Wallet Watcher Show

Podcast episode 040

Podshow — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:41:13 +0000

This week on the Wallet Watcher personal finance podcast John Rennie talks about:-

Always great to hear from you, our email address is walletwatcher@btpodshow.com with your personal finance questions. We also have fresh articles on the Wallet Watcher blog including getting a free iPod touch from Orange, some EBay alternatives, Negative equity and avoiding repossession and how do BRIC markets work? We’ve found some more secret promotional codes this week, so why not try Easyjet voucher codes September 2008, Papa Johns voucher codes, Play.com voucher codes and Littlewoods Direct voucher codes.

This episode of Wallet Watcher is brought to you with GoDaddy and offers you great discounts on hosting and domain names. Use the following Wallet Watcher September 2008 GoDaddy discount codes to save you money - wallet1 gets you 10% off domain name purchases and wallet2 gets you 20% off orders over £25. Some restrictions may apply, see the GoDaddy web site for more details.

Tags: burger king, slug and lettuce half price meal deal, wagamama vouchers, personal finance

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How to save money on travel

Podshow — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:30:03 +0000

Unless you are one of those fortunate souls who can walk to work, getting around isn’t cheap. And the soaring price of petrol, and price increases by many of the train companies this year, has made it more painful yet. So how do you save money on travelling? This week we look at leaving the car at home and getting around the UK cheaply by bus, train and even plane.

Now all of us who commute regularly will already be buying travelcards, getting the best price for our journey. But what about occasional travellers.

The trick with train travel is to book your tickets a long time in advance if you can - there are no discounts for last minute bookers here.

The train companies must release tickets 12 weeks before a train is due to run. So work out the exact date they go on sale, and contact either to thetrainline.com or the rail company you’re travelling with. This way you’re likely to get the best possible price.

Rail ticket pricing in the UK is a mess, with a myriad of different fares, often on two trains running the same route. It’s a joke. But you can turn this farago to your advantage. Rather than buying a single ticket for the whole journey, find the cost of buying individual tickets for the trains covering your route. This is called split-ticketing and it can be a lot cheaper. Mad yes, but perfectly legal, and the rail companies HAVE to oblige you. But watch out. Your train MUST stop at the connecting stations along your route. Simply waving at Rugby as you speed through will not impress the ticket inspectors. Similarly, it may be cheaper to buy two singles than one return. SO CHECK!

Are you entitled to use a railcard. The Family and Friends card gives you a third off adult tickets and 60% off children’s fares. The Senior railcard and the 16-25 card give you a third off most fares. That should soon repay the £24 cost of the cards.

And check out other moneysavers, such as the Rover tickets, which offer unlimited travel over short periods (the number of days varies) for a set price.

Think about when you’re going to travel. Shift your journey from 8am peaktime to 10am and you could halve your fare.

If you’re buying tickets online, watch out for the extras. Does the website charge a booking fee? Is there a fee for credit card payments? Both charges may be outweighed by the savings you make, but check it out.

Does it have to be the train? You may have waved goodbye to coaches in your student days, but these days the intercity coaches are both luxurious and seriously cheap. Fares such as £12 from London to Norwich, or £4 from Birmingham to Manchester can generally beat even the best the rail companies have to offer.

And though there’s only so far we’d want to travel on a coach, for trips to nearby European capitals such as Amsterdam and Paris, the coach beats the train hands down.

But watch out too for special promotions. National Express is currently running the ‘bums on seats‘ promotion, offering £1 tickets on 75 routes nationwide. You have to book (though not travel) by the 14th of September 2008. Unbeatable!

Bus travel is particularly affordable for the over-60s, who get free offpeak tickets, and with National Express offering half price on longer journeys too. A brilliant way to see the grandchildren or simply see more of Britain.

And as well as the big boys such as Stagecoach and NationalExpress, there is a host of new bargain operators, such as Citylink and Easybus.

Finally, it’s always worth checking the air fare. Not many of us think of jumping on a plane from Bristol to Newcastle, but the budget carriers such as EasyJet and Flybe compete very keenly on many routes. Of course you DO have to factor in the cost and time of travel to get to the airport … which may soon dull the allure of your bargain half hour in the air. Trains and buses do have the advantage of taking you right to the city centre.

And you may want to examine your eco conscience too. Personally, I think taking a plane between British cities is about as absurdly decadent and wasteful of the planet’s resources as it gets … and the view isn’t as nice as from a train window. But it’s your call.

Whether you’re travelling by train or bus, it’s worth paying a visit to . The website, owned by the bus and coach company Stagecoach, actually undercuts its parent company’s prices. There are storming deals here, but at all costs avoid calling its highly priced 0900 phone booking number.

Oh, and whether you’re travelling by train or bus, take your own sandwiches and tea (or if you’re feeling particularly decadent, a nice chilled Muscadet). You’ll find it considerably cheaper, and much nicer than the onboard snacks and refreshments.

Tags: How to save money on travel, How to save money on travel article, How to save money on travel features, How to save money on travel article, travel, save money, train travel, bus travel, coach travel, air travel, personal financial advice

Slug and Lettuce half price meal deal

Podshow — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:26:42 +0000

Slug and Lettuce is one of Britain’s most recognisable bar chains, doing very good meals as well as booze. Register with your email on their website and you can print out Slug and Lettuce vouchers entitling you to £5 off a £10 spend. And the August 08 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine (the regular not the handbag size) has a voucher with 50% off food bills for up to eight diners, and valid until the end of September. Well worth the cover price of the mag, we think.

Related: Slug and Lettuce

Tags: Slug and Lettuce, vouchers, personal finance advice

Wagamama vouchers

Podshow — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:24:57 +0000

Wagamama has some excellent offers on its summer slurpin’ promotion. Go to the website at wagamama.com and sign up for the members area. As well as vouchers for reduced price meals, there are lots of other prizes and promotions.

Related: Wagamama

Tags: Wagamama, vouchers, promotions, finance tips

Burger King Breakfast Vouchers

Podshow — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:23:37 +0000

We all know that food is getting more expensive by the day. The next time you pop into Sainsbury’s to buy a bottle of milk or loaf of bread will confirm that. So what YOU need is a cheap breakfast to start the day. Go to the Burger King website and click on the ‘Download Breakfast Vouchers‘ link and you’ll be able to download a variety of vouchers entitling you to free drinks and more.

Related: Burger King

Tags: Burger King, vouchers, breakfast vouchers, personal finance tips

Podcast episode 039

Podshow — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:17:05 +0000

On this weeks personal finance podcast John Rennie gives personal finance advice on:-

Drinkstuff voucher code
Orange deals
H Samuel deals
How to get free stuff

We want to hear from you, you can send your emails to walletwatcher@btpodshow.com. Be sure to visit the Wallet Watcher blog for articles on Naked Trader 2 by Robbie Burns, petrol prices in the UK, Ebay alternatives and saving on Royal Mail postage. This week we’ve found some secret promotional codes this week including Littlewoods Direct voucher codes, Easyjet voucher codes 2008, Hertz Discount Code numbers and Papa Johns voucher codes September 2008.

This weeks episode of Wallet Watcher is brought to you in association with GoDaddy and offers you discounts on hosting and domain names. Use one of the following Wallet Watcher August 2008 GoDaddy codes to save you money - wallet1 gets you 10% off domain name purchases and wallet2 gets you 20% off orders over £25. Some restrictions may apply, please see the GoDaddy web site for more details.

Tags: drinkstuff voucher code, h samuel deals, orange deals, personal finance

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How to get free stuff

Podshow — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:05:41 +0000

This week, we’re looking at getting something for nothing … ever more important in these days of high inflation.

It doesn’t seem so long ago that you had to shell out around £20 for ANY DVD, let alone the classics. The stock of classic movies is rather lower these days, with many of the Saturday and Sunday papers giving away classic films with each edition. Recent freebies include Brassed Off, Educating Rita and a raft of classic Dr Whos.

Of course it may not have occurred to you to watch Ring of Bright Water or Carry On Christmas, but think of it as a chance to widen your viewing horizons! I reckon it’s worth the price of the Mail on Sunday for the freebie, and you can always hide the newspaper under your coat on the way home!

There are rather more A-list offerings from the Free DVD Club. Sign up, choose your free DVD, complete a questionnaire, and it’s sent to you free of charge. No scams, no catches, and current titles include The Matrix Reloaded, The War Bride, Chopper and The Shawshank Redemption - more at www.free-dvd-club.com.

We’d love to bring you voucher codes for free mobile phone calls, but I’ve yet to see one. You can get free topup vouchers for the orange, o2, T-Mobile, Vodafone and Virgin networks though. Go to www.myfreerewards.co.uk. You earn points for playing games online, signing up for free offers and taking part in online promotions. You then spend your points on everything from those £10 phone top up vouchers to free Sony PSP handhelds.

Now we have to say that you’d have to take part in a great many promotions to earn enough points for the PSP … but it’s a bona fide offer. For any of these signup schemes, I’d recommend you set up a new gmail or hotmail account and apply from there - otherwise you could find your inbox filling with spam email.

I’m a big fan of www.last.fm, an online radio station which has revolutionised the way music is delivered. You tap in ‘Bach’ or ‘Arctic Monkeys’ and it will deliver a stream of tracks by or similar to that artist. They offer some 200 free downloads every week … a great way to expand your listening and your collection. And if you like classical music, it’s worth checking out your local concert hall, town hall or even library, as there are often free lunchtime concerts by up and coming musicians.

If you’re having trouble getting there, sign up for www.liftshare.org, which is an online database of people around the UK offering free lifts. It’s green, it’s sociable and it’s free … and it’s the modern safe way of hitch hiking.

www.silverjewelryclub.com offers free silver bracelets, earrings and more. All you pay is a shipping charge of $8.99. Again, it’s a loss leading promotion, and you can expect a raft of promotional emails to follow your application, inviting you to spend more money. So again, use that free email account as a receptacle for all the rubbish.

You’d be amazed what you can get free if you just ask for it. Test drives seem to have gone out of fashion, but car companies are desperate to shift their products at the moment. If you fancy borrowing a flash motor for the weekend, it’s worth asking your local dealership for an extended test drive. Now obviously this isn’t going to work with Fred’s Secondhand Motors, but we have friends who’ve blagged test runs of Saabs, Mercs, even a VW Camper Van for weekends recently. You’re practically getting a free holiday!

www.asda-photo.co.uk and www.photobox.co.uk are just two of the photo printing services offering you free prints when you register with their websites, a generous 50 prints with the latter. It’s well worth signing up to get your holiday snaps printed even if you never use them again.

And on the subject of holidays, how about a free stay in somebody’s Parisian apartment of New York loft? Check out homeswap websites such as www.homelink.org.uk. You pay a small fee to sign up and you could save hundreds on your vacation.

Finally, why not trust to luck. I’m not a betting man, but William Hill always has free bets for new accounts, currently a £25 online bet, and other bonuses such as £50 to play in its online casino - more at www.williamhill.com.

I’ve merely scratched the surface here … there is a HUGE amount of free stuff online and elsewhere. You just have to use your imagination and Google it.

Tags: How to get free stuff, freestuff online, free

H Samuel deals

Podshow — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:02:28 +0000

Deal of the week comes from long-established high street jeweller H Samuel. Again, not voucher codes but some startling reductions, with 50% off loads of gold, silver and cubic zirconia items. And unlike the famed Ratners quote, these ones are definitely worth more and will certainly last longer than a Marks and Spencer’s sandwich.

Orange deals

Podshow — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:01:51 +0000

The Orange mobile phone site is also a great money saver … all of it. We posted a great deal recently whereby customers signing up to a £35+ per month contract got a free iPod touch. That deal will have expired by the time you hear or read this but there is LOTS more onsite, with terrific reductions on handsets, talk and broadband contracts. Orange appears to be fighting the recession with some great clearance bargains on slightly older handset models … well worth a look.

Tags: Orange, mobile phone, deals, finance tips

Drinkstuff voucher code

Podshow — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:01:18 +0000

Moneysaver number one is a voucher code from Drinkstuff. This handy site provides you with all the gifts, gadgets and gizmos you need to enhance your drinking experience - we’re talking cocktail shakers, swizzle sticks, comedy glasses, even a hot tub for the garden. Actually, all you really need is sufficient strength in your index finger to release the ring pull, but it’s all good fun stuff. Type in MYVOUCHER when you check out at drinkstuff.com.

Podcast episode 038

Podshow — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:32:44 +0000

On this weeks personal finance podcast John Rennie gives personal finance advice on:-

We want to hear from you, you can send your emails to walletwatcher@btpodshow.com. Don't forget to read the articles on the Wallet Watcher blog including Free iPod touch from Orange, Guaranteed equity bonds, IKEA pay as you go phones and Avoiding the TV Licensing Authority. This week we've found some secret promotional codes this week including Comet voucher codes August 2008, Papa Johns promotion codes, Play.com voucher codes and August 2008 Comet voucher codes .

This episode of Wallet Watcher is brought to you with GoDaddy and offers you fantastic discounts on hosting and domain names. Use one of the following Wallet Watcher August 2008 GoDaddy codes to save you money - wallet1 gets you 10% off domain name purchases and wallet2 gets you 20% off orders over £25. Some restrictions may apply, see the GoDaddy web site for more details.

Tags: bathroom heaven discounts, currys savings discounts, park holidays uk vouchercodes, personal finance

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Negative equity and avoiding repossession

Podshow — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:21:32 +0000

This week we look at how NOT to get repossessed. Here, first of all are the scary headline figures. The Council of Mortgage Lenders tells us that the number of homes repossessed in the first half of 2008 was 18,900, that’s nearly 50% up on the first six months of 2007. There’s also strong evidence that lenders are getting tougher on those in arrears. There are a number of reasons - with many people coming off fixed interest mortgages and finding new deals hard to come by. Shunted onto the lenders’ Standard Variable Rate they are pushed over the edge by a sudden hike in their monthly repayments. Add the fact that the cost of living has surged in recent months - we all know about the soaring cost of fuel and groceries - and some people have been pushed beyond their limits. Repossessions and negative equity are often talked about in almost the same breath. But though being beset by both at once is VERY bad news, it’s important to separate the two things out.

To clarify - negative equity is when the amount of your house is worth less than the mortgage on it. It’s an obvious risk with so many lenders offering mortgages that exceed the property value in recent years. The gifted deposit racket was one face of this, though Northern Rock’s infamous 125% ‘Together’ mortgages weren’t much smarter … being an instant turnkey introduction to negative equity. The insanity of these deals was easy to hide when prices were rising, but come the fall it all starts to look less clever.

But actually, negative equity doesn’t really matter unless it coincides with a need to sell. You may be left rueing the fact that you overpaid for a property that’s now fallen 10% in price … but unless you put it on the market, it’s irrelevant. Give it five or ten years and the surges and dips in house prices are forgotten. In fact, forget all about the putative market value of your home - it’s somewhere to live in, not a piggy bank.

But what if you ARE forced to sell. That could arise if you start missing mortgage payments, and some lenders are turning the screw after just a couple of missed payments. That’s because they know that things don’t miraculously just get better - the first missed payment is just the top of a very slippery slope.

So what should you do if you start getting into problems? Contact your lender before it gets out of hand. Although we all love to bash the banks, they generally don’t want to repossess homes - it’s not that they are softhearted, it’s simply an expensive business. The first month you THINK you may miss a payment, let them know first. It may be that they can offer a payment holiday, or put you temporarily on an interest only deal … though bear in mind these make the mortgage more expensive in the long run. Have a plan for repayment when you approach your lender - Financial Services Authority guidelines say that they SHOULD listen.

If things get really bad, you may have to sell. Better if you initiate the sale then have your home repossessed and lose the lot. But however you slice it, selling now could see you in negative equity … so take our preventative measures first. Type ‘avoid repossession’ or the like into Google just now, and you’ll find dozens of companies offering to solve your problem by taking your house off your hands for cash. Be VERY careful here - you are far better turning to Citizens Advice first. Short term cash fixes are unlikely to get you anything but a rock bottom price.

Assuming you’re not at this desperate pass yet … What pre emptive measures can you take? Good mortgage deals are hard to come by just now of course, but that shouldn’t stop you searching for the best possible deal. Amid all the angst about borrowers coming to the end of their fixed deals and having to go onto lenders’ Standard Variable Rates, many observers have ignored the fact that a lot of borrowers are on Standard Variable Rates anyway. Many of us are incredibly cavalier about overpaying for our mortgages, loans, credit cards and the rest. If you have a £100,000 mortgage at 6%, and you re mortgage at 5.5%, you’ll save £500 a year.

And don’t pay for mortgage advice. There is great free advice from brokers such as John Charcol and London & Country, and the web is full of best buy advice - see moneysupermarket.com or moneyfacts.co.uk for current best buy mortgages. Indeed, you may not even HAVE to re mortgage. Try your lender first, asking them what is the best deal they can offer you … it’s always worth a try. If you DO have any spare cash, overpay your mortgage as much as possible. You may have cash on deposit in savings accounts earning miserable rates of interest. Put it to work reducing your mortgage and getting you out of negative equity and into the black. People usually don’t realise how much they can save over time by doing this. For instance, overpay by £100 a month on a £150,000, 25-year mortgage and you’ll save more than £38,000 over the term. You’ll also pay it off nearly five years early.

And when you re mortgage, switch to a repayment from an interest-only mortgage if you can. Interest only become very popular when house prices were rising in double digits each year - after all, why worry about a debt that never went down if the equity was constantly rising? But stick with interest only in a flat market and you’ll just be servicing debt that never goes away - get it paid off. There’s another point about these hitherto unfashionable ideas of paying more each month. It’s the old saving principle of ‘paying yourself first’. Reduce your mortgage by £200 each month and you’re effectively saving that £200. After a month or two of higher payments you probably won’t even notice that you have less spending money after the mortgage is paid.

Cut the contingent costs of your home. Shop around (moneysupermarket.com again) for the best deals on buildings and contents insurance. Most of us just take the same deal from the same lender year after year. It goes without saying that you should slice any unnecessary fat from your monthly expenditure … do a budget now! But also consider making some money from your house. The ‘Rent a Room’ scheme lets you earn £4250 a year tax free for doing just that.

Tags: Negative equity and avoiding repossession, Negative equity, avoid repossession, repossession, mortgage, housing

Currys savings discounts

Podshow — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:17:34 +0000

We’ve found some great deals on printers, phones and other electricals from Currys. The electrical giant seems to be having an almost permanent sale just now. Again, you don’t need a code for these ones … they are just fantastic price cuts. A random selection brings up £100 off the Dell Inspiron 1720 laptop; 50% off the Hoover Freespace Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner, and £10 off the Lexmark Z1380 Inkjet Printer - which is now an astonishing £19.99 …. a great budget printer for the home office.

Related: www.currys.co.uk

Tags: Currys, electricals, sale, savings, personal finance advice

Bathroom Heaven discounts

Podshow — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:16:55 +0000

The DIY and home improvement stores are feeling the pinch. With fewer of us moving, fewer of us are fitting new bathrooms. Their hopes that we’d stay put and invest in our homes are looking very optimistic with most Britons stubbornly refusing to spend. Bathroom Heaven have taken an admirably aggressive approach with its Summer Madness sale. You’ll find reductions of up to 80% on mirrors, cabinets, bathroom lighting, wet room screens and much more. And we’re talking everything from pocket change basics to top of the range bathroom fittings costing thousands. Well worth a look at www.bathroomheaven.com, and no voucher code required.

Related: www.bathroomheaven.com

Tags: Bathroom Heaven, discounts, sale, savings, finance tips

Park Holidays UK voucher codes

Podshow — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:16:11 +0000

Loads more of us are holidaying in the UK this year. With rising prices, increases in airfares and an expensive euro it’s perhaps not surprising that families are opting for the UK rather than Europe. And there’s apparently been a surge in interest in caravanning and camping holidays. Park Holidays UK have a great choice of caravan holiday parks in coastal locations across the south of England in Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Sussex, Kent, Essex & Suffolk, and you get an extra 5% discount when you use voucher code PH05 on bookings before 31 August. Note you do need to book online.

Related: www.parkholidaysuk.com

Tags: Park Holidays UK discount codes, personal finance tips

Free iPod touch from Orange

Podshow — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:19:35 +0000

Free iPod touch from Orange: Blink and you’ll miss this deal. UK Orange mobile phone network Orange is offering a free iPod touch player when you sign up for a £35+ mobile contract on selected handsets only from orange.co.uk.

This deal is only valid Monday 18th August until Thursday 21st August, so you’ll have to get in quick. For more on this free iPod touch from Orange, go to the Orange website.

Tags: iPod touch

Podcast episode 037

Podshow — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:32:36 +0000

On this weeks personal finance podcast John Rennie gives personal finance advice on:-

If you’ve got any voucher code deals you’d like to share then you can send your emails to walletwatcher@btpodshow.com .

Head over to the Wallet Watcher blog for articles on IKEA pay as you go phones , Guaranteed equity bonds , Cheltenham and Gloucester cuts mortgage rates and Cheap Edinburgh festival tickets and fringe tickets . This week we’ve found some secret promotional codes this week including Comet voucher codes August 2008 , Snapfish voucher codes , NCP Parking voucher codes and Littlewoods Direct voucher codes .

Wallet Watcher is brought to you with GoDaddy.com and offers you some great discounts on domain names and hosting. Use our Wallet Watcher August 2008 GoDaddy codes to save money - wallet1 gets you 10% off domain name purchases and wallet2 gets you 20% off orders over £25. Some restrictions may apply so see the GoDaddy web site for details.

Tags: ink world voucher codes , ocado voucher codes , time to spa voucher codes , personal finance

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Protect yourself against rising energy prices

Podshow — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:24:51 +0000

This week we look at the shocking recent hikes in gas prices and what you can do to minimise the damage to your bank account. Unless you live on the moon (in which case you won’t be a customer of British Gas anyway) it won’t have escaped your notice that the company last week unveiled one of the price rise shockers of all time - a 35 per cent jump in gas prices.

So big is the increase that everybody missed the fact they also put up electricity by 9.4 per cent … which at any other time would have been headline news. It means anyone on a dual fuel deal will see prices rise by 25 per cent. And this comes just six months after BG raised dual fuel prices by 16 per cent. Fuel prices have now more than doubled over the last four years, and there’s more to come. Analysts reckon there is likely to be another 20 per cent rise at the beginning of 2009. And while British Gas are the current villains, they are likely only to be the first of many this summer. EDF Energy has already announced rises of 22 per cent, and there is sure to be more.

Okay, that’s the bad news … so what can you do about it. Well there’s not much point switching just now - though that would be our usual advice. As the other companies are going to be upping their prices you could end up with a worse deal. Far better to go for a fixed or capped deal. It may well cost you more in the short term but long term you are protected against further price rises. Head to uswitch.com where you can compare the best of the fixed and capped fuel deals. But we’d advise you to hurry as the relatively cheap fixes are starting to disappear as the companies anticipate future rises in the price of wholesale gas.

At time of writing, the cheapest fixed tariff on the market was from EDF, though this is likely to change fast. This fixes the price you pay for electricity and gas until October 2009. British Gas, meanwhile, is offering a fix until 2011, though at a slightly higher per unit rate.

It’s also worth looking at switching to a dual fuel deal if you don’t currently have one, as some suppliers offer incentives to switch. Moneysupermarket.com pays you £30 to switch to dual fuel and Energyhelpline.com pays £15. Bear in mind though that these discounts will be dwarfed by the actual size of your bill - it’s important that you look at the overall cost, rather than being seduced by signup incentives.

The other side, of course, is simply to use less of the stuff. We’re horribly wasteful of domestic energy in Britain - all those twinkling LEDs on your TVs and computers at night represent energy being burnt away. Turn off all those standby lights and you could save around 5 per cent a year on your electricity bill.

Remember to run the washing machine at 40deg rather than 60deg. And to save on gas heating bills, turn the thermostat down. Knocking it down 1 degree C can save an astonishing 10 per cent on your bills. Set the heating to come on later in the morning and click off earlier at night. Ensure your loft is adequately insulated, and investigate grants for cavity wall insulation. And finally, to take my old mum’s advice. Don’t turn on the fire, put on a jumper! It could be the easiest way to save money you’ll find all year!

Tags: Protect yourself against rising energy prices, Energy prices, rising energy prices, how to save energy costs, lowering energy costs

Ocado voucher codes

Podshow — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:23:08 +0000

Voucher code number three comes from Waitrose’s home delivery service Ocado.

Nobody ever shopped at Waitrose to save money … it’s all about quality. But as the tagline for a rival retailer would have it, ‘every little helps’. This Ocado voucher code, VOU4222904, gets you £15 off orders of £60 or more when you shop online at ocado.com. As ever, remember that voucher codes aren’t available for long … so get in quickly.

Time To Spa voucher codes

Podshow — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:22:00 +0000

This online cosmetics retailer has some terrific deals on brands such as Elemis, La Therapie, Steiner and lots more, and has freebies on Elemis Pro-Collagen products just now. ‘The more you spend, the more Pro-Collagen gifts you receive!’ they claim. That’s the sort of money saving advice that makes us shudder and lock up the credit card. Anyway - those Elemis voucher codes in full.

Spend £85 and receive free the Pro-Collagen Trio pack (worth over £50) when you enter the Elemis Voucher Code TTSTRIO at checkout.
Spend £90 and receive free the Pro-Collagen Luxury pack (worth over £80) when you enter the Elemis Voucher Code TTSLUX at checkout.
Spend £100 and receive free the Pro-Collagen Deluxe pack (worth over £100) when you enter the Elemis Voucher Code TTSDELUXE at checkout.

Related: Time To Spa

Tags: Time To Spa, voucher codes

Ink World voucher codes

Podshow — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:20:59 +0000

Ink shouldn’t be expensive should it. But printer manufacturers long ago sussed out that it made sense to make the hardware cheap and make money on the follow on sales. Hence the absurdity of buying a new and very good laser printer for £50 only to find that it costs you £30 every time you want to change the ink cartridge. This Ink World Voucher code should help a little.

The code you need is INKAUGUST. Complete your order at the Ink World online store, tap in the voucher code at checkout and you get 10% off your order. Doing a like for like comparison of inkjet and laser cartridges, we have to say that Ink World is pretty competitively priced anyway, so this one should be hard to beat.

Related: Ink World

Tags: Ink World, voucher codes

IKEA pay as you go phones

Podshow — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 17:31:53 +0000

No, you don’t have to assemble them yourself … in fact you can even keep your old number. In the spirit of doing everything cheaper than the competition, furniture giant IKEA this week begins its Family Mobile pay-as-you-go package, which promises to be 25 per cent cheaper than comparable offers. The IKEA pay as you go phones have no contract and a flat UK call rate.

The IKEA pay as you go phones package is available exclusively to ‘IKEA Family’ loyalty card holders, and they will be charged 9p a minute for UK calls and 6p for texts. The deal is being offered in tandem with Mobile Partners UK, whose MD Teddy Pederson described the UK as ‘a price jungle.

Comet voucher codes August 2008

Podshow — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:55:46 +0000

There’s a raft of great Comet voucher codes for August 2008 - note that many of these expire in the next week or so, so get in quick.

Comet voucher codes August 2008 on cookery items, digital cameras and GPS: £10 off selected GPS with the voucher code AWSATNAV10? valid until 15 August; £15 off selected digital cameras with the voucher code DSCAW15? valid until 15 August; £20 off selected camcorders with the voucher code CAMCAW20? valid until 15 August; 10 per cent off all juicers & smoothie makers with the voucher code 10SMJC valid until 15 August; 10 per cent off all george foreman appliances with the voucher code 10GMAN valid until 15 August; 10 per cent off all coffee makers over £100 with the voucher code 10COFF100? valid until 15 August; 10 per cent off all food processors over £90 with the voucher code 10FOOD90? valid until 15 August;

Comet voucher codes August 2008 on radios and hifi items: 10 per cent off all portable DAB radios with the voucher code 10SUMMERDAB valid until 31 August; 10 per cent on selected large kitchen appliances with the voucher codes 10WSHR/10DSHS /10FFZR; 10 per cent on selected cooking and integrated appliances with the voucher code 10COOKINT; 15 per cent off iPod speakers over £50 with the voucher code 15IPODSPEAKER valid until 31 August; 15 per cent off selected home networking & data storage with voucher code 15STORENET valid until 15 August; 20 per cent off selected printers with voucher code 20PRINTING valid until 15 August; 20 per cent off TV stands & brackets over £50 with the voucher code 20STANDBRACKET valid until 31 August; 25 per cent off selected landline telephones with voucher code 25LANDLINE valid until 15 August.

For all these Comet voucher codes August 2008, check the Comet website and keep checking back on Walletwatcher each day for more voucher code deals.

Tags: Comet voucher codes, UK voucher codes, UK electricals voucher codes

Guaranteed equity bonds

Podshow — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:33:11 +0000

There are some excellent savings rates on offer at the moment offering well above base rate, but both the Post Office and the Britannia Building Society are offering something a little different, presumably to calm the fears of investors spooked by stock market volatility. Both have Guaranteed Equity Bonds (GEBs) which allow you to benefit from rises in the market, while also guaranteeing you’ll get all your money back at the end of the investment term, even if markets fall.

There are downsides to this - you’re not going to get absolute top rates of interest for example. The Post Office’s Five-year Saver account splits your cash in two, with half earning 5.75 per cent gross interest over the five-year term, and the rest earning 50 per cent of any increase in the FTSE 100 over the term. Should the FTSE fall, you get your original investment back plus the interest you earned on the other half. The account is open until 4 October, with £500 the minimum investment.

Britannia’s Guaranteed Capital Bond is another five-year deal aiming to offer ‘a buffer against the effects of inflation’. It does this by giving you either 50 per cent of growth in the FTSE 100 or any percentage growth in the Retail Price Index, whichever is the greater. See www.britannia.co.uk for more.

Snapfish voucher code

Podshow — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:20:32 +0000

Click open the Snapfish website and you’re confronted with …. arghhh, Back to School once again. Previous readers will know that I bear the scars of childhood trauma, having read the legend ‘Back to School’ one too many times in shop windows while trying to enjoy an unspoiled summer holiday as a child. But I forgive them, because there is an excellent Snapfish voucher code here. Buy any two posters from Snapfish with orders placed before 10 August 2008.

This Snapfish voucher code is SUMMERPOSTER08. You need to type it in when you go to the online checkout to claim your freebie. Note that, as ever, terms and conditions apply, and voucher codes can become oversubscribed or withdrawn without warning by the suppliers, so we’d advise you to get in quick.

You can go looking for your own voucher codes by the way … we just aim to give you a little nudge in the right direction. Simply go to Google and type in the name of your chosen product, ideally followed by ‘august 2008′ or whatever the current month is. This will lessen your chance of digging up ancient or expired voucher codes. For more on this Snapfish voucher code and lots more, check out our daily updates at Walletwatcher. And Snapfish … if they were going back to school those kids on your website wouldn’t be smiling like that.

Tags: Snapfish, cheap photos online, voucher codes

Cheltenham and Gloucester cuts mortgage rate

Podshow — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:29:26 +0000

Cheltenham and Gloucester cuts mortgage rate: Another sign of a thaw in the frozen credit market today as the Cheltenham and Gloucester made its third cut in three to its mortgage rates in as many weeks. C&G cut the rate on its 1½-year and two-year fixed rate loans by 0.14% to 6.05% and 6.15% respectively, while the rate on its three-year fixed loans dropped 0.1% to 6.19%. These aren’t huge falls of course and aren’t much going to affect the affordability of your mortgage. Cutting 0.1% from a £100,000 mortgage will save borrowers £8.30 a month. But coming on the heels of cuts by Nationwide, HBOS and the Woolwich in recent weeks it comes as a reaction to drops in the interest rate swaps, a rather complex derivative, but which is crucially pegged to the interbank lending rate. All that suggests that banks, albeit slowly, are beginning to lend money to each other once again.

What it doesn’t mean is that lenders are touting for sub prime borrowers any more. The entry fee for mortgages is high, with all the C&G loans having a maximum loan to value of 75% and an arrangement fee of £995. Money may be getting marginally cheaper, but for those who really need a mortgage it’s still horribly hard to come by.

Tags: credit crunch, subprime mortgage, Cheltenham and Gloucester, UK mortgage rates