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Archives for November 2008

Tour companies - haggling help
Anyone here successfully haggled/negotiated a deal with Archers Direct? If so please can you tell your story and offer some tips. Also, as a rough guide, when do tour companies drop their prices (besides late availability) - is there a good time of the year (especially in the credit crunch) when they'll be desperate for…
I saved £50 on car insurance
My car insurance was coming up for renewal, my quote from Maks and spencers had gone upto £350. I went onto moneysavingexpert website and found a comparison compay called moneyexpert and got a quote for £296 and with casback of £20
I love MSE!
I rang o2 threatened to leave and now only pay £5per mnth for my contract! :money:<--- he rules :)
who finds sealed money boxes helpful in saving money?
I had a tom and jerry one and before i knew it had saved £7.50 in under two weeks by throwing loose change in it.. You can get these from asda/pound shops for a pound! Anyone else want to share their opininions? Jess x
Advice on Warm Front
Hello to you all, and thank you in advance for any tips you can give, hopefully i have this in the right forum. I have just applied to Warm Front, for a grant my wife are in reciept of Child Benefit and Tax Credits.(i also have a war pension come in but i dont think that counts as i am not disabled). Now i believe that…
I just kept saving money!!
Yesterday I bought a Tom Tom one Sat Nav as a Christmas present a Tescos. It was reduced to £99.97, I used the £5 off coupon from News of the world and a £4.50 club voucher. I paid using a 1% cash back credit card and got clubcard points. There was a special offer for buying the sat nav of a £10 Tesco grocery voucher so i…
Discount cards to buy
Hi All, Are there any discount cards on the market sny one can get. i got one free what intials me to 20% food outlets at railways stations, Anyone know of any more... Thanks, Lee
This has saved me so much!
Sorry didnt know this was NOT allowed!
Making Huge savings
Hi i have saved myself just over £1000 since joining the site This week i cut my company phone bills down to £75 a month from £150 a month by switching all company mobiles to o2 after seeing free sim cards offer on the forum. As well as this i have got cheaper insurance and now changed way i spend money all thanks to MSE.…
Thank you MSE
Have just bagged 2 Ryanair flights to Venice for £0.00 each (£30 inc taxes etc):j £160 return altogether for 2 people. Although we've had to pay for a bag, airport check-in and handling fee (Grrr...), it's still a bargain. Going on Boxing day, coming back 2nd Jan, we are going to party :beer: in Slovenia! Thank you MSE -…
Xmas Savings
The mince pie taste test got me thinking about Xmas food savings. After Xmas last year, I brought jars of mincemeat for less than half price. The sell by date was early 2009 and I knew I would use them up this Xmas. I got jars of chestnuts which I froze too. At the time, I could have also brought Xmas Cakes and Puds with…
Mini_money_savers Big Adventure
Well, where to start? Firstly I’ll explain a little about myself and why I’m doing this Diary! I’m afraid to say I’m an extremely long time lurker and very recently a first time poster (this diary is probably my 3rd post…so please be gentle with me!) After avidly reading other peoples posts (in particular “Mooloos…
Team MSE gets my M&S coat
Have a beautiful M&S winter coat which will last forever for the pricely sum of £15 - thanks to Team MSE. Coat seen on M&S website - sells for £79. Have £50 of vouchers through referring a MSE'r to Sky - so phoned local store to order it in (as predicted they didn't have any size 8's in store), told it would be in a week…
60;s music quiz
okay folks - answer the question and then ask a question who sang Your out of reach my baby my poor old fashioned baby sorry got this wrong, the song is entitled Out of Time
** H A G G L E ** Oh my, how it works !
Hi ! I'm new to the forums today and just had to register to tell you how yesterday I saved £28.45 whilst Christmas Shopping..... just by haggling ! .... and of course the MSE restaurant tips... because, in my world, it's the law to have a meal and glass of wine at the end of a shopping day ! - so M, thank you for the…
saved £160 on Sky+
Oh my god. It works!!! Just contacted sky about a price for Sky+ for my dad for xmas as i already had it and they said £150 + £60 for installation.I said for them to cancel my subscription and my parents subscription and thay gave me 08442414141 to ring about it and select option 5. Spoke to a very helpful chap who said…
Up the creek without a paddle??
Not I :cheesy: thanks to this website & forum users. I'm by no means high and dry, but things could've been a lot worse had it not been for the advice & tips from folks on this forum & Martin (of course ;) ). It's given me the confidence to haggle and question what's on offer & not give in to rip off merchants. The site…
Spending book
I have spent the past couple of weeks clocking my wastefdul behaviour and have made some inroads into it already. As it's the first of the month, I will now start a notebook noting down everything I spend. I will need some iron self discipline because I am changing some very longstanding habits. Unfortunately, I have to…

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MSE News

Ofgem proposes new 'no standing charge' Price Cap – but Martin Lewis warns vulnerable customers need to be opted in or it won't work
Ofgem has today launched detailed proposals for a major shake up to its Energy Price Cap that dictates the price over 80% of homes in England, Scotland and Wales pay for their energy bills.
Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland to cut overdraft rates for millions but hike them for others – here's what's happening and full help
If you're a Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland current account holder, the interest rate you're charged for using your overdraft could change soon as part of a fees shake-up. The Lloyds Banking Group, which owns all three brands, says millions of its customers will pay less after the changes – but a "few" will pay more.
Warm Home Discount expansion confirmed with millions more eligible for the £150 top-up this winter – here's what we know
Around 2.7 million more low-income households, including 900,000 families with children, will become eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, as the Government has confirmed it will remove the existing 'hard to heat' eligibility criteria. The extension has only been confirmed for winter 2025/26, with further changes possible for future years.
Martin Lewis: At last a chance to fix Council Tax flaws impacting millions – debt collection, difficulty challenging your band, discounts and more
Major flaws in the Council Tax system in England could finally be fixed in future, as the Government has launched a wide-ranging consultation to review hideous debt collection practices, the difficulty of challenging your band, the overly complex and horribly-named Severe Mental Impairment discount and more. MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis, who has long campaigned on these issues, shares his response and analysis.
Energy complaints to be dealt with more quickly and Energy Ombudsman to get new powers under Government plans
If you have a complaint about your energy firm, it may be resolved more quickly in future, as the Government has announced a raft of proposals to strengthen consumer protections in the energy market. The planned changes include giving the Energy Ombudsman new powers to force firms to comply with its decisions – but it's still very early days. Here's what we know so far.
Warm Home Discount expansion confirmed with millions more eligible for the £150 top-up this winter – here's what we know
Around 2.7 million more households, including 900,000 families with children, will become eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, as the Government has confirmed it will remove the existing 'hard to heat' eligibility criteria. The extension has only been confirmed for winter 2025/26, with further changes possible for future years.
Base rate held at 4.25% – here's what it means and when it might be cut next
The Bank of England has held the base rate at 4.25%. Below we explain why, when it might be cut, plus what it means for your mortgage and savings.
Applied for South West Trains 'boundary fares' compensation? Act now to claim it
If you applied for compensation from South West Trains before the deadline in January 2025, you now need to provide your bank details to the claim administrator so it can be paid to you. Here's what you need to know.
Winter Fuel Payments to be reinstated for millions – Martin Lewis explains how it'll work, what it means and if it's an improvement
All State Pensioners in England and Wales will receive a Winter Fuel Payment this winter, though those who earn over £35,000 will see it clawed back through the tax system. It means nine million pensioners will get the £200 or £300 top-up. Here MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis shares his instant response and analysis, and we include answers to your key questions.

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