This week | MARTIN'S QUICK BRIEFING: For more tips, alerts & awful puns, follow Martin on Twitter Aaaarrrgghh - only a week to go
Don't panic. Here are 12 magical last-minute Christmas savers The clock's ticking, but don't let go of the MoneySaving. A Merry Christmas is nice, but a Happy New Year's more important, so control spending. To stop the festive season being ho-ho-horrid, these 12 tips won't break the bank. | 1. | Free Xmas gift cheques. Spend time, not money. We've specially-designed Free Xmas Cheques you can use to promise your special someone an, ahem, back rub; to babysit for a pal; or perhaps offer the kids a day out, eg, FREE Kew Gardens tix or £1 kids' cinema. | | | | 2. | LAST ORDERS. Online delivery time, ladies & gentlemen, please. If you're ordering online, do it NOW. Many e-tailers' last free (or cheapest) Christmas delivery days are upon us. See the 120 Last Order Dates rundown, incl: Today: Amazon*, John Lewis*, M&S*. Thur: Debenhams*, Gap*. | | | | 3. |  15 festive sub-£5 ideas for kids. Too many parents worry 'have I spent enough?' but young kids only care 'how much fun is it?'. Don't hurt your pockets to feed guilt, our 15 Festive Fivers for Kids has ideas to help, eg...
Make a balloon box by filling a cardboard box with blown-up balloons and wrap it (burst balloon bits can be dangerous for tots, so do supervise). See my Giving Empty Boxes for Christmas experiment (ITV Player) for proof.
SPOILER: A lovely Santa sleigh bell trick sees you plant a fallen bell from Santa's sleigh outside on Xmas morn to make the kids smile in awe. | | | | 4. | Bag hidden local eBay bargains as gifts. It doesn't always need to be new. Our Local eBay Deals Mapper locates pick-up only bargains near you, which tend to have fewer bids so are cheaper. Plus, as you're collecting the goods, getting them by Christmas should be fine. Related: 40 eBay Buying Tips | | | | 5. | A gift to make a difference - £11.50 vaccinates 100 children for polio. Don't waste cash on tat (see Ban Unnecessary Prezzies). Instead, see our Charity Gifts list (it includes how much goes directly to good causes). At Inspired Gifts, £11.50 vaccinates 100 kids in the developing world for polio; there's Gift of Sight, where £8 buys an eye operation; and the fab Good Gifts. | | | | 6. | Why not give blood this Xmas? If a charity donation is a financial struggle, consider helping save a life by giving blood instead - our blood banks need it. For full info, click where you live: Eng & Wales | Scot | NI. | | | | 7. | Phone abroad for peanuts, incl Aus 44p AN HOUR. Want to call loved ones abroad this Christmas? If you've both got broadband access, you can make Free Web Calls. But if you're calling a phone, to find the cheapest for each country, use the International CallChecker. For Australia, it's 44p from a landline for an hour compared to Skype's 96p and BT's standard £18. | | | | 8. |  Slash perfume or aftershave costs. Do you hit the perfume counter every Christmas Eve? If so, cut costs by buying now with our 20 Ways To Slash Perfume Costs. For example, Compare Perfume Prices and if Half Price Perfumes* is cheapest, the code xmas10 gets 10% off. Plus get dirt-cheap Designer Smell-A-Likes. | | | | 9. | 30 festive sub-£5 gift ideas for grown-ups. Lots of top easy to make and gift ideas to try in our 30 Festive Fivers for Grown-Ups. Including "12 dates of Christmas", a homemade vinyl wall clock and 50 Sheds of Grey. | | | | 10. | Send cash overseas for £1. Sending cash to friends or family abroad can cost £25 via a bank. Yet use an online money transfer service & it starts at £1 for up to £300. Full info, pros and cons in Sending Cash Abroad. | | | | 11. | Don't upshift your turkey for Christmas. It's the supermarket that says 'Finest' is finest. It doesn't automatically mean it tastes better. See: What not to buy this Xmas forum tips and the full Downshift Challenge Calc.
To test this, last week in my TV show (watch on ITV Player) I held a blind taste-test party aboard HMS Westminster with Buck's Fizz, turkeys, Christmas logs, mince pies and more. The ship's company preferred the lower-brand goods or couldn't tell the difference most (56%) of the time. | | | | 12. | Free Christmas IOU generator. Don't be held hostage by the calendar. If you're buying a big-ticket item (LCD TV, Xbox), use our specially-designed Xmas IOU Certificate Generator. Then give the IOU and with the cash saved, buy the kids a small extra prezzie, explaining why (great financial education). | |
Too panicked over debts to enjoy Christmas? If you've serious money worries this Christmas, make an appointment with free debt counsellors Citizens Advice or Stepchange before their Jan rush. They're there to help, not judge. You'll feel better knowing you've started to deal with it.
If you've emotional issues as well as debts, try Christians Against Poverty. And always remember if you're really down and need to talk, call the Samaritans.
| |
Blagged for MoneySavers |
Did you miss? |
Reclaim PPI for FREE Claims handlers aren't more successful.
Free help & templates: Reclaim PPI |
MSE News |
 | Get friends on board the MoneySaving bandwagon |  | | If this email's ever helped you, please forward it to friends and suggest they get it via moneysavingexpert.com/tips | |
 |  |  |
| The Ones Not To Miss | Wed 19 Dec 2012 |
| To wish you a Merry Christmas, Martin & MSE have jointly donated 10,000 polio vaccines on your behalf. Men under 30 - now save £1,000s on car insurance?
Check NOW. This week's EU ruling on insurance gender equality may open the door to far cheaper policies From this week, the law says men and women must pay the SAME for car insurance (other things being equal). Almost all insurers have now put this in place. As men, especially younger men, paid more before, it could mean huge savings.  Why such huge savings? Men typically paid £315/yr more than women, under-20s £2,000 more. So even if they don't meet in the middle, savings could still be huge.- Check, even if not at renewal. Get a quote. If it's a lot cheaper now, consider cancelling and start a new policy. As long as you've not claimed, you'll get a pro-rata refund, but factor in £25-£50 exit fees and losing no-claims for this year.
- Find the cheapest car insurance. See Young Drivers Insurance and Cheap Car Insurance. In summary...
1) Combine comparison sites MoneySup*, Tesco Compare and Confused* for max quotes in min time.
2) Add those they miss: Aviva*, Direct Line*, and in 2+ vehicle homes, Admiral MultiCar*.
3) Adding a safe 2nd driver can slash your risk and therefore, price - use trial and error to see.
4) Younger drivers, think about pay-by-the-mile insurance. back to top ↑ |
Tesco Wine £10 off £60 code (& 50% off deals). MSE Blagged. Combine £10 off £60 code XXFQ3N at Tesco Wine* with its free pre-Xmas delivery on £50+. Find 50%+ discounts with our Wine Discount Finder. Use together for 4 cases (24 btls) Silver Bay Red £50 | 3 cases Hardy's Chardonnay £62 | Nicolas Feuillatte Champers case £74*. Be Drinkaware. £35 Touche Eclat gift set and £30 No7.....
£35 Touche Eclat set (c.£60 bought sep) incl YSL highlighter, mascara & eyeliner | £30 Boots No7 set (was £65) incl day & night cream and gloss, £114 bought separately | £27 Soap & Glory set still available in some stores. More in Beauty Deals Forum Hottie. £2 ties, £3 girls' PJs, £7 dresses. More added to Tesco's sale. Forumites love it. See Tesco Clothes. New. Shift debts to 4.9% for 3 YEARS no-fee
Long-term deal slashes costs and gives low-rate peace of mind if you're unsure what you can repay each month.
Accepted customers can now shift existing credit card debts to Barclaycard* at 4.9% for 36mths, fee-free. Aim to repay by then, or it jumps to 18.9% representative APR. Need longer? MBNA Plat* is 5.9% for LIFE with a 1.5% fee. Always make the min monthly repayments. FULL WARNINGS & TOP 0% DEALS: Best Balance Transfers (APR Examples). |
Amazon free next day delivery & find 80%+ discounts
Gets free Xmas delivery ordering as late as Sun (23 Dec), then use our tool to find Amazon 80%+ off hidden pages Amazon's standard free delivery takes 3-5 days. It had said Tuesday was the last date to order in time for Christmas, yet it's extended this until today (Wed). But as shown below, better's doable. Yet just a reminder of Amazon's much-highlighted UK tax avoidance - it's up to you to decide whether you want to shop there.  Free next-day delivery. Grab a free 1mth Amazon Prime Trial* for unlimited next-day delivery, but cancel before the month's up or it's £49/yr. With it, you can order as late as 11am Sun for Xmas delivery. It's available for newbies and some previous triallists. - Hidden 80%+ Amazon bargain basements. The Amazon Discount Finder lets you use web wizardry to build bespoke pages and see a product's price history to check if it's really a bargain. Here are our special festive pages for max results (auto-generated, so double-check prices and whether it's a bargain).
back to top ↑ |
| Urgent. Book free Kew Gardens entry now (usually £14.50). Limited no. For 22 Dec - 4 Jan. Kew Gardens Deals Cheap Xmas/NY travel, incl... Northern Rail £10/day unlimited
Northern Rail £10/day 27-30 Dec vch | Greater Anglia £5 each way sale Jan-Feb | Stansted Express £10 e/w when 2 travel
London Mid 25% off online | Nat Express coaches 25% off next trip if you travel in Dec. Full info: Train & Coach Deals £11 NY Eve comedy with 50% off code. MSE Blagged. In B'ham, Leeds, London, Reading. Highlight Deals Free Harvey Nichols £25 if you've an Amex. Spend £25, get £25 cashback; plus up to 50% back at shops incl Tesco, Starbucks, HMV and Argos. But you need to sign up free to a smartphone app to get them. Step-by-step: Amex deal |
Is it cheaper to have the heating on all day?
This and other energy myths busted. Don't waste your cash listening to old wives' tales. Huge winter bills are looming, so don't compound the misery wasting cash. Our updated Energy Myth-busters includes:  Is it cheaper to leave heating on all day on low? No. Only have it on when needed, says the Energy Saving Trust. Though for those with special Economy 7 or 10 meters, using appliances at night can be cheaper. See Heating On All Day? info.- Paint radiators black to keep them warm? Another myth, according to the EST. It's more important to insulate walls to prevent heat leaking from your home.
- Save £200+ and guarantee two no-hike winters. If you're one of millions on a standard tariff, you typically pay £1,400/yr. Yet switch, and for the SAME gas, SAME elec and SAME safety, you could pay under £1,120. Plug your details into... top comparison site: Energyhelpline* £15 cashback/switch. Dual fuel: MoneySup* £30 cashback or uSwitch* six bottles of wine. (Cashback only via these links, after c.3 months.) Prepaid: See Switch Prepaid Energy.
Watch out for our top pick, EDF Blue June 2014*. It won't come top as it's not cheapest. But it's fixed, so ensures no price hikes until June 2014, with no exit penalties so you can leave if things change. See Cheap Gas & Elec. back to top ↑ |
| £75 GHD IV hair styler. MSE Blagged. Code-stacking deal. Includes free next day delivery. See The Hut Deals. O2 price hikes - what can you do? Emails are going out to 7m users ahead of Feb's 3.2% rise. See O2 hike help. Codes: Dotty P 25% off, Matalan 20% off, Boots £15 off, Superdrug £10
Dorothy Perkins 25% off vch & code | Matalan 20% off code | Superdrug £10 off £50/£15 off £75 codes
Boots £15 off £100 code | Bench extra 10% off sale code | Full list: Discount Vouchers £25 iTunes voucher £20. Just order online from Asda or use £12.50 Tesco vouchers. Full help in iTunes Deals.
Forum Hottie. 50% off M&S gifts & decorations. Great for last minute pre-Christmas gifts & wrap. See M&S Deals. Pizza Hut Delivery 2for1 + 20% off 1,000s of local takeaways
Hungryhouse local takeaway directory 20% off | Pizza Hut Delivery 2for1 | Real Greek 2 courses £10
Chiquito £10 off 2 mains | Toby Carvery 'free' ice cream. Full list: Restaurant Vouchers. 2for1 pantos & other kids' Christmas days out. Incl kids free Cadbury World & £1 cinema. Cheap Days Out |
|
| | | |
New. £6.99/mth line rental - £10/mth with broadband
Remember, BT standard line rental alone rises to £15.45/mth in Jan. Act now for a mammoth saving BT and TalkTalk hike prices in Jan, Sky's already up. Yet pay much less via cheap home phone deals.  New £6.99/mth line rental. Already the market's cheapest, until the end of Jan, Primus* is reduced to £6.99/mth (from £7.99) fixed for a 12-mth contract. If you want eve & wknd calls included, its Home Phone Saver* is down to £8.49/mth. Full info: Primus Line Rental. Primus' customer service rating is a strong 61% great, 23% OK.- Lock in BT at £10.75/mth. Want to stick with BT? Pay £129 for a year upfront on its Line Rent Saver* deal, saving £56 compared with paying monthly: Upfront Line Rental.
- New. Line rent AND b'band £10.24/mth. MSE Blagged. Until 31 Jan, pay £111 for a year's upfront line rent with Primus* then add broadband for 99p/mth (avail to 80% of UK), £10.24/mth all-in. See Primus info.
back to top ↑ |
| New top 3.1% AER cash ISA. Hot rate in current climes, but 60 days' notice to withdraw. See Top Cash ISAs. 2for1 top-price Chariots of Fire theatre tickets (£59 total). MSE Blagged. West End, till 1 Feb. Theatre Deals Don't buy Merlin parks' annual pass till 26 Dec. We've a tip-off it'll be cut to £99 (from £156). Merlin Deals
|
Restaurant vouchers | High street sales | Top deals |
| The Moneysaving community |
 CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK | Give time and help the homeless at Xmas. What better way to give back than donating time? Crisis, the national homelessness charity, still has spaces for volunteers in its London shelters. Just register here and commit to a minimum of two or three shifts. Spotted a campaign? This space is for MSE to support money-based work by other organisations. Send us a campaign of the week suggestion. BOOK GIVEAWAY RESULT | F in Exams. 25 blagged for MoneySavers. Find out if you got one. MONEY MORAL DILEMMA | Should I expose thieving colleague?
This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks... I recently went to a restaurant for lunch with colleagues, including one I don't like. She said she needed cash so would pay by card, taking our cash and a £20 tip. I went back to the restaurant later and the manager asked if we'd had bad service, as we didn't leave a tip. He showed me the receipt, proving she effectively stole £20. Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I expose my thieving colleague? | Suggest an MMD | View Past MMDs THE GREAT HUNT | Mums: what do you want for Christmas?
Last week we asked dads what they really want for Christmas. So it's only fair we now ask mums what they hope to get (even though mums are generally better at feigning delight, come Christmas Day). Share yours/read others': Mums: what do you want for Christmas? Past topics: View all CHEAP FLIGHT SALES ALERT | Airline: Monarch Price: From £35 each way Ends: Mon 31 Dec 2012
Our pick this week is Monarch. It's for flights to seven skiing destinations, including Friedrichshafen, Grenoble and Innsbruck. Book by Mon 31 Dec 2012 and you can take your skis or snowboard for free (usually £25-ish each way). We found flights from Manchester to Friedrichshafen for £34.99. To find flights quickly, use the FlightChecker on a £50 one-way max search. Extra charges warning: Avoid payment and check-in charges - see the Budget Airline Fee Fighting guide. Related: Cheap Flights, Cheap Hotels, Spending Abroad, Cheap Currency, Travel Insurance THE GREAT HUNT... REVEALED | What dads want for Christmas
We asked normally difficult-to-buy-for dads what they'd like. Good quality spirits were popular, while homemade Monopoly was a hit with one dad. Time with, or away from, the kids was in demand too. See all Dad suggestions. Quick note, due to Christmas, next week's email will go out on Friday 28 December. back to top ↑ |
Quick forum tips | Freebies |
Martin's blogs | Martin's appearances Thursday 20 December
Shelagh Fogarty, Radio 5, 12-1pm.
Consumer Panel.
Listen to past shows. You and Yours, Radio 4, 12-1pm (pre-record).
Christmas consumer rights. PS. Missed The Martin Lewis Money Show? Watch past episodes. | Cheap travel money | UK's Best Currency Rates | | £100 will buy you: | | Best | Worst |  | € | 122.26 | 111.58 |  | $ | 160.73 | 147.35 |  | TL | 281.00 | 257.38 | | Rates correct at 4pm Tue | Find all top currency rates
Compare travel cash | |
This week's poll: The best children's cartoon nostalgia poll It's Christmas, so for this week's poll, we're forgetting money and going for nostalgia. We've selected some iconic kids' cartoons/animations, and we want you to pick your favourites. If yours is missing, sorry - we shortlisted from many more, feel free to cartoon vent here.
Vote for three of the following: | Poll resultsHow much will this year's Christmas cost you?
Here's how the figures look:
- Singles spend on average £330.
- Couples, £523.
- Families, £750.
12,532 voted. See the full results. |
Question of the week Q: Do you get travel insurance cheaper if you buy it earlier or is it the same up to the last minute of your departure date? Judy, by email. MSE Dan's A: Unlike many elements of booking a holiday, there's no price advantage to waiting until the last minute when buying insurance. Prices do fluctuate, just like car insurance, but this isn't related to how soon your holiday is - it's just market forces. If you leave a gap between booking the trip and buying insurance, there's a danger you won't be covered if the holiday is cancelled. Buying when you book, or ensuring you've annual travel insurance, gives best protection.
Read our Travel Insurance guide to find the cheapest cover that suits. Please suggest a question of the week (we can't reply to individual emails). | Board of the week The Motoring Board Share MoneySaving motoring tips. Discussions include Frozen washer jets, Winter Tyres & Black Ice and Quoted £600 for MOT for Ford Ka. |
 Archna's free game of the week: Humbug |
The MSE Christmas pub quiz 2012 Last Friday, Martin donned his sequinned gold jacket (seriously, not a pretty sight) as quizmaster. So we've all had a go, now it's your turn. Test yourself at the The MSE Christmas pub quiz 2012 (NO GOOGLING.) Merry Christmas - we hope you save some money, Martin & the MSE team |
| Important. Please read how MoneySavingExpert.com works We think it's important you understand the strengths and limitations of this email and the site. We're a journalistic website, and aim to provide the best MoneySaving guides, tips, tools and techniques - but can't promise to be perfect, so do note you use the information at your own risk and we can't accept liability if things go wrong.
What you need to know This info does not constitute financial advice, always do your own research on top to ensure it's right for your specific circumstances - and remember we focus on rates not service. We don't as a general policy investigate the solvency of companies mentioned, how likely they are to go bust, but there is a risk any company can struggle and it's rarely made public until it's too late (see the section 75 guide for protection tips). We often link to other websites, but we can't be responsible for their content. Always remember anyone can post on the MSE forums, so it can be very different from our opinion. Please read the Full Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, how this site is financed and Editorial Code. Martin Lewis is a registered trade mark belonging to Martin S Lewis. MSE, Money Saving Expert, MoneySavingExpert and Moneysavingexpert.com are registered trade marks belonging to MoneySavingExpert.com Limited. More about MoneySaving Expert and Martin Lewis What is MoneySavingExpert.com?
Founded in February 2003, it's now the UK's biggest consumer help website with over 6 million people getting this email and nearly 10m using the site. In September 2012 it became part of the MoneySupermarket Group PLC. Its focus is simple: how to save cash and fight for financial justice on anything and everything. The site has over 30 full time staff about half of whom are editorial researching, analysing and writing to continually find ways to save money. More info: See About MSE Who is Martin Lewis? Martin set up and runs MSE, he's an ultra-focused money saving journalist and consumer campaigner. He has regular slots on Daybreak, Lorraine, Radio 2 Vine, BBC1 Watchdog, Radio 5 Consumer panel and presents ITV Tonight. He is a columnist for amongst others the Sunday Post as well as an author. More info: See Martin Lewis' biog What do the links with a * mean? Any links with a * by them are affiliated, which means get a product via this link and a contribution may be made to MoneySavingExpert.com, which helps it stay free to use. You shouldn't notice any difference; the links don't impact the product at all and the editorial line (the things we write) isn't changed due to it. If it isn't possible to get an affiliate link for the best product, it's still included in the same way. More info: See how this site is financed. As we believe transparency is important, we're including the following 'un-affiliated' web-addresses for content too:
Unaffiliated web-addresses for links in this email amazon.co.uk, johnlewis.com, marksandspencer.com, debenhams.com, gap.co.uk, halfpriceperfumes.co.uk, moneysupermarket.com, confused.com, aviva.co.uk, directline.com, admiral.com, barclaycard.co.uk, mbna.co.uk, energyhelpline.com, uswitch.com, edfenergy.com, natwest.com, cbonline.co.uk, thederbyshire.co.uk, homephonechoices.co.uk, productsandservices.bt.com, firstdirect.com, santander.co.uk.
Financial Services Authority (FSA) Note Referring people to insurers or insurance intermediaries can in some circumstances constitute an FSA regulated activity. For this reason, pages with links which take you to the sites of insurers or insurance intermediaries are hosted by MoneySavingExpert.com Limited on behalf of MoneySupermarket.com Group PLC. MoneySupermarket.com Financial Group Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FRN: 303190). The registered office address of both MoneySupermarket.com Group PLC and MoneySupermarket.com Financial Group Limited is MoneySupermarket House, St. David’s Park, Ewloe, Chester, CH5 3UZ. To change your E-mail or stop receiving the weekly tips (unsubscribe): Go to: www.moneysavingexpert.com/tips |
No comments:
Post a Comment