Friday, 6 January 2023
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50 Simple Money Saving Tips to Get Your New Year Off To A Positive Start
As the cost-of-living crisis worsens, many of us are beginning the new year seeking out ways to save money on their normal day to day living costs.
Holly Andrews, Managing Director at KIS Finance has been looking at the 50 best money saving tips that are really quick and simple but offer genuine ways to cut your expenditure without impacting on your lifestyle.
Holly says: “The new year is the ideal time to shake up our spending habits and look for ways to streamline our expenditure, but most money saving tips mean having to cut back and give up things that you like.
"However here at KIS Finance we have looked into the 50 simplest ways you can use to save money with little effort but with some really great potential rewards.
"If you try our easy to follow tips you can significantly reduce your expenditure without reducing your enjoyment of life.”
Our guide gives some great practical advice on:
Saving money when using your car by:
Using fuel price comparison sites
Avoiding premium fuels
Driving for efficiency
Regularly checking your tyre pressures
Reducing the weight of your vehicle
Spending less on your Electricity and Gas by:
Using a comparison site
Insulating your home cheaply
Turning off individual radiators
Running your washing machine on a low
temperature cycle
Buying a shower timer
Only boiling the amount of water that you need to
Paying less for your holidays by:
Traveling outside of the most popular times
Being flexible over your destination
Avoiding expensive mobile phone data charges
Enjoy the local cuisine
Making your food budget go further by:
Shopping in the evenings
Shopping online
Going to the supermarket alone
Using Apps to avoid food waste
Enjoying takeaways for less by:
Going for collection instead of delivery
Look for cashback deals
Not ordering on a Friday or Saturday
Not just throwing away junk mail
Considering supermarket alternatives
Getting a better deal with your bank by:
Switching bank accounts
Making better use of your credit cards by:
Setting up a direct debit
Consolidating your credit cards
Removing your payment details from shopping
websites
Saving money on your loans and mortgages by:
Consolidating loans
Comparing fixed rate mortgage offers
Cost effective mobile phones and internet by:
Cancelling your landline if no longer needed
Only paying for what you need
Saving money on entertainment by:
Utilising voucher schemes
Looking for free days out
Investing in a Kids Pass
Spending less on travel costs by:
Buying a family and friends rail card (Or other appropriate rail cards)
Reducing your tax liabilities by:
Checking your tax code
Utilising any employee benefits
Reviewing your Council Tax
Getting a better deal on your insurance by:
Using a comparison site
Taking out home care cover
Only paying for the cover you need
Increasing your policy excess
Installing additional security to your home
Not overestimating your mileage for car
insurance
Getting a black box insurance policy
Saving money on your direct debits and subscriptions by:
Auditing your direct debits and standing orders
Checking recurring payments
Reviewing subscriptions
Streamlining your streaming services
Full details on all of these simple, but highly effective money saving tips can be found in their full report at: https://www.kisbridgingloans.co.uk/consumer-guides/50-top-money-saving-tips-to-get-your-new-year-off-to-a-positive-start
Wednesday, 4 January 2023
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Thursday, 29 December 2022
Christmas fly-tippers are being targeted
“Most urban fringe areas suffer from ongoing fly-tipping”, explains Partnership Manager Jim Bradley, “with many assuming there’s nothing that can be done to stop persistent offenders emptying their rubbish along quiet country lanes in the hills. We decided enough was enough and started putting cameras up to catch these polluters.”
By securing funding, signage and licenses for cameras to monitor hot spots, the Partnership has been working in conjunction with local authorities to monitor and deter fly-tipping.
Local residents have welcomed signage from Belfast Hills Partnership discouraging fly-tipping. They have been co-operative and supportive of the measures being taken by the charity to address this ongoing issue.
BHP Wildlife Connections Officer Noel Rice highlights the effectiveness of the signage, “Residents who bear the brunt of this anti-social behaviour have told us the presence of signage, whilst not eliminating fly-tipping, has definitely reduced the amount of incidents.”
Unfortunately, the Christmas season often coincides with an increase in fly-tipping around the hills. With Christmas decorations coming down and the New Year approaching a lot of people may have generated increased waste in their homes.
BHP would like to remind residents to keep the hills tidy and free from waste by disposing of it properly. If not collected by a reliable person your rubbish could end up being dumped and you could be held liable for it.
BHP would like to remind people to explore their options when discarding unwanted items. Local Councils can offer a free bulky waste collection service for larger items like furniture and some electrical appliances. Items that are still in good condition can be donated for future use to charity shops. Platforms such as Freecycle can link you up with local people who might be interested in what you no longer want.
BHP Manager Jim Bradley had this to say: “Everyone always focuses on recycling but re-using things are just as important. Before you part with something consider whether it's at the end of its life or if you or someone else can breathe some new life into it. Putting in that extra bit of thought and care means our hills stay free pf rubbish.”
If you see illegal dumping this festive season remember that you can report it to the local authorities who can take appropriate action. By working together communities can send a strong message that fly-tipping will not be tolerated at any time of the year.
New Year ecards from Hope Springs water charity
There are a dozen cards in the series. The charity is expecting its supporters and visitors to their website to send New Year greetings.
The main target of the new ecards are those who forgot to send Christmas cards to their friends, colleagues and loved ones. Sending a new year eCard will help to ensure they did not miss our sending greeting during the holiday season.
The newly released eCard includes four, targeted at people who do not celebrate Christmas or new year, but wish to participate in the season’s festivities. It simply says seasons or winter greetings. Users of Hope Spring’s charity eCard platform can start sending the new eCards from 29th of December.
Spokesperson for the charity, Seun Olonade said “we had a strong take up of our Christmas eCards. Buoyed by that, we launch our new year and winter greeting range”. Hope Spring charity eCard platform, has been one of the organisation’s most reliable fundraisers.
Seun Olonade added “we do not expect new year ecards to be as successful as our Christmas eCards, but any additional donation generated by this new set of eCards, will help us achieve some of the projects we plan for next year”.
Hope Spring uses funds it raises from ecards and events it organises to fund clean water projects in Africa. Their clean water projects include boreholes and well construction. They plan to complete four borehole projects in 2023.
You can find out more information about Hope Spring from their website and social media pages.
Cold weather hints for the Twelve Days of Christmas and beyond
“On frosty cold mornings, many drivers will wake up extra early to boost the heating in their car. Whilst this won't really consume a significant amount of extra fuel, it can actually shorten the life of your engine.
“After having your vehicle in the cold overnight and then warming it up, this can cause extra fuel can go into the combustion chamber, which can leak onto your cylinder walls.
Too much fuel on your cylinder walls can dissolve the oil that keeps the cylinders lubricated, leading to damage to vital components.
“Instead of leaving your car to heat first thing in the morning, it’s advised you keep the vehicle warm overnight, taking the strain off the vehicle and making your mornings less stressful.”
Below, Select’s Graham Conway shares five things drivers can do the night before to make icy cold mornings that bit more bearable.
Park your car in an insulated garage
Whilst not everyone has the luxury of a garage, for those that do, make the most of it!
Keeping your vehicle in an insulated space overnight will keep the vehicle from reaching freezing temperatures. Even if the garage is not insulated, your car will stay warmer than it will out in the open.
An alternative method of insulation is a car cover blanket. Whilst it not only will from scratches caused by bikes, bins, or treacherous weather conditions, it will also reduce the chance of windows frosting over.
Heated blankets
Again, if you are lucky enough to have a garage, place some heated blankets across the interior of the vehicle the night before.
A cheap electric blanket (costing around £14) costs about 3p an hour to run, equalling around £1.37 if used for seven hours a day.
With this in mind, placing blankets across the seats will help produce heat inside the vehicle and minimise the defrosting in the morning.
You can also buy electric blankets that actually plug straight into your car’s cigarette lighter terminal, to keep you toasty until your car warms up.
Use the recirculation button
Whilst people can assume the recirculation button is only used the circulate cold air around the vehicle, it can also help to circulate hot air too.
The air recirculation button works by cutting off the outside air to the inside of the car, helping to recirculate air inside your vehicle.
This effectively will be a catalyst for the hot air circulating around the vehicle when the car’s heater is on, helping to heat it quicker.
Invest in heated car seat covers
You can actually buy heated covers for your seats. They include a thermostat that, like how any thermostat would work, will heat the seat to an ideal temperature before then turning off.
When the seat begins to cool down, it will then restart. These are pretty cost-effective accessories to have, as well as protecting your sets from any dirty hands, accidental spills, crumbs, stains, dirt etc.
Stock up on hand warming packets
Especially for those with children, stock up on hand warmers that are completely self-efficient and will keep hands warm during the drive.
You can activate your hand warming packets around 10-15 minutes before getting into the vehicle and place them on the seats before the kids get in.
Whilst slightly heating the car interior, they will more importantly keep children's little hands warm during the cold journey.
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