Rebecca Atkinson's blog

Savers have repeatedly been referred to in the media as the “silent majority” who are the “real victims” of the credit crunch.

Good news for energy companies: profits among the biggest players are up, thanks to 
plummeting wholesale costs.

Apparently, indulgence is back at the checkouts. After months of buying economy tinned tomatoes and packets of lentils, shoppers are supposedly once again popping luxuries such as 
organic produce, ready-made meals and ground 
coffee into their trolleys.

What is it about us Brits that we’re loath to complain when things go wrong and would rather doubt ourselves than query the things we’re told? I have lost track of the number of times I’ve smiled politely and pronounced a meal delicious when really I could barely stomach the stuff on my plate.

A colleague of mine recently forwarded a scam email on to me purporting to be from Santander, the Spanish owner of Abbey and, more recently, Alliance & Leicester and Bradford & Bingley.

There are few things more annoying than unsolicited telephone calls, whether they’re from companies trying to sell you something or that old next-door neighbour you were thankful to wave goodbye to all those years ago.

But a new service from 118 800 is likely to make it even easier for strangers or old acquaintances to get in touch with you via your mobile phone.

When interest rates on savings accounts are as paltry as they currently have been, it’s little wonder that savers are hunting out the most competitive deals they can. Rate is king, after all.

Over the past few months, Moneywise has highlighted again and again the plight of savers hit, first of all, by the financial insecurity of the banking sector and then again by the historically-low Bank of England base rate.

I haven’t been to many BBQs this August, mainly because of the miserable weather. But I wonder if there is another, more money-orientated, reason why so few of my friends have flung open their garden gates for charred bangers, soggy buns and undercooked chicken this summer?