Free food

This time of year is great for blackberrying. The hedgerows round where I live are laden with berries. I’ve been throwing them on cereal and in cakes and crumbles. Free food! I’ve not made any jam yet but I read a great article recently for anyone thinking of mashing berries into gorgeous pots of jam. See it here: Guardian.co.uk.

Pots of homemade jam make lovely presents and if you use unusual, funky jars and make pretty labels, they look even better.

If your own garden is bursting with blackberries, or apples (or any kind of fruit and veg), there’s a great scheme to help you share it. It’s called Abundance and collects produce from those who have it to spare and delivers it free to local groups, charities and communities. It runs in cities across the UK, including Manchester and Sheffield and Edinburgh. Google your local area with the word ‘abundance’ and see if there’s a scheme near you.

Olympic Renting

Anyone who lives near to the Olympic stadium (or near to any Olympic event) could rent their home out and make thousands. According to the property agents, home renting will be huge during the games. I’ve been writing about it for The Observer, see here: Observer.co.uk.

Back to school

For parents who are struggling with back to school costs, I hope they’ll find some helpful ideas in an article I wrote for the Sunday Express. See it here: Express.co.uk.