In the last few years particularly, I have found myself easily spending €50 to €70 per week on my daily lunch. If you eat your lunch out every day, you might not realise just how much it is costing you. A soup, sandwich and a drink doesn’t give much change from €10! I very much doubt I would spend that same amount if I pepared these lunches at home!

If you take this saving and calculate what you could put away over a 5 year period, it equates to quite a tidy sum!! Perhaps the Take your Lunch to Work campaign can take over from the heady days of SSIA schemes!!

I admit, taking your homemade lunch takes a little bit more organisation, but once you get in to the habit of it, it′s both financially rewarding and generally much tastier and satisfying!! My first tip is to invest in some good reusable containers and perhaps a flask if you fancy a hot drink – this also makes sure you′re cutting down on waste – so it′s a double whammy!!!

I already hear some of you groan at the memory of the soggy tomato sanger at the school lunch break!! But fear not, there is so much more choice there now!! Fill you lunch box with some fresh cut bread and a slice of parma and brie, and you have an epicurean feast to compare with the best deli in town!! I personally love to make a bowl of pasta twirls every few days, keep them in the fridge and use them to make a different pasta salad each day (you can′t beat tuna, sweetcorn & a good dollop of low fat mayo!).

Also don′t forget leftovers, this is definitely the easiest way to organise your take to work lunch. This is the easiest way to make your lunch: just make extra dinner the night before. Nearly every office has a microwave oven and you will be happy to have a bowl of last night’s beef stew, which will probably taste even better than it did right from the oven. Other leftovers don’t even need to be re-heated, such as poached salmon or a piece of cold chicken. By planning ahead you can steam some extra broccoli, saute an extra chicken breast, add another sweet potato to the oven, or boil some eggs while dinner is on the stove.

Two other suggestions that I think important, if you want this to work for you – firstly, just because you bring your own lunch doesn’t mean you shouldn’t really enjoy what you’re eating. Prepare and eat meals that you will look forward to eating and you won’t feel hard-done by nor be tempted to toss your homemade food in exchange for a slice of pizza.

Finally, even if you don’t have to leave the office to buy your lunch, give yourself a break. Take your lunch, and a friend, with you to a park bench, or do a quick visit to a nearby museum, browse in a bookstore, or just walk around the town. We need our lunch breaks not only to refuel our bodies but also our minds! So come on, join me Save money, Eat Better and Get Greener!!!

No, GreenMe are not advocating a slovenly lifestyle, just encouraging you to take it outside!! Cancelling your gym membership will not only save you money, it will also lower your carbon footprint!!

Typically gyms are stocked to the brim with bikes, rowing machines, treadmills, stair climbers, TVs and much more plugged in equipment! Not to mention the air conditioning for your comfort! On top of that, you will have piping showers, saunas, steam rooms and jacuzzis all guzzling copious amounts of water and energy.

I know it sounds harsh, and the warmth and luxury of the gym does seem an inviting alternative to the winter elements, but believe me, the great outdoors can open up a whole new world if you let it!

Having ditched the gym myself over a year ago, I can honestly say that I would never go back. I’m not sure if I’m imagining it but I feel fitter from my outdoor pursuits that I ever did pounding the treadmill! Not only that, getting out and about is much more sociable!

So whether you join the running club, jump on your bike, tackle your local tag rugby team or grab the dog for a vigorous walk in the park, you can be happy that your health and fitness in not contributing to the gym industry’s woeful carbon emissions!

Caulk it

This winter I have found that my house seems to be leaking. By that I mean that I have noticed little drafts in certain rooms that I never noticed before.  Small spaces and gaps around windows and pipes and wires entering the home create create energy wasting drafts that can cut the efficiency of your heating system. Most caulking products are cheap costing under €10. It’s a no brainer for a cosier home and your saving on your home heating bill too!

Hypermiling is the newest craze to take American drivers by storm. And now we’re getting in on the act too.  Hypermiling is a method of increasing your car’s mileage by making skillful changes to the way you drive.  In turn you save fuel and the environment at the same time.  Let’s face it the money saving aspect alone makes it worth giving a try!

So what do you need to do?  Well the following is an excerpt from a great article on Hypermiling.

• Keep your foot off the accelerator except when absolutely necessary. When you come to a stop, coast a little before you stop.

• Drive at the speed limit or slightly below. I go 10 miles an hour below the posted speed limit many times, but I must warn you: this causes hypertension in many other non-hypermilers  who are likely to hyperventilate and run your hypermiling off the road.

• Use the cruise control whenever possible. This will not only save fuel, but it may also save you some pesky penalty points and the court fine!

• Coast and drive without brakes as much as possible (“dwb” in hypermiling lingo) I don’t mean rear-end someone who has their brake lights on.  But accelerating from zero to 20, then back to zero, is inefficient. Instead, maintain a steady speed. If the car in front of you is speeding up, let it get ahead of you, and when traffic starts to slow back down you’ll catch up. Besides,  it’s always fun — when you both get to the next set of lights at exactly the same time  (apparently a ’smirkjerk’ is in order at this stage – that is when you look over and smirk at the non-hypermiler hyperjerk – optional).

• Check the tyre pressure. Even slightly flat tires require much more energy and threfore fuel to move.

• Change the oil regularly. The thicker the oil, the harder it is to push through the engine.

So what are you waiting for – get hypermiling this weekend and let us know how you get on.

via: kpcnews.com

It never fails to amaze me that no matter how good my intentions, I still spend the last 4 weekends in the lead up to Christmas on the batter.  Whether it′s work related, partner related or family and friend related there always seem to be a plethora of dinners, parties or shindigs to attend.

Don′t get me wrong, I enjoy every one of them but it′s never long before the body starts to rebel.  Tiredness, weight gain and headaches are just nature’s way of telling you to take it easy.

Getting over a hard night is never easy; I always crave sweet foods that are high in sugar, such as chocolate, cakes, biscuits, and fizzy drinks!  But I′m sorry to say that with several Christmas′s and many hard nights under my belt, I now accept that the stodge route is better avoided if at all possible!! After the initial rush, your sugar levels will drop. And, as they fall, so will your energy levels. As a result, you may find it more difficult to concentrate or you may feel irritable and tired. Likewise, drinking too much caffeine, found in tea, coffee, and cola drinks, can leave you feeling anxious, and restless.

Eating good natural food, with no preservatives or additives is the best kept secret when it comes to the most effective hangover cure!! Also remember to eat at regular intervals and no matter how ropey you feel never skip breakfast – I promise this won′t let you down!!

And what about your skin, there′s no doubt the ol′ complexion takes a real battering during the party season.  There′s nothing better than a gorgeios, gunky facemask to recover from the big night out!  Here′s the perfect recipe I got from a book I bought last year and I now refer to as my Bible!!  I promise it will make you glow!!

First prepare a sage infusion.  For this you′ll need a small handful of sage leaves infused in a pint of boiling water.
Leave to cool.
Beat one egg white.
Apply to face with sponge.
Allow to dry and repeat.
When thoroughly dry, ppply a beaten yoke.
L ie and rest for at LEAST half an hour.
Rinse with warm water.
Pat on sage leaf infusion.

Tonight I kick off my 1st Christmas Office party, so I′m off the shop to stock up on my essential recovery kit.  I wonder will I be as good at practicing what I preach??