Your weekly money saving deals and news from money expert Andy Webb
My top articles this week
1. My money makeover part 1: How to save £1,000 or more
Seeing as there's a good chance that we're all going to be under lockdown for the next 12 weeks or so, I've decided to pull together a wallet workout you can do from home (a new kind of couch to £1k) with a different step each week.
It'll all be the stuff I did on Channel 5 as part of Shop Smart Save Money's £1k challenge. I'd meet families, go through their bills and receipts and help them save at least £1,000 in a year. And you can do it too.
This first one will get you started by helping you hunt down unnecessary spending habits, and in future weeks I'll help you tackle some of the things you've been putting off, like switching bills and clearing debts.
2. Mortgage holidays, overdrafts, new accounts and more
There have been a number of changes to what you can get from your bank over the last few weeks, so in this article I've shared some of the key announcement so far that I think you need to know about.
It includes how switching bonuses and mortgage deals are disappearing, as well as measures to help you take a break on loans and credit cards.
3. Airtime Rewards review – get money off your mobile phone bill
This app promises to give you money back on your shopping that can be put towards cutting your phone bill. Though there are obviously less shops and restaurants right now to spend money at, there are still plenty of places to use it.
So I've taken a look at whether it's worth it, as well as a few ways you can boost the cashback you can potentially earn. Plus you can get a free £1.50 credit for signing up.
4. Can you pay less on your Council Tax?
You've probably already had your Council Tax bill through for the next 12 months, and you've probably spotted it's going up (mine is increasing by 3.7%).
Though you can't switch like with most other bills, you can save some cash - potentially hundreds of pounds. And there's also a way to get Council Tax Reduction right now if you're struggling financially due to coronavirus.
-----------------
More on how your bank is reacting to coronavirus over on the podcast
In this week's episode I've talked more about the ways your bank might have changed its policies during the Covid-19 crisis.
Listen on the blog or subscribe (for free) on most podcasting apps including:
APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE | SPOTIFY
---
A quick note on Coronavirus
As most of you know there's no team here at Be Clever With Your Cash - it's just me! With the Covid-19 picture changing constantly I don't think it's the best idea for me to give you details that could be out of date within hours.
So the articles, podcasts and videos I'll be sharing with you will either be ways to help you better manage your money during the crisis, or I'll be pointing you in the direction of organisations that offer direct support or where there are huge teams dedicated to updating guides.
I'm constantly listening to BBC 5Live and when news break that relate to coronavirus and your money I'll be sharing those updates on Twitter - you can follow me here to see those updates.
---
Check out my YouTube channel
If you like to watch more than read, then you might like my YouTube channel.
Please do head on over and subscribe.
Follow me on social media
Want to stay connected throughout the week?
I'm on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter.
-----------------
The top deals this week
I only share deals and special offers on the blog which I think are really good value. Click the red titles or blue links for more information.
Plus, it's worth following me on Instagram where I post any extra deals which come too late for the newsletter.
1. Free online theatre
If you're missing out on your culture fix, you can watch a number of plays, musicals, ballets and operas for free online. My top pick this week is the National Theatre's One Man, Two Guvnors with James Cordon. I saw this in the West End years ago and it's well worth watching at home.
2. £20 ISA bonus, plus £100s more in cashback
It's your last chance to get cashback on a new investment ISA before Sunday's tax-year end. You've obviously got to be careful with any ISA investment as your money could go up or down in value. However the extra cashback you can earn will hopefully far outweigh any potential loss.
For example at Scottish Friendly there's cashback worth £200 for a £200 investment, plus you get access to extra discounts such as 6% off at John Lewis.
And Quidco is offering customers a £20 bonus on top.
3. Echo, Fire TV and Kindle sale
Amazon is offering some decent prices on a fair few of its devices, including the Fire TV Stick for £19.99 and a Kindle for £49.99. Useful bits of tech for your self-isolation recreation.
4. Morrisons and M&S Food Boxes
These two make shopping easier right now, two supermarkets have introduced Food Boxes for £35. Here's what you can expect to receive (if you manage to get a delivery slot).
5. Cheap craft beer deals
I've been getting a lot more traffic to this page sharing the best deals for craft beer, so I've updated it with the latest offers and discounts for decent craft beer, including a £15 (or more) off a digital beer festival pack from Beer52 and a free £10 spend at Honest Brew.
6. Three months free music streaming
Last week I shared a decent deal for Tidal, and there are now a few extra free trials for Deezer and Amazom Music Unlimited which will get you three months for free.
----
Quick deals
Banking offers
- Top switch offer: £100 from Nationwide if referred by a friend
- Best interest: 5% at Nationwide for one year
- Top free cash: £50 cashback for opening a TSB account
- Free £20 from Monese
Cards and bills deals
Shopping vouchers and other deals
- Free £15 for new TopCashback users
- Free £5 credit when you trade in old CDs, books, DVDs or game
- 0% finance deals on new Samsung or Apple phones
Entertainment deals
- 12 months of Spotify for the price of 10
- The best TV & film streaming offers and deals including 7-day Disney+ trial
- One month free Lucky Voice at Home
- Free issue of Ethical Consume magazine
Food and drink offers
------
Recent articles you might have missed
I know it can be tricky to read everything I write every week, so here are my main articles from the last few weeks.
- Money saving when you’re working from home
- How to reduce food waste
- Is it time to fix your savings rate?
- Use your spending power to help others during the coronavirus crisis.
- The best value TV & film streaming sticks
- Managing your money during social distancing and self-isolation
- Financial support if you’re hit by coronavirus
- Consumer rights and coronavirus: Should you get a refund?
- Halifax Reward accounts to change: Is it any good?
- How secure is your password?
- Savings, mortgages and debts: Will the interest rate cut affect me.. and you?
- ISAs explained
- Fairtrade bananas: How much more do they really cost?
- The best reward and cashback credit cards
- Money transfer credit cards – Can they save you money?
- How to get the best price on your mobile phone contract and save
- Spotify vs Apple Music vs Amazon Music vs Tidal & more
- It’s time to ditch expensive Sky and Virgin TV subscriptions
- Should you overpay your mortgage?
0 comments