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Max Your Cash: 9 to 5

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X-Ray production team X-Ray production team | 19:32 UK time, Wednesday, 28 January 2009

Many of us will have felt the pinch on our pockets recently, but maybe we just don't want to give up some of life's little luxuries.

But, Lucy has some top tips about curbing your spending during the working day. They could save you hundreds of pounds during the course of a year.

Morning

Over 700,000 of us in Wales commute to work every day by car, and 83% travel alone. For many it seems the most convenient way to travel, but with the average fuel bill standing at over £1900 in 2008 - is it really the most efficient?

A great way to save on fuel costs is to join a car sharing scheme. You'll be surprised how many people are doing the same journey as you everyday. And it's estimated that you could save a huge £350 a year, as well as doing your bit for the environment and reducing your carbon footprint.

The Welsh Assembly fund three car-sharing schemes across Wales, which can be found online. You simply register the details of your journey and whether you are looking for a lift or offering one.

Hopefully you'll find other people heading in the same direction as you! See for more details.

If you feel a bit sleepy as you arrive at work then who can resist a nice fresh cup of coffee. We drink about 70 million cups in the UK everyday. But do you really need to buy your coffee from a shop?

The average cappuccino costs around £1.50, so buying just two a day during your working week adds up to £15 - or a pricey £720 a year. The solution? Be organised. When you're having your cuppa in the house make a bit extra, pop it in a flask and take it to work.

Noon

It's recommended that we drink about 1.5 litres of water every day. In 2007 we drank over 2 billion litres of the bottled stuff! If you spend 70 pence a day on a bottled water, it may not sound like much - but over a year that'll set you back a cool £255. Money down the drain when it's perfectly safe to drink the water straight from the tap, which is virtually free.

The average worker spends around £5 on lunch everyday. Of course we all have to eat, but that's £25 a week. Put another way - £1200 a year. That's a staggering £48,000 over your working lifetime!

So why not make your own and take a packed lunch to work? It's a lot cheaper and at least you know you're going to get a filling you like.

Night

The cost of food is on the increase, so whilst picking up a ready meal may be an easy option, it's could cost you a fortune in the long run.

Sheena Sarjeant is a WI member who lives in Cowbridge. She believes that good home cooking not only tastes delicious but can save you a packet too. She's got some top tips for any budding Delia's out there:

  • don't buy the very cheap mince because it generally has a lot of fat in it.
  • the cheapest tinned tomatoes are just as good as the expensive ones.
  • Sheena uses extra mature cheese in her lasagne - she says that whilst it's slightly more expensive you use less of it because it has a stronger flavour. By using less you are putting less fat into the dish.
  • always make more than you need; it's cheaper in the long run and any left overs can be frozen and used at a later date.
  • Sheena suggested that the meat base of the lasagne can also be used to make spaghetti bolognaise, cottage pie or a chilli.

The ingredients for Sheena's lasagne cost five pounds, and made 6 portions. Iif you bought 6 lasagnes from the supermarket, that would set you back around £9. So by making your own on a monthly basis, you could save £48 over the year.

So, if you follow all those tips and Max your Cash throughout the day, by the end of the year you could save yourself over £2,500. Now how good would that make you feel!

If you want to try your hand at making Sheena's lasagne then here's her recipe:

Classic lasagne with roast garlic bread

For the Bolognaise Sauce:

  • 1 small carrot- peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1 onion-peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1 stalk celery - coarsely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic - peeled
  • 400g good quality minced beef
  • 50g streaky bacon - chopped
  • 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 300ml beef stock
  • Salt, freshly ground pepper
  • 1 teaspoon tomato puree
  • Pinch oregano -optional

For the Bechamel Sauce

  • 50g butter or margarine
  • 40g plain flour
  • 600ml milk
  • 1 teaspoon made mustard
  • Pinch nutmeg
  • 75g strong Cheddar cheese - grated
  • 8 sheets lasagne - approx 200g (depends on size and shape of dish)

For the roast garlic bread

  • 175g butter
  • 6-8 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed or grated
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 baguette

Preheat the oven to 180C, 350F, Gas Mark 4, Fan Oven 160C

First make the Bolognaise sauce. Place the onion, carrot, celery and garlic in a food processor and whizz until coarsely chopped.Place the mince and bacon in a pan on a medium heat and stir, breaking up the lumps until it changes colour.

Add the processed vegetables, tomatoes, tomato puree and stock made with a cube. Season with the salt, pepper and herbs if used. Bring to the boil and simmer with the lid off for about 20 minutes.

Next make the sauce. Melt the fat in a medium sized pan, add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes Gradually add the milk stirring all the time until the mixture boils Add the mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

To assemble the lasagne, spoon about 4 tablespoonfuls of the Bolognaise sauce to cover the base of a gratin dish measuring approximately 10in square, then cover with a layer of Bechamel sauce and sprinkle with cheese.

Place sheets of uncooked lasagne in a single layer to cover the cheese, then top with Bolognaise sauce and continue until you almost fill the dish finishing with the Bechamel sauce and the grated cheese.

Place in the oven for 40-50 minutes until the pasta is cooked and the top is golden and bubbling around the edges.

Make the garlic bread by melting the butter in a small pan, add the chopped parsley and garlic.Cut the baguette horizontally or in smaller slices and generously brush the melted garlic butter over the cut surfaces.

Put on a baking tray and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Serve the lasagne with the garlic bread and a green salad.

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