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Rising Costs of Energy and Inability to Pay – An insiders guide

I think that the majority of the UK is deeply concerned and anxious about the rising energy costs and other expenses and how we are all going to cope in the coming months and pay our energy bills. There will be lots of people unable to pay their upcoming utility bills and I know that

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Should you prepare for isa season?

As a parent we all want to try and save for out children’s futures and even in today’s climate it is worth trying to save for a rainy day. MadDad works in the financial industry so he is my go too guy when it comes to asking about money etc, but I would always suggest that you find an Independent Financial Adviser to help you out with financial planning.

So firstly what is isa season?

In very basic terms it is a six week period in the lead up to when you have to subscribe to your Is, the 5 April 2012 (if you don’t use it, you lose it).
This often means that you can be bombarded with information telling you to open a cash isa on the lead up to this date and if can be very confusing.

So what is an isa?

A Cash isa is a savings accounts where the interest isn’t taxed.

A stocks and share isa is a managed collective investment again where the interest isnt taxed.

Should I prepare for isa season?

I decided to ask MadDad this and he said he would advise anyone to make an appointment with a Independent Financial adviser to discuss this. My first response was that IFA’s are for people with money, to which he told me this isn’t at all true. Many IFA’s get their payment from any investment you make through them or charge a nominal fee and they are perfect for people who are going through major life changes such as parents. They can often take an overview of a situation and help you put your new priorities in perspective.

People often think that isa’s are only for people with money and that they are not something that they can utilise to manage their finances, but again it is often about working smarter not harder and in today’s climate we need to know the best way of making our money work for us.

But don’t take my word for it, go and see a professional!

Should you prepare for isa season? Read More »

#savvyspender Twitter Party 28 November 7.30pm to 8.30pm

I would like to invite you to a great Twitter Party being hosted by me and the amazing Penny Golightly, on 28th November between 7.30pm and 8.30pm, all about shopping habits and family treats.

We would love to hear about how you stick to a budget, choose appropriate family rewards, spend your money wisely and if your shopping habits have changed recently compared to previous years.

I know how hard it can be to budget well in the current financial climate and talk a lot about saving money on my other blog A Thrifty Mum. But we really want to hear from you and I hope that together we can share some brilliant top tips that will help us all. Even though I often write about family money saving I still have a lot to learn and I love getting new tips and ideas.

And as if sharing your knowledge and learning new ways of saving money wasn’t enough to tempt you to join in, there’s even going to be prizes!

The party’s being sponsored by Barclaycard and their Freedom Rewards credit card. This new reward card is potentially very useful for organised spenders who pay their balance off every month, as you earn points on everything you spend, that you can then redeem in a range of high street stores (check out www.barclaycard.co.uk/freedomrewards)!

I’d love you to spread the word for us a little – more people joining in with #savvyspender means more money saving tips for us all.

See you there

#savvyspender Twitter Party 28 November 7.30pm to 8.30pm Read More »