The investment was initially announced in the chancellor's Autumn Statement and by 2015, speeds of up to 100mpbs will be delivered to 1.7 million households and 200,000 business across the cities of Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, London, Manchester and Newcastle.

A further £50m was also pledged to help smaller cities improve their broadband speeds.

Superfast (around 40-50mpbs) and ultrafast broadband are currently only available to certain parts of the country through fibre optic cables, but with the government's help, it's expected that more people could benefit from it.

But with a recent study finding that half UK households have broadband speeds under 6.7mpbs there's concern that too much is being done to connect the already well-connected, while others still struggle to get a basic service.

Shadow culture secretary Harriet Harman has said that rather than bring the UK up to speed, the ten super-connected cities will actually help create a 'digital underclass' where rural areas, the unemployed and elderly will be left behind. In the House of Commons this week she reiterated Labour's initiative to guarantee the whole country speeds of 2mbps.

Hoping to make the UK "Europe's technology centre", the government will also provide tax relief to video games, animation and high-end television industries. Supporters say that these measures will create jobs and boost the UK economy, addressing recent fears that we're falling behind in the global gaming market. Others however, believe it will do little to fully address the country's tech industry needs.

For the full report, see the BBC News article, and to find out how to get yourself hooked up to broadband in the first place, try the WebWise guide.

Hajar is a regular contributor to the WebWise blog and has also made award-winning programmes for BBC Radio. In her spare time she loves reading, writing and singing.

A report by researchers Boston Consulting Group found that out of the G20 nations, the internet accounted for 8.3% of the UK economy – almost double the average of the other countries surveyed. The UK's 'internet economy' was £121bn in 2010, said BCG and is predicted to rise to £216bn in 2016. 

Online retail was a big contributing factor to the figures, with web transactions accounting for 13.5% of all UK purchases in 2010.

Could the findings reflect a surge in British web-buying confidence? Consumers are covered by a range of guarantees thanks to rules on distance-selling and increasing regulation by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). Barely a week goes by without one website or other making the news following warnings and recommendations from the body to ensure buyers aren’t being mis-sold.

Such measures – and the publicity they generate – may help foster a sense of trust in online retail, so that we Brits are happy to click 'Confirm Order', knowing that if something goes wrong, there are rules to protect us.

But is this increasing reliance on web-shopping a sign that we’re becoming more lazy and antisocial or is it just a matter of convenience and penny-pinching, that’s not only good for the UK economy but our own wallets?

Many online sellers offer free delivery and free returns if customers aren’t happy with a product, saving money on fuel as well as avoiding the hassle of a trip out on a busy Saturday and queuing at a till. For working parents wanting to spend quality time with their children, it might make sense to order your groceries online – often paying little more than the cost of petrol for delivery – rather than spending a sunny afternoon in a supermarket being tempted by treats that might push the weekly food bill over budget.

Traditionalists might argue that the web is drawing us away from people and social interaction, but shopping smart online has never been easier, and as nice as many sales assistants are, isn't spending time with friends and family more important?

Even though there are lots of laws to protect us, take the WebWise course on shopping online to help you buy with confidence.

Read the full BBC News story on Britain's internet economy.

Hajar is a regular contributor to the WebWise blog and has also made award-winning programmes for BBC Radio. In her spare time she loves reading, writing and singing.

The main surprise was that the tablet would just be called the iPad, apparently removing the need for a number or letter after every new improvement.

New features include a sharper display, hi def video recording and a faster processing speed. The device will also be able to connect to faster 4G networks, but these won't be a reality in the UK until at least 2013.

It all sounds pretty cool, but rather than a revolutionary device we should all be rushing to buy this Friday, is it actually just a simple reminder that tweaks and improvements are constantly being made to products?

With a 62% market share, Apple doesn't need to play catch up with other brands by haphazardly throwing big and clever ideas at consumers. Instead it delivers changes people have come to expect. Products should be slicker, easier to use, faster and showcase new technologies rather than make big promises they can't necessarily keep.

Since the launch of the original iPad in 2010, competitor tablets like the Samsung Galaxy, Asus Eee Pad and BlackBerry PlayBook have hit the stores, in a bid to claim a share of the market.

Although we shouldn't be enticed by every new item we see, it's important to keep an eye on what's going on and see what companies are coming out with. This way, when we do need a new device, we can fully consider what's out there rather than just going for the least or most expensive item.

Such developments in screens, product weight and functionality are worth keeping abreast of as they help challenge our ideas of what we need certain items for. Figures indicate that the rise in tablet sales is linked to a decline in netbooks - i.e. small, cheap laptops - which suggests people are really thinking about how and why they use technology, and not just what cynics might imagine, to always have the latest gadget.

Two years ago I was convinced that I needed a netbook simply because I had the notion of a small laptop stuck in my head. I didn't consider just how lightweight a tablet would be, or any of its other uses because I hadn't fully considered how I would use a new device or what other features I could get for my money. In technology, it's tempting to stick to what you know but with everything that's out there it's well worth taking the time to learn about what you don't.

Read how tablets help Tara Palmer-Tomkinson get the most out of the web in her interview with BBC WebWise.

Hajar is a regular contributor to the WebWise blog and has also made award-winning programmes for BBC Radio. In her spare time she loves reading, writing and singing.

The stripped down computer features basic components like a processor and memory, with ports to connect to peripherals like a keyboard, monitor and router.

It's hoped that the device, priced at just £22 will be rolled out to schools and encourage children to learn the basics of computer programming.

Several months ago, a government-backed report found that children's ICT learning was focused on how to use software rather than on learning programming skills. The recommendation of the report was to put computer science on the curriculum alongside maths and science, with the expectation that it would broaden a child's career prospects and place the UK in a better position in the video gaming and visual effects industries.

As the government considers the best way to teach computing in schools, Raspberry Pi and other similar products, like Beagleboard and Omnima Mini EMBWiFi, look like they could go a long way in addressing the issue.

It certainly seems like the public are intrigued by the Pi - when the device finally went on sale at six in the morning on 29 February the websites selling them were already overwhelmed by 6:01. The Raspberry Pi Foundation who are behind the Pi have been criticised by some for manufacturing too few devices, meaning that the only people with access to the Pi are adult hobbyists, rather than its intended younger audience.

Even once the supply problems are solved, If you're hoping to grab a bargain to meet your software needs, this isn't likely to be the computer for you. The Foundation aims to 'build the cheapest possible computer that provides a certain basic level of functionality' so if you're after a cheap computer to run music software on, you should still stick to the high spec varieties!

Computers have come so far in the last twenty years and advanced in capability and functionality that it’s sometimes easy to forget that they’re a human invention. As complex as they may seem, by stripping away the fancy software and flashy features, we can make learning about them far less intimidating for children and adults alike.

For more information on Raspberry Pi go to its website, or check out the full BBC report.

Hajar is a regular contributor to the WebWise blog and has also made award-winning programmes for BBC Radio. In her spare time she loves reading, writing and singing.

It's easy for consumers to look at 'the numbers' and assume that more megapixels equals a better camera. If this were the case the 808 would soon be replacing long-established professional cameras more than 10 times the price.

A 'megapixel' refers to the number of pixels - or dots - a camera can capture. A single megapixel is a square of 1,000 by 1,000 pixels - making one million pixels. It would seem that having more megapixels means a more detailed image.

To put the 808 into context, current top specification (or spec) smartphones feature 8 megapixel cameras, while a digital SLR camera used for shooting high resolution images for billboard adverts are usually around 25 megapixels.

When choosing a digital camera, whether part of a mobile phone or a standalone device, the truth is that the megapixel count is only part of the story. Equally, if not more important, are the lenses and features such as image stabilisation – crucial on lightweight cameras operated by human hand.

This latest offering from Nokia has specs far in advance of any smartphone camera. Digging a little deeper though, it becomes clear that the 41 megapixel sensor is in fact intended to be used as part of a fancy technique called 'oversampling', where the huge number of pixels are compressed down to create a sharper 5-megapixel image. The focus (pun intended) appears to be on what a user can do with an image post-capture - zooming, cropping and editing should all yield better results, with less image degradation.

When it comes to cameras on smartphones though, there is increasing interest in apps that in fact age and blur images, suggesting accuracy is less important than attractive and artistic images.

Perhaps this is an indication that smartphone cameras are closer to superceding compact cameras, but both devices still have two distinct uses. One is a lifestyle tool that offers a range of practical applications, whilst the other allows a user to have specific needs met, with fewer restrictions when it comes to weight and size.

It's up to consumers to see through the ever-increasing specs and identify their realistic needs when choosing a device. And remember - more megapixels doesn't necessarily mean a better picture.

Hajar is a regular contributor to the WebWise blog and has also made award-winning programmes for BBC Radio. In her spare time she loves reading, writing and singing.

I, for one, find my hand aches after writing with a pen for several minutes, and now perhaps 90% of my contact with friends and colleagues is over email. I'm also not as convinced of my ability to hold a conversation without muddling my words, so used am I to typing and retyping sentences.

But a wonderful story this week reminds us that the web could be crucial in preserving a very important part of our communication – language.

K David Harrison, National Geographic Fellow and associate professor of linguistics at Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania, is using digital tools like YouTube and Facebook to record endangered languages.

Speaking at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Harrison unveiled eight 'talking dictionaries' that he hopes will not just archive languages, but see them taught and revitalised within communities.

Harrison told of how he went to a village in the Himalayas and used a digital recorder while a young man described parts of a fish to him in the Koro language. Such a simple technique could be all that's needed to build resources for young people from remote communities – some of whom are heavy social media users – to stay connected to the modern world whilst preserving their heritage.

Of course digital copies don't just work for language. Although you might not beat an original old photo for sentimental value, storing a digital copy will make sure that if anything happens to the physical item you still have something of the memory. As individuals, our own possessions, photos and family records could one day be treasured as historical artefacts for future generations. Now that we're in a digital age, we have no excuse not to preserve our own pieces of history.

If you want more information on making copies of your old photos read the WebWise guide on using a scanner.

Hajar is a regular contributor to the WebWise blog and has also made award-winning programmes for BBC Radio. In her spare time she loves reading, writing and singing.

In just the past week, Manchester City defender Micah Richards appeared to have closed his Twitter account - reportedly following racial abuse from a number of people online, and on Tuesday 21-year-old student Joshua Cryer appeared before magistrates to face charges of sending 'grossly offensive' messages to pundit and former England striker, Stan Collymore - a charge he denies.

But why would people follow celebrities on Twitter only to insult them? Perhaps it's not as clear-cut as saying someone is simply racist, but the point may be – for those who think of social media as a popularity contest – just one of the many ways of offending the famous in order to get a reaction. In a sea of hundreds of thousands or even millions of online fans, it's easy to feel anonymous and for members wanting online attention they might think an abusive tweet will garner more interest than a friendly message.

The sense of anonymity on Twitter also exposes a lot about the collective habits of its users. There are several Twitter accounts that offer 'racist humour', racking up hundreds of thousands of followers with the aim of making offensive topics funny. Does the banner of comedy mean they're harmless or do they actually enforce stereotypes that a 21st century society should be doing its best to move away from?

With a 140-character limit, some might think it advisable not to discuss more sensitive issues at all in such a medium, where brevity severely hampers nuance. Diane Abbott last month found herself at the centre of a race row following her tweet, 'white people love to play "divide & rule"'. Despite claiming the message was taken out of context, she still received stern words from her boss Labour leader Ed Milliband, who deemed her comments 'unacceptable'.

It's up to individuals to report matters of offence to police, as Twitter doesn't remove what it calls 'potentially offensive content'. In its help section it states that 'If there is something that you don't agree with, or find insulting, it's best not to look at it all', and recommends blocking users who post such things.

The allegations against Joshua Cryer are another reminder that what you write online can lead you straight to a magistrate. Although it might be understandable that Twitter wouldn't want to get involved in the millions of tweets that users may find offensive, the issue of how to tackle racism online may still need addressing. Should users ignore it, report it, or should websites be doing more to stamp it out?

If you want to find out more about cyberbullying the effects it can have, and how to deal with it, check out WebWise's coverage of Share Take Care.

Hajar is a regular contributor to the WebWise blog and has also made award-winning programmes for BBC Radio. In her spare time she loves reading, writing and singing.

Working in partnership with the Safer Internet Day campaign and the UK Safer Internet Centre – the BBC launched Share Take Care, its campaign to raise awareness of the issues around safety and safeguarding reputation online.

To do their part, BBC WebWise has been giving readers a chance to "ask the experts" on everything from filtering content to the impact a teenager's e-reputation could have on their future. There are also tips on keeping your child safe online and Nathalie Emmanuel takes a look at the reality of the web for young people in a documentary for BBC Three.

Panorama this week also took a closer look at cyberbullying, speaking to former X Factor contestant Cher Lloyd about her struggle to deal with online abuse. The singer revealed she was unprepared for the negative online attention she received following her television appearances.

Lloyd's poignant words on the fear, pain and anguish cyberbullying can cause are a well-needed reminder that online harassment isn't something we should be teaching victims to just shrug off and live with. The internet is integrated into real life and perhaps the attitude that it's a place where we should have free licence to express a cruel alter-ego needs challenging.

It's easy to say that the solution to online abuse is simply to close a browser window or not go to a forum, but the internet is so much a part of our lives that such advice can be like telling someone to leave school or quit their job if they're being bullied, rather than speak to a teacher or employer. It's an issue that needs to be addressed from both sides, as many people who are cyber bullies aren't aware of the distress they cause, nor of the legal ramifications of some of their comments and messages.

Although the teen star said she accepted friend requests from all who added her at the start of her career, there is a lot to be positive about when it comes to how web savvy young people are. In a survey commissioned by the BBC, 85% of 13-19 year-olds said they would be unlikely to accept a friend request from someone they didn't know at all.

For many parents, there's a fear that the web and social media have left them powerless to protect their children's privacy and reputation, but as Safer Internet Day's theme suggests, connecting the generations will help foster a safer web experience, where parents learn more about youth web culture and the resources available to them. Why not start by checking out Share Take Care?

The Parents' Guide to Facebook on BBC WebWise offers insight into the social network for parents wanting to learn more about how their children connect over the internet, or read the WebWise guide on what to do if you or someone you know is being bullied online.

Hajar is a regular contributor to the WebWise blog and has also made award-winning programmes for BBC Radio. In her spare time she loves reading, writing and singing.

The timeline is a new form of the Facebook profile where users can upload a large header image, resize their posts and – the scary part for most – look through month and year subheadings to easily access all their posts and statuses since joining the social network.

It's an option that's been available to users since December, and anyone signing up is given seven days to organise their profile by deleting certain items or tightening privacy settings. When the change is enforced across the whole site (a closely guarded secret - but soon), all users will have a week to spring-clean before it switches automatically.

Of course, in terms of privacy the new timeline isn't that different to the old profile format. If you have a lot of time on your hands and are desperately interested in knowing all about someone, you can trudge on through older updates until eight hours later you're at their very first post ('So, how do I use this thing?') and, still in your pyjamas, have realised that you've forgotten to go to work that day.

The difference with the timeline is that this information is easier to access, hence the global firm is giving users enough warning to think about how much of their online past they want to keep visible.

When you sign up to having the timeline, you can either limit past posts in one fell swoop by going to your privacy settings and clicking 'Manage past post visibility' or you can go to your profile and select Activity Log and decide what posts from a specific year or month you want to delete or increase privacy settings for.

Facebook has provided lots of information in its help section for people making the switch to the timeline profile.

The social media giant may well be facing its own privacy conundrum if it confirms rumours that it's set to launch on the public stock market with a value of $100bn. If they go through with it, Facebook would have to disclose a great deal of financial data and performance figures in order to, like its 800 million users, change its profile.

If you're still apprehensive about the timeline and how to stay safe online, find out more about internet safety on WebWise's Share Take Care minisite.

Hajar is a regular contributor to the WebWise blog and has also made award-winning programmes for BBC Radio. In her spare time she loves reading, writing and singing.

So, when former photography giant Eastman Kodak announced they had filed for bankruptcy protection in the US, few business and technology analysts were surprised. Despite being behind one of the first digital camera prototypes back in 1975, by the end of the 1990s they were still reticent to release consumer digital cameras. Apparently bent on hard copies of photos, they turned much of their attention to digital image printing, still not quite taking into account the huge cultural shift that was in the air thanks to online photo albums and social media.

The firm is currently restructuring thanks to the breathing space afforded by bankruptcy protection and will have to make big changes if it’s to earn back its place as a market leader.

Loved by many a skinny jeans and big glasses wearing hipster, popular instant camera company Polaroid is also subject to much speculation, batting off rumours of a similar ‘Kodak moment’ by recently announcing its latest creation, an Android-powered HD smart camera. But even they are facing competition in the face of Instagram, a smartphone app that mimics Polaroid's signature style on a digital screen.

Keeping up with technology is one thing, but finding new ways to be back at the forefront and stay afloat in a highly competitive market is the real challenge. It’s a hard lesson to learn but whether you head a global corporation or just want to see photos of relatives on the other side of the world, you can’t afford to slip behind in the modern age.

For more on digital cameras, check out the WebWise guide, or for more information about the state of Kodak, visit the BBC News story.

Hajar is a regular contributor to the WebWise blog and has also made award-winning programmes for BBC Radio. In her spare time she loves reading, writing and singing.

That's because the English language version of the free encyclopaedia is one of a number of websites - also including blogging tool WordPress - going offline today in protest at a pair of anti-piracy bills being considered by the US Congress.

Referred to as 'Sopa' and 'Pipa', the Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect Intellectual Property Act could see content owners given powers to request sites associated with piracy be closed down and removed from search engine results. While supporters deem it a necessary crackdown on rogue sites, critics are worried that the bill would severely impact web freedom.

Although Wikipedia has joined the blackout, there are still a number of ways to access the site's content. Smartphones and tablets won't be affected and you can also go to the site's 'cached' pages – the versions of the page that search engines save so they can analyse them. Just look for the word 'cached' on your search engine results page and click on that instead of the main link. This will take you to a slightly older version of the page.

Of course if you’re multilingual you could acquaint yourself with its non-English language sites – or even copy and paste the text into a translating webpage like Google Translate or Yahoo Babel Fish to get a rough interpretation.

Just because one big site is taking a break, it doesn't mean the internet's falling apart! There are still many other ways of getting the information you need online. A simple search will return thousands of pages, so although you might not get all your answers from just one source, the blackout could be a great opportunity to discover and bookmark other informative websites.

Whatever the outcome of the bill, it's another reminder of how, through the web, the world really is getting smaller. What 50 years ago would have been a local issue now, in the internet age, has a huge global impact.

For a more detailed explanation of Sopa and Pipa, check the BBC News site.

Hajar is a regular contributor to the WebWise blog and has also made award-winning programmes for BBC Radio. In her spare time she loves reading, writing and singing.

US film and TV streaming giant Netflix launched this week in the UK and Ireland, promising unlimited online streaming of a range of content in exchange for a flat monthly fee - currently £5.99

Despite citing its main rivals as Sky Atlantic and Sky Movies, commentators are pitting the firm against Amazon's Lovefilm - primarily a postal film rental company with 2 million subscribers, and an online streaming offering.

Streaming allows a user to watch a film on a variety of devices including smartphones, computers, tablets and some TVs without actually storing the data on the device.

More and more viewers are turning to free streaming services like BBC iPlayer, Channel 4's 4OD and ITV Player to catch up on programmes they've missed, but these are usually only available for 7 to 30 days after their TV broadcast. So if you miss the second chance online you'll probably have to wait for a repeat or buy the DVD.

But with streaming subscriptions there's no such time limit, as the companies have contracts with major film production companies and broadcasters. In December, Netflix announced it would have non-exclusive access to much of the BBC's archive, with rights to programmes like Top Gear and Doctor Who. In the same month Lovefilm announced an exclusivity deal with Sony, suggesting that the future of online streaming could be as simple as different TV channels for different tastes.

Rather than one firm winning the battle, will we instead see a range of content offered across several different streaming services, which we'll subscribe to and dip in and out of depending on whether we want a documentary or blockbuster movie?

Although it's too early to tell exactly how the two firms will move forward - either in bidding wars for contracts or price wars for their customers, one industry will almost certainly continue to thrive.

Internet service providers (ISPs) could see a surge in customers upgrading to unlimited data allowances as they sign up to streaming packages. Whatever you subscribe to, if you want to stream online you'll need decent bandwidth (around 5mbps should be fine) and a good data allowance to avoid being stung by big bills. WebWise has a helpful choosing an ISP guide.

And of course, the WebWise guide has more information on what streaming is, and how to do it.

Hajar is a regular contributor to the WebWise blog and has also made award-winning programmes for BBC Radio. In her spare time she loves reading, writing and singing.

The ever-imminent demise of the music business has been much discussed in recent years, with industry analysts citing a range of reasons, from a digital piracy backlash against high CD prices to record labels failing to adapt sufficiently to the internet age.

Online personalised radio stations and digital music services have accustomed us to having music whenever we want it - without necessarily having to pay for it. The likes of Spotify, Rara and Last FM are just some of the sites streaming music to a user’s computer or mobile in exchange for adverts or a monthly subscription fee, saving listeners from having to directly purchase their own music.

That we can now cherry-pick album tracks online may also be a reason for the overall drop in album sales. It's now possible to buy individual tracks – regardless of whether they've been released as a single – instead of buying the whole album in a physical form.

Although album sales have dropped by almost a fifth since 2007, with digital album sales quadrupling in that time, CDs still dominate the album industry, accounting for three quarters of sales last year. Vinyl has also seen a surge, suggesting that in a digital age the music lover still feels a need to keep a small piece of the band they’re listening to.

A whopping 98.4% of singles sold in 2011 were in digital format, the easiest and cheapest way to buy music, with tracks currently priced around 79p. Websites like TuneChecker also help you to find the cheapest deal on your chosen song or artist.

Perhaps the freedom of the internet has left us devaluing music and less willing to pay artists their dues. But if the web has indeed created a monster, surely it's about time the music industry learned to tame it?

To learn more about downloading music, read the BBC WebWise guide, How to get music and photos onto your computer.

Hajar is a regular contributor to the WebWise blog and has also made award-winning programmes for BBC Radio. In her spare time she loves reading, writing and singing.

For a brief history of how search engines came out, take a look at my previous news piece, We love search engines.

Hajar is a regular contributor to the WebWise blog and has also made award-winning programmes for BBC Radio. In her spare time she loves reading, writing and singing.

We want beautiful and-picked gifts, ideally from a specialist shop in a small Austrian village, that glisten with our own sweat and tears. To create your Perfect Christmas I recommend starting preparations some time in February the year before.

If you have better things to do however, be prepared for the December rush when all notions of the inner romantic fade and what we end up with are hardbacks from the bestsellers list, board games we'll play once a year and the X Factor Christmas single for a petulant eleven year old. If this sounds like your gift list, then I sincerely hope you have ordered all said items online.

My homemade Christmas delights

Gifts don't miraculously become thoughtful by staring at them in a queue for an hour. Yes, sometimes it's nice to feel the softness of a certain scarf or jumper, but that is what product descriptions are for. Cashmere: soft. Hessian: not soft. Simple. Right, so we’ve got that sorted.

There is absolutely no excuse for adding to the misery of the shopping experience by whacking others with a bag full of heavy books when you could happily wait at home for your purchases with a mug of cocoa and the Christmas re-runs.

Sandra Vogel's latest blog goes into festive online shopping in more detail, so once you've worked out whether it's worth the postage and packing (though lots of places offer free p&p) have a web session and just get all those simple items ordered and out of your mind. If there's a (preferably free) gift-wrapping service, order that too. Nothing says "I love you but I have absolutely no clue how to show it through packaging" quite like a box held together with parcel tape and old wallpaper scraps from the spare room.

Once the big, simple things are out the way, then you can do the whole 'personal' thing.

I find homemade gifts are perfect for the 'just in case' present; the ones for people outside your immediate family  who you're not entirely sure you'll get to see and for whom the budget is something around the £1.24 mark. This is where crafty delights come in.

Food is by far the easiest thing. Unless you're absolutely hopeless in the kitchen, there's not much that can go wrong with cookie ingredients and a timer. Mix dough, eat half of dough, cook rest in oven for ten minutes. Cool. Lick bowl.

A simple fudge – see Nigella's chocolate pistachio fudge – is also a quick treat that can be stored in the freezer and either brought out for guests or given as gifts. But rather than hand them out from an old plastic takeaway container, try to get creative with packaging.

I've found Christmas becomes much more manageable when there's a decent stock of arts and crafts supplies in the house. Cellophane bags, ribbon, shiny card and glitter pens make a simple treat look a little more festive – or in my case like a six year old did them for a school project. Either way, it all screams that all-important buzzword – 'THOUGHT!'

Homemade chutneys, mulled wine, infused oils, even beauty products can be made with minimal effort and made to look pretty through recycled bottles, jam jars and lots of ribbon. If you've little time to collect containers there are some fantastic packaging websites.

When searching for these, you might find it useful to type in 'glass bottles', 'cupcake boxes' or 'cellophane bags' rather than 'packaging', as it refines your search and means you’re less likely to end up on a wholesale site with a minimum order of 3000 units.

My personal favourite site on everything that requires an apron is BBC Food, always brimming with tasty ideas. Just in time for Christmas, Emily Angle has blogged about treats that can be stashed in the freezer to make for an easier life.

Channel 4 has brilliant crafty ideas on its Christmas crafts page. I particularly like the teacup candles and would give try them myself if I wasn't petrified by this line: "All wax has a flash point, so a double-boiler is essential to prevent it bursting into flames." Eek!

Of course, not only are there plenty of ideas available online, but you can also find guides and videos on the basics like, for example,  how to wrap a present properly. If you're getting crafty to save money, bear in mind that some ambitious items require investing in special equipment, so choose your ventures wisely and be sure to leave enough time to allow for the Christmas delivery of supplies.

Most importantly, enjoy the process. If you find yourself cursing at the oven, step away from the kitchen and head to the bakery.

Hajar is a regular contributor to the WebWise blog and has also made award-winning programmes for BBC Radio. In her spare time she loves reading, writing and singing.