2011

With the party season well and truly under way and the big New Year’s Eve night almost upon us, the pressure’s on to look your best. But the price tag of a new outfit might leave you less than impressed. Fear not. We’ve all got one (or more) little black dresses (or LBDs for fashionistas) at the...

The Government has made a big song and dance about helping those with small deposits, particularly first time buyers, onto the housing ladder. However, in my opinion, its plans announced this week won’t work (see the Government unveils mortgage plan MSE News story). And I say this as part of the group it wants to help, as...

We all hate parking tickets but they leave an incredibly sour taste in the mouth when councils do all they can to get you to pay up when they know they’re in the wrong. I received notification last night I had won an appeal at the independent parking tribunal against a ticket issued by Westminster council in...

It’s horrible when your card is declined but you feel like even more of a plonker when it’s your own fault. And even worse when you’ve already been involved in publishing a MoneySavingExpert.com story explaining this will happen. I’ve got an Egg Money card in my wallet but all Egg cards were deactivated today as they have...

“Must find chest of drawers …” I’ve been seeking a chest of drawers to fit in a small, 85cm wide alcove in my flat. The quest sent me into a zombie-like trance, scanning eBay at midnight, murmuring: “chest of drawers, chest of drawers …” The trouble’s the chest can’t be wider than 85cm and an eBay search...

In my family, I’m generally not the first person who springs to mind if an auntie needs a new shelf put up, or my dad wants a second opinion on some bathroom grouting. "Dan’s not the ‘practical sort’" is the general mantra. So when confronted with a car mechanic, talking of faulty V-belts and worn gear box...

‘Quantitative easing’ is all the rage today after the Bank of England announced it is "increasing the size of its asset purchase programme by £75 billion to £275 billion". You what? Most people won’t have a clue what that means. Quantitative easing sounds like some kind of over-the-counter medicine or an A-level maths test. The reality is...

As you can imagine, at MSE Towers we get the odd one or two (hundred) press releases every week, with companies sending in their latest offers for consideration. The best make it into the weekly email, the worst into the spam folder. But every now and then there’s one that’s truly special. An email about a well-known...

We are very quick to jump on bad service, telling everyone from our best mate to the media (which we sometimes write about) of how we’ve been wronged by our bank, supermarket or travel firm. But we’re not always as quick to celebrate good service, but I’m going to try to redress that balance slightly, even though...