My top tips for bagging cheap hotel rooms

Living in Ipswich means I have a fairly long and expensive commute to central London, so I often stay in hotels in the capital. Ever since I joined MoneySavingExpert.com in April 2009, I’ve been trying to find the cheapest ways to stay over, so here are some of my tips. We all try to live by MoneySavingExpert...

Claiming on my travel insurance: Should it really be that hard?

I’ve just successfully claimed on my travel insurance, but the experience left a bitter taste in my mouth. I had an arduous battle with my provider where it nearly got away without paying me for a legitimate claim, and it’s made me think a big change is needed from insurers before they can be trusted to act...

Internet safety: Are you Cyberstreetwise?

Internet safety is vital, but it’s not something many of us pay a lot of attention to when we’re online. This is worrying, given we may often unwittingly share a great deal of our personal information online – information which, if it ended up in the wrong hands, could be used for unscrupulous purposes. The Cyberstreetwise campaign...

Do teenage magazines sell unaffordable lifestyles?

I love the free magazines given out at stations, especially Stylist. My favourite section is the ‘top picks’ – a page of dresses, make-up and household items, all beautifully presented and all of it ridiculously expensive. I often look at it and think "one day, I’ll be able to afford this". But in reality, I’ve NEVER been...