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Free tool assesses your finances
Examine whether you spend more than you earn | Find your financial weakness(es)
Here's an easy question: "How much do you earn?" Now a toughy: "How much do you spend?" Spending more than you earn at best eats your savings, at worst causes debt.
 Free financial analyser. Don't guess, calculate if you leak cash. To help, we've got a free tool many swear by (some swear at): the MSE Free Budget Planner that assesses 90 spending areas, calculates where you stand and helps allocate where you can afford to spend. - Don't start by cutting back, start by cutting bills. First try pain-free savings involving no lifestyle change. This email highlights some of the biggies (such as energy or debts) but there are loads more such as Childcare, Uniform Tax Rebates, Benefits Check-ups or Council Tax cost cutting. The full Cut 30 Major Bills section of the money makeover guide takes you through them.
- Then, if you need, stop spending. If your books still don't balance after cutting bills, it's time to cut back or risk a debt spiral. It may be as little as dropping Sky channels, right up to a moratorium on all spending. See 75 Ways To Cut Back in the stop spending guide and try the Demotivator.
- Try piggy-banking: Making a budget is easy, sticking to it is tough. Try Martin's Piggy-Banking technique, by splitting your spending into different pots, and setting up different accounts for each, eg, bills, holidays, family food and Christmas. You always know exactly how much you can spend.
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Cheapest car insurance – save £100s
Combine top comparisons to find max quotes | Prices risen 60% | Can anyone beat 96p/year champion?
Car insurance prices haven't accelerated, they've exploded, up over 60% in the past two years. If your renewal's due, our updated, fully comprehensive (sorry) Cheap Car Insurance system hunts the cheapest quotes, and most who haven't claimed can switch before their policy ends to save. Here's a taster...
 Never auto-renew. It's easy, but often outrageously costly. Check if you can get similar cover for less elsewhere, many save £100s. Some find they're offered a lower price as a 'new customer' from their company. If you want to stay put, find the cheapest elsewhere and use as haggle ammunition. - Combine TOP comparison sites. Comparison sites don't search the same companies, so combine them. To get the most quotes in the quickest time, our top picks are Moneysupermarket* and Gocompare* which should cover about 85% of the market. Once you've a winner, check the policy's suitable.
- Add the big 'uns they miss. Two competitive insurers, Aviva* & Direct Line*, aren't in comparisons but both have decent promotions. If you've two+ cars, check Admiral multi-car* too.
- Don't assume 3rd party's cheapest. Bizarrely, 3rd party policies, which only cover the other party's costs, can be pricier than fully comp which protects you too, as by choosing 3rd party, insurers can consider you a higher risk. Get quotes for both.
- Can you beat 96p/yr fully comp? Once you've found your cheapest policy see if a cashback site gives money back. Our record-ever result, a couple of years ago, is an £120.96 quote with £120 cashback – 96p for a year fully comp. Please report car insurance successes, anything under £100's a winner these days.
We're working on an even more finessed way to compare the comparison sites, more soon. FULL step-by-step Updated Guide: Cheap Car Insurance Related Insurance Guides: Home, Van, Bike, Young Persons' Car Insurance
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Haggle on the high street
New guide | The top 20 best haggling tips, though for you, guv'nor, we'll do it in 19
We'll barter with the best in a fly-filled bazaar. Yet on home turf, many become complacent and cowardly, thinking haggling's rude. Yet when demand's low, companies prefer to reduce prices than lose custom. We've recent successes reported at John Lewis, Comet, Debenhams & more. Our updated How To Haggle guide helps the fearful grow some ...
 Sales are an invite to haggle. When the price is already reduced, the door's open to reductions. Yet don't blunder with the wrong techniques, maximise your advantage:
- Don't try when stores are jammed, go when less busy.
- Senior yes, head honcho, no. Someone mid-level is best to try it with.
- Do it with a smile and chutzpah. It's about seducing a discount, not a war.
- Find their financial month or year-end when they need to reach sales targets.
See the full 20 High St Haggle Tips.
| Top 5 Haggling Success Rates |
| Sky TV 78% |
AA
73% |
Virgin 72% |
Vodafone 69% |
T-Mobile 68% |
- Haggle with call centres too – broadband, mobile, TV, breakdown. It's not just the high street. If you've a service contract, at renewal, threaten to leave and you'll usually be put through to 'disconnections'
(really 'customer retentions'), whose job is to keep you. Last summer we polled 3,000 people, see table for results.
Discounts can be huge, eg, 'half price for six months' so it's worth the call. See Mobile Haggling, Digital TV Haggling and Cheap Breakdown for more. Plus, please report successes
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