Free wills, free Greggs, STOOZE, 2.75% easy-access savings, energy update, 2for1 Pizza Express

Plus... Martin's unpleasant, free £200 for Xmas, Amazon Prime sale analysis, cheapest-ever iPhone 13

                                                           

12 October 2022 | View in browser

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THE TOP TIPS IN THIS EMAIL Martin's unpleasant issues chat, including free wills 9 new energy need-to-knows, including direct debit updates Stoozing is BACK - how to make £100s 2for1 Pizza Express pizza Free Greggs bake/sausage roll & drink FREE £200 for Christmas Ends today. Amazon Prime sale analysis Will your mortgage lender let you lock in a fix 6 months early? New. Top 2.75% easy-access savings John Lewis renting out dresses from £22 Vote for Martin... FREE Ideal Home Show Xmas tickets Updated. Stamp Duty Calculator  New. Cheapest-ever iPhone 13  £44 Barbour & Calvin Klein specs Morrisons & Aldi toy sales up to 50% off, including Barbie & Peppa Pig Martin: 'New guide to help councils, libraries & others set up warm spaces' New. On universal credit? Get £12.50/month Virgin broadband 'I saved £10 on a railcard giving me a third off tickets for a year' Come & work at MSE This week's best buys, including 5GB Sim '£3.40/month', 34 months' 0% debt shift, 4.35% fixed savings Should I ask my friend for money after he sold the car we gave him? BEST BUYS & TOOLS MSE Cheap Mobile Finder Credit Club including free credit report 0% balance transfers Compare broadband deals MSE Car Insurance Compare+ Best bank accounts Top savings accounts Credit cards for bad credit Credit Card Eligibility Calculator Loans Eligibility Calculator Mortgage comparison Compare travel money Cheap Energy Club, with Pick Me A Tariff Best Sim-only deals

Martin: 'Time to have the unpleasant issues chat...' Protect yourself & loved ones from the 3Ds... Death, Divorce, Dementia Free wills | Power of Attorney | Do a financial factsheet | Life insurance | Funeral plans | Online photos on death |  Equity release | And more... Three women once came up to me after a talk. It's a while ago now, but it's still vividly seared into my memory. All were in their 40s to 50s. They weren't together, but one after another, each told me they'd very recently lost their husbands and were desperate: "I'm in dire straits, where do I start?" Their partners were caring men, who'd hoped to ease their wife's burden by dealing with all the family finances. Yet that kindness was a curse. It loaded financial misery on to grief, leaving them inexperienced and ill-equipped for a solo financial future. One, whose husband was will-less, was struggling even to access 'his' money to pay the mortgage. This isn't a gender issue, it could've equally been true in reverse. The problem is a lack of communication and preparation for one of many possible changes of circumstance. What I'm about to explain isn't pleasant, but it is important. The financial and emotional cost to loved ones of ignoring this can be dire. So whether with parents or children, I'd encourage you to have the 'unpleasant issues' chat. I wouldn't frame it that way, but being candid, blunt & as unemotional as possible. And perhaps the odd eye may tear, that's fine, it just means they love you... 1. Free Wills. If you've assets such as a house, savings or a business, and people you'd like to look after when you're gone, consider a will. My timing of writing this isn't coincidental. There are two schemes on at this time of year that get you a solicitor-drafted will - which is the gold standard, normally costing £100s - for free or cheap. With both, go for an appointment sooner, as they're getting booked up quickly. And for many a will is important, as Margaret tweeted: "My friend just passed away. A single parent with a child of 11. No will or wishes for her daughter. Now a custody battle with her brother and a boyfriend for the daughter and a house." - October is Free Wills Month (over-54s). There are two Free Wills Months a year, covering different locations. It's for those aged 55 or over, doing a single will, or couples doing 'mirror wills' (ie, that are nearly identical) where one is 55+. It's totally free, as it's run by charities, in the hope you'll leave them a bequest (something in your will). The October event includes Birmingham, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Cornwall, Manchester, Newcastle, Stoke, Swansea and many more (see the full list). If it's not on in your area now (for example, there's nowhere in Scotland this time), it's likely you'll be covered by March Free Wills Month. - November is Will Aid month (all ages). Will Aid month is a much bigger scheme, it runs across the UK and is open to anyone age 18+. Solicitors give time for simple wills in return for a suggested £100 donation (£180 for couples) spread across nine charities, including Age UK and Save the Children. This is likely far cheaper than normal. If you can't afford it, you can give less, but don't game it as it is for charity. Full help and an explanation of your rights, how to get a will, and what happens if you die intestate (will-less) in our Cheap & free wills guide. 2. Live together but not married? Get a will, a contract, a civil partnership or tie the knot - your relationship means nowt in law. I don't care if you've been together 82 years and have 17 children, if you're not married or in a civil partnership, your relationship usually has no status under inheritance law. So if your partner dies, the other one may not get the house, even if they've lived in it for years. So a will can be even more important here. In addition, it's worth considering a cohabitation agreement, which spells out what happens if your relationship breaks down. 3. One in three will develop dementia. In my view, a Power of Attorney (PoA) is often more crucial than a will. Like many, I've felt the pain of seeing close loved ones suffer the ravages of dementia. It's horrid. And while there's little that can be done to stop it, there are things that can be done to make life easier if and when it does happen. I'm only 50 (yes, I know I look younger - thanks for thinking that). While I have no reason to foresee losing mental capacity for hopefully decades at least, I do have a Lasting Power of Attorney set up, in case. Without a PoA, lose your faculties through dementia, stroke, accident or 'owt else, and sorting your finances is less clear-cut than if you'd died. Don't assume relatives can walk into the bank & access your money - not even to pay for your care, or the mortgage. To take charge of your affairs, someone would need to apply via the Court of Protection - this is a hassle and costly. I've heard many nightmares, people deeply regretting they didn't sort things sooner, like Bridget on Facebook: "My father was suffering with dementia when my mother died. She did everything and he was lost. One day he didn't know his ATM PIN, got flustered and the bank suspended his account. He was unable to do anything. We applied to the Court of Protection. It's horrendously expensive and extremely slow. He died before we got anywhere. Make sure a PoA is in place." With a PoA, you nominate a trusted friend or relative to look after your affairs if needed. This DOESN'T mean giving up control now - you can opt for it only to come into effect if you're no longer capable. The cost of registering a PoA is £80 to £150, yet most people will want help to do it. A solicitor is again the gold standard, but can cost £200 to £500. One alternative is a Which? Wills* deal, which we've blagged a discount on. Usually it costs £139, but via this link it is £97. More help and options in Lasting Power of Attorney. Power of Attorney isn't just for financial issues There's also a Health & Welfare Power of Attorney and a living will (officially 'an advance decision'), where you can refuse certain medical treatments if you lose capacity in future. 4. Are you hurting your partner by looking after the finances? Share the info and, even better, the burden. In a Twitter poll I did today, after 30,000 votes nearly 80% of couples said one partner dominates doing the financial chores and sorting the money. And with half of those, one person just does it all, like Rachibelles who replied: "@MartinSLewis I do it all... I always tell my hubby I could be squirrelling away a fortune to run away with my fancy man and he wouldn't have a clue!" (PS: She was happy for me to publish this, as it 'might teach my other half a lesson'.) Yet as I explained in the intro, if the chief family finance-doer (CFF) were hit by one of the three Ds (death, divorce or dementia), it can be a disaster. It's important, where possible, that both partners are capable of picking up the financial reins. So three quick steps for the CFF to do to help... a) Sit down to do a beginner's briefing on the family finances for your partner. They may resist, but be blunt that this is so they could take over if needed (blame me if you must). b) Create a financial factsheet listing all product providers, from roadside recovery to investments, boiler cover to bank accounts. Keep it somewhere safe that you can both access, but don't put too many security details in, just in case. c) Every few months, have a kitchen table briefing to update and discuss. I'd love to know how you do it, via this financial couples tips forum discussion. 5. Is your house your only real asset? Don't leave it too late. Those in their 60s living in large homes with kids who've long since left the nest often tell me they plan to downsize "one day" to release money, as they're asset rich, cash poor. But as time ticks on, this can become "it's still a few years away" and then finally "we're too old to move". It may be better to bite the bullet early. If not, the main option is equity release, a way to borrow from your home's value while living there. These products have improved a lot in recent years, but rising interest rates won't make it cheap. See our Should I equity-release? guide. 6. One in 29 children lose a parent before they are 18. Are yours financially protected? That's roughly one per class. I was one of them. It's why whenever friends who've had children ask me "where should I save for their future?", I first check if they've got life insurance. It gets me a few funny looks, but it's worth it. Families already in dire unexpected grief can risk losing their income, standard of living or even their home if unprepared. For most people wanting a fixed payout, the cheap and easy way is level term life insurance, which pays out a fixed sum if you die within a set term. Yet how you pay for it can make a huge difference. For a £200,000 level term policy to last until children leave education, so 21 years, for a 45-year-old non-smoker. Typically... - Straight with a bank, it's £28/mth, so £7,000 over the term. - Via a comparison site, it's £21/mth, so £5,300 over the term. - Via an execution-only broker, it's £15/mth, so £3,850 over the term. That's because the bank charges you its own rate. The comparison site finds the cheapest but takes commission year after year, while the execution-only broker charges a one-off £25 fee, but rebates all the commission. Many should get advice though, which you may be able to do, and still get a policy less than a comparison site (but more than the execution-only broker). Full help in the Cheapest level term life insurance guide. PS: The one in 29 children losing a parent stat is one I worked out a number of years ago. Forgive me, I couldn't face updating it. It's unlikely to have changed much. 7. Funeral costs. Want to pay for your funeral now? Even the most basic funeral can cost over £4,000 all-in. So that and wanting to save your loved ones some of the stress of organising it are some of the big sells used by the prepaid funeral sector to try to get people to sign up. The good news at least is finally, since July this year, the sector is now regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, meaning tighter fairness rules. One advantage of funeral plans is you can lock in the price now. Yet funeral plans don't include things like burial plots, headstone, flowers, embalming and the costs involved in a wake. Our Funeral plans guide takes you through it in more detail. What to do when someone dies If someone you know passes away, even if it was expected, it can be a very difficult time. Just so you're aware, we've a What to do when someone dies checklist, which helps you through the practicalities step-by-step, from how to register a death and check for a will, to how to cancel someone's outstanding mobile contract or stop mail going to them. 8. Consider saving a life when you're gone. In England, Scotland and Wales, you're automatically considered willing to be an organ donor unless you opt out. Yet it's good to ensure your family know your decision in advance, and to register it officially: England/Wales registration or Scotland registration. In Northern Ireland, until 2023, you still need to opt in to register as a donor. 9. What happens to your online photos and social media when you die? It sounds trivial, but this could include documents, all your photos, social media accounts and more that your loved ones may need to go to court to access. MSE Kelvin has written a great blog on protecting your digital life for death. 10. Later life care. What should happen. I don't have resources or expertise on this. Yet it is worth throwing it into your unpleasant issues discussion. If you (or perhaps your parents) are no longer physically or mentally capable of looking after yourself, how would you like to be cared for, and what resources are there for your care?

 

 

DON'T believe the fake 'Martin Lewis' or 'MSE' ads Lots of scam ads litter social media and even newspaper websites - some of these lie that we or Martin promote Bitcoin, binary trading etc. See Fake ads warning.

 

 

 

9 new energy need-to-knows, including...  When will direct debits change? | Boiler trick to save £100s | £400 bill support | Northern Ireland | And more The energy price guarantee is in place across Eng, Scot and Wales, for those on mains gas and electricity standard tariffs, which is the vast majority. It's an average 27% higher than the previous cap, and will last two years. There's no total cap on what you pay, instead, as always, it's a standing charges and unit rate cap. There are also changes for those on fixed rates, a significant number of whom will see what they pay drop. Yet this is just the start, so here are our latest need-to-knows: Has your direct debit gone up yet - if not, when will it happen? Many firms are going through their customer lists to contact them about their direct debits. Yet different firms do it different ways, for example, British Gas and EDF won't automatically change 'em for all, so you might need to adjust it yourself  See our firm-by-firm When & how energy suppliers set direct debits for the latest info. Some may see their immediate direct debits drop due to the £400 payment. New calculator: Is your direct debit about right? Enter your usage (needs to be in kWh from your bill) and region into our 'Is your direct debit right?' calculator, and we'll give a rough estimate of what you should be paying. If it's way off what you're actually paying, politely call up and ask them to explain why. You have a right to a fair direct debit under Ofgem's rules. See how to challenge unfair direct debits. Most should have had your first £66/month energy bills support payment now. This is the first instalment of the winter £400 electricity help. If you've not got it, don't worry too much, how and when you get it depends on your supplier and payment method. See our updated How YOU'LL receive the £400 from your supplier info. The second benefits cost of living payment will be paid next month. See full info on the new £324 payment. We're asking all firms to allow smart prepay customers to shift their £66 electricity help to gas if they want. You can do this with traditional prepay meters, but it's not the same for prepay customers with smart meters. Bulb, E.on, EDF, Octopus and Shell have all said they'll either split the monthly payments evenly between gas and electricity, or will let you move it to your gas meter. Yet other providers are currently saying all the credit must go to electricity only. While it does reduce the bill, it's the gas bill that's crucial for many people's heating. We're writing to firms and the regulator to urge them to let all customers shift the payment on to their gas meters.  Martin's quick 'how to calculate the rough energy cost of an appliance' tip   So 100W (a tenth of a kW) appliance on for two hours is a maximum 3.4p an hour x 2 = 6.8p.  The reason I say 'is a maximum' is many appliances, especially heating appliances, don't run at full power the whole time. Yet this is a useful rule of thumb for getting a general idea of the cost. For example, a single jacket potato in a 1,000W microwave on for 10 minutes is far cheaper than cooking it in a 1,000W oven for an hour. Yet cook five potatoes and, as the microwave would need to be on far longer, it'd be closer. CONFIRMED: Northern Ireland - how the bill support will be backdated. In NI, households will get a discount of up to 17p/kW for electricity and up to 4.2p/kW for gas due to start next month, but backdated to this month. Your firm will calculate what support you should have got in October, and spread that out over your bills between November and March. On the £400 winter electricity help, the Government has said it will work in the same way as the rest of the UK, with payments made by your electricity supplier. But it still hasn't confirmed when it will start making this payment. See our Northern Ireland energy guide for more details when we get them. Take the combi boiler challenge - reduce your flow temperature to save £100+. If you have a combi boiler (the most common type), one way to save is to reduce the flow temperature - basically the water that circulates around the system and heats your radiators. It's usually set higher than needed by default. Charity Nesta has just launched a MoneySaving boiler challenge with a nifty tool on how to do it, that it says could cut gas bills by an average 9%. See our boiler energy saving tips for more ways to save (including what to do if you don't have a combi). Sadly, still no news on when the additional £100 for those on heating oil and LPG will be paid. Households that use heating oil or LPG as fuel will get an additional £100 in support (on top of the £400 electricity discount). We still don't know when or how though. Ovo is offering energy hardship grants - now nine big firms give cash and more if you're in debt. If you're struggling with your energy bills and have fallen into debt, most big firms offer non-repayable grants to help. Ovo is the latest to open its scheme - it's accepting applications from its customers, as well as those from SSE and Boost (which it owns). What you get depends on your individual circumstances, but includes access to hardship grants, and free or discounted products and services, including smart thermostats, electric throws and boiler servicing. See Energy suppliers energy hardship funds for full info on all schemes and how to apply. Want to cut your usage? Or help if you're struggling? See our Energy saving tips, the Energy mythbusting guide for less clear-cut issues, our Heat the human not the home guide, and the What to do if you're struggling to pay energy bills guide.

 

2for1 Pizza Express pizza (dine-in). Via its app. Get stuffed (crust) for a slice of the price. Free Greggs bake/sausage roll & hot drink (normally up to £4). For Greggs app newbies. FREE £200 cash in time for Christmas. Nationwide bank switch bribe is biggest since 2017. A reminder that switchers to Nationwide FlexDirect* now get a free £200, plus 5% interest on up to £1,500 for a year (worth up to £75) and a year's 0% overdraft. It's the biggest upfront legal cash switch bribe for five years, and you'll easily get the money in time for Christmas. For eligibility info and FIVE OTHER accounts that pay you to switch, plus the top accounts for overdrafts and more, see last week's Bank switch price war info. Ends today (Wed). Amazon Prime sale, including £17 Alexa (normally £40) - what's hot, what's not. We analyse Amazon's 'early access' sale to see what's genuinely a good deal, and what ain't in our Amazon sale analysis. Will your mortgage lender let you lock in a new fix SIX MONTHS early? More of them are, which can be useful with rates rising. See our lender-by-lender analysis, plus pros & cons. New. Santander launches top 2.75% easy-access savings, highest since 2012. The new Santander 2.75% AER account allows unlimited withdrawals on savings up to £250,000. Full options in Top savings accounts. John Lewis is now renting out dresses from £22. The big high-street name is entering the womenswear rental market - though it's online, not in store. Full info in our updated Rent designer clothes guide. NTA vote closes Thu - who's the UK's top TV expert? The National Television Awards has a new 'expert' category and Martin's in the final four. If you like his work, or have saved, why not vote for Martin? (Page 10, and do click through to the end or it doesn't count.) There's stiff competition, and it'd be a strong message to broadcasters about how important consumer info on TV is in trying times. 10,000 FREE pairs of £14 Ideal Home Show Christmas tickets via code. London, Wednesday 23 November to Sunday 27 November. Ideal Home Show Updated. Stamp Duty Calculator - how much will you pay? (Duty now cut in Wales too.) The Welsh Government has followed Eng and N. Ireland in cutting rates. Whichever UK nation you're in, find out what you'll pay in our updated Stamp Duty Calculator. New. Cheapest iPhone 13 contract we've seen - 100GB '£32/month'. MSE Blagged. This 128GB iPhone 13 is on the Three network, via Affordable Mobiles. It costs £69 upfront, then £29/month (£765 over the two-year contract) for 100GB/month of data and unlimited mins & texts. Want a different handset or a Sim-only deal? See MSE's Cheap Mobile Finder tool. Note: Three is responsible for the contract, Affordable Mobiles for the handset.

 

 

BLAGGED FOR MSE - £44 Barbour & Calvin Klein specs (normally £130) Ends 23 Oct - iPhone 13 contract with 100GB for '£32/month' Ends 18 Oct	DID YOU MISS? - Find your NEW take-home pay after mini-budget changes - 10-year mortgage fixes cheaper than 2 years - should you do it? - FREE tickets to The Martin Lewis Money Show + more - 15GB data Sim just '£4.62/month' - cheapest we've ever seen - 90% off one month's 'tailored' dog food (so £25 worth for £2.50)

 

 

You STOOZE (right), you don't lose... How to MAKE £100s manipulating 0% credit card debt Stoozing is back. It's the name for deliberately borrowing money at 0%, not because you need it, but because you can then take the money lent to you interest-free and safely save it earning interest. Martin was one of the pioneers in the early 2000s... "I recall online bank, Egg, giving me a 0% card. I took £5,000 from it, and saved it with the top paying bank... Egg! Earning, from memory, 6% on money it'd given me for nowt - pure MoneySaving poetry." Our full Stoozing guide takes you through it, but in brief... Warning: Stoozing works, but it takes discipline, and is for the debt-free, financially savvy. If you're not that financially on top of things, don't understand, don't have financial self-discipline, or have other credit card or loan debt, please DON'T do it. It'd be risky. You'll also need a reasonable credit history to get a decent credit limit. Step 1: Get a long 0% new borrowing card. Use the 0% Cards Eligibility Tool to find which you're likely to get. Here are the current longest 0% cards for 'new borrowing', though beware after the 0% period ends, all these cards jump to 21-23% rep APR (but you shouldn't have debt on 'em by then). - Barclaycard. If you're shown as pre-approved via our tool, you'll get 25mths 0% (so the link goes via there). - M&S Bank*. Definite 24mths 0% period for all those accepted, plus gives M&S points on spending. - Sainsbury's Bank. If you're shown as pre-approved via our tool, you'll get the full 24mths 0% (so the link goes via there). All get Nectar points on spending. Step 2: Do all your normal daily spending on the card, letting unspent money build in your bank. Do all your - and possibly all your family - spending on it up to the credit limit, always repaying just the monthly minimum (so you'll need to cover that, but it should be doable). This should leave the same amount of unspent wages in your bank account. Note this isn't an excuse to overspend. Step 3: Save the unspent cash in the top-paying savings. Once you've got the money, you want to save it at the highest rate possible, but crucially remember you will need to be able to access the cash IN TIME FOR THE 0% TO END, so you can clear the card in full then. The real key here is how quickly you will get hold of the money to save. That is how quickly you'll spend up to the credit limit doing normal spending on the card (be careful never to bust your credit limit). So as a start point, you can open an easy-access savings account paying 2.75% and then assuming you've time feed that into the top one-year fixed savings accounts which pay up to 4.35% or even better a top 18mth fixed account to max the gain (some with offset mortgages could even overpay those instead, as long as you are free to withdraw money if needed). A little story may help... Sally Stoozer and the £340 stooze profits... Sally Stoozer gets a 24-month credit card with a £5,000 limit. She usually spends £1,000 a month from her bank account, but now she puts all that spending on the card. So each month she pays the minimum payment on the card and transfers the rest to an easy-access account at 2.75%. After five months she has around £4,565 there, which she transfers to an 18-month savings account at 4.4%. When that ends she has around £4,870 in the account, in time to clear the remaining balance on the card before her 0% deal ends - and has £340 left over. Some can keep the stooze going by taking out a 0% FEE-FREE balance transfer card (though don't lock money away for longer even if you plan to do this, just in case you're rejected). Again, do read the full Stoozing guide. PS: Do not invest your stooze-pot (cash from stoozing), as then if you lose money, you'd be stuck with the debt.

 

£44 Barbour and Calvin Klein specs or sunnies (normally £130). MSE Blagged. Via code. SpeckyFourEyes Morrisons & Aldi toy sales up to 50% off, including Barbie, Peppa Pig, Hot Wheels. Toy sale analysis Martin: 'New guide to help councils, libraries and others set up warm spaces. The new, free Warm spaces (warm banks) best practice guide has just launched and can be downloaded for free. To read why I got involved, see my Warm spaces blog.' New. On universal credit and can get Virgin Media in your area? You could pay £12.50/month for broadband. Some four million households are eligible for cheaper broadband social tariffs, but 97% are still missing out. The cost of Virgin Media's 15Mb 'Essential' tariff has been cut to £12.50/month for broadband only (no phone line). To qualify, you need to be receiving universal credit and living in an area Virgin covers (55% of the country). For more options and full info, see our Broadband social tariff comparison. 'I saved £10 on a railcard, giving me a third off train tickets for a year.' Our success of the week comes from Penny, who used our tips to get a discounted annual railcard. She said: "I am 75 and tried to renew my senior railcard online, but was told my phone wasn't modern enough for the app. I'd resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn't be doing any travelling by train for the next 12 months, then along came MSE with its mine of useful information. I applied through TrainPal and, hey presto, within five minutes (and for under £20) I have a new digital railcard. Thank you." Send us your MoneySaving successes. Work in communications? Come and work at MSE. We've a new role for a PR manager open for applications. See MSE job opportunities.

 

 

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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS 0% balance transfers Longest 0%: Sainsbury's Bank (check eligibility / apply*) - up to 34 months 0%, 2.88% or 3.88% fee (21.9% rep APR) No-fee 0%: Sainsbury's Bank (check eligibility / apply*) - up to 22 months 0%, no or 1% fee or NatWest - 22 months 0% if you're a NatWest/RBS customer (both 21.9% rep APR) Best bank accounts £200 to switch + 5% interest: Nationwide £175 to switch + TOP service: First Direct Top savings accounts Top easy-access: Santander 2.75%, min £1 Top one-year fix: Aldermore 4.35%, min £1,000 Car insurance Try our new MSE Car Insurance Compare+ tool Cheap loans Cheapest for £5,000 to £7,499: Sainsbury's Bank (check eligibility / apply*), 4.3% rep APR Cheapest for £7,500 to £15,000: MBNA (apply*), 3.4% rep APR Broadband top picks Fibre (30Mb+): Shell Energy '£12.22/month' Superfast fibre (55Mb+): Shell Energy '£13.88/month' On universal credit or similar? Check discounted social tariffs Cheap Sims Up to 3GB data: '£2.57/month' for 3GB, Lebara or Lycamobile 4GB to 9GB data: '£3.40/month' for 5GB, Lebara or Lycamobile 10GB+ data: '£4.62/month' for 15GB, Lebara or Lycamobile

 

THIS WEEK'S POLL How do you rate your bank's app? If you access your current account by app, we'd like to know what you think of it. Just the app, not the bank overall (if you use more than one app, please rate them all). Vote in this week's poll. Overall 30% of MoneySavers have already turned on their heating this year. Last week, we asked whether households had turned on their heating yet - more than 29,000 people responded. In total just over 30% of MoneySavers already have. There was a big regional divide, with 45% of those in Scotland and 44% of those in Northern Ireland having switched it on, compared with just 19% in the south west of England. See full heating poll results.

 

 

MSE NEWS - Top story: Sainsbury's bring back £2 a week coupon for Healthy Start users - Barclays launch cashback service at 1,000+ stores - One month left to triple Tesco Clubcard points on delivery plans - Shell Energy to pay an extra £150 this winter to Warm Home Discount customers - Revealed: the latest ways scammers are targeting your pension

 

 

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Should I ask my friend for money after he sold the car we gave him? A friend was made redundant and couldn't find work locally, and wasn't able to look further afield as he didn't have a car. My wife had begun working from home, so we offered him her car for free - it was old, but had no problems. A few weeks later, he told us he'd scrapped the car because it needed work done that he couldn't afford. Yet I've now found out he sold it and I feel he's taken advantage of our generosity. He's still not found work, but should we ask him for the money he made selling the car? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I ask my friend for money after he sold the car we gave him? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma

 

 

MSE TEAM BLOG - Fungi, flooring & fairy godmothers - last week's MSE Forum highlights

 

 

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 12 OCT ONWARDS) Wed 12 Oct - This Morning, phone-in, ITV, 10.25am Wed 12 Oct - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC Radio 5 Live, 1pm. Listen again Tue 18 Oct - This Morning, phone-in, ITV, 10.30am Tue 18 Oct - The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, ITV, 8pm MSE TEAM APPEARANCES (SUBJECT TBC) Tue 18 Oct - BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Mid-morning with Jeremy Sallis, from 10.45am

 

WHAT LITTLE THINGS ARE YOU NOW DOING TO SAVE CASH? That's all for this week, but before we go... MSE Forumites have been sharing the little things they do to cut costs in the face of the cost of living crisis. Most focused on saving on energy, with examples including batch cooking, air fryers and slow cookers, making up a flask of tea/coffee in the morning rather than boiling the kettle throughout the day, or showering at the gym rather than at home. One Forumite even pins a list of fridge contents to the door, so they don't have to keep opening and closing it to check - saving a little energy each time. Add your own and be inspired in the A few things I'm doing to save money MSE Forum discussion. We hope you save some money, stay safe, The MSE team

 

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