2022

Higher earners in Scotland will be hit with income tax rises from April next year, while most Scottish social security benefits will rise by 10.1% in line with inflation, deputy first minister John Swinney has announced. The changes come as part of today's Scottish budget – we round up what the new measures mean for you below.

Rising rates have dominated mortgage headlines this year, with both fixed rate and variable deals becoming more expensive. To try to provide clarity on what you can expect, we have spoken to mortgage experts and financial market analysts to see what they think is in store for 2023.

About six weeks ago Mark and Roxanne Hoyle (LadBaby) contacted my team to ask if I'd join them in a reworking of Band Aid (with Bob Geldof and Midge Ure's permission) – I thought they'd confused me with someone else.

NS&I will increase its Premium Bond prize-fund rate to 3% from 2.2% for its January 2023 draw and beyond, with an extra £80 million in higher-value prizes up for grabs. The odds of winning will remain the same at 24,000-to-one, but there will more than three times as many prizes between £5,000 and £100,000 available.

As the festive period draws nearer, we've searched the aisles and crunched the numbers to find the cheapest supermarket for your Christmas dinner – with Aldi coming out on top.

Mortgage lenders have been pushed to offer more support for struggling homeowners following a meeting with MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis, the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, and the financial regulator. The move comes as homeowners continue to face higher and significantly more expensive interest rates amid the cost-of-living crisis.

If you're a Joules shopper, we've rounded-up your refund and shopping rights below as the retailer has fallen into administration. Joules has appointed Interpath Advisory to handle the process, though it is continuing to remain open and to trade, albeit on revised terms, while a buyer is sought.  

Some claiming Personal Independence Payments (PIP) say they have yet to receive their money for this month, leaving many struggling for cash ahead of Christmas. The disability payments were due to be paid on Monday (5 December).

More than one in five energy users on traditional prepayment meters say they're yet to receive EITHER of their £66 Government energy help vouchers for October and November, with customers of British Gas being the worst hit, according to a MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) survey of over 5,500 people.

If you're planning to order your Christmas food shop online, we've rounded-up when the major supermarkets will let you book a delivery slot - Asda, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose are among those taking bookings from some shoppers but be quick - as slots are going fast.