MSE's weekly round-up

MSE's Money Tips email: Beat the ISA deadline, grab 99p Easter eggs, check new self-employment tax rules & more

Some highlights from this week's email include...

• Act fast to use your ISA allowance before the deadline. You can put up to £20,000 away tax-free this year, split across multiple ISAs or in one – but if you don't use it, you lose it. And the deadline of Sunday 5 April is very nearly here.
  
  

• Bag some cracking Easter deals including 99p Cadbury and Nestlé Easter eggs. Reduce your Easter spend with our list of eggs-traordinary deals, including cheap Easter meat and veg and how to make 70% Creme Egg cookie savings.
  
  

• Sole trader or landlord earning more than £50,000 a year? Make sure you're not caught out by the new 'Making Tax Digital' rules. This self-assessment shake-up means that, from Monday 6 April, you'll need to keep digital records and submit quarterly updates to HM Revenue & Customs.
  

READ THE FULL WEEKLY EMAIL

Hot deal: Get £135 Ted Baker specs or sunglasses for just £37

• Need new glasses or sunglasses? Look no further: you can use our MSE Blagged code MSE37TB to bag Ted Baker prescription specs or sunnies for £37 delivered (normally £135). The code's valid until 11.59pm on Sunday 12 April.
  

SEE THE FULL TED BAKER GLASSES DEAL

Key MSE News: Council Tax to rise on 1 April – here's how things will change

• Council Tax is rising:
  
  - by 5% in most areas in England
  - between 4% and 10% in Scotland
  - between 4% and 5% in Wales
  
  

• However, YOUR specific rise will depend on your council: for example, seven English councils have been given special permission to increase bills by up to 9%. See our news story for more.
  
  

• We also detail how Council Tax costs are calculated, and what you can do to potentially lower your bill, such as applying for discounts and/or challenging your property's banding.

READ COUNCIL TAX RISES NEWS STORY

The latest from Martin Lewis: Catch up on the special April price hikes & end of tax year Martin Lewis Money Show

• See MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis take you through how to steal a March on April and beat its upcoming price hikes in the latest ITV Martin Lewis Money Show Live.
  
  

• Martin also helps you prep for urgent end-of-tax-year deadlines, and reveals the latest developments in the car finance mis-selling redress scheme, to make sure you don't miss out.
  
  

• Plus, there's news-you-can-use: how to get a free £50 Amazon voucher, and details on the best-buy cash ISAs.

WATCH THE LATEST EPISODE ON ITVX

What's new on MSE: Lost luggage auctions – can you make money on mystery items?

• Ever wondered what happens to lost airline luggage? Unclaimed suitcases are often sold at auction – but buying them is a gamble and not a guaranteed way of making extra cash.
  
  

• In our newly updated guide, we test whether we can make money by buying six mystery cases, revealing what we found inside (from designer clothes to total duds) and what we could expect to earn from selling individual items.
  
  

• We also explain how these auctions work, including where you might find an auction house near you, plus what you need to watch out for before you bid.
  

SEE OUR LOST LUGGAGE AUCTIONS GUIDE

And finally, from our social channels: Protect yourself with property fraud on the rise

Your home is often your most valuable asset, but unfortunately it can be a target for fraudsters. So, in this week's social post, we point you towards ways of protecting yourself from property fraud.

In an extreme case of this, someone's home was sold without them knowing – but to reduce the risk of being targeted yourself, you can simply sign up to a tracker or alert system.

We've full details on how to protect yourself from property fraud in our comprehensive 30+ ways to stop scams guide.

READ MORE ON HOW TO PROTECT YOUR HOME