Cash Chats

I'm joined by Cora Harrison to see whether posh advents for adults are worth the money. Festive advent calendars have changed. When you open the windows you don't just get pictures of snowmen or angels. Even that late 80s upgrade of small chocolates seems traditional now. And the advent candle is long forgotten. Now it's all about luxury advent calendars for adults. For the last few years we've been inundated with all sorts of advents for grown-ups full of 24 bottles of gin, 24 tiny test size tubes of cosmetics or 24 random bits of jewellery. And these aren't cheap either. You can pay upwards of £300 for the top end versions, and even shops like Aldi have one going for £50. I've felt they're bad value for money and always avoided them, but that doesn't mean they don't have other appeals. For a start you get to try all sorts of different varieties - whether that's craft beer, cheese or Pringles (these all exist too). And some, like the M&S Advent, full of beauty products, claims to have a retail value well

A cap on how much electricity and gas costs seems a good idea - and it is. But it's not as simple as saying everyone is going to pay less.  In this episode of Cash Chats, I break down who the cap applies to, how it works, and why you shouldn't get complacent. And my golden rules to make sure you don't ever need to worry about paying too much for your energy. Read more at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats73/

In this episode of the podcast you can find out how to pay less for your internet. This week I haggled an extra £8 a month off my monthly broadband charge - which was already £22 off the standard price. My total saving over 12 months is going to be £336. So in this episode I've shared how I did it and how you can do the same. There's a mix of methods you can pick and choose from - or do a combination of them all. For me I first took advantage of a top new customer deal, and then jumped on Virgin's forthcoming price increase as an opportunity to haggle another discount. You can also save by stripping out services you don't need or blagging extra special offers such as cashback and free TVs. More at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats72/

This week I'm sharing where I think the best places are to put cash savings. With two new savings accounts offering 1.5% (Marcus by Goldman Sachs & the RBS Savings Builder), I've looked at whether they're any good, or if you can get a better rate elsewhere (spoiler: you can). I also discuss why most of you don't need an ISA, particularly if you earn under £46,350 a year. But if you are a higher earner with lots of savings, then find out why you need to think a little differently. More over at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats71/

Often people think of mental health in relation to serious conditions such as bipolar or depression, but it's something we should all consider - not just for ourselves but for friends and family. Mental health is pretty much how you're feeling and functioning. It can be good, or ok. But all of us will have moments where it's bad - even if it's not a condition which might require longer-term management or medication. Whenever we're feeling down, feeling stressed or feeling lonely we're experiencing poor mental health. And there's a good chance any of these can impact our finances. On a more severe end of the scale it could mean you need to miss work, causing you to lose money. It's common for people to get anxious when dealing with any kind of admin, but when that's bills or bank statements that can be a larger issue. Motivation can be a problem, leading to important money matters getting ignored. Or perhaps moments of depression or mania could prompt people to spend more money - money they don't have. The wor

How to make sure you get the best value for money on Christmas travel, gifts, decorations and food and drink. We're just 12 weeks away from Christmas. That might seem like a long time, but it'll creep up on you faster than you think - meaning it's a good time to start thinking about how much you'll spend. In fact, even if you're reading this in November in December, or just want to get well ahead of Christmas 2019, it's never too late or early to follow the tips in this article. So here's a checklist of the main expenses, along with tricks to bring down their cost, plus some tips to help you pay for everything. More on https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats69/

Is this the end of Debenhams, House of Fraser and John Lewis? And what do their struggles mean for customers? We've had all three major department stores hit the headlines over the last few weeks, so I've taken a look at what's happened, including news that House of Fraser customers might not get their money back on cancelled orders and returned gift cards. More and show notes at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats68

This week on the podcast I share how to cut your mobile phone bill to around a tenner, and other ways to bring down how much you pay. Not many of us can go without a mobile phone, which is probably why so many people overspend. It's possible to cut a monthly bill down to around £10 without losing coverage, and if you want a new handset, you can get them far cheaper if you don't automatically upgrade when your contract ends. Read more at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/wp-admin/cashchats67

This week I talk about the recent interest rate and how it will affect you, mainly in terms of the return you can get on your savings. The Bank Of England increased the base rate of interest from 0.5% to 0.75% earlier this month, making it the highest rate we've seen since the financial crash. You'd expect this to be passed on to savers, but I think that's unlikely, especially when you consider what happend when rates rose last November.  I explain why, and share where I think are the best places to keep your savings. Plus, changes to Lloyds and Halifax current account rewards, and why I'd stay clear of the Asda Christmas Savings card. More at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats66

With news that smart meters will probably only save you £11 a year, I've looked at what they do and why I think you should wait. Plus a look back at how Amazon Prime Day went. Were the savings good? And should you wait for Amazon's Black Friday weekend for similar discounts? Read more at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats65

Part two of my summer holiday specials, this time looking at the cheapest ways to pay when overseas, whether that's by cash or card. Read more at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats64

In this week's episode I've looked at fast fashion. Yes it's cheap, but when you factor in quality it can sometimes work out better value to spend more. Then there are the environmental and ethical consequences of producing so much disposable clothing. Listen in to find out what you can do to lessen the impact, including which high street retailers have ethical ranges, and how to get money off new clothes when you donate old clothes to charity rather than chuck them away. More info and links at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats63/

Oversized luggage, inadequate insurance and expired visas are just some of the ways I've been caught out on holiday. Avoid these and other mistakes by preparing for your summer holiday now. Sorry it's been a few weeks since the last episode - filming for Shop Smart Save Money has been great but cut my available time. Anyway, I'm back, and this week I'm sharing my holiday prep checklist. Essentially these are the things I'll work through NOW - not just before I'm due to fly. Leave these until the last minute and best case scenario it'll cost you more than it needs to. Worst case? You might not be able to go away. Read more at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats62

The high street has been back in the news with M&S and Carphone Warehouse the latest to announce massive store closures, and a survey from Which? revealing the shops we like the least. It doesn't look great for the high street. I now live in a relatively wealthy part of Yorkshire compared to other parts, and there are lots of independent shops and restaurants. But in the three months I've been here we’ve lost the H&M, Byron, Maplin, Game, Thorntons, East, Top Shop, Miss Selfridge, Mulityork, Jamies Italian and some local independents too. What’s the end game? Where I grew up in Kent the nearby towns are essentially just pound shops and charity shops. And why is it happening? Well in this week's episode I've looked at some of the causes - and shared a few things we can do to try to stop the rot. More over at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats61

Wedding season well and truly kicks off this weekend, so I wanted to talk about the ways you can avoid spending a fortune, both as a guest and if you're the couple tying the knot. More at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats60

Another Ask Andy special where I answer your questions. This time I tackle the H&M clothes recycling scheme, paying off credit card debts and why you're getting so many emails from businesses thanks to GDPR. More over at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats59

Sometimes shopping around to save a few quid isn't worth the time. But when you're spending hundreds of quid you can make some big savings - if you put the time and effort in.  Having just moved house we need to buy some new appliances, and over the last few weeks, I've managed to get us far better appliances than we hoped for with the budget we have. So it made sense to share how I do it so you can too. Read more at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats58

Companies are happy to take our cash, but it's sometimes a different story when they owe us money. This week on the podcast I share how I've had to chase brands, from Council Tax to Three to Travelodge, for money they didn't automatically pay me back. Tune in to find out where you should be checking for some long forgotten cash. More and links over at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats57

April 6th sees the start of the new financial year, and with it some changes to the money you bring home, and the cost of things you buy. In this week's episode I've given you a quick rundown of the main changes, such as how much tax you pay, and the bills that'll increase. More over at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats56

I've never been 100% convinced by couponing, so I asked Coupon Kid Jordon Cox to join me on the podcast this week and convince me it's worth the time and effort. We talk about where to find coupons, how to make sure you don't get carried away, "wombling" and why you should tap your loyalty cards to get even more. Get links and more at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats55