Chinese Company Bright Foods Buys Out Weetabix

Currently the top story being read on the BBC news site is "Weetabix bought by Chinese Firm".

It has shades of the whole Cadbury being bought by Kraft. A cheese company buying the nations' favourite chocolate brand? All the chocolate will start tasting horrible! And it's a US company -- look at America's history of chocolate making and all anyone ever seems to hear is that it's not especially nice-tasting.

Yet on a day-to-day, picking up a chocolate bar as a treat from the supermarket basis, little seems to have changed.

So the news that Weetabix, originally a family-owned company in Northamptonshire, has been bought by a Chinese company seems to have attracted many readers on the website, most likely for the apparent incongruent nature of the two involved parties.

Bright Foods is the company that has done the buying, purchasing a 60 percent share in the food product.

With the Weetabix trademarked cereals making up 7% of UK breakfast cereal sales, it is currently generating around £101 million each year.

Chairman of Bright Foods, Zongnan Wang, says this move will allow the brand to reach a much wider market, opening out to Chinese and International consumers, and that Bright Foods are "excellently placed to develop the Weetabix business".

Stampgate: The Story Continues

This blog recently reported the forthcoming price hike in the cost of stamps.

The story continues today with news that the Royal Mail will be limiting the amount of stamps bought by other retailers to sell in their own shops. This is to protect the revenue the Royal Mail is due to receive from the price increase.

The move, says the service, is to ensure the continuation of the six day delivery -- which is said to have been suffering for some time.

Stamps will be seeing a 30% and a 39% increase, the highest to hit stamps, taking the current First- and Second-class prices from 46p and 36p to 60p and 50p respectively.

The price rise has caused a buying rush by customers as they seek to stockpile stamps before the higher costs hit. This means that some retailers are almost running out and are unable to purchase more from Royal Mail due to new limits.

The service says that they is more than adequate supply across the country, though, including 11,500 post offices that sell stamps.

Tips and Advice for First Time Buyers

For first time buyers, it can seem like the housing market is against them. The news seems to be full of downbeat messages of a property market that sees rising prices (good for owners, bad for those trying to get their first home), banks that won't lend money or approve mortgages, and giant deposits that one can't hope to raise.

Luckily the internet is full of tips and advice for first time home buyers.

Including an article on the BBC on How To Be A First-Time Buyer.

The article details many things people looking to get onto the property ladder should know, including the amount of preparation one should put in beforehand:

Preparing for a mortgage starts early so make sure your documentation is in order. Lenders like to see:

• your last three years' address history, with no gaps

• your last three months' payslips and your last P60 form or three years' accounts

• your last three months' bank statements

• full details of any loans or credit cards you have

It also gives good news, and encouraging news, to first time buyers, such as a ginormous deposit isn't always necessary now. There are up to 49 mortgages available that requires only 5% deposit. There are also new goverment schemes to help people generate the deposit needed for a new home.

Of course, a lot of work is still necessary from the potential home buyers themselves and one of the best things one can do is keep track of the household budget and what can be sacrificed in order to achieve a new home. Being able to borrow money depends heavily on individual circumstances, so make sure the finanaces are in good standing.

Global Pay Scale: Where Are You?

An article on the BBC's News Magazine is giving you the chance to see where you are on the global pay scale, and whether you are above or below the worldwide average.

Taking its data from 72 countries, not including some of the poorest nations, it gives you the ability to see where you monthy wage (pre tax) sits as compared to the world average wage of $1,480.

Though those behind the scheme admit to having to rely on some sketchy results and the lack of some large countries like Nigeria, the chart does give an unvoidable picture of the disaparity between countries. Over half of the countries fall below the world average, many by a large amount.

Petrol Panic As Strike Threatens

With the threat of a strike by fuel tank drivers lingering like storm clouds, the government  has released recommendations -- some which have come under heavy criticism -- for car owners should it go ahead.

Recent advice is to make sure the car's tank is topped up regularly, and don't let it fall below half (as opposed to the common fill up if it falls below a third full).

Previous advice of keeping some extra in a jerrycan in the garage has been retracted after coming under fire from the Fire Brigades Union and the AA, who say the action could be potentially dangerous. The advice came from Cabinet Minister Francis Maude, who is said to have misunderstood the size of a jerrycan -- which can hold twenty litres, more than the official amount that can be safely stored in households.

The government is keen to stress that people should be taking precautions so as not to be caught out by the strike, but that there is no need to panic just yet. There is no need to queue for fuel, says the Prime Minister. Any strike action will have to give seven days notice, allowing time for people to prepare themselves.

The government has been accused by the Opposition of adding to the panic rather than trying to come to a negotiated agreement with those threatening to strike. In a bid tosort out the jerrycan miscommunication, they have only added to the public's fears about the strike, it has been said, suffering self-inflicted damage.

UK Stamp Postage Prices To Rise

Something that has gripped the news today and generated one of the most commented on articles on the BBC website (over a thousand replies at the time of writing this) is the Royal Mail has raised the price of a First Class rising to 60p. 

The discussion is understandable. The increase hasn't been like prior ones -- a steady, stealthy rise pence by pence. This will leap from the current 46p to the new heady price of 60p.

And it's always the little things we notice. Cars and computers and other luxury items are price at amounts that are large already, we don't notice increases, and most of us can't afford them anyway. Not regularly, that's for sure.

But a stamp. That's something many of us use a fair amount, even in this increasingly technological world. And when you're dealing in pence, a rise of 14p is a large percentage of the current price.

Plus it serves as a reminder of the world in which we live, where prices continue to creep upwards and we struggle to keep paying for all the little bits and bobs (nevermind the large, important and necessary components) that make up our day-today lives.

But money keeps things ticking, and one commenter points out that prices need to match the services provided. If we wish to keep things as we're accustomed, we may need to stretch the pennies further. 

The 2012 Budget Resources

The biggest new from recent days is, of course, the latest budget. For a few days of the year, anyone who is moderately plugged into the news is filled with more financial information than they ever thought they would need.

What most people are looking for, however, is to see if they're going to be hammered in the coming year, or let off.

The BBC has full coverage of the Budget, breaking it down into appropriate chunks: BBC Budget 2012

Likewise the Guardian has its own Budget section: Guardian Budget 2012

In fact, all the major broadsheets have their own reporting, including the Telegraph: Telegraph Budget 2012

Happy budgeting!