Making the switch from traditional appliances to eco-friendly models can be a daunting task. You trust the reliability that comes with many of these brands, but the truth is that the world is changing and we need to take drastic steps to ensure that our future is a bright one. Changing certain appliances to a more eco-friendly option could make a massive difference if done by the masses, and it all starts with you.

• Refrigerator:

An essential household appliance, your fridge and freezer could be using far too much power than is really necessary. Either look for the Energy Star logo or discuss your eco-friendly options with the sales consultant. Should you not really have the funds at present, just be sure to keep your fridge and freezer clean, especially the latter as it will result in reduced CO2 emissions.

• TV:

You spend hours in front of it pulling a strange face and filling your mind with knowledge – now make sure you can do that without harming your surroundings. OLED technology is available now and consumes far less electricity then traditional TV’s or flat screens.

• Heater:

When winter rolls in, the first thing to come out of the cupboard is likely to be your heater. This device ensures that your home is a toasty haven for you to retreat to after being out in the cold. Eco-friendly options, like infrared heaters, will save you a whole lot of money in electricity bills during this time as some models may only use one kilowatt of power in one hour, plus there is no need for gas cylinders.

• Geyser:

When it comes to saving costs, the geyser is probably the biggest concern. Nowadays you can get highly effective and affordable solar geysers, cutting out the need to use harmful gasses and also combating excessive power consumption.

• Stove:

This is a part of the home that people around the world are looking to change. Wealthy groups are using big, expensive traditional stoves that release emissions and consume power. Poorer groups of people are cooking on open fires, leading to increased deforestation, more pollution and increased danger. Bosch and Siemens Home Appliances Group have come up with something that could be revolutionary though – the Protos. This eco-friendly stove is being made affordable so that everyone can make use of it, and it simply runs on plant oils to ensure that there is almost no need for traditional fuel and energy.

To show just how serious some people take their baking, we have sourced some of the largest baked goods in the world. Meet the treats that your sweet tooth could only dream about:

• The World’s Largest Gingerbread House:

Seeing this phenomenal creation will allow you to understand the joy that Hansel and Gretel would have felt. Gingerbread artist Roger Pelcher created this 67 foot home, beating his previous record of 57 feet. People flocked to the Mall of America to take a peek as the Guinness Book of World Records representatives came to make it official. Pelcher had used 14 250 pounds of gingerbread, just under 5 000 pounds of icing and a truckload of candy to bring his design to life. The artist and his team took nine days to complete the project which covers 1 496 square foot.

• World’s Largest Wedding Cake:

The Mohegan Sun wedding cake was unveiled at the New England Bridal Showcase and measured in a 17 feet, weighing just over 15 000 pounds. The cake featured seven tiers and weighed around three times that of the previous record holder. Created by chef Lynn Mansel and his team, they used around 10 000 pounds of cake batter as well as half that weight in frosting.

• World’s Largest Cookie:

The Immaculate Baking Company showed off their skill by creating a monster chocolate chip cookie that clocked in at over 100 feet in diameter. The creation was made in an attempt to raise funds for the Folk Art Museum, as well as to bring the record back to US soil. Once the delicious creation was ready people could purchase their own slice of the cookie, with all of the funds being given to the museum.

Now that you have some ideas on what creations you could whip up in your kitchen, why don’t you try some miniature versions of these tasty treats. Get the bakeware out of the cupboard and start experimenting.

See, as a proud member of the perpetually plugged-in generation, I am thoroughly infatuated with the convenience of internet banking. Rent due? No problem, log in and get it done. Little sister in Stellenbosch needs to borrow money? Soften your heart, log in and place money into her account. Airtime caput? Log on in and top up – easy peasy. In fact, you can get so used to this convenient way of conducting business that you can lose sight of how cumbersome it can be to do cash transactions.

One of the only reasons I remain a slave to the abhorrent banking charges associated with South Africa’s Big Four is the convenience factor. I would love to take advantage of the more affordable rates charged by newly established financial institutions, but the fact that I would have to walk a few extra blocks to get to one of their ATM’s is enough to make me stick to my guns. I am a product of my environment you see. Surely you cannot bring up children with microwaves, cell phones and high speed internet and still expect them to be patient? That would just be naïve.

Luckily for me and my equally impatient counterparts, it seems that the ATM industry has heeded our distress call. Of late I have noticed that quite a few supermarkets and convenience stores now have ATMs situated in handy locations on their premises. This means that I can nip in, draw cash and stock up on magazines and mints all at the same time. ATMs like these are especially handy if you are a girl and you need to draw cash after dark – now there is no need to make a nerve-wracking trip to the downtown cash machine where you inevitably feel as though you have a target painted on your back.

So, it seems I’ve found my solution to my festive season internetlessness-related woes – I’ll simply substitute the convenience of online banking for in-store ATMs. Joy!

A little post-weekend humour...

This is the beginning of a wonderful weekend. It’s fun to have plans. The weekend is a time for ultimate relaxation and rest, and spending of course. I have to shop in Cape Town, specifically Canal Walk, purchase a new game for myself, view a table, drive to Claremont and possibly open a new bank account plus much, much more. Relaxation is a wistful affair which I remain ever optimistic about. One of the highlights of my weekend endeavours will be the viewing of a car with my gorgeous girlfriend. We plan to purchase it, right after we move to a better part of Cape Town that is.

I’m tired of the wind and the weather blowing me off my bike on every turn. One day, it will blow me into an oncoming car and boom! That will be the end of that. No more. It ends now with the acquisition of a brand new vehicle. Times will be tough as they always are, yet it will not stop me from realising my dreams of a road trip into the great unknown (namely the Garden Route). I am not going to waste anymore time here folks. I am going to succeed in my goals. It’s fun to have ambition.

I am strange. People keep telling me this and I have grown accustomed to it. One of the ways in which this strangeness manifests itself is my aversion to shopping. Yes, you read correctly – I despise shopping. I am in my twenties, I am a girl and the mere idea of going on a shopping spree sets my teeth on edge.

Shopping in Cape Town is a near Olympic sport. Women (and men) from all walks of life participate gleefully in this intricate leisure pursuit, the smell of burning plastic lingering in their wake. They frighten me, these athletes of accumulation. Fluorescent lighting seems to have no effect on them. Neither do queues, screaming children or overbearing shop assistants. They are single-minded in their pursuit and nothing gets in their way. Me? I am both impatient and chronically indecisive. Commission-based shop assistants smell me and my gullibility a mile away and fluorescent lighting makes me feel like a deer in the headlights. Not a good combination, I’ll tell you that much.

In order to overcome this crippling dislike of shopping I employ lists. I plan a shopping trip in the same way the military plans hostile takeovers – carefully and with obsessive precision. I know beforehand what I need to get, where I will be getting it and how long it will take me to get it. Timing, of course, is crucial. Go to the shops when it is too busy and the schedule will be compromised, go when it is too quiet and chances are you’ll get ambushed by bored shopping assistants. Neither is conducive to a successful shop and therefore it is necessary to establish the Golden Mean (i.e. the perfect time) for each of the shops you plan to visit and then calculate these into the over-all time schedule. Quite stressful and time consuming really.

Food shopping on the other hand, now there’s something I enjoy. Open-air markets are an especial favourite. The bustle of stall owners, the smells of fresh produce, the vibrant colours of the wares on display – what’s not to like? There’s nothing like the simple pleasure of weighing a fragrant tomato or aubergine in my hand to put me right at ease.

There is a fresh food market in Stellenbosch that I used to frequent. My boyfriend and I would go on Saturdays and leisurely cruise the stalls. Around lunchtime we would buy freshly baked ciabatta’s, cheese, cured ham and a bottle of vino and settle down at one of the trestle tables with our spoils. We would assemble our sandwiches and eat them in relative silence as we watched the market crowd go by. Women with strollers, fathers with kiddies on their shoulders, old couples and young people all enjoying the bounty and buzz of the market. Some Saturdays two young guys would settle by the central fountain and play tinkling flamenco tunes of their beat-up guitars…Utter bliss.

So, I guess I have to contend with the fact that I will never be any good at shopping for clothes and things and that I will always be wearing shoes that should in all rights have been thrown out weeks ago. But, if you ever need someone to accompany you on a gastronomic excursion, remember – I’m your girl.