Hurrah for Dynasty legend Linda Evans, beating Adrian Edmonson into second place in Hell's Kitchen, and proving if you're likable and competent you can do anything – as long as you can stand being patronised by Anthea Turner.

There was confetti and crying aplenty, but also a touch of sadness for Linda, who pointed out she had been bitten by the cheffing bug, and couldn't imagine what she was going to do when the cameras were turned off.

She's not alone. In this kind of environment there are all sorts of people suddenly in search of a new career. So what can you do?

Babies are becoming the latest status symbol. Not just because Madonna is working on adding to her brood again, but because no-one on a normal income can afford to have kids, so swishing around town with your Bugaboo will make far more of a statement than any designer accessory possibly could.

In our budget questions and answers yesterday Zenji asked whether there was anything in the budget to help parents. As someone with two young kids I laughed... a very hollow laugh.

So what help is available?

Now the Budget has come in, everyone's vices seem to take a bit of a knock. This year it's not too bad, with cigarettes going up 7p a packet, and a pint of beer increasing 4p a pint. That's pretty standard, don't you think? And it's not something that I'm going to worry about too much. I'm not a heavy smoker, and I can't really drink that many beers without falling over. So it'll probably cost me around an extra £1 a week at the most. I can cope with that.

But many people see this as the perfect opportunity to quit the evil weed and cut down on their drinking. So I've put a little poll together. How many of you are giving up smoking or drinking today? Is the increase in prices making us more healthy? Tell us what you think in the poll over the jump.

If you drive home today from your high-paying job and plan to relax with cigarette and a glass of Scotch while you sit down to watch The Apprentice, then make it last... after tonight, this simple pleasure is going to cost you more thanks to today's Budget.

Let's look at the key areas that were tackled in this historic Budget – never before has the Government borrowed so much – and see where we might get something back.

Peter McGahan is the Managing Director of Worldwide Financial Planning. Worldwide are FT Award winning independent financial advisers - having won 16 FT awards in 4 years. Peter is now widely recognised as an expert and specialist within the financial arena, who features regularly for local and national publications.

Peter will be available to respond to your queries from 12.30 - 3pm UK time on 22 April. To submit a question, simply post it in the comments field below.

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11:44AM Hi

I'm Barry Newton. Myself and Peter McGahan will be here waiting to answer your questions in regard to how today's budget will affect you from 12:30pm until 3pm so please ask away !!

Read the latest question and answer after the jump.

If you're looking for handouts in Alistair Darling's Budget tomorrow, then you'll probably be a bit disappointed.

The aim of the budget under the leadership of Gordon Brown is to fine tune the national economy, and the needs of individuals come a clear second.

However, there are a few ideas that have been bandied around in recent days, which would definitely make life a little easier.

Whenever I see Alistair Darling, one question always springs to mind: How can someone with such white hair have such black eyebrows? It preoccupies me to such an extent that I wasn't really concentrating on what he was saying in this video of his preparations for tomorrow's Budget.

If you find yourself slipping into a trance during the announcement (either because of those startling eyebrows or because the whole thing sounds like another language), Walletpop is here to help you make sense of what all this fairly turgid-sounding stuff actually means for you.

So what can we do for you?

They've been hit time and time again as the Bank of England has cut the base interest rate from around 5% to nearly nothing, but Britain's savers look unlikely to be given any significant relief in next week's Budget 2009.

Chancellor Alistair Darling has rejected the Tory call for the abolition of basic rate tax on savings income, even though the falling interest rates have reduced the cost of the scheme for the Government from billions to £300 million. So much for Gordon's recent assurances, in which he said: "We are trying obviously to make sure in an era of low inflation that the incentives to save can remain high."

Following last week's blog but before the new Green Gordon announces his environmentally friendly Budget 2009, we have today's news that car buyers who opt for an electric model will be eligible for a discount of up to £5,000... paid for by the taxpayers.

In case you're wondering who those taxpayers are, it's you and me.

Gordon has announced he wants to make the UK the 'electric car capital of Europe'. I didn't know the title was up for grabs. The first money should be handed out in 2011 on a first-come, first-served basis and more than 50,000 motorists are expected to benefit.

With the Budget all set for next Wednesday, all the Chancellor Alistair Darling's men are no doubt locked away in a room somewhere below 11 Downing Street, furiously number-crunching.

The lights are burning day and night, the filter coffee pot is being refilled regularly and the Nurofen are being popped like candy.

They probably hope that somewhere in those figures, lies the answer to solving the country's economic woes which will also provide the Government with a vote-winning, reputation-restoring answer.