Beware of internet scams!

Recently, there has been a shocking increase in internet and email scams. Be very wary of these practices. There are many terrible stories of people who have been taken in by these crooks and lost money in doing so.

Email scams are particularly popular amongst the crooks. You may have heard of the emails asking for money to be sent to another country. While extremely shocking, most people know these are not genuine emails. However, some scams are extremely clever and much harder to spot. Thousands of people have been receiving emails and calls from companies claiming to be attached to the Inland Revenue. News of this scam has been reported widely on the news, and in the papers.

Phishing scams are an attempt to get your personal details from you in order to more easily commit identify fraud. The problem here is that if successful, the culprits can cause a great deal of damage to your credit rating and online reputation.

Be extremely careful with your personal details, especially bank account details, your full name, and date of birth. If a company asks for these details then be cautious and report the email. If it is genuine the company will contact you to confirm it. Banks and other financial institutes never ask for your personal details via email and they will never ask for your passwords.

Do not fall for any company claiming to offer you something that seems almost too good to be true. Take some time to look into it. Search the company name online and check to see if it is a scam. Although scams are appearing on the internet every day, fortunately they are also identified as scams just as quickly, so a quick search will reveal them for you.

Stay safe when you are online, only deal with reputable companies, and never share your information online.

Read More

Saving money at the supermarket is easier than you think.

Supermarket shopping is becoming more expensive. Millions of shoppers are changing how and where they buy their groceries in order to cut down on expense. Here are some tips to help you get the maximum trolley load for your money.

Consider trying an alternative store. There are two or three excellent supermarkets that are much cheaper than the leading chains. Part of your decision has to be travel distance too. Many people travel further for cheaper shopping, forgetting that the fuel costs are increased. So, before you make the change, think carefully about how far you will need to travel to shop in the store of your choice.

If you can’t easily get to a cheaper supermarket like an Aldi or Lidl, then consider ordering your groceries online. This can save you a massive amount of money in a year. By setting yourself a strict budget and ordering online, either weekly or fortnightly, you will see a huge drop in your supermarket bills.

Supermarkets are designed to make it easy for us to spend. The stores are set up to encourage us to spend more and buy additional items we were not planning to purchase. These extra items can add up to a significant amount over time. And it is so easy to be taken in by the clever marketing and discount displays.

Buying in bulk can save you a lot of money too if you are clever. Items that last for a long time should be purchased in bulk wherever possible. For example, dried goods like rice, pasta or grains will keep for long periods so can be bought in bulk for much cheaper prices. Toilet tissue, cleaning products, washing powders, pet foods, are also items that last. You can save as much as £10 on each weekly shop by buying certain items in bulk once or twice a month.

Read More

Should students have a credit card?

This is a question which is being hotly debated on a number of parent forums online. The question of whether a university student should have a credit card is not an easy one to answer. Statistics indicate that the majority of 19 year olds can easily access a credit card when they open a student account.

Here are some things to consider if you or your child is considering a credit card.

Firstly, having a credit card is good, if it is used correctly. It can be a source of emergency money for a student who is away from home. It is also a necessary part of life and as such, the sooner a young person starts to build themselves a good credit record, the better it will be for them as they get older.

The downside however, is that credit cards provide a temptation to spend that many young people find it difficult to resist. Peer pressure and the temptation to buy those concert tickets or the latest jacket can render a credit card useless very quickly once it reaches its credit limit.

The best way to use a credit card is to understand that whatever you use it for in a month you will need to clear by the following month. This keeps the interest charges at a minimum and it helps to build the amount of credit on your card.

For students, this usually means relying on parents to help them with budgeting and on most occasions it is the parents who help out with the money for credit card bills. This is not always possible though, especially these days. Money is tight for everyone.

We aware, if yourchild runs up credit card debt you could be liable to pay the outstanding amount. It is a difficult lesson to learn, but learning how to deal with money and handle credit is a necessary part of life today. And the sooner a young person understands how it works, the better it will be for them.

Read More

Save a fortune as you treat yourself!

Have you noticed an increase in companies offering huge discounts on a variety of goods and services? One company which is increasingly popular amongst British shoppers is Wowcher.com. This site offers a whole host of goods and services at discounts of up to 70% of the original price.

The concept is simple, you just register, adding your shopping preferences and your location, and the site does the hard work for you. It will give you a daily list of special offers in your area, for the goods and services you are interested in.

Goods covered include, fashion, home and garden, leisure and tourism, cosmetics, going out and more. So the next time you are looking for the latest fashion item, or you feel like a night out with friends, save yourself some money and check out what offers are available.

On most days there will be discounted offers for leading restaurants posted online. Discounted tickets for beauty treatments and luxury goods are also very common offers. And the savings you could make are significant. One recent restaurant offer, gave couples a three course meal at a well-known restaurant for the price of one.

Another offer let shoppers purchase the latest design of handbag from a leading fashion chain for a fraction of the high street cost. Often there are offers on holiday websites that let families enjoy a holiday for half price!Whatever you are interested in, there is no doubt you will find an offer to suit.

Get into the habit of surfing each day to look for offers on the goods and services you need, or want. It is a great way to enjoy the finer things in life, have a great social life, or purchase your heart’s desire, without having to pay full price.

There are a number of companies offering discount offers, so go online and do some searching. You will quickly find one that matches your interests and budget.

Read More

Cut down on the amount of petrol you are using.

Increasing numbers of people are turning to alternative methods of transport, just to try and keep their fuel costs down. As you will know, petrol has almost doubled in price over the last ten years. For a small car with a 1.3 litre engine, it once cost around £40 to fill up the tank. Today, that has jumped to an average of £76! It is no wonder people are struggling to make ends meet. The cost of living has risen dramatically and yet our wages have not increased to match the rise.

Here are some ways to cut back on fuel.

Shop once a week, rather than making many trips back and forth every few days. Lots of small journeys can use just as much fuel as long trips. In fact, when driving in heavy city traffic, fuel consumption can increase because you spend more time in the lower gears, stuck in traffic.

Car-pooling for the school run and the drive to work can save a significant amount of money. And with the use of social media, it will not take long to post a message and team up with other parents or workers who are keen to car pool with you.

Walk! National statistics suggest that on many occasions, we will drive a short distance instead of walking. It takes five minutes to walk a mile at a reasonable pace. Why not make a pledge for yourself - for all journeys of 1.5 miles or less, you will walk, not drive.

Studies indicate that just ten minutes of walking a day can improve your health by reducing risk of heart disease, keep your bones strong and your lungs flushed with fresh air. So, get out of the car, save money, be kinder to the planet by reducing your carbon emissions, and get healthy as you walk!

Read More

Taking the family out on a budget

If you have a young family, you will understand how important it is to spend time together enjoying fun activities. For many of us however, it is an expensive treat that is hard to budget for. These days, it can cost around £60 plus for a family of four to enjoy a trip to the cinema! Here are some tips to help you enjoy fun times with your family without breaking the bank.

Picnics – the weather does not need to be perfect to enjoy a picnic! Kids love picnics, even if they are in a car. You will save a lot of money by taking your own food and refreshments with you on a day out.

Museums, galleries and exhibitions – These are all usually free entry attractions. Give your family a day of enjoyable culture and something different to look at by visiting a museum or local gallery. You will be amazed by how much fun it is. Keep an eye out on local press and online for family deals and free activities for the kids. Most museums will do this type of promotion, especially during the school holidays.

Walk! – Get outside and enjoy the fresh air. Take a ball, or a kite, and a rug, some crisps, and a camera, and then have fun! It won’t cost anything and you will all get some much needed fresh air, exercise, and enjoy yourselves while you make special memories together.

Keep moving and stay positive - In today’s world of internet, reality TV, and superficial fame, it can be easy to forget the simple pleasures in life. Don’t sit there wishing you had the money to enjoy time with your family, get up, get out the door and explore, even a stroll around a park or around town can brush the cobwebs away. You will have fun and it won’t cost you a thing!

Read More

How to save more than £1000 in the blink of an eye

It seems like a lot but this article show you how easy it easy to save more than a £1000 in one year without having to try too hard or be deprived of the necessities.

Coffee – Did you know that the average worker spends an average of £5 per day on coffee alone? That’s not even lunch or snacks. Just a take-out coffee in the morning and then one during the day, and this is just the average. Research indicates that many people will have three take-out coffees a day. When you consider that one medium Cappuccino costs around £2.60, three coffees adds up to £7.80, in one day! If you work a five day week for 48 weeks in the year, that could add up to a massive £1872! So, why not take a flask to work? Or get together with some colleagues to buy a jar of coffee, some team bags, sugar and milk. The money you save buying designer coffees could pay for your holiday next year.

Ready meals – So many people purchase and eat ready meals. It is understanding bale, not everyone has the time or energy to cook a meal after a hard day at work. But here are some sobering figures that may encourage you to cut back on ready meals and consider a more nutritional home-cooked option. The average price of a ready meal today is £2.25 approximately. This price was the average from a sample of twenty-five different ready meals. For a family of four, that comes to £9.00, for one meal. Instead, you could buy a pack of mince beef, a jar of bolognaise and a packet of pasta for less that £7.00, feed the entire family in less than half an hour and pocket the £2.00 saved. Let’s say you cook a meal for three nights a week, for an entire year. You would save a massive £312. This is a significant amount of money, especially when you consider what could be done with just over £300. At the moment, it’s possible to purchase a brand new family saloon for £275 per month. Or, looking at the statistical averages, £300 per month is what families spend in total on mobile phones, telephone, broadband, and TV channels. And all you would need to do to save this amount is cook a simple meal three times per week.

We’ll be sharing more ideas for saving money in the coming weeks. Let us know your tips for saving.

Read More