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Kokoru

Located on Liffey St, opposite the entrance to the Epicurean Food Hall, Kokoro allows customer to pick and choose their favourite sushi pieces and easily walk out with change from a tenner. It’s primarily a take-out spot, with only 3 spaces to sit which are quickly gobbled up on wet days. Their hot food options of Yaki Soba, curries, and teriyaki dishes are €6 a pop and offer good value. The portions are generous and the food is fresh and wholesome.

Yamamouri

Yamamouri on Ormond Quay or George’s Street has a great selection of sushi and hot dishes. Most lunch mains are about €10 and the portions are very generous. Their lunch bento boxes are particularly delicious. If you’re not familiar with Japanese food, bento boxes are compartmentalised serving dishes with a range of hot and cold foods, usually accompanied by Miso soup and rice. Yamamouri often offer a lunch Bento box for €10 which is fantastic value for a nutritious and substantial meal. The trick to eating in Yamamouri is to get there early. The lunch dishes are almost all the same as the dinner ones but typically about 40% cheaper than eating later in the day.

YO!Sushi

YO!Sushi offers a unique selling style. With restaurants in both the Dundrum Town Centre and on Clarendon Street, patrons pick and choose their food from the conveyor belt or order directly from a waiter. Dishes are colour coded according to price, so you can easily keep track of spending. You pay on the way out, by counting your empty dishes. YO! offers over 90 dishes including sushi, salads, vegetarian and meat-based hot dishes. Again, you’ll walk out satisfied with change of a tenner.

Sushi King

Sushi King is another popular, award-winning spot. You’ll find restaurants on Baggot St, Camden St and Dawson’s Street. Their sushi is also sold in several Spar, Mace and Superquinn outlets around the city (see their website for details).. They’ve a huge selection of sushi, which is fresh and delicious particularly early in the day. Their hot dishes are fine although more expensive than Kokoro. In particular, I love their €10 for a ‘bit of everything deal’ where I tried out a range of dishes and left very full and satisfied.

Marks & Spencer

For sushi connoisseurs, M&S sushi breaks all kinds of rules. But if you’re after tasty simple sushi at a fair price, then Marks and Spencers are a good option. Typically, they are slightly more expensive the sushi bars with a small try costing about €5.

While Dublin is not yet a capital of Asian food, sushi-lovers welcome the additional of several new joints that offer good quality Japanese food at a fair price.

I have begun to swap expensive beauty products in favour of creating my own, using only natural ingredients. Rather than splashing out on special organic produce and niche ingredients, I’ve been using kitchen basics such as milk, honey, oatmeal and fruits.

These examples use only things found in the average fridge and are sure to leave you feeling refreshed, relaxed and rejuvenated.

Face masks

Face masks are a great place to start if you’ve never made home beauty treatments before.
For problem or oily skin, try fruits such as pineapple and papaya. They are high in enzymes which aid the healing of wounds, making them an ideal ingredient in face masks. Simply mash it up and apply to the face for 15-20 minutes.

For dry skin, try a mashed banana with a teaspoon of honey and a dash of cream. Apply it to the face for 10-15 minutes.

Bath time

As an alternative to expensive, chemical bath bombs, how about using essential oils instead? Drop a few drops of lavender, rose or chamomile oil into your bath. Ensure that the water is not too hot, as this will inhibit the therapeutic power of the oils.

If you have fresh herbs (such as chamomile, mint or rosemary), make a ‘tea bag’ of them in a piece of muslin and tie it under the bath taps. Be sure to run the hot water first, to release the power of the herbs. I’ve heard of people using herbal tea bags to achieve the same effect.

Take a leaf out of Cleopatra’s book and use milk. It’s high in protein, calcium and vitamins which are quickly absorbed by the skin, leaving it soft and supple. Add it to your bath, or include it in a home made face mask. Men can also use milk as an effective aftershave.

Daily beauty treatments

It doesn’t end there; tired eyes can be refreshed with tea bags (the round ones fit especially neatly) or a slice of potato or cucumber. Honey is an excellent treatment for chapped or burnt lips, just try not to lick it off! Bran, oatmeal and sea salt are excellent exfoliaters, when mixed with a small amount of vegetable oil but remember to be gentle and not to scrub too vigorously. Rub a slice of lemon over your face and rinse with cold water to reduce the likelihood of blemishes.

Aloe Vera

If you were to invest in one natural remedy, it should be an aloe vera plant. You can pick one up cheaply at any garden centre and keep it in the kitchen to treat burns, stings and cuts. It’s cooling properties make it especially effective in treating sunburn too, and it’s a fantastic novelty for kids to squeeze ‘magic plant goo’ on a wound.
So, there you have it, a range of effective, healthy and environmentally friendly beauty products made for free from the contents of your fridge.

How group buying sites operate

The concept behind group buying sites is that by coming together as a group, consumers can leverage their collective buying power. Businesses offer a massively discounted deal for a limited period of time on the condition that a minimum number of customers sign up for the deal. If enough customers sign up, the deal goes ahead and everyone benefits from a serious discount. If not enough people sign up, the offer is void and no money is taken.

Who can avail of these group buying offers

Given that the collective buying model relies on strength of numbers, this service is most suited to larger cities or urban areas. In Ireland, Citydeal.ie is in the process of rolling out its service across the country so that’s great news for city dwellers.

What kind of deals does Citydeal.ie offer

When SaveAFewBob recently heard about a Citydeal deal running in Jo Burgers in Rathmines, needless to say we were all over it like a relish! A burger and bush fries which would normally cost €16.75 was ours for just €6.  Sweet!

Over the past few days other great deals have included:

• €12 instead of €35 for a mini car valet at Eco Car Wash (66% discount)
• €80 instead of €1166 for five laser hair removal treatments (93% discount)
• €70 instead of €150 for an 8 week Bootcamp Ireland programme (53% discount)

What’s the catch

The sceptics among you might ask are these deals too good to be true. In many cases, it looks like the supplier must be taking a serious hit by offering goods and services at these kind of prices. Maybe they are but this kind of marketing can bring many advantages.

Firstly, it is measurable. The business sets the price and the minimum number of customers it requires so it can calculate that X €outlay (commission to group buying site) will bring minimum Y €revenue with an increase of Zfootfall.

Secondly, many consumers who avail of the deal will be new customers so they get to experience a new product or service and if they like it may well return.

Thirdly and most importantly this type of marketing creates great buzz for a brand through its word of mouth or online viral effect. With a minimum number of people required to sign up before a deal goes ahead, interested parties are likely to pass on to their friends and you can be sure that once they avail of their great offer they are bound to tell everyone else.
Sounds like a win,win to us. 

For this reason we were delighted to hear about BabyBay.ie - a new Irish website which has just launched to benefit parents and expectant parents in the recycling and purchasing of baby clothes, furniture and equipment. This is a really clever idea, a site dedicated to the trading of baby goods.

BabyBay will surely be welcomed by buyers and sellers alike. For vendors, selling the baby items you no longer require can help earn some extra cash and parents of new babies can save money by buying quality baby clothes and goods at reduced prices.  BabyBay.ie is an easy to use service which offers great value for money -  a monthly membership fee of €3 allows vendors place unlimited ads and receive messages and enquiries from interested buyers.

Items available for trading on the BabyBay.ie site include Boys and Girls clothing, Maternity Clothing, Prams and Buggies, Cots and Nursery Furniture, Baby Accessories, Toys, DVDs and Books, Christening Gowns, School Uniforms and more.

Not alone helping parents de-clutter and save money, BabyBay.ie has teamed with Ireland’s leading independent children’s charity Barnardos and are donating a percentage of their profits annually to this very worthy children’s charity.

We wish them every success with their new venture.

Hair

UV protection is vital to prevent colour fade. By day, use a sun protector cream and work through damp hair, scrunching or twisting the hair into tendrils pinning up onto the head for relaxed glamour. If you scrunch into the hair allow to dry into a casual look, the hair is protected and you will look effortlessly put together.
If you plan a day of sightseeing or a long lunch use a dry mist UV spray to get the sun protection without affecting the natural style of the hair, Kerastase make excellent creams and sprays for UV protection.

Tan

Burning is not an option these days and there’s no joy in sore or peeling skin on holidays! For the initial few days boost the tanning process by using a daily self-tan at night before bed. This doesn’t interfere with getting a suntan in any way but might make you feel a little better about stripping off on the beach for the first week! If your skin doesn’t tan at all it might be your saving grace!

Nails

A little more maintenance here unless you go for a 3-week coloured manicure which are popular and widespread for fingers and toes, although a little costly! If you stick to regular polish, keep the varnish in a cool place abroad, paint the colour and apply top coat. Every night before any chipping starts apply another coat of top coat to retain the shine and give strength to the polish. Be adventurous, dark shades look amazing against tanned skin or opt for a metallic to pick up the sunlight, very glam!

Face

Ok, ok I know, not even the dog has seen you without some coverage so how do you face 1000’s of people on holidays without any make-up and a white, chalky complexion from your factor 50? Easy, make your way straight to your local apothecary and get either La Roche Posay Anthelios Tinted SPF 50 which has a great hint of colour in it with the right protection so you look healthy and blemish-free. Or get one of RoC’s Soleil Protexion SPF’s in 30 or 50, no tint here but no white face either, or strange shine on the skin but an added velvet finish for softer skin.

There you go, two weeks of glamour, time for a cocktail after all that (easy) work!

Beauty Special Offers for July

For the month of July, Clarins would like to reward all their lovely loyal fans of Cleansing Milk and Toning lotions by offering them a very generous size of a 400ml Cleansing Milk or Toning lotion for the same price as a regular 200ml! This offer is available at nationwide Clarins stockists, but is subject to availability so hurry and stock up!
Available in Normal to dry or Combination to oily skin, retailing at €19.50 each.
Clarins would also like to reward lovers of Moisture Rich Body Lotion by offering them 400ml for the same price as a regular 200ml, €36.00.
To celebrate the relaunch of the Aqualia Thermal range (now paraben free), Vichy is offering a limited edition value pack RRP €21.50 containing full size moisturiser with a free Thermal Spa Water 50ml perfect for travelling (while stocks last).
Choose from: Aqualia Thermal Rich 50ml + Free Thermal Spa Water 50ml or Aqualia Thermal Light 50ml + Free Thermal Spa Water 50ml, so whatever your choice of moisturiser you get this great free Thermal Spa Water, ideal for spritzing the skin mid-flight, refreshing make-up or just for a cooling blast of healing goodness on a hot day!
At your local Unicarepharmacy Trilogy’s Sensitive Skin range has a whopping €5 approx of their daily regime products, that’s a saving of €15 on your cleanser, moisturiser and calming fluid!
They are also offering 50% off selected Nivea ranges for face and body and three packets of cotton wool essentials for €3, great savings for July!
At Sam McCauley chemists, there are great discounts on Veet hair removal systems in time for holidays, Dermalogics Strawberry Body Butter is half price at €2.50, and L’Oreal Sublime Bronze Dry Mist Spray is reduced from €18.06 to €12.10, perfect for getting golden limbs if your skin doesn’t tan. And if you are feeling the frizz with the higher temperatures treat your locks to a weekly hair masque for added condition, L’Oreal’s Elvive Nutrition Replenishing Masques is 50% off at just €3.98, a total bargain!!
To celebrate the launch of the incredible French range NUXE, in both Unicarepharmacy and Sam McCauley Pharmacies, there is a glamorous free gift for you when you spend €40+, available from selected pharmacies phone 01 2846477 to find out the nearest stockist to you.

So, on the foot of our previous article on what to do instead of watching the world cup, SaveAFewBob are bringing you another rundown on things to do during this glorious weather we’re having, rather than sitting in with curtains drawn, watching a load of prima donnas chase a bit of leather around (a bit of leather that won’t bounce properly, allegedly).

PhotoIreland 2010

The PhotoIreland Festival will run from the 1st until the 11th of July. The festival will feature photography exhibitions, talks and workshops. One of the nice aspects of PhotoIreland is that it isn’t just pictures in galleries: there will be exhibits in public spaces around town as well - for those of us who like photography, but who are unwilling to invest the time and effort that going to view an exhibition requires.

Clonmel Junction Festival

Also coinciding with the latter stages of a certain football competition is the esoterically-named Clonmel Junction Festival. The pleasant south Tipperary town will be hosting its 10th annual theatre festival from the 2nd to the 11th of July. There will be plenty of performances from avant-garde troupes, comedy shows, feiseanna and a food and craft fair to kick things off. Tickets range in price from €5-€20, depending on what show you’re seeing (many offer concession prices for students/OAPs/children).

Galway Arts Festival*

Also taking place this month is the Galway Arts Festival. Theatre and dance, music (including Badly Drawn Boy and the Human League); comedy (Reginald D. Hunter and Reggie Watts, among others); and literary talks, including Ian Rankin and Brett Easton Ellis(!)

There will also be street performances, and family events for the kids. Family tickets for some of the children-oriented events are around €30, while tickets to the literary talks cost around €12.

*SaveAFewBob knows that this event is taking place after the world cup has finished; but it does have a verrrry good line-up, so we decided to include it anyway

1992 is also the year that the Ballsbridge institution that is Roly’s Bistro first opened its doors. In order to celebrate their eighteen years in the business (while also raising money for a good cause), Roly’s have decided to serve their 1992 menu… at 1992 prices. The evening is in aid of Down Syndrome Ireland, and will take place on the 12th of July.

So, fancy tucking into a three-course meal for €15? (plus whatever you want to throw in for the charitable cause). Places are sure to book up early, so contact Down Syndrome Ireland soon to secure your table. Now all you have to do is dig out your high-waisted, stone-washed jeans (artfully torn at one knee), and the baggiest t-shirt you can lay your hands on - you’ll be ready to party like it’s 1992 again.

Some of this differential can be put down to the levels of excise duty placed on tobacco products and alcohol in this country - which, although we may not like paying them, are not necessarily a bad thing. At 217% of the EU average, Ireland has the highest tobacco prices in the EU. Alcohol prices were 67% above the EU average, second only to Finland in terms of cost.

However, we are also paying far above the EU average for our staple food products. Irish consumers had to pay the fifth highest prices for meat out of the 27 countries surveyed, at 20% above the average - despite the fact that we are the largest meat-exporting nation in the Union. Consumers in Britain, the destination of much of our meat exports, pay just 2% more than the EU average for their meat. We also pay more than 32% above the average and for bread and cereals, and 37% more for dairy products.

What the retailers say

Speaking on RTÉ Drivetime programme this week, John Bryan of the Irish Farmer’s Association laid the blame for Ireland’s high food prices on Irish retailers, claiming that farmers’ annual incomes have been reduced to €12,000, and as such are not benefitting from the inflated prices. Torlach Denihen of Retail Ireland, however, claims that the Eurostat survey is out of date; that Irish food prices have fallen 8.6% from 2009 levels, and that comparisons with UK prices don’t take into account Ireland’s higher wages and rents.

While there is some merit in Retail Ireland’s points, their justifications for the inflated prices that Irish shoppers pay for groceries do fall somewhat short. If Ireland’s prices were 30% higher than the EU average last year, an 8.6% fall this year is hardly something to crow about. And while supermarkets in Dublin are quite possibly subject to rents higher than their UK counterparts, it is doubtful that the same could be said for supermarkets operating in Limerick or Westmeath.

How to save on your groceries

Despite the findings of the Eurostat survey, it’s not all doom and gloom on the grocery shopping front. Grocery prices have fallen back to 2006 levels, and there are ways to reduce your family’s grocery bill. A survey conducted by SaveAFewBob late last year found that shoppers could save money by simple, commonsense means: by making a list before going shopping, by availing of special offers and own brand products, and by shopping around for better value.

Irish retailers are becoming more and more aware of the fact that consumers will not put up with high prices, and will simply take their business elsewhere. If you think prices are too high in your local supermarket, vote with your feet and switch to a competitor - retailers won’t be long in getting the message.

Preview screenings

You may be thinking how this could be so. As a matter of fact, free screenings take place all the time. Film distributors put on free preview screenings for members of the press and such for almost every film released in this country: the trick is to know when these screenings are taking place, and how one can get tickets for them.

This had long been a mystery to SaveAFewBob’s resident cineaste - that is , until we stumbled across ShowFilmFirst’s website. ShowFilmFirst must have some sort of an arrangement with one of the big distributors, because they offer free tickets to preview screenings in Australia, America and the United Kingdom, as well as in Ireland. To avail of these free tickets, all you have to do is register with the website, and they will email you the codes for your free tickets when screenings are announced.

One of the drawbacks of this service is the slightly haphazard nature of it all. Tickets are allocated on a first come, first serve basis, so there could be a bit of a scramble for tickets for any of the more popular releases. And the films that receive these screenings are a bit of a mixed bag - there may not be preview screenings of the films that you really want to see.

That being said, the lucky dip aspect of the process could be viewed as a positive, in some respects. You might end up enjoying that you wouldn’t have watched otherwise, and even if you don’t - sure weren’t the tickets free anyway?

We’re not joking. If you drive a diesel, it can run on either (a) biodiesel that you’ve made at home, or (b) filtered-yet-otherwise-unadulterated used cooking oil.

Making your own biodiesel*

All diesel engines will run on biodiesel (diesel fuel sold in France consists of a 5-6% biodiesel blend). Making your own biodiesel is a fairly simple process involving just three ingredients:

• Cooking oil - head down your local chipper or fast-food restaurant, they’ll let you take it away for free so long as they don’t have some arrangement with a fuel company.
• Methanol - available from any chemical suppliers; buy it in bulk in order to make your production economically viable
• Lye - again, your local chemical suppliers (a number of common household drain-cleaners consist of pure lye if you’re making a small test run).

*DISCLAIMER: Making biodiesel involves the use of caustic chemicals, and remember that the end product will be FUEL, so take every necessary precaution. SaveAFewBob accepts no responsibility if you immolate your shed/self.

Observe that the man in the video was wearing gloves and goggles, everyone. Also, breathing in methanol is bad news, so a well-ventilated area and maybe a mask are also recommended. It’s also important to note that he mixed the methanol and lye in a glass container - a plastic container is not suitable, as it could melt. Filter the cooking oil first to take out any bits of old chips that may be present. You can also hang on to the glycerine and use is instead of sugar-soap

And NEVER, ever use any of the utensils involved in the production of biodiesel for serving food EVER again.

Running your car on cooking oil

If you’re not interested in mucking around with toxic chemicals, you can also run your vehicle on plain cooking oil (SVO, or straight vegetable oil). No conversions or modifications necessary; just pour some cooking oil into your car and away you go. The cars which will run on cooking oil (and which are also best-suited to bio-diesel ) are those with the following characteristics:

• Cars that are ’97 or older
• Mercedes and Volkwagons - the fact that they were crafted by remorseless Teutonic hands gives them robust engines that aren’t picky about what type of fuel they take.
• Cars that have a Bosch fuel pump. Bosch pump = good, Lucas pump = bad.
• The car must have indirect injection - if your car has a TDI engine, you can’t run it on vegetable oil

When running your car on either biodiesel or SVO, it’s best to blend them with regular diesel initially - say 20-30% biodiesel or SVO, 70-80% diesel - and increase the SVO/biodiesel blend gradually. In the first week or two, your filter may become clogged, so it is a good idea to have a spare on standby. However, after one filter change, you should be fine.

Legal and tax issues

Running your car on biodiesel is unlikely to affect your warranty. On the other hand, running your car on SVO most likely will affect your warranty, so maybe pouring bacon-fat into your brand new Audi is not the best idea. Both biodiesel and SVO tend to work better in warmer weather. This is due to fact that cooking oil is thicker than diesel; the heat makes it less viscous.

SaveAFewBob contacted some very confused Revenue folk about the taxman’s angle on making your own fuel. Biodiesel and SVO, despite not being derived from mineral oil, are still subject to Mineral Oil Tax at the auto diesel rate (come on Greens, sort it out!). At present, this stands at 44.918c per litre, payable every 1000 litres. So in order to keep everything above board, keep a tally of how much biodiesel/SVO you put in the car, and send Revenue a cheque once you’ve hit the thousand litre mark. A pain in the neck, but better to pay 45c a litre for your own fuel rather than €1.20 or so at the pumps.

Convert your car to run on vegetable oil

The best way to run your car on SVO is to convert the engine. A German company sells home conversion kits for a wide range of diesel models.  Conversion kits usually come in under a thousand euro; some Irish companies also specialise in conversions.

Buying a conversion kit and hiring a mechanic to do the conversion for you will not leave you much change from €2000. But when you consider that after the conversion your fuel costs will be but a tiny fraction of what you were paying, and for the lifetime of your car…

If you know a little about engines, you could be running your car for a lot less money. For more information on biodiesel and SVO, check out the Biodiesel Forums - impartial advice from a non-biased, non-commercial source.

Generic vs brand named drugs

The tablets that I bought were Cetrine, which are a generic form of cetirizine dihydrochloride - which is the exact same thing as Zirtek are made out of, only the Cetrine brand is almost a euro cheaper. To find out more about what savings can be made with generics, SaveAFewBob spoke with Tadhg Cleary, owner of Cleary’s Pharmacy in Portmarnock, Co. Dublin.

Tadhg confirmed that yes, there are significant savings to be made with generic drugs. In Cleary’s, a packet of seven Zirtek tablets cost €5.39, whereas box of seven Cetrine tablets cost only €4.65. He then went on to point out another generic cetrizine dihydrochloride, Cetirelief, which costs just €9.99 for thirty tablets.

So, hay fever suffers will pay just €10 for a month’s supply of antihistamines by purchasing Cetirelief, rather than paying over €20 a month with the brand-named Zirtek.

Generic drugs: not always cheaper

But generic doesn’t always mean cheaper, according to Cleary. Take the case of Losec. Losec, sometimes known as Losec MUPS, is the trademarked name of the drug omeprazole, a prescription drug used in the treatment of dyspepsia and peptic ulcers. Until recently, a month’s supply of Losec (20mg) cost €60.66.

Then, a generic version of omeprazole named Bysec began retailing at €42.70 for a month’s supply of 20mg tablets - an almost €20 saving on the Losec brand.

But recently, Losec reduced their price down to €33.29 - nearly €10 cheaper than the generic version! (If they can afford to sell it at €33, the mind boggles to think at the mark-up they must have been making when they were selling it for €60). As Tadhg pointed out, introduction of generic versions of a drug will result in prices falling, but that does not mean that the generic version will be the less expensive one.

Doctor’s prescriptions

Part of the problem is the writing of prescriptions. Pharmacists are legally obliged to dispense only what is written on a prescription. So if your doctor prescribes you a particular brand of a drug, your local chemist is in no position to suggest a cheaper alternative. According to Tadhg Cleary, the thing to do is to find out the name of the drug itself, and have that written on the prescription rather than any particular brand of the formulation. So ask your doctor so prescribe you omeprazole instead of Losec or Bysec. Then figure out which brand of the drug is cheapest, and have your prescription filled accordingly.

Over the counter medicines

When buying over the counter drugs, find out what the active ingredient is in your regular medicines, and see if you can source a cheaper generic equivalent. For example, paracetamol is the active ingredient in Panadol, and ibuprofen is the active ingredient in Nurofen. There are cheaper generics of these products on the market: all you have to do is to ask your pharmacist, and start saving money today.

Milano Meal for 2 (23-06-2010)

Congratulations to Anne Henderson, Merrion Square, Dublin 2.

Enjo your night on the town grace a Milano!

LG Cookie Fresh (10-06-2010)

Congratulations to: Siobhan Daly, from Ballinode, Co.Monaghan. Siobhan’s reaction (direct quote): “Omg I’m sooo excited! Thanks a mil!”

Well done, Siobhan

Taste of Dublin tickets (4-06-2010)

Congratulations to:

Susan McDonagh, Moycullan, Co.Galway

Richard Johnson, Conyngham Rd, Dublin 8

Mark Carey, Navan, Co. Meath

Sinead Connolly, Skerries, Co. Dublin

Carmel Foster, Blackrock, Co. Dublin

All of whom have won 2 tickets to attend the Taste of Dublin Festival, taking place in the Iveagh Gardens from the 10th til the 13th of June.

Well done everyone, make sure to bring back a slice of quiche for the SaveAFewBob team!

One4All gift voucher (12-05-2010)

Congratualations to John O’Neill from Castletownbere, winner of the €50 One4All gift voucher.

Well done John.

Dine in Dublin (29-03-2010)

The winner of our two tickets to dine in one of Dublin’s most popular restaurants is Marion Bruton, Retreat, Athlone, Co. Westmeath.

Well done Marion.

Milano ‘Perfect Night In’

The winner of our Milano Perfect Night In competition is Majella Byrnes, Knocklyon, Dublin 16. Congratulations Majella, a €50 Tesco voucher is on the way to you!

Marks and Spencer Love In vouchers (11-02-2010)

The winners of our Valentines Day special offer, two M&S Love In vouchers are:

John Collins,Turners Cross, Cork.

Trudi Shannon, Tinryland, Carlow.

3 pairs of tickets to Des Bishop Unplugged   (03-02-2010)

The winners of the three pairs of tickets to go see Des Bishop perform in the Button Factory are:

Louise Bready, Sandyford, Dublin 18.

Denise Feerick, Baggot Street, Dublin 2.

Sandra Stephen, Killester, Dublin 5.

Have a great night out girls!

€50 top-up voucher (01-02-2010)

Eilis Carroll, Ferrycarrig, Wexford is the winner of our ‘Cheer Up Ireland’ photography competition. Congratulations Eilis!

Arnotts €100 voucher (28-01-2010)

Pádraig Ó Mórdha, Finglas, Dublin, has landed himself a €100 shopping voucher for Arnotts. Happy shopping Pádraig!

To be in with the chance to win some fantastic future prizes, subscribe to our BOB weekly newsletter!

Why it makes sense to buy rechargeable batteries

You may think it strange to see an article advocating the use rechargeable batteries on a consumer website, given that they are significantly more expensive than their disposable counterparts. You can purchase 48 disposable AA batteries for less than €20, whereas four rechargeable batteries would not leave you much change from a twenty. And four batteries with a charger will cost around €25.

Added to this, you will need to buy extra rechargeables so that you can have some charging while the others are in use. So rechargeable batteries do require some initial outlay.

Rechargeable batteries: long term savings

But to focus on rechargeable batteries’ large upfront cost is to ignore the long term view. Once you’ve bought your rechargeable batteries, you have all the batteries you will ever need for a considerably long time. Think of all the battery-powered appliances in your home - smoke alarms, remote controls, children’s toys… the list goes on. Rather than spending €20 each year, every year on disposables, spend €100 once on rechargeable batteries and you won’t have to spend another cent on batteries for at least ten years. When you consider that rechargeables can be used hundreds of times, the savings with rechargeable over disposable batteries really become apparent.

Rechargeable batteries’ environmental benefits

Manufacturing batteries, involving as it does the smelting of various metals, is a very energy-intensive process: it takes up to 50 times more energy to make a battery than the battery actually contains. So rather than buying a battery that can only be used once, buying batteries that are used many hundreds of times makes a lot more sense from an ecological perspective - rechargeable batteries have up to 32 times less impact on the environment than disposable batteries. By switching a battery-powered appliance to rechargeable batteries, the appliance will consume up to 23 times less non-renewable resources over the course of its lifetime than the same appliance when powered by disposable batteries.

So if you want to save yourself some money, or save the environment, or both - rechargeable batteries are the way to go.

The first thing that you should do when considering an income protection policy is whether or not you actually require one. For example, civil servants are entitled to full pay during sick leave up to a maximum of six months in one year, and additional sick leave at half salary thereafter. Large institutional employers such as banks and insurance companies will also usually have provisions in place for employees on prolonged sick leave; check with your employer.

There is no obligation for private companies to pay workers on sick leave - so there is a good chance that if you are an employee of a small- or medium-sized enterprise, you will not be able to avail of paid sick leave. All workers who pay PRSI are entitled to apply for state Illness Benefit (previously known as Disability Benefit); this only pays a maximum of about €10,000 per year. The self-employed, and anyone else who pays Class S PRSI, are not entitled to Illness Benefit.

Types of insurance that cover illness

For some clarification regarding the various types of insurance in the event of an illness: “health insurance” covers the cost of medical treatment, “income protection insurance” will cover you for loss of income incurred while ill, and “critical illness cover” (or “specified illness cover” ) provides a lump sum payment in the event of a serious illness.

One of the benefits of specified illness cover is that it tends to be cheaper than income protection insurance. Also, people in professions that insurance companies will not provide income protection insurance for (such as taxi-drivers and farmers) can still have some form of protection against a loss of income with specified illness cover. The principle drawback of specified illness cover is that it will only pay out for very specific forms of illness; so it is essential that anyone considering purchasing this product should scrutinise the terms and conditions of their policy thoroughly.

Income protection insurance

Income protection insurance will cost women up to 50% more than men. For a 35-year-old male accountant to insure a replacement income of €50,000 a year payable until the age of 60, the cheapest cover on the market would cost €57.35 a month (before tax relief) with Irish Life; the cheapest cover for a woman in similar circumstances would cost €84.60 with Friends First (again, before tax relief). This is due to the fact that women are more likely to be unable to work due to illness.

Specified illness insurance

If the same hypothetical 35-year-old accountants were to take out specified illness cover with a lump sum payout of €100,000, the cheapest cover for the man would be with Caledonian Life at €32.31 a month, while the woman would be charged €34.42 for a policy with Zurich (both before tax relief).

So it would appear that both sexes, but more particularly women, can save money by choosing specified illness cover rather than an income protection policy. That being said, cost is not the only factor when you making provisions for your family in the event of a serious illness, and you are not comparing like with like in the case of these two different insurance products. Also, each insurance provider will provide apply differing criteria when assessing claims, so it remains a case of sitting down and going through all of the insurance policies on offer before deciding what is right for your circumstances.

Apparently, you can save money on tanning, dental treatments and a whole host of other goods and services by patronising Polish-run businesses. There are plenty of examples to support this: for the ladies, Max’s on Dublin’s Liffey Street charge just €20 for a wash, cut and blow-dry, and €50 for colouring. Ella on Grattan Quay in Waterford charge just €30 for a full body spray tan. For the men-folk, Polish barbers also offer good value for when your mop needs a chop. Again, Max’s on Liffey St charge only €5 for a haircut on Mondays and Tuesdays, and just €7 for any other day of the week. There are plenty of Polish-run barbers around the northside of Dublin, particularly along the quays, that offer haircuts for €10 or under, so keep an eye out.

Medical treatments

The area of health treatments is more difficult to gauge, given the reluctance of medical and dental practitioners in this country to display their prices. However, Polish-run dental clinics do appear to be cheaper than their native-run competitors for the more extensive treatments. A root canal performed in a Polish-run clinic will cost in the region of €300-€400 - a third less than one would typically pay in an Irish-run practice.

Shopping around

What SaveAFewBob came away with from the article relates not to Polish outlets specifically but to shopping generally - consumers should shop around to find better value. If you do go to a Polish shop, don’t buy just your kielbasa - check and see if you could be saving money on some of the more mundane, everyday groceries.

And just an extra little piece of advice: if you like your iced teas, Polish shops stock a much wider selection than most Irish chains. The same goes for pickles - the Poles are a lot more adventurous in this regard than we are. Beware of the Polski Sklep milk, however; Polish people (like many continental Europeans) tend to go for the UHT stuff which, as we all know, is abominable.

Which is all well and good for soccer aficionados, but what of the plight of the rest of us, those of us who have little or no interest in association football? Well, the SaveAFewBob team (one of whom has a serious aversion to football) have compiled a list of things to do around the country for the duration of the World Cup, in order that you can avoid sitting at home listening to Liam Brady’s stultifying analysis of the day’s proceedings.

Events in Dublin

If you’re at a loss for things to do this week, why not head along to the AIB Street Performance World Championship in Dublin’s Merrion Square? Look forward to break-dancers, acrobats, comedians, jugglers and mimes descending on the streets of Dublin for the duration of the festival, which will run from the 17th til the 20th of June. The festivities will culminate in an attempt to set the world record for the most number of people bouncing on space hoppers at the same time (you’ll need to register before you head along). All events are completely gratis.

Also taking place is the Dublin Pride Festival. The main event will be the Dublin Pride Parade, taking place on the 26th of June. Expect dour proceedings and sedately-dressed participants.

Events in Galway

There’s still time to catch a gig during the Galway Sessions. This celebration of Irish traditional music and culture promises plenty of ceol, ól agus craic, so put on your brógaí rince and head west.

Also in Galway, there will be green bikes to rent in Eyre Square on Sunday the 20th of June, from 10am until 4pm, as part of Bike Week. The first two hours are free of charge, so get yours and head on out for a spin.

Events in Cork

Cork is currently in the midst of its Midsummer Festival, so there are plenty of things to do for people who don’t understand the offside rule. Comedy shows, film screenings, avant-garde performance art… something for everyone then, so. There’s also a number of free events taking place throughout the festival.

So go on, do something a little different this week, and go down to the pub afterwards with something other than the England goalkeeper’s ineptitude to talk about.

The article reiterates the point that families can save significantly on the cost of their health insurance by switching to corporate plans (which, despite their name, are in fact open to everyone).

Many people believe that they are on a corporate plan and are receiving the relevant discounts because they purchased their insurance through their job. However, this may be just the ‘group discount’ of around 10%, which is again open to everyone.

The article illustrates this by showing that a family of two adults and two children on VHI’s Plan B Parents & Kids will be paying €907 per adult for their cover, but that the VHI’s Company Level 1.1 offers roughly the same benefits at a cost of €665 per adult - an annual saving of nearly €500. The savings for children switching to corporate plans are not nearly as great, and with the higher excess that corporate plans often have, it’s usually best to leave children on your existing plan (although there is also a case for moving children to a plan with a lower degree of cover; see our previous article for the reasons why).

There are more than 200 different health policies on the market, many of them corporate plans, so take the time to do a little research and find out how much you could be saving.

This is exactly what Irish charity Camara were set up to do. Camara take unwanted computers, refurbish them and send them off to ‘Learning Centres’ in schools and colleges in Africa. So far this year, Camara has sent 2,500 computers to schools in Africa.

Environmental benefits

However, Camara’s efforts only account for 1% of the computers discarded in Ireland every year, according to Camara CEO Cormac Lynch. “We spend a lot of time trying to educate people that there’s an alternative to just recycling.” According to Lynch, 80% of the equipment they receive can be reused before eventual recycling.

Each PC that Camara refurbishes eliminates the need to manufacture a new computer. This saves the environment 650kg of carbon emissions, 220kg of fosssil fuels, 22 kg of chemicals, 1.5 tonnes of water and 6,400 meagajoules of electricity per unit.

Minimum specs for donating your PC

If you’re thinking of donating your old computer to Camara, it must have at least a Pentium III processor with 256Mb of RAM, and an 8Gb hard drive and a CD/DVD drive - if you purchased your computer anytime within the last decade, it should be suitable. Monitors must be between 15” and 17”, and Camara also accept mouses and cables.

Cost of donating your computer

Camara ask for a €20 contribution for each unit that they process. This is to help cover the cost of refurbishing your equipment, and includes the cost of wiping your hard-drive. Even if you were to recycle your PC, you would have to get the hard drive wiped anyway, so the €20 contribution doesn’t represent much in the way of an extra cost.

The information in this article might not save you a few bob; however, it could help save our environment, and help educate some of the world’s poorest children.

Links:

Silicone Republic

]]> http://www.saveafewbob.ie/pass-on-your-old-pc/feed/ http://www.saveafewbob.ie/milanos-special-offer/ http://www.saveafewbob.ie/milanos-special-offer/#comments Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:35:50 +0000 admin http://www.saveafewbob.ie/?p=8253 Here is some straight-up value, readers. Milano’s are running a fantastic offer this week: buy any main course, get a pizza (or pasta or salad) for just €1.

So that’s two meals for the price of one (plus €1, of course). This offer will run from Monday the 14th until Sunday the 20th of June. All you have to do to avail of the offer is to log on to Milano’s website, fill out a short form and print off your voucher.

The voucher can’t be used in conjunction with any other offer, but there isn’t anything that we could find in the terms and conditions to say that you can’t help yourself to more than one voucher.

I guess it’s pizza and pasta for SaveAFewBob for the rest of the week then, so.

Free Electric Picnic Tickets

Want to raise some money for a good cause, and earn yourself a ticket to Electric Picnic while you’re at it? Bike Week saw the launch of the 2Wheels Tour de Picnic for Temple Street Children’s Hospital. “Le Tour de Picnique” is a sponsored charity cycle from Dublin to Stradbally, which takes place on Friday the 3rd of September. The cycle leaves Dublin at 10am, so you’ve plenty of time to get to Stradbally in time for the festival kicking off in earnest. Mechanics from 2Wheels in Sandymount will be on hand to assist on any punctures or mechanical problems en route, so get yourself registered and start limbering up for the spin.

Dublin Cycle Chic

Everyone knows that cycling isn’t just a cost-effective, environmental mode of transport and a fantastic form of exercise - it’s also another medium for poseurs to flaunt their attention-seeking tendencies. So it’s only natural that someone would come up with the idea of a bicycle-themed fashion show. Expect lots of hipsters with fixed-wheel bikes, and very pretty (but extremely slow) “Dutch” utility bicycles. Hopefully a real cyclist in stylish-yet-highly-visible apparel, sporting a helmet at a jaunty angle, will go home with the prize.

Cycle Racing

The spectacle of cycle racing will no longer be the exclusive preserve of continental city-dwellers, as the Halfords Tour Series will be coming to Dublin on Saturday the 19th of June. If you missed all the action of the recent FBD Rás, now is your chance to see some professional road racing. The race will begin at 6pm on Lord Edward St, turning down Fishamble St and continuing along Essex St, back up Eustace St and onto Dame St to finish back at Lord Edward St. A short circuit, true enough, but the fact that it features cobbles gives the race a nice feeling of a mini monument classic.

Also taking place on the 19th will be the An Post Tour of the Burren. There will three spins starting off in Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare on the day: the 10km Aillwee Cave Family Loop (for families with small children and complete novices); the 60km Corkscrew Challenge (for those of you who cycle fairly regularly); and for those true disciples of the Big Ring there is the 160km Burnin’ Burren. The living-legend that is Sean Kelly will be taking part in the 160km spin, so now’s your chance to fulfil your childhood dream of dropping the man who won the Paris-Nice seven years in a row (well, you can always try).

To register for either the 60km or 160km spins costs €30. The fee covers a goody bag at the start of the race, and food and water stops along the route.

Cycle to Work Day

The main event of Bike Week will be the Cycle to Work Day on Friday the 18th of June. In order to encourage everyone to cycle to work on the 18th, the Grand Canal Square Cycle Jam will be taking place between 5.30pm and 8.30pm that evening. The event will be a chance to show all those Johnny Motorists out there that cycling is the only mode of transport for beautiful and vivacious folk. Free food and music provided, so head on down to Grand Canal Square after work on Friday for a bit of a hooley with some like-minded cyclists.

And if you aren’t cycling yet… where have you been?! There are amazing incentives to buy a new bike, or you can pick up a second hand bicycle on the cheap, so get on your figurative bike and buy yourself a literal one.

Outlook on the performance of the Irish economy

When asked how they felt the Irish economy might perform over the next 6 months, 50% of respondents said that they believe that the economy will fare worse, while only 25% believe that the economy will improve (it is worth noting that this latter figure is quite an improvement on a similar survey of 12 months ago, when only 10% of consumers indicated a positive outlook).

This pessimistic outlook on the recovery in the Irish economy appears to have damaged consumer confidence, with more people now believing that the recession will have a high impact on them personally, and as a consequence showing a reluctance to increase their spending on groceries, consumer goods and services, entertainment and holidays.

Young families are bearing the brunt of this recession

The survey indicates the extent to which young families are bearing the brunt of this recession. While 2 in 5 participants say that the recession will have a high impact on them personally, this figure rises to 48% among those aged 35-44 years old and 45% for those with young children.

Clearly those in the family formation demographic are most likely to be encumbered by large mortgages, expensive creche costs and higher grocery bills, leaving little in the way of spending for non-essential items.

Consumer spending unlikely to increase significantly in 2010

The negative outlook  on the World economy combined with the increased fear of being hit personally by the recession has reduced increases in spending.

More than 70% of the respondents said that - over the next 12 months -  they do not envisage increasing their spending across the following categories; entertainment, grocery spending, consumer goods and services and holidays.

Those most likely to increase their spend come from the 18 to 34 age demographic.  Notably over 40% of this segment plan to spend more on entertainment and holidays/short breaks during the coming year.

Research was carried out by independent market research agency, RED C Research. Results are based on a nationally representative sample of 1,000 adults, with research conducted by telephone between the 24th and the 26th May 2010.

And there are so many places to choose from. Buy one main course, get a second one free at Jola’s in Kinsale, a free bottle of wine with two mains at the Wild Spice Indian Restaurant inGorey, or how about a free tea or coffee and a pastry in Café en Seine in Dublin’s Dawson St?

The promotion is running until the end of June, so there’s still plenty of time to print off a few vouchers and treat yourself without maxing out the credit card.