Browsed by
Category: Saving Money

Guess post: How to have a Financially Stress-Free Christmas

Guess post: How to have a Financially Stress-Free Christmas

Another guest post from Ryan at Compare Annuity who help support the site. Many people get so hooked on the Christmas giving bandwagon that they get themselves into some serious financial trouble and so it’s important to keep an eye on those expenses in December leading up to the big day. Interested to hear your Christmas saving ideas, please post them in the forum.   As Christmas approaches, the average person in the UK is expected to spend around £500…

Read More Read More

Guest Post – How to keep fit and stay healthy while saving money

Guest Post – How to keep fit and stay healthy while saving money

I don’t normally post most of the guest articles I receive however the one below really struck a chord with me. Every time there’s an obesity craze sweeping through the media, the comments sections will begin filling up with people making excuses about how expensive is it is stay fit and eat healthily. Yes; if you insist on paying the insane all-included gym costs and eating out at vegan restaurants all the time then the costs will rack up! However…

Read More Read More

Special offers want you to spend, not save

Special offers want you to spend, not save

Yesterday I was taking a rare non-work related trip in my car to the discount supermarket when a radio advert pricked up my ears and immediately alerted my fine-tuned consumerism warning system that something may be amiss. The advert started off relaxed and friendly, lulling you into a false sense of security; kids playing the background, adults chatting amongst themselves.. that kind of thing, when without warning I was hit by this whammy of a statement: “You might want to…

Read More Read More

The opportunity costs of Sharesave

The opportunity costs of Sharesave

I’ve been at my new job for almost a year now which makes me eligible to join the company’s Sharesave scheme. At my previous company I signed up immediately and began pumping the maximum contribution amount (£250) in each month blindly following the ‘one-way bet’ mentality of most towards Sharesave right up until the share price crashed and the company was de-listed from the market. Granted; I got my 3 years worth of contributions back as a lump sum however…

Read More Read More

Learning Personal Finance is like learning to swim

Learning Personal Finance is like learning to swim

I was recently talking with a friend who mentioned that he used to be “Drowning in debt”. It’s a commonly used phrase and a situation that I’m sure everyone is familiar with; you’re kicking and struggling against the rising tides of debt until eventually you take a last gulp before being totally covered in water. In a way, alot of financial knowledge and the state you find yourself in can be related to learning to sink or swim through your…

Read More Read More

Things I’m not frugal on

Things I’m not frugal on

I’m sure by now all of us reading this will know that the true key to saving money and expanding your investments is to become frugal with your spending habits. There was an excellent program on BBC1 last night; Britain’s Spending Secrets which examined the spending habits of families right across the wealth spectrum and tried to give an insight into how they prioritised their spending. As you might expect, it began with the single mother on benefits who refused…

Read More Read More

My Top 10 things people waste money on

My Top 10 things people waste money on

The battle between personal wants and needs is a hard one, made even harder by the constant bombardment of media advertising we receive each day. Not-so-special offers, visions of the perfect lifestyle and the infamous ‘Keeping with the Jones’ all contribute towards some ill-advised purchasing decisions. Here is a list of My Top 10 things people waste money on:   1. Gym Membership You see them through the windows every January, working hard with the bright lights blazing and high…

Read More Read More

Is it possible to finish University debt free?

Is it possible to finish University debt free?

With the recent budget announcement around the removal of maintenance grants to be replaced with additional student loans, a number of online outlets have begun reporting on the mountains of debt our university graduates will now be saddled with at the end of their degrees. Indeed; with tuition fees currently standing at £9000 a year, plus the costs of living.. it’s to be expected that many will graduate with well over £30,000 worth of student debt. This got me thinking…

Read More Read More

Who wants to be a Retirement Millionaire?

Who wants to be a Retirement Millionaire?

Although (hopefully) readers here will be aware that they don’t need an enormous pension pot to retire; reaching a cool million still remains the goal for many others. What better feeling than hitting that 7 figures? However there are several things to consider before you get knocked over with a huge tax bill at the end. As the pension freedoms were introduced back in April, there also came a controversial announcement of a reduction in the lifetime allowance – from…

Read More Read More

Saving money with a Staycation

Saving money with a Staycation

I’ve never been a big fan of holidays. I mean; I’ve spent a tonne of money on purchasing a lovely house.. filling it with all my worldly possessions and have picked a location that has everything I need/want nearby. Why then would I want to endure the time, effort and cost of going away on some extravagant foreign holiday? I don’t know what it is about the stressing to ensure everything is packed, stressing about missing the plane, stressing about…

Read More Read More