Food shopping is a large part of most people's budgets and it's also one that you have a lot of control over. So if you want to cut your expenses, food should be high up on your list. It's not easy or quick to cut what you spend on rent, council tax or transport costs, but adopting a few new food habits can help you reduce your grocery bill and still eat well. Plan, plan, plan Planning is the … [Read more...]
Other Money
I write about a lot of Personal Finance that isn't directly about problem debts. Those articles are gathered here.
Spending - reducing or controlling it is usually essential if you want to reduce your debts. So Budgeting is another big topic.
Your grandparents used a pen and paper, but now we have Apps to make all this easier.
Mortgages - sometimes thought of as the only good sort of debt!
Credit ratings - important if you have too much debt or very little!
An emergency fund – how much do you need & how to save it
A lot of personal finance advice starts out with “Everyone needs an emergency fund”. A survey showed that a third of middle-class families couldn’t pay an unexpected bill of £500 without borrowing, so the lack of savings is a very widespread problem. But what if you already have debts that you are paying off? Accumulating an emergency fund will delay clearing the debts … but having a rainy day … [Read more...]
Get a simple budget that works – don’t make excuses!
You need something that puts you in control of your spending. Your grandparents used to budget using a pencil and paper. But they didn't have contactless cards and mobile bills and overdrafts and credit cards and takeaways... Now many people find it harder to budget and feel they have lost control. For a budget to make your life easier, it has to be realistic and not time-consuming. This … [Read more...]
Graduating? An end of uni financial checklist
So you have graduated - you may be excited or apprehensive about your future. Sad because you will miss your uni friends or know it's time to move on. Or harassed and hungover as you try to get things packed up to leave. But whatever you choose to do next – a job, an intern position, go travelling, or more studying - there’s some financial admin you should deal with now, to stop big problems … [Read more...]
Help for mortgage prisoners who need a cheaper mortgage?
With mortgage rates so low, 2019 should be a great time if you want to remortgage or move house. But the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published research showing there are 800,000 people in the UK who could benefit if they switch to a cheaper mortgage. Most of these are people whose fixed rate has ended but who have stayed on their lender's variable rate for more than six months. And … [Read more...]
Should paying your rent help you get a mortgage?
It sounds like common sense to say that if you have paid £880 rent a month for a couple of years then you can obviously afford a mortgage costing £880 a month. And if you live in London or the south-east, you will probably add that rents are so high you can't afford to save much for a deposit, so you need your good rental payment record to be taken into account in a mortgage application. This … [Read more...]
GDPR – free access to your information!
You have the right to get a copy of the information that an organisation holds about you without being charged. On 25 May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force and the previous typical £10 charge has ended. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), which regulates this area, tells organisations that after 25 May they: must provide a copy of the … [Read more...]
Can I overpay my interest only mortgage?
Mrs M asked: I have an interest-only mortgage of £91,000 with 11 years left, with no plan to repay it at the end. It was originally a repayment mortgage, but when I couldn’t afford the payments the bank suggested I switch to an interest-only mortgage. I went through with my bank an option to change to repayment but they didn’t accept me. Can I pay extra each month? Will it reduce the debt and … [Read more...]
LOQBOX – how saving can improve your credit score
LOQBOX is a clever product that can help improve your credit score as you save regular amounts of money. And there are no fees at all. Which sounds good, doesn't it! I'm tired of suggesting that people with poor credit scores should get a "bad credit card", use it each month and repay it in full each month. That works work well if you can stick to the plan... but one 24 year old I was talking … [Read more...]
Open Banking has started – should you care?
Open Banking – never heard of it? Or seen the headlines but your eyes glazed over? It started on 13th January 2018. Over the following months and years, it’s going to change banking and payments in Britain forever. It is going to take a while - months or even years - before we know the full implications but find out what it might affect so you know what to look for. It may be brilliant, it … [Read more...]