Are You Financially Compatible?

 

Written by Jenny Catton

 

When it comes to money, most people fall into one of two camps – ‘spenders’ or ‘savers’. Spenders generally spend their money as soon as they get it and believe that money is there to be enjoyed. They don’t mind borrowing to buy the things they want. Savers, on the other hand take a much more restrained view. They consider all the options carefully before parting with their cash and generally won’t buy something that they can’t afford.

 

If you and your partner have differences of opinion when it comes to spending and saving your money, then it can lead to serious arguments. In a survey of 2,000 adults, the counselling organisation Relate found that money is the most common cause of arguments and is responsible for 44 per cent of rows within relationships.

 

Our attitude to money is often deep-seated and is usually a result of our upbringing, so whether we are a spender or a saver it can be difficult to see things from another person’s point of view. If rows about money are causing stresses and strains in your relationship, then it’s important to take control of the situation as quickly as possible.

 

Find the time to discuss your attitude to finance. Don’t let it become an argument; just give each other the time to explain what your financial goals are. It might be useful to sit down once a month to review your finances and plan for the forthcoming months. If you do have different approaches to money, you may be able to find a compromise by deciding how much to save each month and how much to spend on treats.

 

If one or both of you is in debt then it’s important to be honest. Once you’ve brought the problem out into the open, you can begin to form a plan to deal with any debts.

 

Consider having a separate bank account for household expenses. This way you can both pay what you can afford into this account and arrange for your bills to be paid directly from it. This should help alleviate monthly arguments about who should pay for what.

 

For further advice on how to manage your money within a relationship, visit: http://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk

 

 

 

Categories: afford, arguments, generally, money, nbsp, spend

Could a Mediterranean Diet Help Improve Your Health?

When it comes to diet and nutrition, the Mediterranean Diet is one of the highest rated. The foods that people following this diet eat are packed full of nutrients and can have a great effect on their wellness and wellbeing. Following this diet has even been rumoured to help people lose weight and to add years to their life.

 

In truth, the Mediterranean diet is more of a general concept than an actual, prescriptive diet. The foods are generally fresh fruit and veg, seafood, goat’s cheese, nuts, grains, yoghurt and olive oil, as well as a bit of red wine. Red meat is generally avoided and all food is grilled rather than fried.

 

Following the Mediterranean diet could help to guard you against all kinds of serious health conditions, such as cancer and heart disease. Any fat consumed through the Mediterranean diet is generally from monounsaturated plant sources such as nuts, canola oil and olive oil, which are good at reducing your blood cholesterol and guarding your heart against disease. These types of fats are far healthier than the fats that people generally consume in products like butter and red meat. The Mediterranean diet is also free from the hydrogenated fats that are generally found in processed and pre-packaged foods. In addition to this, olive oil has cancer-fighting antioxidants and coats the stomach, protecting you from ulcers.

 

Due to the fact that the cheeses used on the Mediterranean diet are generally made from goat’s milk, the diet is also usually very rich in calcium, vitamin B12, riboflavin and zinc. All of these properties help the body to maintain a healthy immune system, which means that you are less likely to catch the various bugs that fly around, especially during winter, and are better able to fight them off if you do catch them. These properties also help in the building of strong bones and teeth.

Categories: diet, foods, generally, health, Mediterranean, Mediterranean diet, olive oil, people, red meat

Using The Right Oils For Your Health

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Oil gets a bad name sometimes. It’s a bad word – we associate it immediately with fat and gaining weight and that can make many people shy away from oils and try to remove them for their diet entirely. But this isn’t a good idea; some oils can actually be very beneficial to your health especially when they are used in moderation. But what are the right oils to use, and how to you know that you are doing the right thing?

These days there are loads of different oils to choose from: rapeseed, groundnut, extra virgin, and the list just goes on and on. We no longer live in a wonderful where ‘olive oil’ is exotic; if anything it has become a standard that we all adhere to. The best choice is usually plant oils as they are generally higher in monounsaturates and polyunsaturates, which makes them better for you than most animal fats which generally contain higher levels of saturated fats. Replacing saturated fats in your diet with unsaturated fats is generally very good for you.

One of the other useful aspects of plant oils is that they tend to be a good source of omega 6 essential fatty acids, which are very important to our good health. They play a crucial role in ensuring good brain function, healthy skin and teeth and even a well-functioning metabolic and reproductive system.

Clearly, then, we should try to steer clear of the animal oils and instead endeavour to use vegetable oils whenever it is possible, which is most of the time.  Doing this will ensure you stay as healthy as possible for longer.

Using The Right Oils For Your Health

Categories: fats, generally, health, oils, plant, plant oils, saturated fats