
Ugh! Terrible slip. BT free line installation not line rental. Choking isn’t good!
On my GMTV Lorraine slot this morning, I was talking about BT’s free line installation deal (see free BT installation note). It’s a rare chance to avoid the usual £122.50 cost. I’ve just had one of those calls … the producer rang to say “can I just check, at the end of the piece, you said free...

Not everyone is in the mire
Talking money at the moment is a difficult balance. I’m often asked questions when interviewed starting “as we’re all struggling at the moment…”. Yet of course that simply isn’t true, in fact, in many ways we’ve never had a more polarised society. The recession’s bite is primarily about income & assets, not expenditure… Most of the problems...

Hell’s Kitchen: I hate trifle. I didn’t hate this. That in itself is impressive
We had a trip to Hell’s Kitchen for dinner at the end of last week. Our table was right by the pass, meaning we got to watch Marco & the celebs cooking up close. Interesting to do, as you end up not talking, just staring in at the frenetic activity: celebs, Marco and two chef helpers running...

An episode of exemplary Customer Service.
We often moan and berate customer services staff, so I thought I would quickly blog on one of those small moments when someone goes beyond the call. On occasion when I want to escape MoneySaving Towers to focus on my writing, I nip across the road to the newly opened Westfield shopping centre, treat myself to lunch...

The recession’s over … it’s recovery time!
Great news isn’t it? Listening to yesterday’s budget, the political buzz-phrase that kept ringing out was “as we proceed to recovery”. Isn’t language marvellous? We went from boom-time, to downturn, then recession lasted a week, and now we’re “heading to recovery”.

I almost missed my award.
I’ve just come back from the London Press Club lunch, where I was delighted to pick up the “Consumer Journalist of the Year” award. Not coming from a print journalism background I wasn’t aware of quite how big a do this was and when I got there realised most of the National papers editors and many high...

Sir Alan you’re 110% right!
Three cheers for Sir Alan, nope this isn’t about Premium Bonds, as you’ll know from the premium bonds: are they worth it? guide we’re not singing from the same song sheet on that one. Yet when I finally got round to watching The Apprentice from two weeks ago, he did something which made my heart sing. One...

ThinkJessica Campaign: Fighting Scam mail
I’ve been contacted via GMTV by the founder of the ThinkJessica campaign, which has been set up by the daughter of the victim of a hideous scam mail to try and stop something similar happening to other people. She wants me to record the voicemail message that people get when they call it up. Before I explain...

It’s Official! Stripy Shirts Are Fashionable
Friends, enemies, site users, viewers, profile writers, colleagues, relatives, broadcasters and somewhere I’m sure even farm yard animals have taken the mickey out of my stripy shirts. Yet I’ve weathered the storm, and remained as faithful to them as stamp adhesive. True, I do now throw in a few plain-styled tapered shirts just for variety, but my...

Parking Fines. You can reclaim them…
Last December I was hit by a stonking great parking fine. It was £60 for parking opposite a sign that effectively said “no parking until 6.30pm” – outrageously my fine was for parking there at 6.35pm. I blogged back then that this would be the first of my reclaim campaigns I would actually be using myself (see...
Latest MoneySaving Tips
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Martin's five-minute Wallet Workout to gain poundsIncluding slash credit card interest
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Ends Wed. Amazon up to 40% off saleWhat's hot, what's not
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Pet insurance going cheep...Hot deals comparison sites miss
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Martin: 'Urgent tax reclaim deadline'If you're married, had a PPI payout, wear a uniform or are employed
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Aldi 40% off codeFor outdoor items, incl garden furniture
Recent Blogs
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Martin Lewis: Is it time to ban unnecessary Christmas presents?
5 December 2022Update September 2017: It’s eight years since I first braved this subject, expecting a snowstorm of protest. Instead, year after year more join in, like Julia who recently tweeted me, “@MartinSLewis, finally took your advice and told my family I can’t afford Christmas presents. What a weight off my mind. Thank you.” One year even the Archbishop of... -
Martin Lewis: The one thing everyone aged over 66 needs to know
29 November 2022It is a national tragedy that getting on for a million pensioners, many of whom have been paying into the system for years, are missing out on a critical boost to their income. It's called pension credit, and this year it also means you get an extra £650 to help with energy bills.