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| DON'T believe the fake ads on Facebook |
| New. Are you one of 8m missing out on benefits? Take a 10-min check-up There's an old joke that only two people really understand our social security system - one is dead and the other is starting to doubt herself. So it's not surprising the Government believes 8m+ households aren't claiming what they're due. To help, we've updated our free benefit check-up tool with the latest phased roll-out of universal credit, a benefit that now affects all new claimants with up to two children - or those whose circumstances have changed. The calculator asks questions such as location, housing situation, number of kids, if you've a partner and more. Don't worry, we never identify you or ask for your name. Is it accurate? We hope so, but this can be complex as what you're entitled to depends on your exact circumstances. See the tool primarily as a ready reckoner and a prompt to investigate further by calling the relevant Government office (listed in the results). You can get more help in our Benefits guide. Who should do this check-up? While very rare, even some with family income up to £78,000/yr miss out. However, entitlement doesn't just come down to income but personal circumstances, eg, how many kids you have and their age, if you're disabled, your childcare costs, your savings and rent - so it's important to do a calculation. You're more likely to be entitled to cash if your family income is sub-£40,000, especially if you've children, disabilities or you rent. Does it cover everything? The tool only gives you a figure for means-tested benefits, however it mentions many non means-tested benefits (though not all) you could be entitled to, such as the warm home discount and boiler grants, but won't give an amount. Ensure you don't miss out on additional help not mentioned in the results, such as the attendance allowance, bereavement allowance, TV licence discounts and the severe mental impairment discount for council tax. For a comprehensive list, see our Benefits guide. Is one-on-one help available? Yes, via a local Citizens Advice office or Jobcentre Plus. |
| Ends Mon. Shift card debt to up to 20mths 0% NO FEE and get £20 If you pay interest on credit or store cards, there's currently a range of strong deals that can save you large. Yet two end within the next week. They're balance transfers, where you get a new card to pay off debt on other cards - so you owe it instead, but at 0% interest. That means more of your repayments clear the debt, rather than just profit the lender. Alicia did just that: "Got accepted for 0% interest on balance transfers for 27mths. Can pay off my two 29% APR cards. Thanks." - Find the cards most likely to accept you BEFORE you apply. Each card below includes a link to our balance transfer eligibility calc. It shows your odds of acceptance before you apply without impacting your creditworthiness.
Always follow the Balance Transfer Golden Rules. Full info in Best Balance Transfers (APR Examples). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brexit update: How it impacts mortgages, flights, your rights & more. After yet another vote in Parliament, check the latest facts when there are facts & Martin's analysis when there aren't in our Brexit guide. (Plus if you've spring hols booked, check if your travel insurer will cover Brexit flight disruption.) £18 for 23 berry plants bundle incl strawberry, raspberry & blueberry (norm £57-ish). MSE Blagged. You also get £10-ish of veg seeds. Berry nice Contactless card flaw largely fixed, in a win for our 2yr campaign. Our investigation revealed crooks could use cards MONTHS after you'd cancelled 'em, but the regulator says it's now mostly fixed the flaw. Karen Millen 20% off EVERYTHING code, incl up to 70% off sale. MSE Blagged. Valid online and in stores till Sun. Karen Millen 3,000 FREE pairs of Build It Live tickets (norm £24). Self-build and home renovating show in Kent (9-10 Feb), Manchester (23-24 Feb) and Oxfordshire (8-9 June). Build It Live |
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| AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS
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| Charity shops are overflowing - eg, 'I got a very cheap Mulberry bag' There's been a surge in clothes, furniture and even handbag donations at many charity shops - in the past our forumites have reported "very cheap" Mulberry bags or £5 Magimix ice-cream makers. Charity Sue Ryder says donations are double last Jan's in some shops, the Salvation Army's are up 80% in some areas, while Oxfam, the British Heart Foundation and Scope confirm rises, too. Many suggest it's down to Netflix's declutter-encouraging show Tidying Up With Marie Kondo. Barnardo's says: "It's a great time to find a bargain in our shops, as we have an even greater range." So as charity shops want your custom, we've launched 13 Charity Shop Tricks, which shows you how to find the best items... Head to posh areas for posh clobber. Affluent locals can mean swish bargains, so we list posh hot spots.The charity shops that specialise in designer donations. See our list of high-end charity boutiques. One chain told us it counts 400 labels as donors, incl Ralph Lauren and Stella McCartney. Some high-end stores even donate unsold stock. Often big name chains donate surplus stock with labels snipped out. M&S has confirmed it does this (with labels still in), while Ted Baker says it has "relationships" with charities. Some have joined the online shopping revolution. We list online charity shops if you can't get to the high street. Follow charity shops on social media to hear about new stock & sales first. See key social media insider tips. You can haggle, but whether you should is an open question. Many do report haggling in charity shops. This is more a moral decision than a financial one. Martin's view is: "This is about charity, so it's the one time paying full price (if it's reasonable) is a good thing. Yet if you're on the breadline and this is your only route available, then offering to pay what you can afford isn't wrong." It's not just charity shops. See more tips on second-hand bargains via police auctions, Facebook buying, eBay & Freecycle. |
| £2,600 FLIGHT DELAY WIN - SUCCESS OF THE WEEK: "My family and I flew back from the US in September last year and we had a 7-hour delay getting home. Thanks to MSE's tips we eventually got a €3,000 [£2,600] refund." (Send us yours on this or any topic.) Want or know a charity wanting an MSE Charity grant? Our charity's latest grant-giving round opens on Mon 4 Feb, but go quick - it closes once it's accepted 40 applications, or on Fri 1 Mar, whichever's sooner. It's offering up to £7,500 each to organisations that teach practical money and budgeting skills, focusing on projects that help children, young people and families. Apply via its website and take a quiz to check if your organisation's eligible. |
| THIS WEEK'S POLL How do you feel Brexit will affect your personal finances? The UK is set to leave the European Union on 29 March (see our Brexit help guide). So we wanted to test your sentiment about Brexit and its effect on your pocket, rather than the general economy. How do you feel Brexit will affect your personal finances? Younger MoneySavers gobble up the most mobile data. Last week, we asked how much mobile data you use in a typical month and received 4,500+ responses. From the results, younger people were the most data-hungry – with almost a quarter of under-25s using 10GB+ a month. In stark contrast, just 2% of those aged 65+ used the same amount. See full mobile data results. |
| MONEYSAVING NEWS - Top story: Feeling the chill? Check if you're eligible for winter fuel help incl £140 warm home discount |
| MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Is it OK if I don't pay for my Valentine's date? I'm a mystery diner, so I get reimbursed the cost of a meal for reviewing the service and food afterwards. I have a fine dining restaurant to review during the week of Valentine's Day. Is it OK to take a date and treat it as our Valentine's Day meal? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Is it OK if I don't pay for my Valentine's date? | Suggest an MMD | View past MMDs THE QUICKIES - Debt-Free Wannabe chat of the week: February's bring your lunch to work challenge |
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| MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 30 JAN ONWARDS) Thu 31 Jan - Good Morning Britain, ITV, Deals of the Week, 7.40am MSE TEAM APPEARANCES (MOST SUBJECTS TBC) Wed 30 Jan - BBC Radio Cumbria, Money Talks with Ben Maeder, from 6pm |
| QUESTION OF THE WEEK Q: My energy supplier has a cheaper tariff and I want to switch to it, but the firm still wants to charge me the exit fee. Is this right? Jameel, via email. MSE Steve B's A: It depends when you are switching. Its policy for levying exit fees – charged when you switch if still within the minimum term of your tariff – should be laid out clearly in the terms and conditions. However, if you're within 49 days of the end of your tariff, exit fees can't be charged at all. So check the date your tariff ends. Before switching, do a full comparison via our Cheap Energy Club. You may find even better savings. Please suggest a question of the week (we can't reply to individual emails). |
| 'MY MOTHER-IN-LAW PUT A CURSE ON ME': THE TOP TAX RETURN EXCUSES That's it for this week, but before we go... "I'm too short to reach the post box", "my mother-in-law put a curse on me" and "my fingers were too cold to type". These are just some of the excuses HMRC says it has been given for late tax returns over the past 12 months. Unsurprisingly, they didn't work - but at least they get top marks for creativity. See the full list in our Tax return excuses forum post - and remember, you only have until 11.59pm on Thursday to file your 2017/18 return and pay any tax due. We hope you save some money, |
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