Tag Archives: cost

Do You Have Food Intolerance? Frost’s Editor Finds Out

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It is often said that we are what we eat, and like most clichés it has a ring of truth to it. I know that when I eat junk food my body does not like it. Other foods are harder to define as good or bad though. They change from individual. I have always thought I had a food intolerance and I decided to find out once and for all by taking a York Test.

I take a First Step Test. It arrives via the post and consists of a lance to piece the finger, antiseptic wipes, a cotton bud wrapped in plastic to soak up the blood and a test tube to put it into. It also comes with step-by-step instructions which are easy to follow. I pierce my finger, massage it so it bleeds more and then put the cotton swap in the test tube when I am finished. It is relatively easy, even if you have to work up that little bit of courage to pierce the finger. After I have finished I post it away immediately.

Ten days later the results come back and I have tested positive for food intolerance. I suspected as much. I would rather not have an intolerance but it is better to know. Following the first step test you can then do a Foodscan or a Food & Drink Scan. They are quite pricey but worth it if you can afford it.

The First Step Test is available for the offer price of £9.99 (usually £19.99). Following the First Step, if your result is positive you can then progress to either the FoodScan, which tests for intolerances to 113 trigger foods for £250, or the full Food & Drink Scan for £299. For a limited time, if you progress to the full Food & DrinkScan after taking the First Step, the initial test price will be discounted from the cost of your full test.

Food & DrinkScan can be purchased from www.yorktest.com or by calling free phone 0800 074 6185.

Price Comparison: Now & Then…

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We’ve all been there; as we’re doing our weekly shop, or treating ourselves to a little luxury item, we often find ourselves gasping: “How much!?”

It doesn’t take a genius to work out that life can be expensive – it seems that the prices of items we use in our everyday lives, continue to creep up each time we go to buy them.

I’m sure I’m not alone in finding that as I mutter, “How much?” at an item I regularly buy, it’s often followed by the phrase: “I remember when they used to be such-and-such price!”

Well, you’re right. Because, those lower such-and-such prices we seem to remember paying have somehow become sky high now we’re in the 21st century.

And, just to show you how expensive things have become, here’s a little run-down of how much normal everyday items cost us now, in comparison to 50 years ago, in the 1960’s:

Food & Household Groceries

Although plenty of our favourite supermarkets today claim that they offer the cheapest day-to-day products in comparison to their rivals, their prices still don’t come close to the prices that were around in the 1960’s.

Take a small pint of milk for example. In the 1960’s, one of these would have cost you a mere 3.3p. Hard to believe, isn’t it? And you thought that milk was cheap anyway, right? Well, compared to that price, milk now costs an average of 51p – which totals to a staggering rise of 1545% in the last 50 years!

Bread is also another everyday item that’s rocketed in price. Back in the day, a standard loaf of bread would have cost you 5p. Yes, that’s right…5p! With a 2000% increase, the same loaf now costs us a whole £1.

Lifestyle

Aside from the weekly food shop, a lot of us may have already noticed that other items that we purchase for our regular lifestyles, have also increased.

Starting with your very own bricks and mortar. The average price for a standard family home currently stands at a staggering £226,887. However, if you’d bought the same home 50 years ago, it would have cost you an unbelievably £2,530. That’s an amazing 8967% increase between 50 years ago and now. It’s no wonder so many people are desperately searching for the best payday loan in order to help them keep up with such payments.

A price that I always seem to notice is a little high, is stamps. Just a little first class stamp to send off your little letter, costs an unbelievable 60p today. Wouldn’t it be great if we could travel back to the days when this tiny item only cost you 1.2p?

Entertainment has risen significantly too: One cinema ticket would have cost you 60p 50 years ago, whereas today one costs an average of £8.00.

If you’re an avid Manchester United Fan, you also won’t be pleased to hear that the price of your beloved season ticket has risen a staggering 6258% in the same amount of years. what now costs you around £532 to see Alex Ferguson’s team play, would have cost you only £8.50.

A pack of 20 cigarettes used to cost 25p, and at an average of £6.57 today, that really is a saving that you could do with today!

A pint of beer has been on the up too. What would have cost you 5p for a standard pint has now risen 1545% to £3.00. So, you’ve popped to the pub for that after-work-Friday-night drink and now you’re off to the chippie to get the Friday night fish and chips. Well, if you’d done that 50 years ago, a regular portion would have cost you 6p – extremely cheap compared to the price of £3.30 today!

Cars

We all know cars are money drainers. From buying the car, they then need their MOT’s, their servicing, their tax and the petrol to run them. A little mini that’d set you back around £12,000 today, would have only cost you an average £470 back in the 1960’s!

And to run it? Well, with a litre of petrol now costing £1.30, that’s seen a staggering rise of 3939% in comparison to 50 years ago, where the same volume would have cost you only 3.3p.

However, it has to be said that although we’ve seen an incredible rise in everyday items since the 1960’s, the average income per annum has also risen dramatically. With an average increase of 2679% from £948 a year back then, to around £25k today, which would you prefer?

Found! The most tight-fisted male daters in the UK

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Frost exposes the most tight-fisted male daters in the UK

Male daters from Bolton are less willing to splash the cash in the search for love, according to FlirtFinder

Mobile dating service FlirtFinder.mobi, has revealed that Bolton boys are the most stingy when it comes to romance. According to the results, they are only happy to pay to respond to one in four messages implying that they would rather keep their wallets tightly sealed.

Based on the 1.2 million conversations that have been initiated by the female members of FlirtFinder, the results revealed that the lads of Llandridnod in Wales reply to over half of the messages that they receive from women, suggesting that they are happy to invest a few pennies in the search for their perfect partner.

 

Tightest daters in UK Most generous daters in UK
1)    Bolton 1)    Llandrindod Wells
2)    Ilford 2)    Telford
3)    Torquay 3)    Halifax
4)    Twickenham 4)    Carisle
5)    Sutton 5)    Dumfries
6)    Harrow 6)    Inverness
7)    Truro 7)    Worcester
8)    Huddersfield 8)    Gloucester
9)    Durham 9)    Taunton
10) Portsmouth 10) Reading

 

Justin Battell, managing director of FlirtFinder says, “When we looked at the differences in how our members use FlirtFinder, we found the areas where the men are most receptive bears no relationship to how affluent that region is.”

“There also doesn’t appear to be any evidence of a north and south divide, or any truth in commonly cited regional stereotypes, as the tightest and most generous areas include towns from all over the UK.”

The results are based on the probability of male members buying a message credit and replying to a woman who has contacted them directly.

FlirtFinder is a pay as you go mobile dating service where members buy credits only when they need them, rather than charging a recurring monthly subscription fee.

For more information on FlirtFinder, or to become a member, please visit: http://www.flirtfinder.mobi/

Bring Down The Cost of Motoring

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Saving money on fuel is a priority according to research by Mobil 1

  • Cash strapped Brits look to save money on motoring but actually lose out where it matters most: in the engine
  • Research marks launch of Mobil 1 ESP 0W-30, a fully synthetic car engine oil approved for use by BMW and Mercedes-Benz
  • Drivers understand engine oil helps their vehicle but do not know it can help them save money on driving costs
  • New Mobil 1 ESP 0W-30 is designed specifically with potential fuel savings and efficiency in mind

 

LONDON,  2012 – Checking oil ranked highest in the activities we’re willing to do on our own, over and above a number of everyday activities. New research commissioned by Mobil 1 has found that more Brits are confident checking the oil in their car than making beans on toast.

 

This research comes as Mobil 1 launch its latest synthetic car engine oil, Mobil 1 ESP 0W-30, with BMW and Mercedes-Benz approval. The research also shows that Brits are increasingly looking to cut motoring costs as the economic climate gets tougher, with over a fifth of drivers cutting their mileage by as much as 2,500 miles each in 2011.

 

However, it also seems that drivers are missing out on other easy cost-cutting measures, unaware that basic actions such as keeping engine oil topped up can reduce overall motoring costs, as only 6% of respondents recognised that using the correct engine oil prolongs the life of an engine.

 

“It is great to see that as a nation we are confident with checking car oil and we are surprised to see it beat so many everyday activities in terms of consumer confidence” said Dan McGoldrick, Field Marketing Advisor UK, Nordic and Benelux for ExxonMobil Lubricants & Specialities, makers of Mobil 1. “Checking oil, especially in winter months, is essential to keep cars running smoothly, avoiding wear-and-tear and making sure your car runs as efficiently as possible – potentially saving you money on fuel and ensuring your motor is as confident on the road as you are in looking after it.”

Developed using the latest synthetic lubricant technology, Mobil 1 ESP 0W-30 has the potential to improve fuel economy whilst optimising engine protection. Expertly engineered to help prolong the life and maintain the efficiency of emission systems in both diesel and petrol powered vehicles, it has gained approval from Mercedes-Benz1 and BMW2 for a range of models.

 

 

Mobil 1 top tips for saving money and keeping your motor in peak condition:

 

  • Choose the right oil for your car.
    • Using the correct engine oil can potentially improve fuel efficiency, provide valuable engine protection, and reduce wear and tear.
    • Mobil 1’s online “Which Oil” product selector – found at www.mobil.co.uk – helps drivers find the correct engine oil to optimise their vehicle’s performance.
    • Simply insert the vehicle registration number and ‘Which Oil’ identifies the most appropriate engine oil.

 

  • Talk to your service representative about the “health” of your engine and the motor oil they use during maintenance checks.
    • Service representatives are your vehicle’s “doctor”, so don’t be afraid to ask questions about the benefits of different oils and how to keep an engine running smoothly.

 

  • Keep a 1 litre container of engine oil in the boot
    • Maintaining the proper level of engine oil and lubricant is essential to the protection and efficiency of a vehicle.
    • A one litre container of oil is a cost effective way of maintaining an engine between regular maintenance checks.