It’s a common fact that many people over spend at Christmas time. It seems that there is a lot of let’s keep up with the Jones at the Holiday times.

The shock that comes in January with the credit card bills can be staggering. It seems that companies want to suck you in and just buy buy buy. I mean after all what do they care? They aren’t paying your credit card bill.

Savebuckets.co.uk is a company that helps you save some money on the things that you are wanting to get for Christmas. Their press release (see below) shows that they are aware of this growing debt problem, and want to help you save money this season.

Take a look around Savebuckets.co.uk and see what you think. Just remember make it from the heart and it will be a gift well and truly appreciated.

GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST HAUNTS INDEBTED BRITS

- New price saving site launches to save Brits up to 20% this Christmas -

As the nation approaches the final countdown to Christmas, new research rings alarm bells over the financial impact of Christmas in credit crunch Britain. The research from the new money saving website Savebuckets.com reveals that as Brits prepare for Christmas, many are still paying off last year’s festive spending.

With 41 per cent of Britons paying for Christmas on credit last year, almost one in five are still paying for last year’s festivities (17%), fewer than one in three having cleared their Christmas debts when their January credit card bill arrived (29%).

Following a year of consumer confidence in 2006, Christmas spending soared 52 per cent in two years (from an average £548 per adult in 2004* to £837 per adult in 2006), with over one in five Brits spending over £1,000 on Christmas last year (22%). This year, with spending power at its lowest level for 10 years**, consumers are feeling the financial hangover from a more confident Christmas enjoyed on the credit card and loans.

Alarmingly, it is cash strapped youngsters and low income earners who, having spent the most on last Christmas, are most likely to be feeling the repercussions of last year’s spending spree (see figures below).

The research into the financial impacts of last Christmas amongst a GB representative sample of 2,000 British adults was carried out by the new money savings website Savebuckets.com which launches this week to enable Brits to get more for their money this Christmas.

With these alarming figures in mind, Savebuckets.com will give shoppers the opportunity to save up to 20% on their Christmas shopping. Putting consumers back in control of their spending, the site searches over 700 retailers for the best price on around one million products. The site includes a unique price checker which allows consumers to set the price they want to pay for items, notifying them when the price of a product falls to within their budget.

Lately I have been researching and writing a lot about different healthful diets. Now I know you are saying to yourself, where are these wonderful little jems? Well they would be either A) in front of my instructor for my holistic health class or B) an article for a client that will appear where ever they pick for it to appear.

But this is a subject very near and dear to my heart. No I am not a tree hugger, but I do firmly beleive that we need to pay closer attention to green. We are also what we eat. Beleive it or not!

One such diet that intriques me is the macrobiotic diet.

Macrobiotic basically means long life in Greek. This diet is based upon eating grains as a main source of dietary nutrition and supplementing with other nutritious foods such as vegetables, beans, fermented soy, nuts, seaweed, fish, and fruits. The macrobiotic diet discourages refined sugars and processed foods, encouraging instead unprocessed or “whole” foods. Macrobiotic eaters also strive to eat the freshest foods they can find and for this reason they also choose to eat local foods that are grown close to their homes. For this reason they also eat very seasonally.

This diet also emphasizes the need for balance with some foods being labeled either yin or yang. No foods are forbidden as long as the proper balance is maintained. Yin foods would include refined sugars, alcohol, coffee, and dairy. Yang foods are most commonly meat products, eggs, and fish. Whole grains, vegetables, beans, nuts, seaweed and the like are all balancing foods.

While I am unsure as to the yin and yang theroy I would really like to look into this. I can not commit to a vegetarian diet. Sorry guys I am a meat and potato type girl. And a lot of green diets exclude coffee (gasp! How can this be?)

One diet that is really emphasized in class is the raw food diets. I get the premisses for this.

The living foods or raw foods diet generally includes vegetarian/vegan foods but goes a step beyond and also eliminates cooked and processed foods. Raw diet enthusiasts believe that living foods have life giving enzymes that are destroyed during processing and cooking, rendering those foods toxic. They feel it is best to eat them raw. Their diet consists mainly of uncooked and unprocessed grains, vegetables, nuts, sprouts, fresh and dried fruits, seeds, beans, and seaweed. Raw diets also usually include a lot fresh juices and water.

Those who follow raw foods diets believe that this way of eating reduces risk for heart disease, cancer, and diabetes and greatly improves their energy levels, skin appearance, digestive processes, and weight loss efforts.

The point here is take a look at all the diets. While the macrobiotic one sounds very intrique to me, and the raw food is indeed very healthy, I have to tell you the inner me is screaming, “I don’t like my steak rare!” The trained nutrionist in me is saying, “You eat way to much red meat and processed food as is.”

Find your balance. No one out there is saying you have to do one or the other. A combination of one or all is good for you. Excess is what is bad. Refined sugar and caffeine is bad for you. I am the first to admit that, but in moderation you can enjoy these.

Moderation and coffee, I don’t believe I typed those two words in the same paragraph. I must be nuts??? Oh yeah and those are good for you too!

No I am not talking about Thanksgiving, but that unofficial holiday the day after. You know, Black Friday.

Black-friday.net has some great offers, for those of us who would rater shop virtually than be pushed and shoved around at the brick and mortar store at some early morning shopping adventure.

What I really like about this is that even though the specials for a lot of stores have not been posted yet, like my favorite Old Navy, you can sign up for email alerts. What does this mean? It means that when you sign up for the Old Navy email alert and their specials are posted, you get an email telling you so! How cool is that?  Think about it!

On the other hand Walmart does have some of their specials listed.  They have a laptop for under $400 and a desktop for $200!  That could really come in hand for a child in this house. I have to many kids, too much school work and often times run short of computers for them to do their lessons on! And oldest child needs a new one for college next year. Putting that in the maybe folder!

Enjoy, look around, see what you can find. And be sure to sign up for those alerts. You all know I love shopping online!