Insurance
Comparison Sites: What They Do and Do Not Show
Useful for a market view and incomplete. Several major insurers do not appear on them at all.
Spend less on the things you cannot avoid
Household costs examined one at a time, with the savings that are actually available and the ones that are not worth the effort.
Latest guides
Personal Finance
Energy Tariffs and When Switching Is Worthwhile
The headline rate is one of four numbers. Standing charges and exit fees decide whether a switch pays.
Home Improvement & Services
Getting Comparable Quotes for Home Work
Three quotes are useless unless all three price the same scope. Write the specification first.
Automotive
Servicing Intervals and What Skipping Them Costs
Deferring a service saves a small amount now and frequently costs a much larger amount later.
Insurance
View all →Where premiums quietly rise, which extras are worth buying, and how to pay less without reducing cover.
Insurance
Comparison Sites: What They Do and Do Not Show
Useful for a market view and incomplete. Several major insurers do not appear on them at all.
Insurance
No-Claims Discount: How It Builds and Transfers
Earned per year without a fault claim, capped after several years, and transferable between insurers.
Insurance
Adding Cover You Already Have Elsewhere
Households routinely pay several times for travel, breakdown, legal and gadget cover.
Insurance
Insuring Bicycles and E-Bikes
Contents policies cap bicycle cover low and impose lock conditions that void claims.
Personal Finance
View all →Small recurring costs that add up, and the reviews worth doing once a year.
Personal Finance
Energy Tariffs and When Switching Is Worthwhile
The headline rate is one of four numbers. Standing charges and exit fees decide whether a switch pays.
Personal Finance
Council Tax Bands and Challenging Yours
Bands were set decades ago and some are wrong. A challenge can move the band either way.
Personal Finance
Bank Account Switching Incentives
Cash offers are real. The conditions attached decide whether the account suits you afterwards.
Personal Finance
What Your Payslip Is Actually Telling You
Errors in tax codes and pension categories are common and cost real money over a year.
Home Improvement & Services
View all →Getting work done for less without buying trouble, and the maintenance that prevents bigger bills.
Home Improvement & Services
Getting Comparable Quotes for Home Work
Three quotes are useless unless all three price the same scope. Write the specification first.
Home Improvement & Services
Damp: Identifying the Type Before Paying for a Cure
Condensation, penetrating damp and rising damp have different causes and different costs.
Home Improvement & Services
Draughtproofing and Insulation Priorities
Cheap measures pay back in months. Expensive ones take years. Do them in that order.
Home Improvement & Services
Appliance Repair or Replace
The decision turns on the repair cost as a proportion of replacement, and on the age of the machine.
Automotive
View all →Cutting the running costs of a car without cutting the maintenance that keeps it going.
Automotive
Servicing Intervals and What Skipping Them Costs
Deferring a service saves a small amount now and frequently costs a much larger amount later.
Automotive
Tyres: Reading the Numbers and Knowing When to Replace
Tread depth is one factor. Age, uneven wear and load rating matter as much.
Automotive
Buying a Used Car: The Checks That Matter Most
History checks and a cold start reveal more than a test drive on a warm engine.
Automotive
Fuel Economy: What Genuinely Changes It
Speed, tyre pressure and unnecessary weight account for most real-world variation.
Health & Wellness
View all →Getting good care without unnecessary cost, and the free services people do not know exist.
Health & Wellness
Generic Medicines and Why They Cost Less
Same active ingredient, same regulatory standard, substantially lower price.
Health & Wellness
Dental Costs and Preventive Care
Restorative treatment dominates dental spending, and most of it follows from preventable problems.
Health & Wellness
Eye Tests, Prescriptions and Buying Glasses
You own your prescription and can buy lenses anywhere. Frame markups are substantial.
Health & Wellness
Gym Memberships and Contract Terms
Minimum terms, notice periods and freeze rules matter more than the monthly price.
Business & Technology
View all →Running a small operation on less, and the free tools that do the job adequately.
Business & Technology
Broadband Contracts and Mid-Contract Increases
Many contracts permit annual increases. Check the clause before comparing headline prices.
Business & Technology
Mobile Plans: Separating Handset From Airtime
Bundled contracts hide the phone's price and keep charging after it is paid off.
Business & Technology
Backing Up Data Properly
One copy is not a backup. Synchronisation is not a backup either.
Business & Technology
Recognising Phishing and Account Takeover Attempts
Urgency, unexpected contact and a link are the three consistent features.