MSE's weekly round-up
Police auctions, spec-tacular glasses savings, HMRC National Insurance gaps error & more
Welcome to the hottest MSE content from the past week! See our latest top tips, hot deals and news-you-can-use, plus Martin's musings, all in a quickfire bite-sized format. Here's what you need to know from this week.
The week in brief...
We've the full round-up below, but first, here's a quick look at this week's top content:
Bag police auction bargains, £201 of beauty for £45 & urgent 4.9% savings fix – from this week's Money Tips email.
HMRC error could leave 800,000 self-employed workers short on their State Pension.
EV charging, long-haul flight tips and mobile longevity – this week in the MSE Forum.
MSE's Money Tips email: Buy cheap stolen goods?, £201 Boots beauty box for £45, urgent 4.9% fixed savings & more
Some highlights from this week's email include...
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Pssst! Wanna buy stolen goods on the cheap? Police forces sell lost property and seized goods in a host of places, often at bargain prices, especially bikes.
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£45 for Boots beauty box with £201 of Sol de Janeiro, Benefit, Huda & more. This MSE Blagged deal knocks another tenner off a 14-item Boots beauty set.
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Urgent. Top 4.9% one-year fixed savings with access expected to be pulled soon. The Marcus (part of Goldman Sachs) one-year fix unusually lets you close the account mid-term to withdraw your money (though it'll deduct 90 days' interest if you do).
Key MSE News: Became self-employed between 2015 and 2024? Error means your State Pension could be reduced by £1,000s
HMRC estimates around 800,000 people who became self-employed between 2015 and 2024 may have incorrect gaps in their National Insurance (NI) record . In some cases, that could reduce the amount of State Pension they eventually receive.
You don't need to do anything if you think you've been affected. HMRC is writing to those impacted over the coming months with details on how the issue will be put right, including whether you can backfill missing years.
The latest from Martin Lewis: 'Unsafe' buy now, pay later purchases gain new protections
MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) founder Martin Lewis has welcomed new buy now, pay later (BNPL) protections which came in from Wednesday. Martin has long campaigned for greater BNPL regulation, saying that many "fall for BNPL's ubiquity, use it constantly and build up a bank of unaffordable debt."
New rules include affordability checks on every BNPL purchase, Section 75 protection on qualifying purchases and free Financial Ombudsman recourse.
Hot deal: Specs appeal: Snap up £99 glasses for £27
Looking for new glasses? This MSE Blagged deal is certainly eye-catching – with our code you can grab branded prescription glasses or sunglasses from £27 delivered (down from £99). Brands include AllSaints, Barbour, Cat, O'Neill, Radley and Superdry.
It's well worth a look if you need new specs.
From our social channels: Master money basics with MSE's Academy of Money course
Looking to brush up on your finance fundamentals? This week's social post spotlights MSE's Academy of Money – a free course covering tax, borrowing, mortgages, investing, pensions and more.
It’s already proved popular, with more than 75,000 people signing up since launch.
What's new on MSE: Updated: How to turn your home into a jungle on the cheap
Whether you're a seasoned plant parent or you've accidentally sent a few succulents to an early grave, our updated houseplants team blog is packed with plant-based pointers.
Updates include how to use your phone to check if your plants are getting enough light and various MoneySaving tips, such as houseplants sales info and where to buy discount second-hand plants.
And finally, from the MSE Forum: EV charging queries, pleasant plane journeys & smartphone survival stories
Some highlights from the MSE Forum this week include...
How do you solve a problem like EV charging? Forumites explain the apps you'll need, where to find cheaper EV charging and more.
Tell us your long haul hacks. From aisle seats to compression socks, readers are sharing little things that make a big difference on long flights.
Poll: What's the longest you've kept a phone? Our latest poll asks how much life MoneySavers squeeze out of their mobiles.
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