 |
Make money from your hobby | ||
| The best thing to do is try and turn any hobby you have into a part-time income. Then your hobby becomes tax deductible and you may even earn a bit in the process.
Chris from Woodley. |
|||
|
Don’t bury your head in the sand? | ||
| Don’t bury your head in the sand – if your monthly outgoings are a bit stretched, there are things you can do to get your finances back in shape!
It's easy to get carried away with the snippets of good news regarding the economy that are coming out every day at the moment. However, you're unlikely to be feeling very optimistic if you are struggling to make ends meet each month. And there are plenty of Brits in that situation - Citizens Advice, for example, receives as many as 9,000 calls a day from people with debt issues. To try to help, the Government has this week launched a new section on its DirectGov website www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity /Keepingyourhomeevictionsandhomelessness/Mortgagesandrepossessions containing lots of useful advice and guidance videos for homeowners and renters who face the prospect of having their home repossessed. If you are one of those struggling to meet your monthly commitments, then read on for my seven top tips to ease your financial troubles... Tip #1 - It's good to talk Whether it's your mortgage, energy bills, or even council tax that you are struggling to pay, the first step should always be to talk to whomever you owe the money to. Certainly with mortgages, you will be far from the first borrower to approach a lender in a bit of trouble. Most lenders will now have specialist staff to consider your position and possibly revise how much you pay each month. Energy suppliers may also be able to switch you to a cheaper tariff. You should contact your local council if you're struggling with your council tax bills as they may be able to help. Tip #2 - Get some advice We are big advocates of independent advice and if you are worried about your debt situation, then you should definitely speak to a professional for a bit of advice. The obvious place to start is Citizens Advice, but there are loads of other brilliant outfits that can advise you on how to improve your situation without charging you a penny, including the Consumer Credit Counselling Service www.cccs.co.uk and the National Debtline www.nationaldebtline.co.uk. Tip #3 - Sort your budgets out! This is something I have never been that good at, but it's essential if you are going to get out of the red and into the black! It's massively important to get it down on a piece of paper in front of you just where your hard earned cash is going each month. It's the only way you can work out what you can afford to cut out and start reducing those monthly outgoings. I know it's a pain, but if you take the time to do it you'll immediately see where you can make a few savings. Try this free budget calculator, http://www.moneymadeclear.fsa.gov.uk/tools.aspx?Tool=budget_calculator from the Financial Services Authority. Tip #4 - Wave goodbye to interest The obvious one with this is your credit card payments - and believe me, I'm speaking from experience. Until a couple of months ago, I was paying out more than £100 a month on my outstanding debt (as well as stupidly continuing to spend on the same credit card), racking up interest. Daft! Now I've signed up to a credit card with 0% interest on balance transfers for 15 months, my payments have halved and I will have that debt paid off before the promotional period expires. The money I'm saving each month is going into a savings account, so in one little move I've significantly improved my position. The essential thing to remember is that you are not alone - there is plenty of help available to you if things are starting to get a bit stretched financially. If you kid yourself that everything is absolutely fine, things are only likely to get worse. Good Luck Gerry from Woosehill |
|||
|
Can you save money with a Water Meter? | ||
| With a surge in water bill costs in recent years, it may make sense to fit a water meter.
The loose rule is that if there are fewer than 3/4 people in a home you should save money if you're fairly careful with how you use water. Try this official water caluclator at www.ccwater.org.uk Ideas on how to save water. 1. Fit a Save-a-Flush device (you may see it called a 'hippo' or even a 'bog hog') and you could save a litre each time you flush; 2. Wasted water equals wasted money - a dripping tap losing one drop a second will waste 15 litres of water (3 buckets' full) a day. 3. Save water when washing - take a shower rather than a bath, or why not bath with a friend? 4. Don't leave the tap running when brushing your teeth. 5. Use the plug in the washbasin when shaving. 6. Save water in the kitchen - use a bowl instead of leaving the tap on when washing up. 7. Boil only the amount of water you need in the kettle when you fancy a cuppa. 8. Don't use dishwashers or washing machines when they are only half full. 9. Save water in the garden - collect rainwater in a water butt, and give plants a summer soaking once a week rather than watering daily. 10. You'll only benefit from using less water if you have a meter installed, which is free of charge. Official figures show what a difference a change of habits can make: A bath uses 80 litres of water while a shower uses just 30; brushing teeth with the tap running uses 10 litres, which is more than flushing the toilet (9 litres). A dishwasher uses 35 litres, but if you are prepared to do the job by hand you'll use only 6 litres. A typical washing machine uses 80 litres, but modern water-efficient models need 25 litres less to clean your clothes. Most shocking of all is the amount you use watering the garden – 450 litres in just one hour. For free advice from the Consumer Council for Water call 0845 039 2837, or visit the website www.ccwater.org.uk Terry from Woosehill, Wokingham. |
|||
|
Change your brand and still keep your friends | ||
| If you can, buy 'value' items in the supermarkets. I swapped my favorite branded antiperspirant recently in favour of the supermarkets' own make - result....it was a QUARTER of the price, smelt great, and I still have all the friends I had before so it obviously works just fine!
Jeff from Twyford |
|||
|
Identity theft is a growing problem | ||
| Certain people are more at risk than others. Here’s some tips on what you can do to reduce fraudsters stealing your money and ID.
I don't know about you, but I am getting increasingly paranoid about fraud. And one of the fastest growing forms of fraud - and the one that concerns me the most - is ID fraud. New research from Experian has identified which sections of the populace are most at risk of identity theft - and it's not who you might expect. Paste this link in to your browser and see. http://www.experian.co.uk/experianhome/?sc=410006&bcd=googlsearchlp1110609 Check your Bank statements. This is a relatively simple. I am surprised so many people admit to not being any good at it. If you can't do a simple thing like this, how do you manage (or give advice on!) more complex financial matters? Shredding is definately a good way of protecting your details, but its best to get a decent cross cut shredder. I used to have a cheap normal shredder but found the although the documents were beyond repair, the information on them could still be read and occasionally they weren't cut right though. In my view it's definately worth the additonal couple of pound for a decent shredder. Also its simple to cut down the volume of shredded material vastly by just shredding the address bit not the whole A4 sheet of paper. I've always found a cage-full of gerbils brilliant at shredding sensitive documents. John from Wokingham |
|||
|
Slow down and save money | ||
| It's not surprising that your car will do more miles per gallon at 50 mph than 70. Just leave a little ealier and take it slower. You will save loads, have less chance of a being involved in a serious accident and you'll help the environment too. Plus, for course, you won't be getting those expensive speeding fines!
John from Woodley |
|||
|
Save money when it comes to cooking | ||
| 1. Cook meals in large portions and then freeze – it's cheaper and a lot healthier than ready meals.
2. Grow your own herbs for cooking – fresh herbs can cost as much as £30 per kg, whilst a pot from your local garden centre probably costs under £3. 3. Buy potatoes in bulk – but make sure to put an apple into the sack, which prevents the potatoes from flowering. 4. When you're ordering a takeaway order enough to ensure you get free delivery and then put any extra in the fridge to eat the next day. 5. Loose fruit is always cheaper in the stores than packaged fruit. Try going to your local Market where tyou can find good value for money fruit and veg. Alison from Twyford |
|||
|
Free swimming for 16s & under and 60+ | ||
| Free swimming for 16s & under and 60+
Ongoing government scheme If you’re aged 16 and under or 60 and over you can now swim for free as part of a new government initiative. Nearly 300 councils in England are offering the free swimming scheme. Check participating local authorities http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/sport/5810.aspx to see if pools in your area are taking part, or simply check at your local pool. Each participating pool has different terms. While some will simply ask for proof of age, others will issue a special card that you’ll need to bring with you each time you swim for free, so check before you go. They may also issue a one-off charge to cover the cost of the card, but this should be no more than £2. Check with the pool for times that you can swim for free, although you can go as many times as you like. If your nearest pool isn’t taking part, you can still swim for free at another participating pool. If you’re aged 16 and under you won’t be able to use the free swimming scheme during school hours. The scheme will be running for at least two years until Thursday 31 March 2011. Find more info on the free swimming webpage.http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/sport/5809.aspx Dave Twyford |
|||
1 2 3 of 3
|
|||