Appraising Autumn

APPRAISING AUTUMN Whether it's bags full of candy for Halloween, boxes full of fireworks for Bonfire Night, or just the monthly heating bill, autumn can be costly. Check out how the average Brit spends their money, along with some ideas for saving as the days get colder and the leaves start changing. HALLOWEEN VS. BONFIRE NIGHT Annually, we spend £600 to £700 million on Halloween and Bonfire Night. HALLOWEEN BONFIRE NIGHT Altogether, spending on Bonfire Night will come out to around Halloween will cost Brits RIP. somewhere around £268 MILLION. £386 MILLION. That's £4.24 PER PERSON for candy, Between fireworks and faux-Fawkes', that's £5.82 PER PERSON. costumes and cobwebs. Back in 2002, Halloween spending was a feeble £12 million.² Or about Between 2008 and 2009, spending on fireworks dropped 19P PER PERSON. by a shocking 40%! It's estimated that more than £100 MILLION is spent on Bonfire Night fireworks each year. That's a 2,233% INCREASE in just over a decade! 23% OF ADULTS plan to join in the fun, which means nearly 14.5 million grown-up boys and ghouls wandering the streets.' A paltry 12% OF ADULTS. or 7.6 million people plan on bringing home fireworks and food for their festivities. 45% OF THE 67% OF ADULTS say fireworks "should only be let off at properly organised displays."4 POPULATION call Halloween an “unwelcome American cultural import." That's around That's about 42 MILLION Bonfire Night naysayers. 28 MILLION spoilsports. AUTUMNAL ATTRACTIONS With Halloween and Bonfire Night gone before you know it, many see the beautiful countrysides and vibrant foliage as perfect economical autumn activities. Here are five day trips that will get you out of the house for less.5 Sheffield Liverpool England 1 FRISTON FOREST 3 Walking, mountain biking and horseback riding will carry you along the variety of trails at Friston, located on the country's southern edge down the coast from Brighton. PARKING: Wales London. 2 £2.20/2hrs £3.30/3hrs £4.40/All Day 1 Bristol ACCESS: Bournemouth Free HOURS: Plymouth 8 a.m. - Dusk NEROCHE SCHEME 3 FOREST OF DEAN With breathtaking views, meandering trails and astonishing history, the Neroche Scheme in the The picturesque Forest of Dean is one of England's truly remarkable fall attractions, with endless trails and parks, and the gorgeous Wye Valley as a focal point. PARKING: PARKING: Free FREE - £3.50* ACCESS: ACCESS: Blackdown Hills makes a Free Free perfect fall daytrip. HOURS: HOURS: 24 hours with Campsite Availability from £13.70 - £29.90 /night Dawn - Dusk *depending on car park 4 SALCEY FOREST GRIZEDALE FOREST Less than 10 minutes from Northhampton, Salcey is a site with so much history it's worth the £3.00 for a "Secret Salcey" trail guide. PARKING: PARKING: Grizedale offers such a variety of activities and sights, you'll gladly spend your whole day taking it in. An in-forest café beverages and food, and the Grizedale Visitor Center offers £1.00/1hr £3.00/All Day £1.60/1hr £3.20/2hrs £5.30/4hrs £6.90/All Day АСCESS: Free serves ACCESS: TRAIL GUIDE: Free £3.00 handmade felt workshops for kids, ranging from £4.00 to £6.50. HOURS: HOURS: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. COLD WEATHER CONSERVATION With so many places to spend money as the weather is turning, it's important to find ways to cu costs at home, starting with lower heating bills. Here are five easy fixes for spending less on heat. SOCK VALUE Always have some heavy wool socks around, and wear them to bed if you're feeling chilly. IT'S CURTAINS FOR YOU Use heavy curtains in the cold months. This should help keep the heat in and the cold out. KEEP IT CLOSED Get your family into the habit of keeping doors closed, as it helps to keep draughtier rooms from bringing the chill into the rest of the house." INSIDE OUT Stockpile easy-to-make hot meals and drinks, like simple soups and hot cocoa. Sometimes heating yourself up from the inside is better than the outside. TIME OUT Set the heater's timer to switch off just after climbing into bed, then on again when you're set to get up in the morning. Your body needs less heat when you're sleeping, and you can always pile on more blankets." REFERENCES 1YouGov. (24 Oct 2012). Bonfire night and halloween. Retrieved from http://yougov.co.uk/news/2012/10/24/bonfire-night-and-halloween/ 2 Wales Online. (31 Oct 2011). Halloween is now the UK's third highest spending festival as sales top £300m. Retrieved from http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/halloween-now-uks-third-highest-1808060 Brown, J. (5 Nov 2009). How fireworks night lost its sparkle. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/how-fireworks-night-lost-its-sparkle-1814791.html 4 Talking Retail. (25 Oct 2012). Brits expected to spend over £650m celebrating bonfire night and halloween. Retrieved from http://www.talkingretail.com/news/industry-news/brits-expected-to-spend-over-650m-celebrating-bonfire-night-and-halloween S Forestry Commission. (n.d.). Top 10 sites for autumn. Retrieved from http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/autumntop10 e Camping in the forest. (n.d.). Braceland campsite, forest of dean. Retrieved http://www.campingintheforest.co.uk/england/forest-of-dean/bracelands-campsite Energy Saving Trust England. (n.d.). Energy saving tips for the bedroom. Retrieved from http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Take-action/Start-saving-money/Changing-your-habits-room-by-room/Energy-saving-tips-for-th e-bedroom NHS Choices. (15 Sep 2012). Very cold weather - live well. Retrieved from http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/winterhealth/Pages/Verycoldweather.aspx QuickQuid.co.uk- ** *** 4.