Kate Gosselin is cutting corners where she can, especially now that shes no longer a reality TV star. She shared some of her best money-saving tips during a recent interview and some of them make good sense.

According to a report from RadarOnline, the former Kate Plus Eight star claims that being organized is one of the most helpful ways to cut corners. If you dont know what you have–how can you possibly know what you need to buy?

Sometimes organization alone can help you save money, she says. I keep a running list of products I need to buy from Target, Whole Foods, Giant (our local grocery store) and others.

She utilizes her phones ability to help with that organization, too.

When we are on the second to last item of its kind, I mark it down to buy during my next trip to that store. By knowing what we need, I dont spend more than I need to because Im not guessing – my list is always right there on my phone! Kate Gosselin says.

Other ways Kate saves money include recycling anything that can be reused, buying in bulk, cutting and using coupons, making lunch instead of eating out, and cooking most things from scratch.

Do you think these are ideas you could implement to help save money in your household? Do you think Kate Gosselin actually implements these ideas into her familys budget?

Being a single mother of eight certainly comes with a hefty price tag. Is Kate Gosselin really cutting back on spending and living a rather frugal lifestyle?

Photo Source: Facebook

Kit Yarrow is a professor of psychology and marketing at Golden Gate University in San Francisco and author of “Gen Y: How Tweens, Teens and Twenty-Somethings Are Revolutionizing Retail.”

A friend recently wanted to get her spending under control, so she decided not to buy anything except groceries. Four weeks later, she clicked on an email link for a three-hour-only sale and purchased a pair of shoes. It was all it took to get her clicking again: This started a spending binge that resulted in even greater debt than what she had when she started her plan to stop.

Mall occupancy is up, according to a report Monday, and it’s increasingly easy to shop online with the recent surge in sample sales sites. Here are three psychological tools to help shopaholics in 2012:

1. Rebrand Yourself, Discard Self-Hating Labels

It’s not always helpful for anyone to label themselves as a “problem spender.” A better method is to identify with the strength and resolve they have in other parts of their lives and to label previous over-spending as a mistake they will choose not to make in the future. It’s a powerful mental shift away from defensiveness and reactivity toward personal power and control.

My friend shared responsibility and control with her boyfriend. Because of this, satisfying her boyfriend became the goal, rather than altering her spending. We see this in dieters who sneak treats when their spouses aren’t looking. A better method is to state your intentions and ask others to respect your new frugal lifestyle.

2. Unsubscribe from Favorite Online Retailers

Don’t be exposed to temptation by opening those emails from her favorite online stores. Retail email campaigns and deal-of-the-day offers put people in the position of making purchase decisions on a regular basis. They are more insidious than visiting a mall because time pressure elevates the need to act. Anyone serious about curbing spending will cancel all subscriptions.

Retailers glean valuable information about consumers from social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, and polls. As SmartMoney.com reported, some retail tricks include: “The Sale Must End Today” (or the day after tomorrow), “Get a Free Gift With Selected Purchases Over $50″ or “23% Off.” Studies show odd numbers make it look more like a genuine bargain.

3. Avoid Going Cold Turkey On Spending

Don’t go cold turkey. The fact is that people need to buy things. While drastic reductions in spending are certainly possible, forgoing all spending often results in a slip-up. Once that happens people view themselves as failures, which means they beat themselves up in what’s known as the “what the hell” effect, and so begins the over-spending cycle all over again.

In this case, the goal was a negative one – to stop spending. It’s easier to accomplish positive goals that involve getting something rather than stopping something. An easier goal to accomplish might have been a monthly reduction in a credit card bill. That way, the focus would be on what people are getting out of their resolutions, not just what they appear to be giving up.

Its a freak of nature, and when Hopkins looked eye-to-eye, and, well, eye-to-eye again, at the mounted head, it made him contemplate what other kind of absurd animal roamed in the wild. Why couldnt a cow with three heads be alive and mooing?

Hopkins has never been afraid to look at life differently from the rest of the pack.

Imprisoned as a teen, the oldest fighter to ever win a major championship at 46, Hopkins long ago stopped worrying about what society thinks. When the critics howl he should quit, or a promoter tells him his last pay-per-view fight bombed, Hopkins just ditches the Prada glasses and button-down designer vest and suit, steps again through the ropes and into a ring.

I refuse to be the norm, Hopkins said.

Oh, no one would dare accuse Hopkins of conforming. Hes always good for a few surprises.

At a 47th birthday celebration this week at the Philadelphia gym where he trains, Hopkins, who usually bobs and weaves around treats, licked the frosting off his cake. For a fighter known for a frugal lifestyle and a bedtime more suited for young children, it was a rare indulgence saved for a special occasion.

Believe it or Not, Bernard Hopkins is 47, was inscribed on B-Hops cake.

The event was less a birthday bash and more about the Philadelphia arrival of his wax figure. The likeness was created by Ripleys Believe It Or Not! in honor of Hopkins becoming the oldest fighter in boxing history to win a world title in May 2011. As far as the coolness factor rates, Hopkins statue fits in somewhere between similar lifelike creations of the Worlds Tallest Man and the Mexican Vampire Woman.

It was a visit to the Ripleys museum in Hollywood where Hopkins saw the double-headed calf and, in a way, could relate to the outcast bovine.

As Hopkins draws closer toward his careers final bell, the awe of winning major fights in his 40s has morphed into questions of why hes still fighting closing in on 50. After an ugly bout and controversial — and overturned — finish against Chad Dawson in October, Hopkins knows his time, at last, is running out.

With 61 pro fights behind him, Hopkins appears on the brink of stepping away from the sport for good. He has the WBC light heavyweight championship, but no immediate fights ahead. Hed like to fight again in the spring in Atlantic City, New Jersey, or even in Canada, and a potential rematch with Dawson looms. If that falls through, Hopkins openly talks about challenging IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute.

Either way, the time appears right for the ageless Hopkins, second only to Joe Frazier among Phillys greatest boxers, to quit.

Just dont expect him to retire because someone else tells him its time.

They cant give you a reason other than, Youre 47 and you dont need to do it anymore, Hopkins said. I havent had that type of fight to say that, physically, Bernard Hopkins should stop fighting, or his head is not right, or he cant put three sentences together, or hes fighting to keep his electric on. That hasnt, and would not be, Bernard Hopkins.

The Dawson debacle, though, was as bizarre an ending to a Hopkins fight as any in a career that dates to 1988. Dawson lifted Hopkins off his feet by standing up, tossing him onto the canvas. Hopkins landed on his back and immediately clutched his shoulder and grimaced in pain. Apparently unable to continue, referee Pat Russell ruled Dawson hadnt fouled Hopkins, stopped the fight in the second round, and awarded the belt to Dawson.

Last month, the California State Athletic Commission overturned the decision and declared the bout a no-decision. The move means Hopkins still has never lost a fight by stoppage in his 23-year career.

The thing about that fight that disappointed me was the people who seemed to lose confidence in Bernard, trainer Nazim Richardon said.

Hopkins hasnt knocked out an opponent since Oscar De La Hoya in September 2004 — 13 fights ago. His bouts have been decided by decision since with the exception of a draw in the first Jean Pascal fight in 2010 and the no-contest against Dawson.

In the Pascal rematch, Hopkins won and dethroned George Foreman as the oldest boxer to win a world title.

Known as The Executioner, theres little left for Hopkins to chase.

Its about maximizing the dollars at this stage of my career, and what does it mean for me and my legacy, Hopkins said.

His legacy is secure as one of boxings all-time great middleweights.

Outside the ring, hes made a national name for his outlandish comments, like barking at Joe Calzaghe, Ill never let a white boy beat me, or ripping former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb.

No matter the opponent, Hopkins insists he wont announce his retirement until after his final bout. He doesnt want a farewell tour. Hopkins said no one will know heading into each bout if this is really it for the efficient fighter.

Even in his down time, Hopkins keeps winning. A Philadelphia jury this week issued a no-merit ruling in his favor in a breach-of-contract action brought by the estate of Hopkins former trainer, the late Bouie Fisher. The suit sought $1.3 million in unpaid trainers fees for several Hopkins fights from 2004-05. Fisher, who molded a raw Hopkins into a champion, died last year.

The fighter credits what he learned doing prison time for strong-arm robberies for helping him overcome obstacles on the outside.

The greatest thing I had in prison, was patience, Hopkins said. Let that clock run down 46 months. Thats a long time when youre 17 years old. I had to have patience when this guys trying to hang himself, this guys trying to cut himself with a razor blade, and this guy is trying to escape any way he can escape. Thats a strong discipline. I just transferred that discipline in there and I took it into my life.

With his dapper attire, millions stashed away, and full use of his senses, hes beaten the odds in the fight game. Hes had enough career-defining performances to fill the resumes of multiple fighters.

Hopkins has it all — except for that overwhelming desire to close the book on his career.

I will go out and I will finish this, whenever it is, the only way I know how, he said.

My way.

If you delay your retirement plan by just five years, you could lose tens of thousands of dollars in savings, she says. For example, consider a 40-year-old worker who makes $60,000 annually. That person invests 6 percent of his income each year in a tax-advantaged investment or savings account which earns 4 percent in annual interest until the worker retires at age 65.

If this worker procrastinated and waited until age 45 to start the same savings plan, he would have about $47,000 less upon retirement–approximately $119,000 instead of $166,000. There is definitely a benefit to starting early, Ford says.

Overcoming retirement planning anxiety

No one sets out to lose out on almost $50,000, but people often dont start retirement planning because they feel overwhelmed and dont know the first step to take, Ford says. The way to overcome this anxiety, she advises, is to develop a simple savings road map that can be managed on a monthly basis as part of your regular budget.

If you think about a 30-year career and know there are 12 months in a year, thats 360 months of executing against your retirement plan in some systematic way, says Ford.

4 steps to an on-track retirement

Had enough of the procrastination anxiety? You owe it to yourself to do some realistic retirement planning now. Its time to put away the toilet scrubber and pull out the pen and paper (or fire up the computer). Here are four simple steps to get your retirement on track:

1. Identify your savings target

Use a retirement calculator to help you identify a quantifiable retirement goal, says Jack VanDerhei, research director at the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).

Online calculators, such as the ones on MoneyRates.com or the ING Retirement Planning website, have fields where you can enter your age, income, how much money youve already saved, how much you plan to save each year and your anticipated rate of return, he says.

When many people use these calculators, they often realize that theyre not on track for savings, says VanDerhei. In fact, EBRI has just released the results of a survey that shows worker confidence about retirement preparedness is at an all-time low.

There is a silver lining, however. For many people, their fears over retirement are what can motivate them to jump-start saving. You have to be aware there is a problem before you can start treating it, he says.

2. Enroll in tax-advantaged investment and savings programs

The first and best place to start saving for retirement is at your place of employment, says Ford. If your job offers a 401(k) or 403(b) account, you have access to a plan thats relatively easy to use, compounds your returns and may even offer free money if your employer has a matching program, she says.

Money gets deducted directly out of your payroll–and its happening for you on autopilot, so its not a hassle every month, Ford says. If you dont have access to an employer plan, look into an IRA or SEP-IRA as a viable alternative, she says.

3. Consolidate retirement accounts

According to the ING Retirement Research Institute study, another factor that makes retirement planning difficult is the fact that workers are more likely to change employers multiple times over the course of a career, so theyre more likely to have different retirement accounts at different institutions.

Keeping up with separate investment and savings accounts makes retirement planning difficult, Ford says. The solution is to try to consolidate them as much as possible–for instance, into a single IRA. You could also move funds into your current companys plan, if it allows transfers from retirement funds held under previous employers, she says.

4. Redefine retirement

Its never too late to start saving for retirement, but if youve been procrastinating a long time, it may be unlikely that youll have enough money from pensions, savings plans and Social Security to allow you to retire at a certain age, says VanDerhei. A substantial percentage of households wont be ready for retirement by age 65.

If youre in this situation, consider rethinking what retirement means. Perhaps you might choose to work full-time a few extra years or choose to accept a part-time job in retirement. Redefining retirement could also mean focusing on reducing expenses rather than increasing your income and savings. You might consider living a more frugal lifestyle. Working with a qualified financial planner can help you identify different strategies for creating a lifestyle that works with your finances.

If youre able to work longer and downsize your expenses in order to fund a comfortable retirement, thats not a bad thing, says VanDerhei.

Thinking seriously about your retirement may not be the most fun item at the top of your list, but building up a robust retirement savings account will give you peace of mind that will last far longer than a clean bathroom.

By HWN YAUL LEN
Translated by Chan Li Lin
Sin Chew Daily

At the ripe old age of 80, a person must have gone through the storm of life. It is also supposedly a time to put all the hardship behind and spend his or her remaining years enjoying life. However, not everyone is so lucky as some elderly people still need to repay the debts incurred by their children, an evidence that they still need to worry for their children.

There are many unfortunate senior citizens in our society. Some are impoverished while others have descendants who lack motivation and competency.

There was one old lady whose grandson borrowed a big sum of money from loan sharks and disappeared, leaving behind the mess for her to clear up. As a result, the unscrupulous loan sharks used various methods to demand payment from the poor grandma. It was a pity that in her old age, she still needed to collect disposed cardboards everyday to earn a slender income and repay RM200 to the loan sharks every month.

There was also one poor father whose son was addicted to gambling and repeatedly borrowed from loan sharks. Despite having helped the son to settle the debt on numerous occasions, the younger man remained unrepentant. The father in despair finally contemplated suicide in a bid to give his son a wake-up call.

Similarly, a father who had been leading a frugal lifestyle lost his lifetime savings to non other than his own daughter and daughter-in-law.

Trapped in a relationship, Alviss Kong left a message on the Internet before taking his own life, leaving his father mentally and physically exhausted. If the youngster knew that his action would bring such an agony to his father, who died of a heart attack amid misunderstanding, would he have selfishly chosen to end his life?

What was wrong with these young people who left their parents and elderly family members grief-stricken? Being adults themselves, they supposedly took responsibility for their actions but they just left like that after hurting their families.

Having forgotten about repaying their parents and filial piety, they failed to assume responsibility for their actions by leaving all the bitterness to their families. This selfish behaviour should be condemned by the society.

In the past one week, the strong festive atmosphere marked the arrivals of Father’s Day and Mother’s Day. Everyone was singing praises for the great fatherly and motherly love provided and expressing gratitude to their parents for the sacrifices made.

However, there are still many elderly people out there who are lonely and have to endure torment at the hands of their children. More than anyone else, they are in need of care in the society.

The other day I was reading a post on a message board from someone who was very proud of their money saving efforts.

They listed things theyd cut including the house cleaner, the lawn service, eating out, and that theyd dropped premium channels on their cable. Theyve started buying store brands and given up many designer labels. They also sold a luxury car and replaced it with a cheaper model. They were pretty proud of themselves because they were now saving several thousand dollars per year. I thought they were doing a good job, but other posters jumped on this person telling them that they werent being frugal and that their efforts were stupid.

The general consensus seemed to be that this person had been living so high on the hog that most of their cuts were just Duh things that all frugal people do. Other posters made fun of the original poster because the OP thought that cutting out designer labels and lawn services were big deals. To the ultra-frugal on the board, these things were things that the original poster should never have had to begin with. They told the OP that they thought their efforts at frugality were silly and inconsequential and to come back when they were doing things like shopping at thrift stores, planting a garden, and sewing their own clothes. The attitude was, Youre not frugal enough to post here. Were better than you and we think youre not approaching this the right way. As a result, the OP got frustrated and stopped posting.

What these ultra frugal people have forgotten is that you have to start where you are. Some people live at a higher spending level than others. Maybe their income allowed it, or they simply lived above their means. Whatever the reason, when the day comes that they need to be frugal they have a lot of big cuts they can make. They can cut the exotic vacations, designer labels, premium brands, lawn services, house cleaners, and expensive cars. They can quickly reduce their spending by thousands if they choose. To these people, these cuts are very big deals.

It may be hard for them to live without housekeeping or lawn service. It may be a big sacrifice for them to do these things themselves. To those of us whove done it this way forever, it may seem like a Duh thing to do, but to those whove never walked this road before its a big deal. Those whove lived the high life have to start being frugal somewhere. For them its easiest to cut those big items. Once theyve mastered that, then they can move on to thriftier things.

While there are some frugal people whove been that way all their lives, most frugal people came to the lifestyle because of a job loss or income reduction, because they watched their parents squander money, or because they had a concern for the environment. Most of us started out by cutting out the obvious big things. Maybe we didnt have a lawn service to cut, but we probably had some other frivolous spending to eliminate. We had to start somewhere. Once wed made the big cuts we moved on to the frugal lifestyle and started planting gardens, line drying clothes, and canning vegetables.

Its pointless and mean to make fun of someone who is genuinely trying to bring their spending down. Everyone has to start somewhere. Maybe their cuts arent something you can identify with, but its their life. They probably cant (yet) identify with your use of reusable cloths instead of paper towels. You had to start being frugal somewhere and so do they. Be kind to others and support them in their efforts. Model a more frugal lifestyle for them and maybe theyll eventually get as good at it as you are. If you discourage others and tell them that they arent doing it right, (and, by the way, there is no right way to be frugal) theyll give up and decide its not worth it. If youre new to frugality, start where you are and do what you can. Learn as you go along and youll find that before long youre living a very frugal life.

Camp Lejuene, NC (PRWEB) June 27, 2011

On July 3, 2011, Collin Morgan, the founder of Hip2Save.com, a highly regarded and hugely popular frugal living and couponing website, with a strong commitment to family and community values, embarks with her family on a charitable trip to Atlanta, GA. There they will join other Hip2Help Benefit Tour organizers, six adults and nine children under the age of 11, and set out in a leased tour bus on an 8-day journey to offer support, assistance and hope to families devastated this spring by tornadoes in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.

While Hip2Save has always been generous in its commitment to giving and to reaching out and supporting others when they need it most, this is its first benefit tour. Thanks to the input of many Hip2Save readers who have identified families and communities in need, the tour will visit four locations in 3 states over the 8-day period. Benefit activities include community events, service projects, and direct support of selected families.

The goal of the tour is to share resources and hope with families in tornado ravaged communities who have experienced significant hardship. The tour’s mission is to demonstrate that it is possible for everyone, regardless of position or circumstance, to give back in big and small ways… one person, one event, one coupon, one contribution at a time.

In addition to a large and enthusiastic group of Hip2Save readers, corporations are also supporting and contributing to the Hip2Help tour, including Procter amp; Gamble, Fruit of the Loom and Philosophy.com. Each of these companies, along with local businesses, are providing much needed goods and donations to impacted families and the communities in which they live.

In Collin’s words, “This tour is all about helping families just like mine and my readers. No one knows when tragedy will strike. When it does, we all benefit from a helping hand and a warm smile. This tour is our first effort to give back in this way. We wanted to provide our readers with a fun, inspiring and HIP way to contribute and to be an example that encourages everyone to help those in need however and whenever they can. I’m so touched and motivated by the generous response of our readers. This benefit tour would not have happened without them!”

The group’s first tour stop is the tornado ravaged town of Griffin, GA. In Griffin they will take part in community events that local Hip2Save readers have coordinated and organized. After spending July 4th in Griffin, the Hip2Help Tour travels to Elmore County and Lake Martin, AL, July 5th and 6th, and to Memphis, TN, July 7th. The tour concludes July 8th and 9th in Calhoun County, AL.

The Hip2Save team invites everyone in these communities to join Hip2Save readers in person and participate in all sponsored events and activities. More broadly, everyone, regardless of where you live, is encouraged to support the Hip2Help tour. The Hip2Save website details dates and times of local activities and events, donation needs, drop-off locations and local charitable organizations that are accepting cash and in kind donations to support their own relief efforts.

Hip2Save.com is very proud and appreciative of the strong core of Hip2Save readers and corporate sponsors who have enthusiastically and generously come forward to support this charitable effort, including over 110,000 Facebook fans.

We give little when we give of our possessions. It is when we give of ourselves that we can truly touch another persons life. (Anonymous)

About Hip2Save.com

Founded in 2008,Hip2Save.com is a frugal living blog that shows by example how to live a more fulfilling and rewarding life by saving money with coupons, taking advantage of the best online deals, and shopping stores with confidence! Who says living a frugal lifestyle cant be fun, wholesome and hip? If this appeals to you too, check out Hip2Save.com.

Hip2Save is a blog started by Collin Morgan, a stay-at-home mom of 3 young kids and married to a Marine. She began the site as a way to make herself more financially accountable and to share savings tips with family and friends. After a while, she recognized how much fun and rewarding saving money and sharing ideas can be. She also began to realize that saving money was essentially the same as making money. Creating and maintaining Hip2Save.com has empowered Collin and her readers to budget and save money in order to live more fulfilling and rewarding lives. And as far as Collin is concerned, nothing is more “HIP” than that!

Hip2Saves mission for its staff and their readers is to live more fulfilling and rewarding lives by saving money with coupons, taking advantage of the best online deals, and shopping stores with confidence – the “HIP” way to shop, to save and to live.

You can find Hip2Save on Twitter @Hip2Save, Facebook/Hip2Save and YouTube/Hip2Save

###

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/6/prweb8601919.htm

Translated by Chan Li Lin
Sin Chew Daily

PRAI, PENANG: Housewife Lu Bao-zhen is one of very few people who manage to fulfill 10 green initiatives to become “green citizens”, a programme introduced by the Penang state government.

In the past decade, not only did she adhere to the environmental principles, her protection of the environment is also reflected in her daily lives. She uses bicycle to travel around whenever possible, buy new clothes only once a year, as well as cut down the use of oil, salt and sugar when preparing meals for her family.

“Every month, rubbish from our house weighs only 1kg,” she claimed. This is her greatest achievement in applying the principles of environmental protection. It is also the biggest driving force for her to protect the environment tirelessly.

Garbage classification

All these years, almost all “rubbish” produced by the family of three is categorized into several types. It is either recycled or made into enzyme that serves a useful purpose while doing laundry, floor cleaning and dish washing. Even plastic bags covered with grease will not slip through Lu’s hands. She will wash and subsequently recycle the items as she treasures every resource found on earth.

To prevent wastage, 46 year-old Lu only purchases new clothes during the Chinese New Year. According to her, a T-shirt can last for a few years before it becomes unwearable. Following Lu’s footstep, her only daughter also develops a frugal lifestyle.

Clothes being soaked in enzyme, washed manually

In order to save water and prevent chemicals found in detergent from polluting the earth, Lu normally washes the clothes with hands after soaking them in enzyme. She only uses washing machine for spin-drying purpose.

Lu is against the idea of using items made from chemicals, believing that once the chemicals get absorbed into the soil, it will be contaminated. Therefore, from detergent to shower gel to toothpaste, she will try her best to select the environmental-friendly products.

Preparing meals for family all year round

Almost 365 days a year, Lu cooks for her husband and daughter. She grows vegetable using fertilizer made by herself, besides trying her best to choose only organic and unprocessed foodstuffs. She insists on having lesser intakes of oil, salt, sugar and meat.

Saving electricity and water

Working to save water and conserve electricity, the family spends surprisingly little on electricity and water. Averagely, the family spends RM45 per month on electricity and the amount only slightly increases to over RM50 during Chinese New Year.

Meanwhile, the family’s water bill only costs RM5 every two months, indicating that three of them only use 105 litres of water per day on average.

Riding bicycle everyday

Previously, Lu and her husband avoid driving by walking to the market. Recently, the couple bought a bicycle.

Lu stressed that having a frugal lifestyle is also an act of environmental protection. After having a bicycle, she seldom travels by car and even when she wants to visit Penang island, she will ride the bicycle to a nearby bus station and take a bus to reach the destination.

She said, her family once made a trip to Penang island by taking bus. After her daughter shared the experience with her friends, many of them tried to take a bus ride and learnt to make good use of public transportation.

Promoting enzyme and fertilizer making

Lu started advocating environmental protection in 2001. Initially, she worked on recycling resources at her Prai apartment. Three years later, she assisted Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP) to manage a centre which produced enzyme and fertilizer. She was promoting environmental protection by actively engaging in practical activities.

Years ago, she placed recycle bins at her apartment building in a bid to call for environmental protection and urge the residents to avoid wastage of resources. She would then turn the collected food waste into fertilizer, which was subsequently used to grow organic vegetables and fruits. At the same time, she would make enzyme from disposed fruits and their skin at regular intervals. She shared some of the enzyme with friends and kept some at home. Whenever there was a talk, she would take the opportunity to distribute some enzyme to schools or participants to encourage environmental protection.

Currently, she is managing a nearby centre that produces fertilizer. She is also growing several types of vegetables and fruits, including sweet potato leaves, bitter gourd and cucumber, on a plot of empty land next to her apartment’s hall. Everyday, she spends at least two hours making fertilizer. She is seemingly kept busy everyday by her environmental protection activities.

Frequently invited to give talks

Lu is frequently invited to give talks on environmental protection. In May alone (as at 16 May), she had received 17 invitations to give talks during MPSP activities and in schools.

Despite having her hands full with environmental protection activities, she is happy because at least, she has put in efforts to care for the earth.

Lu’s tips in protecting the environment
1. Cut down the use of high voltage electrical appliances. Switch off the main power button or unplug the cable when electrical appliances are not in use for several hours
2. Pour enzyme onto greasy plastic bags, then sprinkle with wheat flour so that the grease can be easily removed by using a sponge.
3. Keep the stems of vegetables. When you want to clean an oily wok, put in the stems to absorb the oil. This can reduce the use of cleaning agent.
4. Put natural sunlight to good use, reduce the use of lights during broad daylight. Before going out, turn off the lights if possible.

Allan Hubbard, the shrewd, conservative, Timaru accountant, built his reputation on trust often borrowing from and lending to people on the basis of an old-fashioned handshake.

That trust was shattered in the space of a heartbeat when authorities began probing his company, Aorangi Securities, last June and later Hubbard Management Funds (HMF).

Yesterday the Serious Fraud Office laid 50 charges of fraud against Mr Hubbard, 83, while sparing his wife Margaret (known as Jean) and former or current directors of the two companies.

For more than 30 years Aorangi Securities was one of Mr Hubbards lending vehicles for his wealthier clients.

Yet besides its now hapless investors, few people outside his inner circle knew anything about it.

Nor did many people know about HMF, an investment management business with funds in several NZX-listed companies.

Indeed, it wasnt until statutory managers got hold of Mr Hubbards books did the SFO learn about HMF, which by all accounts turned into a basket case when the global financial crisis hit.

Even Mr Hubbards investors didnt know HMF existed in its current form until March 2010, when their investment statements arrived on freshly printed HMF letterheads.

Aorangi took in $96 million of investor funds while HMF managed about $80 million.

Certainly, thousands of South Canterbury Finance investors had no idea of these sideshows as they flocked to place their money in the finance company based on Mr Hubbards reputation.

It has since become clear that the same peculiar approach to business shown in the statutory management reports also took place at South Canterbury Finance.

The infamous Hyatt Hotel shenanigans, for example, venture capital loans to start up biotechnology companies, and Mr Hubbards personal management of South Canterburys B Stock ledger stacked full of related party loans, did not make good reading for the taxpayer owed more than $1.5 billion under the retail deposit guarantee.

Perhaps most telling of charges laid yesterday was the alleged theft by a person in a special relationship.

SFO chief executive Adam Feeley made it clear that Mr Hubbards frugal lifestyle did not amount to a defence.

We have to consider matters such as whether deceit has occurred; the losses caused by that deceit; and whether the facts meet the prescribed elements of one or more criminal offences, Mr Feeley said.

This is an extremely sad day for Mr Hubbard and his followers, for he truly is an altogether different creature from some of his other finance company director counterparts.

Mr Hubbard was born into an impoverished home in North Dunedin on March 23, 1928, and started work as an office boy at Trustee Executors in 1944, where he stayed eight years.

He founded chartered accountancy firm Hubbard Churcher and Co in the early 1950s, and formed South Canterbury Finance in about 1960 after buying a Timaru finance firm and in the same year bought his first farm.

He famously got about in an old green Volkswagen car he bought in 1968, while he and his wife lived in a modest house in Timaru. They still do.

Last year Mr Hubbard was dropped from the National Business Review Rich List, having had his wealth estimated at $550 million in 2009.

He was the majority shareholder of Southbury Group, which owned South Canterbury Finance, but the 82-year-old was forced out of the chairmanship of South Canterbury in late May 2010.

Southbury Group and a related company Southbury Corporation were both placed in receivership following South Canterburys demise last August.

Together the two companies owed South Canterbury $184 million. Difficulties recovering these loans and other related party lending were a key factor in the Treasury recently increasing the governments provision for losses under the retail deposit guarantee scheme by $310 million to $1.2 billion.

In South Canterburys last week, Prime Minister John Key, conspicuously absent yesterday, as he was last June, would make this point:

The degree of back office book keeping and general observance of standard accounting practices at South Canterbury was in line with Mr Hubbards other private companies, currently in statutory management and subject to a Serious Fraud Office inquiry.

In relation to South Canterbury Finance, the Serious Fraud Office is currently talking to witnesses with some interviews pencilled down for next month.

Top talk

Farm sanctuary owner and animal behaviourist, Lady Lesley Cooper, has recently been sharing her tips for a frugal lifestyle on Channels 4s SuperScrimpers: Waste Not Want Not series.

I have learned to be frugal, she explains. It is not the way I was raised. I had a reasonably luxurious upbringing in a professional family and never went without anything. I went on to work in sales for marketing and advertising earning brilliant money which allowed me to spend time with my own horses.

It was while I was living in Hampshire I was also involved with rescuing dogs and someone contacted me to rescue a horse. He was called Whilber, and that special horse started my animal sanctuary.