Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

BT prices jump again - how to beat 'em
This week BT & TalkTalk hike line rental and call costs for third time in 18 months

BT's standard line rental jumps 30p to £13.90/month this Thursday, 20% higher than just 18 months ago. Daytime call costs also jump to a huge 7.6p/minute (40% more than 18 months ago) while call connection's up 1p to 12.5p. TalkTalk follows on Sunday, increasing line rental by 30p to £12.60/month, with daytime call and connection fees up too.

• HALVE line rental. If you've a BT line (not cable/Kingston), you can get Primus Line Rental Saver* at £6.79/mth for a year without calls or Primus Home Phone Saver* (via these links) at £7.99 incl landline eve & wknd calls, and cheaper daytime calls than BT.
• Stick with BT but save £40. If you'd prefer to stick with BT, get reduced line rental by paying £120 up-front for a year on its BT Line Rental Saver*, which includes weekend calls.
  
• Line rental, broadband & dongle, £15.23/month. A new half-price broadband deal on Plusnet's bundle makes it £15.23/month all-in for a year; only £1.30/month more than BT's standard phone-only package. It has inclusive eve & weekend calls, plus, sign up over the phone via Simplify Digital* and you get a free broadband dongle.
• Then get 5p per daytime call. All the above allow you to sign up to no-frills calls provider 18185. Then dial that prefix before the number to cut daytime landlines costs to 5p/CALL rather than 7.6p/MIN from BT (4p/min Primus Phone Saver). It's also roughly half price for mobiles midweek. See the MSECallChecker for more options.

For full information and more explanation see the Updated Guides: Cheap Home Phones and Cheap Broadband

Speedy £100s MoneySaving - financial spring clean
Take ten minutes this weekend to save yourself a fortune with these speedy saving tips

Don't just spring clean your house. If you've spare time, use our specially-selected five tips below to clear your financial cobwebs.

• Get 1.5% cashback on ALL petrol. The MBNA Amex* gives successful applicants 1.5% cashback on all fuel and supermarket spending (0.75% elsewhere), so it's an easy way to gain £100s. Just spend normally, but ensure you repay IN FULL each month to avoid the 18.9% rep APR. Full info in the Cashback Credit Cards guide (Official APR Example).
• Do a grant search. Hundreds of millions in cash is waiting to be claimed, if you're eligible. Use the Energy Saving Trust's grant search or see the full Home & Energy Grants, Low Income Grants & Education Grants guides.
• Switch gas & electricity ASAP. There are strong predictions of energy price hikes in the next few months. Yet switch now and you can save £200 a year, or opt for a fixed tariff to prevent rises. Top comparison site: Energyhelpline* £15 per switch cashback. Dual Fuel: Moneysup* £30 cashback, Uswitch* crate of wine, Simplyswitch* £40 cashback. Full info: Cheap Gas & Electricity
• Max cash for old mobiles. Check drawers for old mobiles, then use the MSE Mobile Valuer to compare how much various sites will pay for it. Some can earn £100s (for new contracts see the Cheap Mobiles guide).
• Do a budget. Unlike the other tips, we admit this will take more than a few minutes, but if you've time it's a must do. Use the MSE Budget Planner to see if you spend more than you earn, then find out what to do about it.

To go the whole hog, why not spend a day saving on everything? See the Full Guide: Give Yourself a Money Makeover

Don't chuck best befores! FREE fridge memo
Save £600/year by not wasting food. Find out what's edible & what's not

Staggeringly, £14bn of food was thrown out in 2010, much unnecessarily. Thankfully last week, plans were announced to change our ridiculously confusing food labels that perpetuate this (see best before change news). Until that happens we've a handy help ...

• FREE fridge memo print out. Can you define the difference between a best before and display until date? Most people can't, and that leads to chucking an average £600/year of food. To help, try our Free Food Saving Memo to print out and stick on your fridge. The key is that while eating beyond use bys is a health risk, there's no explicit safety risk just from eating food beyond best befores (except for eggs).
• Buy beyond best befores at big discounts. Not only is it usually safe to eat food beyond best befores, it's legal to sell them. There are local specialists and even an online store, Approved Food, which specialises in out-of-date stock, eg, 2 x six packs Walkers for 99p. See the Food Cost Cutting guide for more help.
• Free 'stop cold callers' sign & other MSE freebies. The new food labelling rules join the free no cold callers sign (energy sales people MUST obey) and wallet-sized consumer rights, travel and money mantras guides, as well as the MSE car sticker (for this one only send an SAE).
  

When you're done watching Wills & Kate tie the knot, it's worth taking a few mins to see if you can slash £1,000s off your mortgage. More people switched in February (most recent figures) than in any month for two years, so interest is up, though check for fees.

• Is your rate good enough? Not everyone can save money on a new deal, but everyone should check if they can. With a transaction as big as a mortgage, even small changes have a huge impact, ie, knocking 1% off a £150,000 interest-only mortgage cuts costs by £125/month. So if your fix or tracker is ending, see what's out there.
• To fix or not to fix? While fixes are more expensive initially, the rate's guaranteed so consider it an insurance policy against rates rising. Whether you should get one depends as much on your finances as the economy; if you can't afford a rise, a fixed is safe, if not always cheapest (see the Should I Fix? guide).
  
  Many are predicting base rate will rise from its 0.5% historic low in the next few months. If that happens, variable rates will rise and fixes may jump in price. One half-way house is to book a fix now, for up to six months in advance. Then if rates rise you can use it. If not, or a better deal comes along, just pull out and lose the £100-£200 booking fee. Speak to a mortgage broker about this.
• Free printed or PDF remortgage booklet. To help, we've a free, printed, step-by-step booklet on remortgaging. Either download an instant PDF or order a printed copy. See the Remortgage Guide for details. Related: First Time Mortgage Guide, Ultimate Mortgage Calculator, Mortgage Broker Finding