Disputing taxes Some 900,000 people will have been sent letters in the last week or so threatening them with a £100 fine plus a further fine of £10 a day over three months. The letters from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) are to people who did not fill in a tax return by the January 31 deadline. Many thousands of other letters are sent by the tax collectors to people they believe owe tax on savings accounts, pensions or other income. And it is up to the recipients – if, indeed, the letters are sent to the current, correct address […]
UK petrol prices – a license to burn money
For months we’ve been told that UK petrol prices could not fall further or faster because the refineries buy their fuel months ahead. Yeah, right. UK petrol prices rise again So it came as a surprise to see prices creeping up again ALREADY! The excuse, no doubt, is that this reflects the increase of a few dollars per barrel for Brent crude. The price of crude has moved from a low of $45 to above $60. With what can only be described as lightning speed the price per litre at my local filling station increased from 107.9p to 109.9p. With […]
Why couples fall out
February 14 is Valentine’s Day. A day when gifts are exchange and declarations of passion are, well, declared. It’s a day when people propose to each other. But 24 hours do not a relationship make. Here at Money Fight Club we can get as amorous as the next person. However, when it comes to long lasting relationships – where stress and rows don’t exact the ultimate toll – you need to get on top of the money. Money stress marriage issues This is not about how much, but how well you manage. And sharing also means coming clean about an […]
Cutting the cost of train tickets – don’t get railroaded
When it comes to cutting the cost of train tickets avoid – AND WE DO MEAN AVOID – using the machines at rail stations. They’re a rip off! Wherever possible book ahead and online. Stations increasingly do not man or woman their ticket offices, or have only one window open at busy times. This morning I found myself in such a queue, behind about 20 people, as I needed to get a ticket for a relative who had not booked ahead. The queue moved very slowly. As a result was that we had to abandon the queue and use the […]
Blue Monday – good news about the most financially depressing day of the year
Blue Monday is coming up and so named because December’s pay cheque is often paid a day or two earlier and then January is a five week month, with many of us not seeing another pay cheque reach our bank account for another couple of weeks. When we worked out which day was Blue Monday we felt it fell on January 26. But the growing concensus is that it will actually fall on Monday, January 19. Sheeesh! You wouldn’t think people would be so keen to get there sooner, would yah? Why so blue, Monday? Credit card bills have landed […]
12th night – money saving tips for the New Year
January 5 heralds the start of our post-Christmas battle plan Our money saving tips for the New Year First of all check what you owe on credit cards, overdrafts, personal loans, mortgage or rent arrears, gas and electricity bills, council tax arrears and compare with what your borrowings were a year ago. Nationally we’re getting further into debt so the chances are your personal borrowing will also look a little podgier than it did a year ago. Borrowing is a bit like how much you weigh… If you don’t keep an eye on things it tends to creep up year […]
Cut last minute Christmas costs – exclusive interview with Santa
‘Twas the night before Christmas, well… almost You’re tired, stressed and your bank account looks as if it’s done 10 rounds with Joe Frasier. Yet still we plunge into the crowded high street to buy more food and presents. Are we brave or just plain foolhardy? The good news is that it’s still possible to cut those last minute Christmas costs and you don’t have to take our word for it. For these final tips before Christmas (watch out for our New Year advice) we’ve turned to the man himself, Santa. In this exclusive interview he gives us the snowdown […]
Christmas shopping tricks designed to make us spend & how to counteract them
1. In posh shops it’s about establishing relationships We all hate bored shop assistants who seem more interested in what’s going on under their nails than our desire to purchase. But shops which train and encourage friendly, helpful assistants are being very astute. The better the relationship between assistant and shopper the harder it is not to buy. Glamorous, high-end shops with lots of space, but not very intiutive layouts, are actually creating the ideal environment for friendly, well-informed assistants to step forward and offer to help: “I’m sure we have that in modoms (sic) colour and there is a […]
Stamp duty changes
The planned stamp duty changes announced by Chancellor George Osborne in his autumn statement come into effect today. HM Treasury has produced a really useful two page guide and you can download a copy here Under the old rules, you would have paid tax at a single rate on the entire property price. Now you will only pay the rate of tax on the part of the property price within each tax band – like income tax. 98% of home buyers should benefit. […]
Cyber Monday 2014 poses a very real danger to your wallet
Cyber Monday 2014 is this Monday, December 1. It follows hard on the heels of Black Friday, is yet another American import and once again is about retailers netting profits rather than you netting a bargain. Pay attention. Just in the same way that Black Friday ‘bargains’ generate a shopping surge on the high street, so Cyber Monday tempts us to spend with an array of online bargains and deals. But if you get caught up in all the marketing hype how do you actually know you’re gettting a real bargain? And unlike phsyical sales in stores, it’s just so […]