At the moment the high court case between the banks and the OFT over bank charges is being heard. Sadly, I’ve not managed to make it there yet (though I aim to in the next few days), as delivering the MoneySaving info sometimes takes priority over watching the drama.

In the Money Diet I write about the fact that “talking about money is the last taboo.” Many will happily reveal their sex lives, embarrassing ailments and more on the TV, but talking about personal and consumer issues still seems to be a no-go zone.

In last week’s email and on It Pays To Watch I mentioned a Boots loophole allowing many to get a £10 face powder for around a quid. Yesterday I walked into Boots, and as I walked past the counter I heard my name muttered in disparaging tones; I didn’t quite hear the “it’s his fault”, but I...

I was rather taken aback today to receive two large his and her’s parcels; with a note from the press office at Lloyds TSB on them. As many will know we’re in the midst of the bank charges campaign; and the I fought the Lloyds song in which I proudly feature is a recent chart hit. Of...

Finally, the flick-flack nature of the media means that having initially helped champion bank charges reclaiming some are now trying to hastily put together pieces saying… a win for the OFT in the test case won’t be good for customers, as it’ll mean the end of ‘free banking’. It was always bound to happen. Yet actually much...

A&L has a Car Insurance promotion out which says “One year’s cover FREE if we can’t beat your existing renewal quote”. Doesn’t that sound great? Yet dig a little deeper and you’ll find it’s just a silly bit of irrelevant marketing spiel. If you apply for a quote online, you enter your renewal details and, it seems...

This month I’ve started a new weekly column in the News of the World (though due to my work commitments from Feb I’m dropping it to fortnightly). Having previously been a columnist for the Sunday Times, Sunday Express and Guardian, it’s quite a departure and it took a lot of thinking about. Interestingly, the precision needed for...

Recently I upgraded my phone (don’t worry – it was a free upgrade, see the cheaper mobile tariffs article) to the wonderful HTC 3100; a Windows CE model with a pull out keyboard, and importantly, its own GPS receiver. Now, having had two Sat-navs stolen – the first by people breaking into my car, and the second...

The Inland Revenue is planning to allow people to pay by credit card as well as debit card.

In the cheapest petrol article, as well as how to find and pay for petrol the cheapest way, there are top tips for driving more efficiently to cut petrol usage. I recently had the opportunity to test it for myself for the first time. On Christmas holiday in South Africa (and before you ask, yes it was...