Your weekly money saving deals and news from money expert Andy Webb
My top articles this week
1. Money saving when you’re working from home
If you're having to work from home then a few simple actions can cut your bills and costs. I've been doing it (by choice) for almost two years now so I've shared a few of the things I've learnt in that time.
2. How to reduce food waste
With so many people panic buying and clearing the shelves at the supermarket, I'm worried about how much food is going to end up in the bin - whether because it's stuff people wouldn't normally use (hello UHT milk) or just having too much to consume before it goes off.
But even if you haven't been stockpiling, this applies to all of us, all of the time with the average family wasting £60 of food a month. Here are my 12 ways to reduce food waste.
3. Is it time to fix your savings rate?
With the surprise base rate interest rate cut last week to an all-time low of 0.1%, the amount you can earn on your savings is going to fall even further. And I think it'll be a long time before they go back up.
So it's worth looking at whether you should be fixing your savings while OK rates exist. This does mean you won't get access for a least a year, so you need to make sure you won't need the money.
I spent some time at the weekend signing up for a handful of Regular Savings accounts meaning I'll get at least 2% on some savings for the next year. These accounts are particularly good as you can gradually save month by month - handy if you've got extra cash from spending less over the coming months.
4. Use your spending power to help others during the coronavirus crisis.
If you're going through this crisis with a stable job and some decent savings, you might want to think about the things you can do with your income to support the individuals and businesses that are really struggling.
Here are a handful of actions to consider right now.
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More on saving money when working from home over on the podcast
In this week's episode I've talked more about the ways you can get the most from your money if you're working from home during the Covid-19 crisis.
Listen on the blog or subscribe (for free) on most podcasting apps including:
APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE | SPOTIFY
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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.
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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 £15 for new TopCashback users
If you're not a member of TopCashback then you can currently get an increased £15 bonus for signing up and spending £15.
2. Three SIM-only 8GB of data for £5.50 a month
If you need a new mobile deal this 8GB for £8 deal from Three is the best out there, plus you can get £30 cashback on top, making it the equivalent of £5.50 a month for a year.
3. Time to downgrade your Netflix subscription
Many of the big streaming services have cut the streaming quality to help with the expected increase in usage, and that most likely means no 4K streaming for a while. So if you have the top-tier level of Netflix, you're now paying more than you need to. I'd switch down to the HD level at £8.99 a month - though this does have a limit of two users at the same time.
4. Pause your Sky Sports
If you get Sky Sports via Sky, TalkTalk or Virgin you can pause your subscription while there's no live sport. Sadly there's no news of how NOW TV or BT TV customers can do this, or what any BT Sport customers can do.
5. Tastecard now offers 50% off Pizza Hut and cheap movie rentals
You can get a free three month trial of Tastecard and use it to get 50% off Pizza Hut every day of the week and save around a quid on rentals from Rakuten (SD is £2.99 and HD, £3.50).
6. Four months Tidal for £4
If you want to try the high quality streaming service Tidal then this is a really good deal. You'll get four months for £4, and this includes the top-tier HiFi option, as well as the Family plan which allows up to five accounts for the single price.
7. Rail refunds for advance and season tickets
Let's face it, most of us won't be travelling by train over the coming weeks and months, so the new rules that allow any ticket holder to get a refund is really welcome.
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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
- Possible £5 off £25 at Amazon
- Free £5 credit when you trade in old CDs, books, DVDs or game
- Free £5 B&Q voucher
- 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
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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.
- 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
- How to stick to a budget
- Can you really eat ethically?
- Joint bank accounts - Good or bad?
- 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?
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