Like student protests today’s strikes boil down to ‘who pays?’
We’re in a historic phase of massive public policy decisions. Yet we can’t focus solely on the impact on the directly affected group of ‘insiders’ (eg, students/public sector workers) and miss the impact on ‘outsiders’ (eg, the general taxpayer) – these things must be about balancing the see-saw … Today’s public sector strikes are over pension provisions...
It’s time to end the ‘always pay off your 0% balance transfer’ before it ends rule?
The cheapest way to shift your debts, is to shove it onto a 0% balance transfer deal and then repay before interest is charged. Yet, some new research we’ve done now shows that in many cases a 0% deal even beats the ‘lock-in for life’ offers that used to win if you took longer to pay off...
Please leave me alone to look at the menu! Overseas restaurant touts counter-productive.
I’m just back from having managed to sneak in a weekend in Rome with Mrs MSE. It’s a beautiful City, the Colosseum is breathtaking, the food sublime, but why do so many eateries feel the need to bludgeon you inside? It’s a completely counter-productive strategy with me. I remember one particularly nice looking (and decent value) trattatoria...
Shop staff quoted nonsense rights at me – isn’t it time they were taught the law?
Free consumer rights wallet guide – to ensure you always know your rights – print this. It pays to know your consumer rights – a member of staff at a high street store tried to tell me a load of baloney this weekend. I politely quoted back the "Sale of Goods Act 1979" and she went quiet....
What does £175 buy you? – The full list!
It’s the average annual gas and electricity price increase for Scottish Power customers (and likely other companies soon) but it buys you no more energy than you get now. So, I asked people on Twitter what that £175 means to them… As the answers flowed in I realised it was almost like poetry and a great insight...
Heading up the new Independent Student Finance Taskforce
I’ve today agreed to take an (unpaid) role, heading up the Independent Taskforce on Student Finance Information. Its aim is to help ensure everyone understands exactly what they’re getting into – the good bits and the bad. The new taskforce (see Student Taskforce MSE news for info of who’s on it) is comprised of universities, the...
1p Father’s Day cards: is it the thought or the cost that counts?
Interesting reaction on Twitter to the 1p personalised photocards that were in this week’s MoneySaving Email. It seems some dads weren’t happy about the idea their offspring would only spend a penny (so to speak). Now it’s worth noting that when writing the weekly email saving space is crucial, so I just wrote ‘1p Dad’s Day card’ –...
New Money Mantra for 13-year-olds
I loved the feedback from a class of 13-year-olds that they’d come up with a few more money mantras. It’s the first feedback we’ve received, since launching our new Teen Cash Class Activity Sheets for teachers to teach MoneySaving financial education. While the lessons are aimed at Key Stage 4 and 5, one teacher used them in...
Finally my Scrabble score averages 400 (in 694 games) – Now I’ll need to change my Who’s Who!
It’s taken five years, but at last my Scrabble average has finally hit 400. It is no exaggeration to say this is an ambition fulfilled – in fact, it’s even a listed aim in my Who’s Who entry. Two weekend scores of 459 and 442 against Mrs MSE pushed me over the edge. In fact, I’ve been...
MSE to donate £35,000 to the campaign for financial education in schools – a political donation
For transparency, as it’s the site’s first ever ‘political’, as opposed to standard charity donation (see charity fund) I thought this was important to blog about. The site and I have been championing compulsory financial education in schools for a long time and now we’re in a practical position to do something to help – we’re putting...
Latest MoneySaving Tips
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Martin's 10 financial quirksIncl how to make £100s
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Warning. Check card contact detailsOr risk purchases being declined
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40+ supermarket couponsIncl free nappies
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Boots tricksEg, £43 of No7 for £10
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Mobile firms slash pricesIncl cheapest EVER 5GB Sim & iPhones
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5th self-employment grant updateGovt puts out new info
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Theme park 2for1sThey're back
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Ending. Shift card debts to 29mths 0%Plus get £25 cashback
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18 Ikea hacksIncl 60-70% off
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Travel refund rightsAs Portugal axed from 'green list'
Recent Blogs
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Martin Lewis: Why you shouldn't worry too much about your credit score – it’s not actually a real thing
14 June 2021![]()
When it comes to finances, numbers are key – whether it's what you earn, your credit card balance or the interest rate on your mortgage, small changes can add up to a big difference. Yet there's one number you shouldn't pay too much attention to – your credit score. -
Martin Lewis VIDEO: Should you pay off your Plan 1 student loan?
18 May 2021![]()
If you started university between 1998 and 2012, or since then in Scotland and Northern Ireland, you'll have a Plan 1 student loan. While much is written about whether those with savings should overpay the current English Plan 2 student loans, there's little out there about Plan 1. I wanted to change that, so here's a video explaining how to decide...
