I’ve given up on savings

I’ve finally ditched ’em. I’m so fed up with the paltry rate I can get on a normal savings account, for the first time in my working life I don’t have one at all. It’s little wonder when I look in horror at the MSE Top Savings Accounts page and find the top easy access account is...

Cutting the cost of Glastonbury – my MoneySaving festival tips

This weekend sees 180,000 hardy souls – including myself – descend on a Somerset farm for the UK’s biggest music festival. Unfortunately, I was born a few decades too late to take advantage of Glastonbury Festival’s first year, when entry cost £1 and got you free milk. This year, tickets cost an eye-watering £205, plus the seemingly...

Moving home? NEVER forget your travel insurance

There are times when life gets so busy that you forget some of the simplest rules. That’s my excuse after I discovered last week, to my horror, that I was abroad without any travel insurance. I’m an experienced financial journalist, so I know full well the importance of having proper travel insurance. I cocked up, though the...

Going away? Watch for secret hotel surprises

As a general rule, I don’t spend money on anything without a bit of research. Buy a dress without going meticulously through hundreds of reviews? You must be joking. I just can’t take that risk – it’s retail Russian roulette! So I’ve just come back from a road trip in the USA (tip: tell your bank if...

It’s Volunteers’ Week – here’s how I teach kids about money

As it’s both Volunteers’ Week and the Personal Finance Education Group’s My Money Week, I thought it’d be the perfect time to share my experiences of delivering financial education classes in my local high schools. For the past 17 months I’ve volunteered one day a week in the financial capability team of my local Citizens Advice Bureau...