Last week before Christmas!

This weekend the kids and I had lots of fun making our own Christmas cards. I got them to choose their favourite photos of our adventures throughout the year and we used them to make our cards.
This was a great activity we could all do together and the family love receiving these personalised cards every year!

With that in mind I remembered an article I had seen in The Guardian, by Jill Papworth that offered some tips for the Christmas period for being a bit more frugal.

Here are my favourites:

Toys
Many of the collectable toys that kids crave like Lego, Sylvanian Families and Playmobil, for example – cost a lot to buy new. So think second-hand. The easy, though not necessarily cheapest option is to hit ebay.co.uk. Charity shops and second-hand toy stalls at school and church bazaars are also worth a look.

The best lights and decorations
Use nature’s bounty to decorate your home. Take the family on a foraging walk in your nearest forest, park or riverbank and see what you can pick up for free. Fallen branches, logs, pine cones, ivy, holly, pebbles and seed heads can be used alone or combined with cheap spray snow, glitter and paints plus ribbons and low-cost strings of lights to make effective decorative displays.

Wrapping paper
Borrow the tips of The Guardian’s consumer affairs correspondent Rebecca Smithers who each day collects and keeps the Guardian’s centre photo spread to use as Christmas wrapping combined with bits of coloured string, ribbons and beads she also squirrels away throughout the year. Straight newsprint or plain brown paper can also be dressed up as effective gift-wrap.

Money Saving Tips

Buy fill-your-own cracker kits from the Oxfam Ethical Collection, available in stores and online at oxfam.org.uk and you’ll also be contributing towards the charity’s work. The kit has six cases, snaps, hats and jokes ready for you to add a small gift. Or go really retro and help the kids start from scratch with loo rolls, paper and crayons. Write your own jokes, make your own paper hats and shout, “Bang!” when you pull them.

Keeping warm this winter

Brrr we have had a really chilly snap this week. I’ve had a search on the web for tips on how to stay warm without it costing you a fortune and cutting those CO2 emissions at the same time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are my top 5 tips:
1. Get the temperature right
If you turn your thermostat down by just one degree, you could save 6% on your heating bills which is a total of around £30 a year. You probably won’t feel the difference that this makes in your home, but if you do find that you’re cold, rather than turning the gas up, simply set your boiler to come on a little earlier, that way you won’t be cold while you wait for the house to heat up.
2. Get the Layers right
Pretty obvious eh? But many people don’t realise the best way to keep warm is by wearing lots of thin layers of clothing rather than thick ones. Those fluffy Christmas slippers that your Auntie bought last year are a great way of keeping your tootsies warm!
3. Turn it right off
Some people choose to leave their heating off as much as possible simply because they can’t afford the cost to heat their home. It’s vital to heat your home properly, especially if you live with older people or small children as they are more vulnerable to illnesses caused by the cold. One of the best ways to save without suffering in the cold is to switch your supplier – it can save you as much as £200.
4. Insulate your home
You don’t need to double glaze your windows or spend hundreds of pounds having your cavity walls filled to make your house warmer – although it does help. Hanging thick curtains on the front and back doors, using cheap draught exclusion strips on windows and brushes on the bottom of doors keeps cold air out and warm air in. This way your boiler won’t have to work as hard to keep you warm, and you won’t have to work as hard to pay for all that gas you’re burning.
5. Check your boiler
If your boiler is more than 10 years old it might need replacing. By law, all new boilers fitted in the UK have to be energy-saving condensing boilers. These A-grade boilers are extremely efficient – using as much as 96% of their fuel – and can cut your heating bills by up to 40% a year, which can be as much as £200. This is definitely a good investment which can reduce your heating bills by improving the insulation of your home.

Money saving tip
The Energy Saving Trust Advice Centre gives free advice on energy efficiency and advice on how to claim improvement grants. It also offers free “do it yourself” home energy checks to help cut your fuel bills. Call 0800 512012. Lines are open from 8.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.

National Tree Week

Hi all

As you know this week is National Tree Week, so I managed to escape from behind my PC to do a training session out in the woods. Some colleagues and myself went to a splendid outdoor education centre at Belhus Park, near our Lakeside store.

Belhus Park has fantastic walks and a huge forest to explore with some new woodland created by the Woodland Trust – our partner in the foot of forest campaign. It has a nice café too. If you are passing make sure you drop in and say hello http://www.visitparks.co.uk/placestovisit/belhuscountrypark.php

The trip was part of a development programme some of our stores are running to develop our managers. They have to cover various areas of the IKEA business and on Wednesday they had sustainability with me.

I covered off much of our Global and UK strategies, especially our work on forestry. You can have a look yourself and see what I talked about at http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB/the_ikea_story/people_and_the_environment/index.html )

After all the talking Woodland Trust gave team building tasks for everyone. As wood is 50% of our range, it’s important for our teams to have some knowledge about our raw materials. One of their tasks was to make a new IKEA product out of natural materials; Watch out for the new product range coming soon… 😉

We also had some fun of course. Tea and marshmallows by an open fire really taste good!!

There are loads of things to do in the woods even in winter. If you visit the Woodland Trust at http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/en/learning-kids/Pages/children.aspx you’ll find lots of downloadable materials that will help even a novice find fun in the forest.

Money Saving Tip:
A trip to the cinema will cost a family of four over £20. An adventure in the woods is the cost of a local bus fare, a picnic and a flask of hot tea!

If you go down to the woods today…

You will all be excited to know its nearly tree planting season as National Tree Week begins 22 November.

We have been working with the Woodland Trust for over three years with our Foot of Forest campaign. Every time an IKEA family member swipes their card at the checkout we will help the Woodland Trust create a square foot of new woodland in the UK. So far we have created over a million square feet of woodland – enough to cover the new Olympic village in London!

There are outdoor events going on all over the country during tree week. My colleagues and their families from the London area will be at Heartwood forest near St Alban’s in Hertfordshire during the week. They have a goal of planting 600,000 trees there over the next few years. That means that during the winter planting season (November to March) these volunteers will need to plant at least 100,000 trees!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I’ll be there with the kids on Saturday 11 December, and I have heard there will be a surprise visit from Santa and a woodland nature trail for the kids (and you) to enjoy too!

See you in the woods!

Money Saving Tip
Visit the Woodland Trust website to find out more details about the events happening in your area for a great day out with the family that won’t cost you a penny!

http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/en/Pages/default.aspx

Or for those in Ireland, visit The Tree Council website: http://www.treecouncil.ie/

Remember, remember the 5th of November!

Top Tips for an Eco Friendly Bonfire Night

With bonfire night just around the corner, many of you will be planning a firework party.

Having a fun yet safe night is an important factor but how about we also have a think about the impact our celebrations may have on the environment?

Here are some of my top tips on how to host an eco bonfire party that will still go off like a rocket!

Bright Bonfires
– Bonfires can cause environmental damage as they release gases and toxins in the smoke. Burn only clean, dry garden waste like untreated wood and branches as this minimises the amount of smoke produced. You can also use small amounts of leaves, card and paper for starting the fire.

– Don’t burn plastics, oils, rubbish, cans or aerosols, tyres, cannisters or anything containing foam or paint as they produce toxic fumes which can explode.

– Keep an eye out for hedgehogs as they may think your bonfire is a great place to call home. Always double check that no small mammals are inside before lighting it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Party Treats
– Keep your guests happy with some tasty autumnal treats, remember to make sure you buy local and organic produce to ensure the best taste! To find great local food near you visit www.freerangereview.com

– Try to use re-usable plates and eating utensils, disposable ones are costly and will end up in a landfill.

Fantastic Fireworks

– Remember to always use fireworks safely by following the manufacturers’ instructions carefully, keep a safe space between the fire/fireworks and those watching.

– Fireworks can be frightening to pets and animals so keep them indoors during the weekend of the 5^th of November. Warn your neighbours if you are hosting the party so they keep their pets indoors too.

Money Saving Tips

Holding your own bonfire party can be pretty expensive as the amount of fireworks needed to really wow your crowd could end up costing you a packet. Why not attend a public display instead? You and your friends can see a great, safe display that wont break the bank and you will be helping to reduce pollution too!

Insulation for your home

Did you know that it is Energy Saving Week this week? With the winter nearly upon us, a friend of mine Jo, is getting her loft insulated. It is costing £90 and she has been given a grant to have it installed.

When you think that a home loses a quarter of it’s heat through the roof, investing in 270mm of thick loft insulation can save you around £145 a year. Jo will save the £90 she invested in less than eight months.

 

 

 

 

 

I had a look at the energy saving trust website (it’s one of my favourites, surprise, surprise!) and I thought I’d share a few of their tips with you.

Cheap and easy draught proofing

Draughts in the home can contribute up to 20% of the heat lost in your home. Insulating is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to save heat and shave around £60 a year off your energy bills.

All you need to do is check for draughts. You will know if you have if your heating is on but you still feel that cold!

Draughts tend to come in through gaps around windows, doors and pipes. You can easily plug any gaps around doors and windows with a sealant, silicon gels or self-adhesive strips.

Floor insulation

Blocking the gaps around the edges of the ground floor or in between your floorboards can save you around £20 a year. Use a DIY sealant, strips of insulation or newspaper between the floorboard gaps.

You just need to remember to avoid blocking necessary ventilation, like tricky vents on windows or vents near boilers and fires.

 

Money saving tip

Why don’t you check out the Energy Saving Trust website for even more tips on how to save yourself money this winter! Visit http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/

Home-made tips!

Autumn is well and truly here and I have had my first food supplies from my mum, home made blackberry jam and tomato chutney, yummy!

In the past mums’ were taught by their elders to do all of those domesticated chores and in less than a generation we have lost a lot of those skills because of convenient solutions from supermarkets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, at IKEA we’ve noticed internally a real move towards home baking which is great to see. This made me think about what else I could start making myself and I discovered this site: http://www.makingyourown.co.uk/

 

This site teaches you how you can make every thing from cosmetics to greeting cards, bread dough to fabric conditioner. I was amazed at how simple it was to make my own fabric conditioner! All you need is to put a cup of baking soda into the machine instead of your usual fabric conditioner when using the rinse cycle. People with sensitive skin will benefit, as the baking soda is more gentle on your skin and you will save yourself money too!

These recipes not only cut out many of the unnecessary chemicals in we use in conditioners and detergents, but when used in conjunction with an energy efficient appliance, makes for a more ecologically sound alternative.

Money saving tip
Get creative and save a fortune by making your own gifts, wrapping paper, bags, jewellery and christmas decorations. You’ll find some lovely ideas the hobbies and craft section following this link: http://www.makingyourown.co.uk/HobbiesAndCraftCategory.html

 

Putting energy saving into practise

This week I want to share with you a story about saving the environment and saving money at the same time! Tim Farlam is one of my colleagues, he works in our property department so he knows his onions when it comes to buildings and construction and he is turning saving energy dreams into a cost saving reality.

He is currently renovating and improving his house and looked into different eco-energy saving measures that would let him do his bit for the planet and save some pennies too!

Tim installed solar panels that collect the sun’s rays and turn them into electricity. Some of which he uses to power his home and some of which gets exported back into the grid. The installation cost just over £10,000 for 12 panels. This does sound a lot, but the government pays him 41.3 pence for each unit of electricity produced and 3 pence for each unit he doesn’t use himself which allows him reduce his bills as well.

Tim has worked out that he should be getting a return on his money of around £800 tax free for 25 years (which is how long the panels will last) in total this is £20,000, which is double his initial investment. Good for his wallet whilst doing his bit for the planet – how cool is that!

Money Saving Tip

You can check out what grants are available and see what the payback could be if you install your own energy-efficient appliances by visiting the energy saving trust website. The ‘Generate your own energy’ webpage includes a really useful payback calculator.

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generate-your-own-energy

What’s so good about furniture recycling?!

Did you know…10 million pieces of furniture are thrown away in the UK every year? 3 million of these items could be easily re-used and more could be repaired. What a waste!

Re-using an item of furniture saves the energy associated with manufacturing a new one, which has an enormous, positive impact on reducing CO2 emissions.

IKEA is currently at over 80% recycling in its own operations. This has taken over ten years’ hard work with local recycling organisations.
And now so many of our customers are asking us how they can recycle their own home furnishings. So, via the IKEA website, we put our customers in touch with the Furniture Recycling Network – a national body which supports and develops charitable re-use organisations across the UK. Through this network, you can give a loved piece of furniture a second home whilst also reducing your impact on the environment.

Remember also, there are four million children in the UK living in households that can’t afford to replace worn out or broken furniture.* This means there are a lot of people who would love whatever you might be about to throw out.

For more information about furniture recycling, check out the link on our website: http://www.frn.org.uk/ikea.asp

*Source: DWP March 2007

Money saving Tip

It can often be difficult to get rid of that old piece of home furnishings and local authorities will charge to collect. Can you give it way to a friend or relative? If you can’t, have a look at your local charities on the Furnishing Recycling Network site. They will probably take your furniture away for a lower charge and give it a new loving owner!

Return and earn!

I get all sorts of eco news clippings and notes left on my desk by my colleagues. One that caught my eye this week was about the government looking to introduce a drinks container deposit refund scheme which would help to reduce litter and drive down the cost of waste disposal. This reminds me of when I was little when you would get 5p if you returned used pop bottles. It was a great way to supplement my pocket money and a good way to avoid them going to a landfill which is a waste of resources and expensive!

Research has shown that a deposit refund scheme would require little initial investment and the running costs would largely be met by the revenue it generates, so under the scheme, each glass bottle, plastic bottle and can would be subjected to a small deposit, which would be determined by its size. For example, for bottles and cans under 500ml a charge of 15p would apply, bigger containers would have a 30p deposit. Consumers could then get this deposit back if they return the containers to a collection point or to the retailer.

In Europe, they have already trialed the scheme and seen a 90 percent return rate. If this was replicated in the UK, about £491 million would be raised through unclaimed deposits. It is also estimated that the scheme could deliver net savings of £1.2 billion to the environment.

Money Saving Tip

Try looking for shops that offer refills on products. A health food shop in my area offers refills on washing up liquid and washing liquids. You save money (you already have paid for the packaging) and the product is often eco friendly too.