Family finance tips whatever your budget

19 November 2018                                    www.skintedmintedmum.co.uk

Dear Visitor,                                                              

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK:

• Freeze your credit card. RBS is the latest bank to offer temporary freezing of a lost or stolen credit card with a mobile phone app. If you find the card later, you can defrost it - no need to cancel the card altogether. Barclays and HSBC, among others, also have this service.

• Ask for a ‘Wisa’. Some companies are starting to offer their employees ‘workplace' Isas - the tax-perk savings account - as a staff benefit. These can have cheaper fees than the standard Isa on the high street and serve as a home for employer contributions if you’ve maxed out your annual pension savings limit. 

• Book time off from work next year. Jane met inspirational blogger Jordon Cox at the weekend and this is his wheeze for getting 18 days off in a row in 2019 while using just nine days of holiday entitlement. You need to earmark the days between Easter and the first May bank holiday before your colleagues notice.

   

WHAT'S NEW:

Post Office Online Saver easy access account. Rate increased to 1.45%. WE LIKE: The rate and the minimum investment: just £1. WE DON’T LIKE: The rate includes a 1.2% bonus which lasts a year so make sure you check it’s still competitive after that time. Account must be run online.

DEALS OF THE WEEK:

• BLACK FRIDAY IS THIS WEEK! Lots of shops have adopted this American custom and will be offering discounts on Friday. Some, like Amazon, have already started. Kindles today are reduced - good Christmas gift if you don’t already have one. SMM TOP TIP: Research the normal price of your chosen item before you buy so you know you’re getting a genuine deal.

• Cheap flights: Easyjet has released flights for September and October 2019. The tickets are generally cheaper a long time in advance so check autumn half-term dates for next year to see if you can get away for less.

• More mileage. Virgin has upped the airmiles available on its Reward credit card for new customers here. You get 5,000 miles so long as you make a purchase within 90 days of opening an account by 14 December. If you spend £1,000 within the first 90 days, you get an extra 5,000 miles. Every £1 spent on the card earns 0.75 miles. You can get more miles (up to 25,000) by subscribing to the Reward + card but this has an annual fee. You need 20,000 miles for a return trip to New York or the Caribbean.

                         

WORTH  A LOOK:

• London shows for £10. From 10 am on Tuesday 4 December, look at the New Year Sale at Official London Theatre. Tickets at top productions from 1 January to 15 February will be up for grabs ranging from £10 to £40. IMPORTANT: John Lewis Partnership cardholders get first pickings on Tuesday (tomorrow) and Mastercard from 10 am on Friday 23 November.

• Hiring a car at Christmas? Don’t forget to get car hire excess insurance before you go to avoid having to buy expensive insurance at the rental pick up (see Jane’s blog here). From Tuesday 20 November, you can get 10% off with our affiliate partner Questor* with this online discount code FRI12298.

• There’s 30% off Jack Wills here for those essential teenage Christmas presents. While you’re at it, there’s mega-discounts at the adidas online outlet store here and stay alert for Black Friday bargains too.

SKINTED BLOGS OF THE WEEK:

Charlotte explains here how to find the best savings rates.

Gearing up for Black Friday? Charlotte has the lowdown here. 

MINTED BLOGS OF THE WEEK:

With winter underway, Jane finds out here how to get the cheapest energy prices automatically.

Jane reveals her strategies for NOT giving Christmas presents here. 

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK (TO 18 November 2018):

The stock market took another tumble thanks to Brexit uncertainty: does this make it a good time to buy? Check out our investment guides here. Heard of Klarna? No, us neither. But for millennials and Gen Z-ers, it’s second nature when buying from Asos or other retailers. You get two or four weeks’ grace before you have to pay up so you can order lots of things, return those you don’t want and avoid paying interest. However, there are worries that many young shoppers are running up big bills.

At the other end of the age spectrum, the number of Britons taking early retirement has fallen to a 23 year low thanks partly to later state retirement ages. Also, it’s thought about 800,000 part-time working women are losing out on pension tax relief because of a quirk in the auto enrolment system. Those earning less than £11,850 pay no income tax. As a result, in a net-pay scheme, they won’t get the 20% tax back even though they are (in most cases) entitled to it.

HAVE YOUR SAY ...

Got a question you want to ask about money? Or do you want to pass on any great deals to other readers? Share your thoughts with others at our forum by clicking here or send your money queries to:

hello@skintedmintedmum.co.uk. 

MONDAY MUMSNUTS WITH AUNT PECUNIA:

Aunt Pecunia says:

Buy a cheap Christmas pudding. Pour whatever gut-rot alcohol you have in the back of the cupboard over it and store until Xmas. Then wrap in a (cleaned) baby muslin tied with a ribbon. The perfect present for someone you don’t like.

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