A STARK WARNING. Please spread the word!
DON'T LET CONSOLIDATION AND IVA VULTURES' ADVERTS WIN! As a nation we're already the debt man of Europe. January's the month most people try and sort it, but many get sucked in by the millions of pounds spent on advertising by consolidation loan and IVA vultures. These aim to grab easy cash from those struggling and desperate for a seemingly easy get out clause.
This site's about collective consumer power, and while there's no big ad budget, this e-mail alone reaches 800,000 people. If everyone reading it tells five people with debts about the site, this e-mail and the special debt articles below, it'll be a massive victory. Please help. (mini mutterings)
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Massive credit card savings. '15 month 0%' or '3.9% for life' deals. January Debt Special
If you've got debt racked up, act now and you can massively cut your costs. A balance transfer deal simply means you can shift existing debts to a new card at a much lower rate. New top 0% deals: HSBC* 0% for 15 months with a 2% fee or Smart 0% for 6 months no fee. Top long term deal: M&S &More which is 3.9% until debt is repaid. To find out which is right for you read the Updated Article: Best Balance Transfers (mini mutterings)
STILL STANDING! Grab a free New Year pint of Guinness Ends 31 Jan
Got severe debts? Action list and where to get the right help January Debt Special
While shifting a credit card balance will save you money, if you're struggling just to meet the repayments, it requires a different tack. When debt goes bad, it isn't just a financial problem: it can take over your life. As interest quickly compounds, the earlier problem debts are handled, the less likely they'll become a crisis. To help there's a full step-by-step guide, which takes you through everything you can do and how to get free, non-profit one on one help. Step-By-Step Guide: Problem Debt Checklist (mini mutterings) Related Articles: How Interest Rates Work, Pay Off Debts With Savings
Free Mobile Sims: O2, T-Mobile & Orange (perfect for cinema loophole) Just click and grab. Simazing!
Warning! British Gas Online & others raise prices. Get cheapest energy and earn up to £30 cashback.
On 8 Jan British Gas 'Click Energy' customers get a 12% gas & 10% elec price rise (the delayed implementation of the increases other BG customers saw last Sept). Plus on 1 Jan Atlantic, Southern Elec, Swalec & Scottish Hydro had similar rises. So it's time to check if you can switch and save. My usual top pick comparison service Energyhelpline* pays £15 cashback per switch (if you go through this special link) and other sites £20 dual fuel or champagne too. Updated Article: Cheapest Gas & Electricity plus cashback (mini mutterings) Related Articles: Cheapest Home Phone, Cut Water Bills
New Gym Savings Loophole. Heads up starts Fri 5th. A way to get up to £40 a month off Cannons or JJB membership. New Article: Cheap Gym Loophole (I'll remind you next week)
Got NTL, Telewest, Sky, Homechoice? Slash your costs with one phone call
NTL's heavily pushing its new '3 for £30' TV, phone and broadband deal, making it a great opportunity for digital TV cost cutting. I'm not talking about switching, rather call your existing supplier and say "I've seen NTL's offer and think I'm paying too much, I'm going to leave if you don't cut the price." You'd be surprised at the impact. If you're with NTL itself, just tell it you want this deal or you'll leave and your costs may be cut too. It's all about making companies fight for your business. Article: Digital TV Cost Cutting (mini mutterings) Related Article: Cheapest Home Phone, Batter Down Your Mobile Contract
Free mini Toni&Guy hair products before Friday 5th if you've a Boots Advantage card STOP YOUR FRIENDS WASTING CASH! PLS SUGGEST THEY GET THIS EMAIL 21,000 student loan repayment errors. Check now!
A parliamentary answer's just revealed last year 21,000 graduates carried on repaying student loans after they'd cleared the debts as they never get the Student Loans Company letter saying 'stop paying'. If you're near to repaying, especially if you've changed address, check with the Student Loans Company. If you have overpaid, you're entitled to the money back with interest (mini mutterings) Related Articles: Should I Pay Off My Student Loan?, Student Funding Guide Have you succeeded in getting a Council Tax reband? If so please read this Related Info: Council Tax Cost Cutting Warning: Tax deadline 31 Jan. Free personal/small biz tax help
If you've got a self-assessment form it needs to be on the Revenue's doormat by 31 Jan, or you may be lumbered with an £100 fine. Experienced tax accountant Tony Tesciuba (aka my Uncle Tony!) has again agreed to answer small biz/personal tax queries in the Chat Forum over the next few days. Ask a question/see how it works Taxing Times Articles: One, Two, Three, Four |
MoneySaving Books both still £3.99 + P&P at Amazon. Perfect for New Year bill cutting.
The Money Diet* is my full guide to saving money and cutting debts on everything and anything, Thrifty Ways* is the new fun compendium of hints and tips on how to live life thriftily and ethically. About the books
FLIGHTCHECKER SALES WATCH Prague, Amsterdam & Paris c. £20 each way
Budget airline Thomsonfly currently has a range of destinations at 49p each way. When you add in its taxes and charges this becomes roughly £20 in total. For a full briefing read the How To Find A Cheap Flight article or go straight to the special free FlightChecker to find the seats in seconds.
Live in London? Need help cutting loan costs? Come to my TV loanbusting clinic This Friday Bond car or banger? Read full consumer motor reviews before you splash any cash
If you've set your heart on a new car, don't hand over your hard-earned cash without knowing what you're going to get. It's possible to check whether it'll be a dream drive or old rust-bucket in seconds. Website Peachorlemon.com is a powerful resource where scores of drivers compare notes about individual cars, rating vehicles as peaches (good) or lemons (bad). Read: Peach or Lemon Related Articles: New Car Cost Cutting, Cheap Car Insurance, Petrol Cost Cutting MONEY MORAL DILEMMA. Should Richard have a ring of truth?
Sadly Richard's grandma has passed away. He and his cousins (from the rich side of the family) have been given an equal share of everything. As the house is being sold and the proceeds divided, all the cousins agreed to take any mementos they wanted. Richard took his gran's battered old ring, to give to his daughter. Yet his wife realised it wasn't costume jewellery, but real diamonds and worth about £8,000. Should Richard keep quiet or sell the ring and share the proceeds? Enter the Money Moral Maze: The ring of truth? Previous MMDs: Should Jenny kick them out?, Should Janet pay for John? and Would you lend to a friend in need? Great ‘Counter Seasonality' Hunt
Companies traditionally ramp up prices for products at popular times of year, when they know everyone wants to buy their wares. Yet by doing the exact opposite of what they expect us to do – buying Xmas pressies in January, convertible cars when it's snowing outside, home insurance the day before Xmas – it's possible to save a packet. So I thought I'd tap MoneySavers' knowledge for ideas on how to find the cheapest prices by swimming against the tide. Add your ideas/read others Past Great Hunts: Car Seat/Booster, Feed, House & Treat Your Pets For Less and What Kids Should Know About Money |
Quick Chat Tips Warning! Bargains listed here tend to sell out quickly | | |
Barclays offering 12.5% on regular savings. Sounds good? Sadly it's all hype and no trousers
Barclays' new 12.5%-paying savings account ain't as hot as it looks. As it's a regular saver, you must pay in every month, and you can only put a very limited amount in. Worse still you have to be genuinely operating a Barclays current account; yet its standard account pays a miserly 0.1% interest if you're in credit and has a costly overdraft; compare this to 6% interest and a 0% overdraft with Alliance & Leicester* (see Best Bank Accounts article); and you can then get other regular savers paying 8% on bigger amounts (see Regular Savings Account article). Overall, unless you're already a Barclays customer, and have a particularly pressing reason to stick with it, I wouldn't go near it.
Wales: Board of the week
Looking for top tips on cutting costs in Wales? Then the Wales MoneySaving Chat Forum section is the place to come. Discussions include £2.50 kids' tickets for Millenium Centre's Cinderella, Moving to Cardiff and Where in Wales are you? Related Boards: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland
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