Mrs Mean Money Show

Online shopping makes it too easy to spend money and to incur extra fees we are not expecting.  It was vital during the pandemic and retailers are keen for us to continue buying from the comfort of our homes.  We are offered big discounts on our first online grocery shop and season passes to get regular deliveries.   But you have to make sure that you do not make extra orders to get value from you...

Food shopping has never been more difficult.  We have to do the prep if we do not want to fall foul of the tricks designed to confuse us.   We cannot trust offers  as food prices are increasing by 17.5%.   Take time to check the price per ml or gram.  Mrs Mean found one soap container at eye height on the shelves cost five times more than the bottles on the bottom shelf.  Aisle ends are also a tra...

Both savers and borrowers are getting a rough deal from banks who are making monster profits for their shareholders and their executives.    It is time that we all check our bank accounts to see if we are among the millions of customers who are getting little or no interest on their savings while NatWest has reported that it made 14 times more from its savers last year than it did in 2021.  Its ne...

The chance to save £450 in a little over an hour should be incentive enough for most of us to check whether we can Spring Clean our spending.  Saving money is our second job as food prices, council tax, water bills, stamps, presciptions and much more are set to rise. Meanwhile insurance companies and telecoms providers are increasing their costs by more than inflation.    More than 15 million  cre...

His Majesty's Revenue and Customs is seen as a plunderer of money from our earnings  but many of us can get serious money from the tax department.  The tax system is so complicated, that many people who could get hundreds if not thousands of pounds refunded do not know about the tax breaks. Millions of married couples and those with a civil partnership are eligible for the marriage allowance...

Companies no longer look after their customers as they should, and in many cases they take hours to answer their phones when customers try to get issues sorted out.    Energy companies and banks are particularly bad at helping customers when things go wrong.  It is therefore wonderful that there are ombudsmen to help energy and bank customers, plus for many other industries. It means that we do no...

Grocery price inflation is over 16% making it difficult to budget.  The discounters are regularly the cheapest in research by Which?, the consumer group, but often customers do not have one of their stores nearby. Sainsbury and Tesco are the cheapest of the big supermarkets , but we have to be careful which of their stores we use. Tesco Extra and Sainsbury Local do not have the same prices as the...

Council tax bills are rising by up to 15% in April adding to the major  financial burdens facing households.   Most bills are rising by 5% at the same time as water rates are increasing by 7.5% and energy bills are set to increase by a further 20%. Never has it been more important to ensure that you are paying the right amount.   Hundreds of thousands of homes may be in the wrong council tax band...

Millions of people are struggling to pay for the professional care of their children while they are at work.   But some are missing out on cash help offered to all for all children under 11 and may also be  able to cut costs by sharing care with other parents. There is no doubt child care is expensive and the number of women not returning to work after they have children is increasing because they...

You may believe that your broadband or mobile deal is the best value in the market because you spent ages checking prices, but you could still be hit with inflation-busting increases this Spring.    Now is the time to check the small print of the contract that you thought fixed the price for your broadband  or mobile service.   The companies are allowed  by Ofcom to increase fees by inflation plus...

Regulations  were introduced last year that were supposed to cut the cost of motor and homes insurance by £4 billion over the next 10 years.   But customers are being asked for increases of 80% and even the industry estimates we will all be paying an extra 30% on homes insurance this year and 15% more on motor premiums. And unlike other years when we have been able to telephone our insurance compa...

Lots of bills are getting bigger and our incomes are not keeping pace.   It is estimated that the average household will have a shortfall  in their spending power of £2,100 in 2023.  This is too much for most households to find by cutting their food and energy costs or reducing their streaming services. Most us have to find new funds to get through the year.   Mrs Mean suggests lots of ways to inc...

It is much more difficult to know where our hard-earned money goes today than it used to be.   Paperless bankand credit card accounts mean that there is no regular prompt to reduce our spending.  Banking apps are useful but you have to remember to check them and not on public wi-fi. The cost of living crisis has affected most of us and the New Year provides a breathing space for us to check that w...

Pets may give their owners unconditional love but it comes at a price.   According to one animal charity,  dogs can cost more than £30,000 over their lifetime and that is without counting in vets' bills.   Even that cute tiny puppy that you are considering can cost thousands over their lifetime, especially if they are pedigree and prone to certain health problems. Mrs Mean looks at the high c...

Earning money when you buy things sounds too good to be true but lots of banks, credit cards and cashback sites are trying to enlist us.  When they work we are paid for buying what we would normally buy, but they can cost us dear if we change our spending to chase their rewards. And it is all too easy to be out of pocket if you incur interest on a cash back credit card or you do not check that the...

Cars have become more expensive to buy  in the last year or so.  Petrol and diesel prices have also risen dramatically after Russia invaded Ukraine, and even though wholesale prices have fallen since, the prices at filling stations are staying high as retailers have widened their profit margins.   Shortages of new vehicles pushed up the price of second hand vehicles by more than 40% during the pan...

Most of us have too much stuff. It may be clothes, bought but never worn, or books read crammed into shelves and any available surface or children's toys that will never be played with again.  While they no longer have a value to us there is a ready market for all our cast-offs.   It has never been easier to sell stuff  and you can get good prices for items that no longer have a value for you...

Collectively we have £1 billion tied up on loyalty cards and apps.  Sounds a lot but on average we have less than £20.  That said we should spend it as we try to save as much as possible on our groceries and Christmas.  The loyalty schemes want us to spend more and are currently sending lots of offers to earn extra points but Mrs Mean warns that no one should spend more to get points that they can...

Holidays have taken on a greater importance after two years of staycations or no vacations at all.  The threat of blackouts and very high heating bills this winter seem to be encouraging more people to book holidays. Ryanair has reported that we are prepared to pay more for our flights as it reported £1.2 billion of profits in the first half of 2022. Mrs Mean looks at when it is best to book to ge...

Retail sales volumes are down and shops have lots of stock they need to sell.  It is not surprising that they are launching their year-end sales even earlier this year.   And they are using all sorts of tricks to get us into their stores and onto their websites. But we have to remember a bargain is only a bargain if it something that we need and it is on sale at a lower price. We have to remember...

Getting a mortgage has become very difficult for first-time buyers and homeowners who need to replace a fixed rate mortgage.  Interest rates have tripled in a few months increasing typical monthly payments by hundreds of pounds. It means that homebuyers cannot leave anything to chance.  They need to find out what credit reference agencies have on their records about them before they start to find...

Food shopping is changing.   It is getting a lot more expensive and takes a lot longer if you want to get a good deal.  Comparing prices has never been more difficult.  Prices are often missing from the shelves and may not be reflected in the price charged at the till.  You have to watch carefully. The price per unit can be difficult to find and may be quoted in kg for one detergent capsule and pe...

The cost-of-living crisis is probably worse for students trying to survive at university.  It is not surprising that some 80% have a job alongside their studies as the maintenance loans have not kept pace with inflation.  They were increased by 2.36% this year when inflation is in double figures.  The maximum that they can receive is £12,667 in London and that has to cover their accommodation, foo...

Rents are increasing by 8 per cent a year and more than 11 renters are chasing each property as the number of properties to rent declines.   Letting agents get more than 100 applications per branch but have only 11 properties to rent. It means you have to be professional in your search, but first of all you need to work out the real cost of properties including council tax, transport to and from w...

Most of us are wanting a good Christmas after two Covid ones.  But the doubling of average energy bills,  rapidly rising interest rates and record food price inflation will make the budgetting more difficult.   That is why Mrs Mean has already started thinking about how we can all save money .  Starting now gives us all a better chance of making the money stretch without appearing mean. Now is the...