Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email
New top 0% for 15 months on new spending,
Ski insurance under £30, Dirt-cheap DAB radios
And much, much more MoneySaving...
Twas the week before Christmas… We’ve finally got there: after all the hype, the lights and the rush, finally, it's nearly here. I want to wish all MoneySavers who are celebrating a Happy Christmas (and the same to all celebrating Eid this week). MoneySaving over the next week or two… The Xmas week e-mail will be sent on Thur 27 Dec and the first e-mail of 2008 will be on Thur 3 Jan. Plus if you’re at a loose end, why not treat yourself to a Money Makeover and take some time to prepare for the next year with the Budget Planner? Got a friend/family member worried about debt this Christmas? A month ago I was asked by the Samaritans to appear on their Christmas press release, as this is their busiest time of year and they believe financial problems are a big part of it. If a friend tells you they're panicked over their debts, please get them to read the Problem Debt Help article and especially look at how to get free, non-profit, debt counseling. |
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Last second European flights: £20 return in between Xmas & New Year
While all super-cheap flights over Christmas have now gone, there are still
some deals available for Christmas week or over New Year. For example, Bristol-Dublin
on 26 Dec, returning 29 Dec is £20 or London-Brussels for five days over
New Year is £10. These fares all include tax. How to quickly find the remaining cheap flights:
Go to the free Budget
Airline FlightChecker and ask it to find all flights under £25 each way for your
selected dates to any destination and it'll tell you what's available;
then use the Cheap
Hotels & Hostels article for accommodation. For other destinations
see the Cheap
Flights article. Other Travel MoneySaving: Package
Holidays, Spending
Overseas, Cheap Currency,
Travel
Insurance
Free international phone calls on Christmas Day. A special offer from JaJah see the Updated Article: Cheapest International Calls
Top card for spending now 0% for 15 mnths. If you'll need to borrow, grab it.
Halifax is again offering 0% for 15 months for new customers on its credit card, making it by far the market leader. Yet this isn’t available online; you need to go into the branch, or phone. The top online intro offer is HSBC* at a year’s 0%. Do remember though, 0% debt is still debt and needs repaying, so, unless you’re deliberately Stoozing, never borrow a penny more than you’ve planned and budgeted for. In the worst case scenario if you can’t repay it all by the end of the 0% period, ensure you balance transfer the debt to another cheap card at that point. Full details in the Updated Article: Top Card For Spending Related Articles: Best Balance Transfers, Danger Minimum Repayments, Stoozing: How To Profit From Debt, Top Cashback Cards
Grab a pre-owned Xbox (old version) for £20 Also works as a DVD player. In-store at Game, limited stock so Go Quick!
Going skiing? Cheapest annual travel insurance with winter sports cover is £28.
It’s possible to get travel insurance for an entire year including basic winter sports cover for under £30 (or £45 for a couple). Yet some travel agents will charge you more than this to insure just one ski trip. This updated article includes all the best buy annual and single policies, including for the over 65s (though then ski-cover is tougher to get). Do always check the basic winter sports cover suits your needs though; if you go off-piste, do other sports or have expensive equipment, it may not be covered. Updated Article: Cheapest Travel Insurance Related Travel Articles: Cheap Flights, Cheapest Hotel Prices, Spending Abroad
£20 digital DAB radio Top Bargain. DAB delight!
STOP YOUR FRIENDS WASTING
CASH! PLS SUGGEST THEY GET THIS
EMAIL
Grab extra high street discounts... by playing with the devil’s debt!
Store cards are the devil's debt, due to huge interest rates and schemes designed to tempt in the young or unwary. Yet there’s a way to punish stores for offering such nasty plastic. Right now, chains like Debenhams, Mothercare and Topman offer discounts of up to 15% off your first shop, if you sign up for a card. Thus grab the card for the discount, and set up a direct debit to pay it off in full so there's no interest. Even better, invite friends and family to share the discount with you, paying for it all on the new card (but they give you the cash); then next time, they do it. Full details and main store card discounts are in the Updated Article: Store Cards Related Articles: Credit Card Freebies, Credit Card Shuffle, Cashback Credit Cards
£600-ish desktop publishing software for £3.75. Quark V.5.0 (old version) Related Articles: Protect Your PC For Free, Free Office Equivalent Software
The Great “Last minute bargain presents’ Hunt. Share your best ideas.
The Christmas clock is ticking, and as it’s getting very late to order online, now we’re left at the mercy of expensive high street prices. So I wanted to tap MoneySavers' ideas for the best last minute bargain gifts; whatever your ideas, please share them. Add your ideas/read other peoples': Great 'Last Minute Christmas Gifts' Hunt Past Great Hunts: Free/Cheap Family Games, Tips To Cut Postage Costs, and How Much To Tip Overseas Hunt
Bargain festive food. Includes £1 Ikea dinner, chocolate slabs and reindeer food Tuck in!
You can still order online for Xmas. The following stores still take orders: Topshop (last date 19 Dec), Game (20 Dec), Argos (21 Dec), Tesco Direct (21 Dec). See a full list of Last Order Dates
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The
Don't Forgets |
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Money Moral Dilemma: Should Andy complain about Big Bob?
Average Andy is on a 14 hour flight from London to Miami. He is just settling into his window seat ready for take off, when Big Bob, a very large, tall passenger comes and sits next to him (either he's an extreme body builder or seriously obese – you decide). Big Bob is literally spilling over into Andy’s seat, hogging the arm rest, depriving him of space and making him very squashed and uncomfortable. The flight’s full, so there’s nowhere for Andy to move. Should Andy ask for some money back or grin and bear it? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should Andy complain about the Big Bob on his flight? Previous MMDs: Should Liam roll with it? and Is Del a plonker for flogging Wiis on eBay?
Don't worry, super-cheap Ugg Boots are the real thing! Prices from £60
A couple of months ago, I linked to a thread on how to get cheap Ugg boots, ordering from abroad. Many got them, but there was some concern that one of the companies was sending out fakes (though we had checked beforehand). To double check, we sent one of the pairs to the official Ugg Australia company, and, while they don't look the best, they have been checked out as real – albeit the 2004 version. Forum Note: Cheap Ugg Boots
Quick
Forum Tips
Warning! Bargains listed here tend to
sell out quickly
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Board of the week: Wales
Looking for top tips on cutting costs in Wales? Then the Wales MoneySaving Chat Forum section is the place to come. Discussions include Where in Wales is everyone?, Cheap days out with the kids in Wales and Parking in Cardiff
Great 'What to get someone who's got everything' Hunt Result
Last week I thought I'd tap MoneySavers' collective knowledge to compile a list of unique, useful, inventive presents, perfect for everyone that has everything. There were some great suggestions, including Photomosaic, Loans that change lives and DIY hampers
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Energy Saving Lightbulb, Winalot Specials, Xmas Leftover Recipes, |
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MoneySavingExpert on the box/wireless
If you like to watch as well as read about MoneySaving, I’ll be appearing on the following programmes over the next week or so.
- The Alan Titchmarsh Christmas Show ITV1 Wed 3pm
- You & Yours BBC Radio 4 Wed 12pm
Keep updated on appearances: Changes and updates go in the Updated appearances list
Feedback on appearances: Discuss or add your thoughts on MoneySaving in the Media
This week's Martin's Blog: Good on you Rhydian
"Barclays adverts make me want to growl!" and "How do you describe a website to someone who’s never used it?". Read m'blogs (or RSS users
access)
Festive frolics or foroughly fed Up? Vote and Festive frolics discussion.
What's the cost of Christmas? Same as it's always been! Last Week’s Vote.
It seems that even the credit crunch hasn't had an impact on your Christmas spending: the results of this poll were almost identical to a similar one I ran two years ago. The 34% majority spend between £250 and £500, closely followed by 33% spending less than £250, compared with 34% and 29% respectively last time round. Read the Cost of Christmas discussion.
Archna's free Game of the Week! Santa just can't get enough of the Christmas tipple. Help him stay off the rails! Sober Santa
Have you been naughty or nice? That's it for this week, however I thought you might like to check whether you're on Santa's naughty list
I hope you save some money
Martin
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the editorial line (the things I write) is NEVER impacted by it. If it isn't
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exactly the same way. As I believe transparency is important, I'm including the
following 'un-affiliated' web-addresses for the same things: energyhelpline.com, icicibank.com, hsbc.co.uk, talktalk.co.uk, alliance-leicester.co.uk. Read more about this in how this site is financed.
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