Cut up Your Credit Card

How about at 12 midnight on the 31st December you cut up your credit card into 12 pieces, and bin it. You will then not have the temptation to buy anything with it, and can focus on clearing the debt. Make no mistake it can be very hard, especially if you rely on it for bills etc, but you'll find that if you haven't got it, and you can't afford a bill on a particular day for say electricity, all it means is that the electricity company has to wait until you are paid. The big utility companies etc must love the fact everyone has credit cards because it means they get paid when they want and do not have to wait until people have money to pay them.

Credit cards are not a 'service' they have been designed to leech as much money out of lenders as possible. They have interest rates set at a level so people never pay them back. Notice when the Euro crisis was happening they mentioned about countries like Greece getting bonds at 7%. This was the level of interest the journalists was saying was the limit before countries would not be able to pay back the debts, a credit card typical interest will be 18%, so clearly they are at a level that the financial press have let slip is way beyond a rate that can be paid back. They are a monumental rip off and if I was PM they would be banned from Britain!

Consumer Credit Counselling Service

Hopefully readers have tried to stick to a tight budget for Christmas and have not overspent on credit cards. However if you have and are worried about debts you have, then a really good place to start to sort out your debt problems is a national charity called 'The Consumer Credit Counselling Service' they have well trained staff to help you sort out your problem. First they will make an appointment for a phone interview and they will request you get all your bills, credit card statements, etc ready for the date and time when they call you back.

When they call they will spend time going through your expenses and income, and by the time you have finished giving them the answers they will have compiled an income sheet that they can send you by email with a letter from them. You can use this to send to your debtors. Depending on your circumstances they will advise what the best way forward might be, they will tell you what payments to prioritise etc and can advise you about IVA's bankrupty etc. It depends on your situation and levels of debt. Their helpline is open from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday.

0800 138 1111

Give them a call you have nothing to lose and it can be a great help with stress levels to feel that someone is listening without judging and is hoping to help you get back to a more stable financial footing.

Aldi Store Locator

Aldi is the perfect place to get cheap Christmas crackers, wine, treats, snacks etc If you have never been to one before take a trip, you'll be pleasantly surprised at the quality of their food. They are a German company so a lot of the food is from the continent and very tasty!

Here is their store locator to find the closest Aldi to you.

http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/store_locator.htm?WT.z_src=main

UK Unemployment Rate Hits 17 Year High

Austerity measures, prolonged economic weakness and a eurozone crisis have taken their toll on Britain's work force, with figures published Wednesday showing that unemployment has reached a 17-year high.

Read more.......

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jN0TB9p49RI7NoZ00l0Co4E2YyYA?docId=5a28747d8a0d44e38bb761b52a54261c

Nettle Beer

Here is a great vid about making nettle beer, using plain old nettles that can easily be obtained from roadsides, gardens, etc. Cheap, healthy, fun to make and looks really refreshing! If you want to view the rest just click on the youtube logo to watch part 2 and 3.

Top Cashback - Cashback Site

Cashback sites are a way of getting a discount on orders from hundreds of online shops. You have to go to them first then click through to the store you want to order from, the casback site can then see what you have ordered and pay you the sales commission they receive from the retailer.

A popular cashback site is;

http://www.topcashback.co.uk/

The site is free to join and has 1 million members. Example discounts are

Tesco 10.1%
Play.com 7.07%
Debenhams 3%
Asda up to 5.05%
New Look 7.07%

Driving Instructor Training

If you have been made redundant or are looking for a new challenge then how about becoming a driving instructor. You get out and about, meet new people and there must be great satisfaction if you help someone pass their test.

With the economy on the ropes, like all small businesses driving instructors might be struggling with the cost of fuel and more young people not being able to afford lessons because of being unemployed. However, there is still plenty of people wanting to drive and there is a growing population.

The BSM is one of the countries most respected companies that offers driver instructor training. Once you have qualified it is also possible to buy a franchise and become your own boss, perhaps a worthy investment of redundancy money.

http://www.bsm.co.uk/become-instructor?refid=bsm333

Daily Mail Money Section - Ask the Experts

This section of the Daily Mail website is tucked away, but is really interesting. There is answers to a whole host of money and personal finance related questions.

Example questions with expert answers include;

How should I take my first ever £1,000 punt on the stock market?
Can you really save money by switching off the lights?
Why was my Friends Life pension fund £13k less than I was expecting?
Is it okay to haggle in shops?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/experts/index.html

Pay Day Loans

A lot of people are using pay day loans as they struggle to meet costs of living and Christmas. If you can avoid at ALL COSTS, they charge shocking interest and are making big profits out of peoples hardship.

First of all see if you can save money by cutting back, call your energy suppliers to make sure you are on the cheapest deal, use online comparison sites. Also, there are local credit unions that offer small temporary loans, do a google search 'your home town/city credit union' they often work out of local council buildings. They are highly ethical and charge minimum interest and are owned by members who pay a small fee to join. (more about credit unions later)

In the meantime, here is a good Q&A page about pay day loans on the Telegraph website. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/borrowing/8940249/Payday-loans-your-questions-answered.html

Charity Shop Christmas

An interesting article in the Telegraph by someone who buys all her Christmas presents from charity shops as a way of saving some money. Charity shops these days are not usually scruffy and their stock can be quite impressive.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/8930657/My-familys-charity-shop-Christmas.html

Long Stay Winter Holidays

I'm amazed more pensioners don't go abroad for the winter, rather than sit huddling in front of the fire. You might think how could a pensioner afford a long holdiay in the winter if they are struggling with the heating bills? It might make more sense than you think, lets say a couple went away for 8 weeks in Jan and February to Malta, they would not have the winter gas and electric bills, so they might save £200, then they will have their winter fuel payment, which won't need to be spent on fuel and electric that is another £200, so £400 so far, if they run a small car they wont be using it for 8 weeks to get to the shops etc, so lets say £20 a week for petrol, that is a saving of £160, so now we've got £560 in the kitty, as they are going away for the winter they decide not to go for a week in spain in july, so thats a saving of £600, now there is £1,160. Below are some deals for 28 days at hotels in Malta, which give you an idea, how going away for 4 to 8 weeks, avoiding the ice, darkness, and snow might not sound as lavish as it first seems.

MALTA LONG STAY DEALS THOMAS COOK CLICK HERE