This article suggests that increases in food prices are leading to people buying less food. According to the article food prices rose by 1% between June and July this year, the biggest increase in recent months. With other household bills also rising and salary increases failing to keep up, it seems many people are simply having to buy less food. I have certainly noticed my shopping bill going up despite the fact that I only buy basic items. I have been purchasing cheaper cuts of meat to try and cut costs. I am also more concerned about food waste and try to make sure that everything is used even if it means making it into cat food. I have also been splitting food, particularly meat down into smaller portions and growing more fruit and vegetables to supplement our diet. All of these things mean that the food budget does stretch but it doesn’t get away from the fact that I am paying a lot more each month for our basic household shop.

This is interesting its a drive through supermarket that has recently been opened by Tesco. Called Click and Collect customers can order their shopping online and then drive to the collection point to pick it up. It is designed for customers who do not have time to wait in for an internet delivery. The store at Baldock in Hertfordshire is a pilot which if successful will be rolled out across the country.

If this article is to be believed pubs are now making more money from food than from drink. It seems customers are increasingly turning away from traditional local pubs in favour of gastropubs. Rising beer prices and more sophisticated pub menus appear to be behind the change. The average landlord now relies on food for 52% of their turnover. The figures come from the trade newspaper The Publican and make sobering reading for the traditional local pub which is increasingly under threat.

According to this article more and more people are taking out payday loans in order to help pay the bills. The loans are so called because they offer a short term loan designed to help get you through until you get paid. Whilst taking the loans out is often and easy process and the money is usually available very quickly it seems paying them back is not always so simple. The article highlights the fact that payday loans often have massive rates of interest attached to them with some charging rates out to 2,000%. According to Customer Focus employees borrowed £1.2 billion in 2009 alone. Rates of interest on the loans tend to range from 13 to 18% but some are as high 30% generating an SPR of as much as 1,000 to 2000%. This can mean the initial loan can quickly get out of control and be hard to pay back particularly on a modest income. Customer Focus has called for greater safeguards to protect customers.

Twix have recently launched a lighter version of their chocolate bar. The new bar which is called Twix Fino has lost its crunchy biscuit base instead containing a wafer. As a result it contains  48 less calories having only 94 compared to 142 calories in a standard bar. It is aimed mainly at women who want to enjoy chocolate but might be worried about the calorie content. It seems to be part of a growing trend with Galaxy and Mars also selling lighter alternatives.

Sainsbury’s are launching new eco friendly milk bags and jugs as an alternative to plastic bottles. The move comes as they try to reduce the carbon footprint of milk consumption. They have partnered with Dairy Crest to launch the products which should soon be on sale. They will start by stocking a whole milk bag which will be followed by semi skimmed and skimmed milk bags next year. The new product contains 75% less plastic than the plastic bottles and they take up less space when disposed of. The product is also 6p cheaper to buy. There have been reports that some customers have found them difficult to use and have experienced leaks and spills but it will be interesting to see if people switch from plastic bottles. Tesco are also planning to launch a similar product in their stores.

According to this article people are increasingly moving away from the humble biscuit onto more premium alternatives. It seems the rich tea, custard cream and digestive biscuit don’t quite hit the spot anymore when it comes to choosing a biscuit. Figures from market research company Nielsen have shown that people are instead buying more indulgent biscuits such as cookies and extra thick shortbreads. Sales of basic biscuits have fallen by 4.5% of the last year whilst sales of gourmet biscuits have increased by 20% in the same period. It is previously popular biscuits such as nice, jammie dodgers and custard creams that appear to be suffering as people demand better quality more premium biscuits.

The wedding firm Confetti has become one of the latest British companies to go into administration. The company was one of the leading wedding planning and supplies businesses. It will shut all five of its shops and make 48 of its 94 redundant. The move leaves thousands of couples wondering whether they will get goods and services they have already paid for. A spokesman for Confetti has said that they will aim to order the 1,100 outstanding orders and that its insurance partner Acumus will honour 3,000 outstanding wedding and honeymoons policies.

According to this article petrol prices are set to top £6 a gallon by the bank holiday weekend at the end of the month. Prices are currently up 14p a litre on last year the equivalent of around £7a tank. It is claimed, however, that the average price will rise 3.5p a litre before the end of the month making the average price £125.9p. The prices are being driven up by an increase in crude oil prices. In addition to this the government is likely to increase fuel duty and VAT will also be going up to 20% in the new year. The combination of all these factors makes for some alarming increases for the average motorist at the petrol pumps and it is likely we will see further record rises in the coming months.

This is interesting its a drinks container that you can eat when you have finished your drink. Made of seaweed extract agar the Jelloware containers come in flavours like lemon basil, ginger mint and rosemary beet. When you have finished your drink you can either eat them or alternatively they can be thrown onto the garden as the sugar galactose they are made of can be used to nourish plants. It should save a lot of washing up after a party.