"A hearty and comforting meal can offer a vital buffer from the reality of trying to scrimp around the sharp edges of financial difficulty."

"...focus less on stuff, and more on people and spending time with them. The most precious commodity you will have is time, there is never enough of it..."

"It all comes back to that discretionary income; the money we have left over after paying the bills. There is less of it to go around these days, so I have had to become more inventive with our parties."

"The summer berries are finally beginning to ripen and it is all hands on deck in our house to harvest and preserve some of our favourite crops."

"As a full-time work-from-home parent, I have made so many micro and macro decisions during my day that what to cook for dinner is too much to think about - otherwise known as decision fatigue."

"While it might not sound very thrilling, it's a good idea to audit the household finances regularly."

"As the schools wind up and the annual award ceremonies and celebrations for diligent students are handed out, take some time for a pat on the back for making it this far in the school year. We got there."

I’ve been doing this for years and it is just so handy because I use it all year around to keep an eye on the freezer

The cumulative effect of all the reductions will surely help with savings at the till for shoppers

"When the weather gets hot, and Irish salad produce is at its best, it’s time to down most tools in the kitchen and prepare the authentic Irish salad plate for the main meal instead of meat and veg"