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Losing Body Fat Simple & Important Steps
Category: Fitness |Date Published: 06/02/2012
There you go. This is our first post on giving you a few insights in losing body fat, getting lean and staying healthy.
To begin with who am I? OK.
My name is Lucian (aka Louie) and I am a LEVEL 4 qualified Personal Trainer living in Dublin, Ireland.
Enough said, so lets jump to the good stuff.
First step in losing weight/body fat is to set-up a goal, a realistic one. That way, you don’t put too much pressure on yourself and you don’t need to make drastic changes.
Depriving yourself of too much too soon, it’s like setting a path to failure. Slowly and surely is the way to go. Weight gain didn’t happen over night, therefore loosing weight is not going to happen in a few days.
Also, body fat can not be targeted… that’s a job for a surgeon.
Secondly, analyse your diet and keep a diary like the one we have on this website. Register with us and keep track of your food/drink intake every day.
Once you log into your account, you can start recording your food & exercise diary where you can see more clearly what, how & why.
You can also enter your measurements, record your weight, calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate and your Total Daily Energy Expenditure whichwill give a close figure of your calories needed to perform the daily activities.
Thirdly, record your daily exercise and activities.
Sometimes, your calories intake is fairly good, but you don’t do enough activities to burn them. Just making small changes could have a great impact on your journey 
Be positive on achieving your goals. Never say never, because that will upset your mindset and you’ll start wondering off your path.
Don’t say ” I cant do that ” or ” is too hard for me “. You can achieve anything once you have the right attitude.
So let’s break it down a little:
Calories – Figure out how many calories are you having every day… It’s kind of true that less calories intake results in losing weight but there are many factors that needs to be taken in consideration, as your metabolism, your daily calories consumption, where do these calories comes from (food type), etc…
Look at the food you eat and see if you can substitute some of them with a healthier version.
Some examples:
- Semi-skimmed or skimmed milk instead of full-fat milk
- Low-fat cheese
- Low-fat spread instead of butter or margarine
- Boiled potatoes instead of chips
- Chicken, fish, lean meat instead of burgers, meat, etc
- Fruit bars instead of cakes or biscuits
- Fresh fruit instead of chocolate
- Olive oil for frying instead of regular oil
These are just a few, but everything out there can be substituted for a healthier version.
Eat regularly and ALWAYS have breakfast – 4-5 times a day, small portions should keep your metabolism high.
Don’t skip a meal and NEVER, EVER DIET.
Drink plenty of water and make a habit of it. Will talk about this later, but don’t go filling up on water in one go… Do it often in small amounts. Too much water in one go will force your body to get rid of it quickly and will also flush many vitamins that are essential.
Exercising – Analyse your daily activities / exercising and see what can you do to convert your body intocalories burning machine.
Create a daily program for yourself and make sure you make changes to it every 5-6 weeks avoiding the plateau. Same goes for your gym program.
Also have alook at the “normal” things in your life and see if you change anything to help you increase the calories burned.
Some examples:
- Walk to the shop instead of driving
- Take the stairs instead of taking the elevator
- Park as far as possible from the main building door instead of right next to it
- Play some sport with the kids in the garden, park and make a habit of it
- Go for a jog/walk instead of sitting on the sofa watching the TV
- Go for a hike or walk on the beach instead of going for dinner to a restaurant – it’s more romantic & entertaining
- Walk to your friend’s house for a chat instead of ringing them
You can do it and I hope this article will make a bit of sense for some…
If you enjoyed this, don’t be a stranger and leave a comment.
Get Comparing Home Insurance in Ireland
Category: Home Insurance |Date Published: 24/01/2012
Everyone always thinks it'll happen to someone else. That terrible fire in the next village. That spate of burglaries a few streets away. Those terrible winds that took the farmhouse roof off. The snow that's pulling everyone's guttering down. The river that rose and flooded those riverside homes. None of us would wish these things on our worst enemy and we certainly wouldn't wish them on ourselves.
But the harsh truth is that accidents do happen and you need to make sure that you have adequate home insurance cover. And the good news is that you can get cheap house insurance, without having to pay through the nose. If you already have cover, you might want to think about switching. If you go online to find a deal then you'll be pleasantly surprised at how much money you could save with GetCover home insurance.
Shopping around online is quick and easy, by investing a little of your time, you can save a fortune. So don't think for a second about cutting back on your insurance, because it's really the one thing you can't afford to be without. Instead, get yourself online and start searching for home insurance bargains.
And while you're at it, it's a good opportunity to take stock of whether you have enough house insurance. In the unfortunate event of something happening to your home, you want to make sure that you have enough to cover you. Many of us joke that we have nothing worth taking, but it's surprising if you sit down and tot up what it would cost you if you had to replace all your carpets, curtains, bedding, furniture, kitchen appliances, and electronic gadgets.
So get your laptop and a cuppa and spend a few minutes online at www.getcover.ie.
Homeowners should prepare for harsh winter storms
Category: Home Insurance |Date Published: 21/10/2011
The unpredictability of Irish winters canbe very harsh on people´s homes because of storm and frost damage during thecolder months. Although home insurance will protect homeowners against themajority of unforeseen events, it comes with excess payments and does not coveragainst long-term damage that homes might suffer because of inadequatemaintenance. See Nononsense Home Insurance Ireland for more details.
Strong winds and storms can often inflictconsiderable damage to a property, which can remain unnoticed for many months.Therefore, homeowners should check their chimneys, slates and roof tiles tomake sure they are secure, which will also help to prevent damage being causedby leaks. TV aerials and Satellite dishes are also prone to damage, so theseshould be checked too.
Gardens are another place that needsconsideration as poorly maintained trees can fall causing damage to homes,other properties and people. Trees and large shrubs need also to be prunedregularly to remove the risk of dead or damaged branches falling and causinginjury.
It might be worth families and homeownerspreparing an emergency homecare kit in case severe storms do hit the country,not only in the winter months, but also throughout the year. High winds andflooding can lead to loss of power and access to certain areas for some people,so food, drink, a first aid kit, torch, candles, penknife and a list ofemergency telephone numbers should be kept somewhere that can be easily got at.
It is important that household insurance bein place for such events, as this can soften the blow if a property is damageddue to something out of our control.
PS3, Xbox, Nintendo Latest Games For Christmas 2011
Category: Gaming |Date Published: 21/10/2011
1. Assassins Creed - Revelation
Is an upcoming video game in the Assassin´s Creed franchise to be developed and published by Ubisoft Montreal.
The game is set to be released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on November 15, 2011. For Microsoft Windows, the game is delayed for November 29, 2011.
2. Gears Of War 3
Gears of War 3, like its predecessors, is a third-person shooter that emphasizes the use of cover and squad tactics in combat situations. The player´s character can carry four weapons: one pistol, one set of grenades, and two other weapons, all which can be swapped with other weapons dropped by fallen foes or at stockpiles throughout the game.
3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (abbreviated as Call of Duty: MW3, CoD: MW3 or simply MW3) is an upcoming first-person shooter video game, currently being developed by Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games with Raven Software assisting in development.
It will be the third installment in the Modern Warfare series, a direct sequel to 2009´s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and the eighth Call of Duty installment.
It is set to be released on November 8, 2011 on Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Wii, with a separate version for Nintendo DS being developed by n-Space.
In Australia, the Wii version will be released on November 17, 2011.
4. Bulletstorm
Bulletstorm is a 2011 first-person shooter video game developed by People Can Fly and Epic Games, and is published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows.
The game was released on February 22, 2011 in North America and on February 25, 2011 in Europe.
The game is distinguished by its sense of style and crass humor, rewarding players with points for performing increasingly ludicrous kills.
Bulletstorm does not have any competitive multiplayer modes, preferring instead to include cooperative online play as well as score attack modes.
5. Portal 2
Portal 2 is a first-person puzzle-platform video game developed and published by Valve Corporation.
The sequel to the 2007 video game Portal, it was announced on March 5, 2010, following a week-long alternate reality game based on new patches to the original game.
Though initially slated for release in the fourth quarter of 2010, the game was postponed to the week of April 18, 2011.
The game was released by Valve through Steam for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X, while the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and retail Windows/OS X versions of the game are distributed by Electronic Arts. The game´s release on Steam was preceded by a second multi-week alternate reality game, the Potato Sack, involving 13 independently-developed titles which culminated in a distributed computing spoof to release Portal 2 several hours early.
6. Battlefield 3
Battlefield 3 (commonly abbreviated to BF3) is a first-person shooter action video game, being developed by EA Digital Illusions CE and to be published by Electronic Arts.
The game is set to be released on October 25, 2011 on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and EA Mobile confirmed a port for the iOS platform.
It will not support versions of Windows prior to Windows Vista.
It is a direct sequel to 2005´s Battlefield 2, and the eleventh installment in the Battlefield franchise.
The PC release will be exclusive to EA´s Origin platform.
7. Prototype 2
Prototype 2 is an upcoming video game set for release on April 24, 2012 in North America.
It is currently under development by Canadian developer Radical Entertainment and is the sequel to 2009´s Prototype.
Like its original, the game is set to be published by Radical Entertainment´s owner, Activision.
The game is set to feature a new protagonist, Sergeant James Heller as he goes on his quest to destroy the Blacklight Virus once and for all.
The story is also one of revenge, as Heller wants to kill Mercer after his family was killed in the outbreak of the Blacklight Virus.
Set in an open world shown in a third-person view perspective. The game was announced at the 2010 Spike VGA Awards with the tagline "Murder your Maker"
8. Mortal Kombat 9
Mortal Kombat (also known as Mortal Kombat 9) is a 2D fighting game with 3D graphics (2.5D) and is the ninth installment in the Mortal Kombat series.
Developed by NetherRealm Studios (formerly known as Midway Games) and published exclusively under the Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment label.
The game was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 systems on April 19, 2011 in North America, and on April 21 in Europe.
Mortal Kombat was officially announced on June 10, 2010 accompanied with a debut trailer showcasing the new presentation and gameplay features, which includes Challenges, and extras such as an on-line mode, four player tag-team play, and downloadable content.
Although the game won several awards at E3 2010, and received positive reviews, it is banned in Australia due to the extreme violence.
9. Forza Motorsport 4
Forza Motorsport 4 is a racing video game released by Turn 10 Studios for the Xbox 360.
It is the fourth installment in the Forza Motorsport series, and was released in North America on October 11, 2011 and in Europe on October 14, 2011.
This latest edition is the first in the series to support the Kinect sensor alongside the traditional controller-based gameplay.
10. Halo 4
Halo 4 is an upcoming video game and the seventh installment in the Halo franchise.
Halo 4 is intended to be the first of a new trilogy of Halo series games, named the "Reclaimer Trilogy".
Whereas the previous Halo games were developed by Bungie, Halo 4 will be developed by 343 Industries.
The game continues some time after the ending of Halo 3, and marks the return of the Master Chief as the main protagonist.
Cortana will also appear in the game. The game will be released Q4, 2012.
11. Space marine
The space marine, an archetype of science fiction, is a soldier that operates in outer space or on alien worlds.
Historical marines fulfill amphibious roles: ship defence, landing parties, and general high-mobility deployments.
By extension, space marines defend spaceships, land on planets and moons, and fulfill rapid deployment throughout space.
12. Dead Island
Dead Island is a first person horror action-adventure video game developed by Techland and published by Deep Silver for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.
It is centered on the challenge of survival on a zombie-infested open world island with a major emphasis on melee combat.
It was originally announced at E3 2006, but was pushed back to 2011.
It was released on September 6, 2011 in North America and September 9, 2011 for PAL regions (excluding Germany).
Back to school costs for Irish families
Category: Back To School |Date Published: 18/07/2011
BACK TO SCHOOL COSTS FOR IRISH FAMILIES
Irish families spending on average €400 per child to go back to school
On average school uniforms incl. shoes (€229) and schoolbooks (€182) are the biggest school related expenses for Irish parents
75% of parents are asked to make voluntary contributions of €130 on average
9 out of 10 parents surveyed want to see a switch to laptops and e-books in the classroom to save money
As parents of school going children brace themselves ahead of the back to school shopping season, the Irish League of Credit Unions has taken a look at just what the costs for both primary and secondary school children are.
In 2011, a typical Irish family will spend approximately €400 on each child when getting them ready to go back to school in September with back-to-school expenditure for a second-level student is almost 50% higher than for a primary-level pupil.
Commenting on the research findings, Kieron Brennan, ILCU CEO said: “The cost of school going children to parents is considerable and can put significant pressure on household budgets and the ability of some families to pay their essential bills. This iReach research shows us that there are significant numbers of parents using their credit cards and using their savings to pay for their child’s back to school needs, with many parents feeling that the back to school allowance is not sufficient to cover costs.
We were surprised at the number of parents that would like to see their children using laptops and or e-books in the classroom and this may be part of a growing trend whereby parents are looking to technology to save on the costs of school books. Claremorris Credit Union recently announced a partnership with St Colman's College in Claremorris to make history by becoming the first school in Ireland to introduce the truly digital classroom following its decision to replace textbooks and school bags with Apple’s iPad tablet device. In time this is something which could be looked at more closely by the education system and by Government as a possible way to reduce costs in future for families.”
He Continued: Ultimately, we urge parents to shop around for the best value in back to school items like school books and uniforms. We recommend that you check what you have left over from last year and then make a list of everything you need to buy and stick to that list. 8% of those surveyed already speak to their credit union about back to school finance and budget management, so if you want advice on budgeting or some guidance on applying for a loan, visit your local credit union and talk to a member of staff.”
Some of the key highlights of the research, undertaken by iReach Market Research on behalf of the Irish League of Credit Unions are outlined below:
Overall Spend
A typical Irish family spends approximately €400 on each child when getting them ready to go back to school in September. Irish parents are spending approximately (€470) for a second-level student and €320 for a primary level pupil. The overall cost for secondary school is almost 50% higher than for primary school.
Most Expensive School Items
School uniforms and books are perceived as a heavy burden for Irish parents. Parents of a secondary school child pay almost twice as much for schoolbooks (€238) than for a primary school child (€125). Costs of uniforms are perceived to be equally significant by both types of parents. Uniform costs for a secondary school child is on average €281 compared to primary at €177.
Extracurricular expenses can represent a noticeable financial burden for primary and secondary school children - primary school children at €145 secondary school children €152 on average.
9 in 10 (88%) parents express a preference for laptops or e-book readers to become part of the in class educational experience. Laptop use is highly desired by Irish parents in both primary (87%) and secondary (89%) if it negates the cost of school books.
Preferred Method of Back to School Financing
46% of parents use monthly income to source back to school necessities. However, 54% of parents are forced to locate finances for back to school from elsewhere – Credit Cards 16% / Savings 13% / Back to School Allowance 12% / Credit Unions 7% (average)
Parents of secondary level children are more likely to dip into their savings (15%) or use credit cards (20%)
Almost two-thirds of parents (65%) admitted that back-to-school costs will adversely impact their holiday plans and bills management. Eight in ten parents (81%) who are entitled for back-to-school allowance admitted that this is insufficient
School Fees and Voluntary Contributions
76% of parents are requested to make voluntary contributions that amount to €130 on average per child. While primary schools are more likely to request voluntary contributions (83%) than secondary (70%), secondary school parents are obliged to pay higher contributions (€158) than parents of a primary school child (€102).
9% of Irish parents send their child(s) to a fee paying school (5% primary school and 13% secondary school). School fees on average stand at €1,750 for primary school and € 4,750 for secondary school.
Shopping for Better Value
When it comes to cutting back-to-school related costs:
35% of those survey shop online for back to school items. Of this cohort, (61%) shop online for back-to-school items to save money; 35% felt it was more convenient to shop this way.
Four in ten parents (38%) feel pressured to buy branded school items over generic ones for their children
Dunnes Stores (28%), followed by Marks & Spencer (24%) is most popular for value-for-money school clothing followed by Pennys 19% and Tesco 15%
Back to School Allowance
One fifth of parents of school age children are entitled to the Back to School Allowance. However three quarters (81%) admitted that the allowance they receive is insufficient to cover their children’s back to school needs.
School Support to Parents
Over two thirds of parents (69%) believe that Irish schools do not support parents in keeping costs down for their school going children. These negative attitudes were more pronounced among parents of secondary school children (71%)
Implications of Back to School Costs on Families
Almost two thirds of all parents admitted that back to school expenses will negatively impact family plans and paying bills. 49% of parents may have to modify their family holiday or children’s summer camps this year. Back to School expenses will also have an adverse impact on 7% of domestic bill payments and an additional 7% of parents will be forced to forego / delay a credit card payment to meet all back to school expenses for their children incurring additional interest charges.
ILCU Back to School Research Results
About the Research
The survey was conducted by Market Research Company iReach during the period 24th march to 1st April using IReach Consumer Decisions Research Panel which delivered 1,000 responses from adults in Ireland aged 18+ to 65+ and is nationally representative by Age, regioan, Gender and Social Class.
This research has a confidence level of 95% and confidence interval of 4%.
Dealing with debt - a look at your options
Category: Debts Ireland |Date Published: 17/04/2011
Dealing with debt - a look at your options
Debt is becoming more of a household termnowadays, and if you're dealing with debt you may be wondering what help isavailable to you.
In Ireland, there's a range ofsolutions that could help people dealing with different levels of debt - frommanageable debts to unmanageable debts. Some of them are offered by debtsolutions providers such as DebtAdvisory Centre Ireland.
Pleasebear in mind that the following overviews of Irish debt solutions are notdesigned to (and will not) provide a comprehensive guide to a borrower'soptions. Anyone looking for a way of dealing with their debts should seekprofessional debt advice to find out which approach would be the mostappropriate for their situation, and make sure they understand theconsequences.
Debt consolidation
Debt consolidation involves taking out anew loan and using it to repay several debts in one go - leaving you with justone debt to repay to one lender.
A debt consolidation loan can help to makeyour finances a little easier to manage, and it could also lower your monthlyrepayments (if you arrange to repay your loan over a longer timeframe than youroriginal debts, that is).
Your debt consolidation loan's interestrate may be lower than the ratescharged on your 'previous' debts, which means you could save money - but it'simportant to note that repaying your debt over a longer timeframe could stillcost you more in the long run… because you'd be paying interest for longer.
Debt management
Debt management is an informal agreementbetween you and your unsecured creditors. It can only be suitable for you ifyou are struggling to repay your debts but you could still repay them within a reasonable period of time (albeitunder different terms than those originally agreed).
If you choose to arrange a debt managementplan through a debt management company, they will talk to your creditors onyour behalf, asking them to agree to reduced monthly payments over a longerperiod of time. Your creditors aren't obliged to agree to any changes to theoriginal agreement, but if they do, the payments you make will be based on anamount you can afford after youressential costs have been covered.
Please Note: entering a debt management plan means you're defaulting on your originalagreements - and this can be recorded on your credit file for six years, makingit harder and/or more expensive to obtain credit for this time. Also, if youagree to repay your debts over a longer timeframe, it could lead to you payingmore because of interest.
FSA
An FSA (Formal Scheme of Arrangement) is alegally binding agreement between you and your creditors. On an FSA, you'll berequired to repay as much of your debt as you can afford - the portion youcannot afford can be written off (providing the agreement comes to a successfulconclusion). However, please note that FSAs for individuals are very rare.
At least 60% of your creditors (by numberand by value of debt 'owned') must accept the terms of your FSA for it to goahead. If they don't, the agreement won't be approved and you will have to bedeclared bankrupt.
Bankruptcy
If your debts total more than €1,900, andyou've recently committed an act of bankruptcy (you haven't complied with abankruptcy summons requesting a payment, for example), your creditors might beable to petition for your bankruptcy. If you enter bankruptcy, your propertyand assets may be sold.
Of course, if you can't repay your debts,you can petition for your own bankruptcy... but only if your house and otherassets are worth more than €1,900.
Bankruptcy is usually seen as the 'lastresort' for people struggling with their debts. You could reduce the risk ofyour debts becoming unmanageable by seeking debt advice at an early stage.
Buying a Car in Ireland
Category: Cars Ireland |Date Published: 05/09/2010
Buying a car in Ireland is in many ways similar to any other western country.
New cars must have Vehicle Registration Tax, motor insurance and motor tax before you can drive them away. It is the showroom`s duty to arrange the Registration and tax, while naturally the buyer must sort out the insurance. Ireland`s cars also have a label with information about the engine`s carbon emissions, allowing the buyer to make an environmentally friendly purchase.
When it comes to second-hand vehicles, many customers buy from a brand dealership or a garage. Customers buying for personal use have the same consumer protection under Irish law as when buying new. If you find there`s a fault with the car the seller has the responsibility to get it fixed. Ireland has the National Consumer Agency who monitor consumer rights and a visit to their website might answer any potential buying concerns.
However buying from a private individual, as opposed to a garage, is more inherently risky. The price may be lower but the seller is a private individual and not a business. Therefore he is not subject to the same legalities as a commercial venture. Make sure you are happy with the vehicle before committing. If you are not lucky enough to have car mechanic as a friend, it might be worthwhile calling in the AA or a similar motoring organisation for a vehicle check. In Ireland this can be done easily over the Internet with a quote for the inspection fee.
The situation is also different if buying at an auction. Remember the auction house staff are usually not mechanics. If the buyer discovers any problems after the gavel has banged on the table that will be his problem and not the auctioneer. It seems common sense then that bidders make sure they have perused the terms and conditions and had a good poke under the bonnet. There again take a friendly mechanic or speak with your motoring organisation.
Thankfully we are now living in the information age and web sites like Funky Motors offer free vehicle history reports. Simply key in the registration number into the computerised search engine and the car`s history will be with you in moments. A huge database of cars currently on the market, both from commercial and private sellers, is also online, complete with photographs. There is even a price comparison site to help the buyer calculate a fair price.
In Ireland, once a car has passed its fourth birthday it must have a certificate or roadworthiness every two years. Remember the owner must book the test, so don`t forget!
In conclusion when searching for used cars for sale in Ireland, know your consumer rights, consider expert advice and take advantage of the Internet.
A Guide To Loans
Category: Financial |Date Published: 27/08/2010
Even now the financial markets are feeling the impact of the meltdown events of a few years ago. The easy low cost credit of the 1990`s and 2000`s fuelled unprecedented consumer growth and increases in property prices - until it all started to fall apart in late 2007 due to a fall in US property prices and the complex syndication of mortgage backed loans around the globe.
So what is left of the loans market today bears all the scars of the past few years with lenders being more discerning on who they advance money to and on what terms.
Essentially there are two types of loan - unsecured and secured.
Unsecured loans are where lenders advance money on the promise that the borrower will repay the capital and interest charged over a fixed period of time up to a maximum of 10 years. Most unsecured loans have repayment periods of less than 5 years. If the borrower defaults, the lender can sue the borrower for the balance and may get a bailiff to seize assets up to the value of the balance owed.
Secured loans are where money is advanced against the pledge of some form of additional collateral. This is usually in the form of a mortgage or charge against a house or other property and it means that if the borrower fails to make the payments as contracted the lender may initiate proceedings through the court to seize the property pledged with a view to selling it to pay off the balance owed, plus charges. Most secured loans are mortgage backed to help people buy their homes although can be used to buy cars, boats or other valuable assets. The costs of setting up a secured loan are higher than an unsecured loan since the security has to be assessed for value and the necessary legal charges drawn up and registered. Secured loans tend to be for larger amounts (£ / € 7,500 plus) and repaid over longer periods (minimum 5 years up to 30 years).
Both types of loan can be either fixed rate (where the interest charges are calculated on day one at a known rate and do not change) or a variable rate linked to some base charge rate. Variable rate loans have a fixed regular monthly capital element and the interest charged changes based on the current market base rate of interest plus a fixed know margin.
Acceptance or administration fees have risen and lending margins have widened meaning that it is relatively expensive to borrow than a few years ago. Secured loans should have a lower interest rate charged reflecting the lower risk - although their fees charged will be higher.
As always, finding the right loan means shopping around and comparing terms. The total amount repayable (including charges) should always be compared along with the Annual Percentage Rate charged. Do not just look at the monthly payment - look at the whole loan repayment before deciding. If looking at a new debt consolidation loan then make sure that the new monthly payment is well below the combined individual loans that you are looking to settle.
Back to school for kids
Category: Shopping |Date Published: 14/07/2010
So many Departments stores have very competitive prices with an offer of 3 for 2 in most big department stores, like Tesco and Dunnes Stores.
Personally I would go for Marks And Spencers.
I always found its better wearing and last most of the year and it’s not much more expensive than other leading department stores.
Also try and avail of school offers they are trying to sell books to bring cheaper prices.
Took a trip to Marks And Spencers today and I could not believe the amount of school offers they have.
3 for 2
And this offer actually includes any school supplies even down to shoes and coats.
They have trousers starting from as little as €4.50 a pair
This ranges up to about €13.00 for girls and €15.00 for boys.
The shirts start at €7.50 for a packet of 3 and up to €14.00.
Amazing offer don't miss out!!
Also don't forget about Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance
The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BTSCFA) is to help you meet the cost of uniforms and footwear for children attending school.
The scheme operates from 1 June to 30 September each year.
The Allowance is provided by the Health Service Executive as part of the Supplementary Welfare Scheme.
Meteor, O2 customers face 80% price hike for prepay service
Category: Mobile Phones |Date Published: 13/07/2010
Prepaid customers, who pay for their calls and texts by topping up their mobile accounts with credit every month, are set to be hardest hit.
The cost of initiating a call for a prepaid customer is to rise from 5c to 9c, a jump of 80pc, the Irish Independent has learned.
The changes will affect almost 700,000 prepaid customers of the company.
There will be no change in the per minute charge once a call is made.
Price hikes will also be imposed on people with mobile phone contracts, as these customers will have to pay more once they exceed the monthly voice and text allowances that come with their price plans.
More than 400,000 people have contracts with O2.
The rises take effect from Monday week and will mean that someone who exceeds their monthly allowance of free calls will see the price of making a call rise by 35pc, the phone company confirmed yesterday.
A spokeswoman for O2 said a smartphone user who is on the Advance 350 price plan pays €60 a month and gets 350 free call minutes, unlimited internet browsing and 150 free texts.
If they exceed the limits for calls on this plan the cost of making a call will rise from 20c to 27c. The cost of sending a text goes from 10c to 11c for those who exceed their free "bundled" number of texts each month.
Roaming
"The majority of customers on these price plans don't exceed the voice and text allowances that come with the price plans they have chosen," the spokeswoman said. "If customers do find they exceed the bundled minutes and texts with their plan we advise them to choose another plan more tailored to their usage."
She said O2 offers a free "spend alert text service" for all customers, which alerts them when they have reached a particular amount on their bill to help them manage what they spend. The customers sets the point at which they would like to receive an alert.
The price hike comes days after the EU imposed caps on roaming charges that phone companies can impose when people are using their mobiles abroad.
But the company denied yesterday that the increases had anything to do with that cap.
The cost of making a call to the 11811 directory enquiry service is to rise from 99c to €1.17, the Irish Independent has also learned.
The mobile phone operator, which is part of European telecoms giant Telefonica, is also moving to suspend prepaid accounts that have not been used for more than six months.
O2 said it would write to people who have not used the prepaid mobile for more than half a year and if there was no reply it would remove any phone credit two months later.
It is also scrapping a desktop text service where people can download software to their computer and send free texts.
Customers can still avail of free texts via the internet by accessing the O2 website.
- Charlie Weston Personal Finance Editor
Irish Independent
Outrage as bin charges are set to soar by 31pc
Category: Bin Charges |Date Published: 13/07/2010
Local opposition councillors are now planning to mount vehement objections to the proposal.
Fine Gael councillors are preparing to call an emergency meeting with Labour and SF before the County Council meets later this month.
Councillor Derek Keating (FG) said: "This move comes at a time when other businesses are reducing their costs. I know many people who are hard pressed to pay other charges."
Residents in the area have just got used to the new bin collection system, which charges per collection, Cllr Keating said.
"The collection rate is based on the fact that the polluter pays," he added. "Large families will be particularly affected by this change."
Logic
The European Court of Justice recently found against Ireland over the failure of public bodies to charge VAT for their service and pointed out that private companies competing against local authorities by providing bin collections and other services are forced to charge VAT.
Earlier it was revealed that the consultant who devised the State's waste policy warned that bin charges could double if plans by Environment Minister John Gormley go ahead. PJ Rudden of RPS said opposition to the Poolbeg incinerator and a move towards an alternative system based on waste separation 'defies logic'.
Mr Gormley has warned Dublin City Council not to go ahead with the Poolbeg facility and supports higher levies for incineration with a move to Mechanical Biological Treatment instead.
A number of county councils in Ireland are not providing bin collections and have contracted out the work to private operators.
VAT will apply to all other council services, except those which are statutory functions, such as assessing planning applications.
How to Choose a Broadband Provider?
Category: Broadband |Date Published: 27/06/2010
The first choice to confront is the type of broadband you want in your home or officeand in most cases this will be limited based on your location. ADSL broadband, which is delivered via copper landline telephone connections, is the most widely availableand as a result it is also the most popular. However, if you live in an area that is serviced by Cable Broadband providers and Mobile Broadband networks, you will have even more choice. At this point it becomes necessary to break down the market further.
Connection speed is important to most customersand this will often be a deciding factor when comparing broadband providers. Most will advertise their services as capable of a theoretical maximum download and upload speed, although the best ones will admit that this ideal connection is rarely attainable in real lifeand should be able to give you an estimate of how quick your connection will be if you sign up with them. As a rule of thumb, expect to pay more for quicker connections, but always make sure that a provider is being honest about its abilitiesand get a second opinion by comparing online and reading customer reviews.
A speedy connection is all well and good, but you will need to be able to take advantage of this speed by having a decent data allowance each month. Some providers will restrict certain deals with a download cap, usually measured in gigabytes (GB), which you will not be allowed to exceed in a given month. Others will give you unlimited access, but still monitor your use and request that you stick to the regulations laid out in something called a Fair Use policy. Broadband deals with data caps will typically be cheaper, but it might limit what you can do with your internet connection, so it is worth working out just how much you will be using your connectionand what you will be using it to perform. For example, a 10GB data cap will let you surf for around 100-300 hours a month, although if you are going to be streaming videos, playing games and downloading large files, this will quickly be used up.
The best way to choose a broadband provider is to use an online price comparison site, which will independently compare the different packages based on the specific features which you are seeking, whether it be connection type, speed, download limit or cost.