Monday Money

Christmas is expensive enough without splashing out a small fortune on the tree on top of everything else. I know in the long run it would cheaper to invest in a fake tree and get it out every year. But I'm a sucker for a real tree, I just love the smell, and it can be done for a reasonable cost. Ikea is again running its fab promotion where you buy a real tree for £25 and get a £20 voucher in return to spend in store from January, leaving you down £5 overall. I have seen some really cute but insanely expensive decorations - £15 for a single bauble, seriously! Personally, on the tree I don't think you can really tell the cheap from the expensive, especially if you stick to a one or two-colour theme a la White Company. Here enters Wilko. The budget brand is running a three for two promotion on decorations at the moment. I picked a  34 pack of gold baubles  (£2.50), a star to go on top (£2.50)  nine gold baubles (£1 and free under the promotion), and som...

T'is the season to be jolly... and spend, spend, spend. Cashback sites give you money back on spending that you're already doing and they are super easy to use. Yet there are still so many people I know who don't know about them or use them. The main two I use are Quidco.com and Topcashback.co.uk. For example, at the moment through Quidco you can get 10% back on spending at Argos, and Topcashback is giving 10% back on Asos purchases. Nearly ALL major retailers are on the sites. So before buying anything online just search for the brand on the sites and click through the cashback referral link. You then just shop as normal, but the spending is linked to your cashback account and you'll get a little something back. If you sign up to Topcashabck using the link below you'll get a £5 Amazon voucher. Full disclaimer: I get £15 too. https://www.topcashback.co.uk/ref/laclem And sign up to Quidco on the link below and we'll both get £10. https://www...

Everyone likes saving money and feeling just a little bit wealthier, right? I've been writing about money and finance for nearly 10 years, and generally try to practise what I preach in my everyday life. So thought it was time to finally put some of the day job into a little blog. Don't get me wrong, I'm not any kind of expert or guru... and this is definitely not advice. The aim is just to share some hints and tips on how to save a penny or two.