Mrs Mean Money Show

Black Friday is a danger zone for anyone trying to live within their budgets.  Retailers want us to splurge on things we didn't know existed or that we wanted them.  Fraudsters also put in overtime to part us from our money. But if you do your research before the spending-fest there are bargains to be had as retailers battle to persuade us to buy.   Retail sales have been reduced by bad and g...

Mrs Mean has been listening to your questions and  says you do not have to wait for the Government to provide a giveaway Autumn Statement or Budget.  You can save money on your energy bills straightaway and some two million couples are missing out on tax benefits for being married that could provide more than £1,000 in weeks. Getting savings rates that are higher than the current inflation rate an...

The incentives to buy an electric vehicle are gradually being removed and the cost of running them has risen.  It is not therefore surprising that the number of private buyers of electric cars fell by 14% in the year to September,  even before the government rolled back the deadline by five years  for the end to the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles. Those drivers who already have an EV and t...

Renters are having it tougher than homebuyers to get a home, with more than 20 people asking to view properties as soon as  they are advertised, and rents increasing by inflation-busting amounts.  Finding the right property, or one that is good enough, is just the start.   It probably takes more work than buying a home because you do not have a solicitor or broker to help you.    It means to get a...

Online companies appear to set out to mislead customers about the prices they will charge  when we get to the checkout.   Everyone knows that the flight price first offered is likely to be doubled by the time we pay.   Unfortunately many other companies are using the same trickery.  The government is consulting on whether it needs to ban charging more than the initial price  by what it calls &quot...

Credit cards are charging historic rates of interest and they are also trying to find new customers to pay these rates, and possibly spend more than they should.   Beware. As people struggle to pay their increased mortgages, rents, food and heating costs the card providers are offering extra credit almost daily.     One offer I received told me I would get a decision in 60 seconds whether I had go...

Motor insurance premiums are rising very fast, and unexpectedly for drivers who have made no claims or changes to their policies. Many  loyal customers are getting renewal notices for premiums that have more than doubled. Insurance companies say this is because car repairs are much more costly and those of us who have not incurred any costs are expected to pick up the bill. That is unless we act q...

The energy price cap will fall again at the beginning of October, but will still be very high.    Meanwhile the nights are drawing in and lights are needed earlier. Before it gets cold we need to look at how we can save money on heating, lighting and to cut our monthly direct debits.   And maybe it is time to check out whether you would save money by fixing your energy tariff or to find out whethe...

Food shopping has got a lot more complicated as supermarkets offer us different discounts and extra points if we use their loyalty cards. It takes time to  get ready for a shopping trip, and once in the supermarket it can be  hard work to find the advertised deals on the shelves  and also to check whether it is really good value. Mrs Mean has been analysing her weekly shops and believes that the l...

Having your bank account frozen or closed can be very costly in financial terms, and damage your reputation and credit profile into the bargain.  While Nigel Farage was able to get full attention when Coutts Bank told him it wanted to close his account, most customers are on their own, and may not even to be able to get through to someone at their bank who can help them.  Banking legislation is in...

Credit cards offer brilliant insurance for millions of us if we are ripped off when making purchases over £100.  The protection is offered by the Consumer Credit Act and it has forced banks and credit cards to pay customers billions of pounds when their flights were cancelled, retailers went into administration without providing what we have paid for, and for many other financial disappointments. ...

Motor insurance is stoking inflation in the UK if we allow it do so.   Data from Consumer Intelligence put the average motor policy increase at 34% in May and the Office of National Statistics said that motor policies were up 50% in the year to June. These increases make it vital that no driver accepts an automatic renewal and that they all start to find the best deal a month out from their renewa...

Mrs Mean is here to help you get money back when you have been ripped off and to help you to work out what to do next. In today's Money Clinic she details how to get compensation from universities for lost access to tutors and not being able to graduate at the end of degree courses.  Every week she is asked by the customers of banks, energy companies, brokers and many more how to take the org...

Household debt is at an all time high with unsecured debt - borrowing other than mortgages - averaging £14,300 a household.    There is lots of help from debt charities, who are doing a marvellous job, but you have to be careful as there are vampire advisers, who pop up on your browser and they are out to add to your debt.  Or at least to charge you lots for help that can be got for free.  Stepcha...

Managing finances at college or university is tougher than any exam.  The maintenance loans to pay for the cost of living as a student will rise by a miserly 2.8% for English students in September following a rise of 2.36% last year.  Rents alone often cost more than the maximum maintenance loans. Parents whose household incomes are more than £25,000 a year are expected to contribute to their stud...

The Bank of England has raised interest rates by 0.5% causing panic among mortgage payers. It comes as more than a million homebuyers will have to remortgage before the end of the year  as their fixed rate mortgages expire.   Many more have variable or tracker mortgages that have already increased a dozen times in the last 18 months and may be getting behind with payments.   Now is the time for al...

Every week grocery prices increase and we all need to change the way we shop - avoiding the traps laid for us by supermarkets.    Check shelf edges for unit prices to work out what is cheapest.  You may have to use your phone calculator as stores are not very good at maths or try to confuse. Look to the lower shelves for better value products and avoid month-end price increases.  Count everything...

We have been told that new rules are coming in to help anyone who has been defrauded to get refunds from their banks.  But there is no date yet as to when this will come to pass so we all have to be extra careful as anyone defrauded through their bank account may still feel alone.  And the fraudsters may go into overdrive to make the most of their opportunities to persuade bank customers to pay th...

The sun is shining and energy bills are on their way down in July.  Now is the time to check we are not paying too much each month.  Energy companies increased our direct debits  by an average of 60%  between February and April  and have not reduced  them to take account of all our energy-saving.  They are holding billions of pounds that belongs to us.   It is time to claim it. Now as unit prices...

Air fares have increased by up to 71% since last summer, which makes us all vulnerable to being lured by a cheap holiday offer.   Beware of fares that seem too cheap.  The budget airlines are adding lots of extra fees for choosing your seat, boarding early, air passenger duty and taking luggage. It can make them more expensive than flying with the bigger more traditional airlines.    Mrs Mean warn...

Tipping has changed in the UK and you could be paying too much. The National minimum wage, changing spending patterns and the growth of food delivery have reduced the reliance on fixed service charges.  Restaurants would rather we return and recommend them than be put off by fixed tips.  It is also more honest to charge the correct price for dishes.  New laws mean that waiters and others, who get...

Three American banks have failed and an unprecedented £4.8 billion was withdrawn from British banks in March.  During the cost of living crisis we need to know our money is safe. While UK banks are safe it is a good time to make sure that our savings are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and will be there whatever happens.  It is therefore important to know all the rules and to...

Every week hundreds of customers are locked out of their bank accounts with no warning.  They cannot withdraw cash, pay bills and often cannot find out why. As fraudsters come up with new scams, and commandeer the accounts of vulnerable customers, banks use complicated logarithms to detect suspicious activity and they often get it wrong. The banks' systems  are looking for unusual activities...

Credit card debt is swamping many of the holders of the UK's 59 million credit cards.  With interest running close to £5 billion a month or £126m a day now is the time to find out how to cut the costs before the interest rates go up again in June.  More than 90% of credit card holders are in debt in that they do not pay off the bills in full each month and many could save substantial money by...

Millions of workers have stopped paying into their pensions during the cost of living crisis.  The short-term savings may be costing them thousands of pounds a year and could reduce their pension pot by tens of thousands.  Times are very hard with energy bills, mortgage rates, council tax, childcare fees and even broadband charges putting serious pressure on our budgets when wages are not keeping...