) 33% discount C) 40% extra free buy 2 get 1 free! 33% discount 40% extra free

Fast Fashion Culture £305 worth of unworn clothes in the wardrobe Each item costs an average of £21.82 Buying new clothes throughout the year: NI consumers were the worst offenders at 94% This amounts to £12,810 worth of unworn clothes over the average working life Source: Churchill Home Insurance Jan 06

Fast Fashion Culture The so-called "Primark effect", has seen an estimated two million tonnes of clothing ending up in landfill every day.

Keeping House  Shop around for your house insurance – try online comparison sites first then hit the phone  Direct Debit pays - Phoenix Supply Ltd = £22.05 a year - Firmus Energy = £20.00 a year - NIE Energy = £40.00 for monthly £26.00 for quarterly

Keeping House ActionSaving Turning off lights£ Switching off appliances £ Turning off mobile phone chargers £ Turning down central heating by one degree £ Total = £ over a lifetime Source: Daily Telegraph

Knowing your consumer rights Knowing your consumer rights can save you £ a year Source: Office of Fair Trading, Detriment Report 2008

If all else fails…! Free service from the British Bankers’ Association, the Building Societies Association and National Savings and Investments.

Look after the pennies… Total saved = £ ActionAnnual Saving Keeping hold of that ‘lost’ £33 a week £ Stop binning £8 leftovers a week £ Take away the takeaways £ Downshifting brands£ Knowing your rights£180.00