Cash, Cars and Babes

It's crazy how much money some people can get. I've just noticed Abbey have launched a new loan, which let's you borrow £5million for a mortgage (!!).

That's a bit beyond my reach I think. It's a wonderful thought, to think of the house you could have for that amount, but by paying it off, I'd be bankrupt before I even went to the cash point.

You can still search online for secured loans and mortgages which may be more suitable to your spending bracket though.

• Advance Planning
  • Do you have a 'buffer zone'? Some banks allow you a leeway of £10 before they start charging you for being over your limit.
    
  • What happens if your account is over the limit for a very small time? Some banks won't charge you if you get the funds back inw ithin 24 hours, or before the end of the next working day.
  • Check your balance regularly - Use online banking facilities.
    
• Two Weeks Notice
  
  • Apply for a credit card that allows you to make a 0% money transfer. Use one of those cards to transfer omney into your account to clear your OD.
    
  • Have a look at what direct debits will be leaving your account and when. Can you shift the pay date of one of them?
    
• Hitting the Limit Within 24 Hours
  • Let the bank/building society know straight away
  • Go into the local branch if you can.
    
  • Negotiate a temporary overdraft extension.

Basically, just budget and live within your means. Easier said than done though.

JD Wetherspoons have said that food and drink deals have helped lure people through their doors, depsite the smoking ban which was enforced last year.

The group owns 700 pubs in the UK, and saw like-for-like sales rise 0.4% over the past 11 weeks. However, sales did fall 1% over the year.

The company also said that they were facing considerable rises in costs due to energy, fod, labour and taxes.

They estimate that they will face excise duty of £10m in 2008/09, £4m costs from hliday entitlement and £5m as a result of the minimum wage.

Sales were better than analysts had expected expected and shares rose 5% to 184.25pence in the morning trade.

So far this year, the group have opened a further 23 pubs across the UK.

In more than nine out of ten cases in some boroughs, those who fight their parking fines at a formal appeal, win.

A total of 9506 fines issued in Westminster were taken to an adjudicator in 6 months. The council lost more than 8900 of them.

It also lost 96% of appeals against fines for moving traffic offences, such as blocking the box junctions or flouting no right turn signs.

They have announced a redundancy programme which will result in the loss of 500 manufacturing jobs and 150 other jobs, across the UK.

The move is a result of a fall in orders, which has led to a 20% decrease in the production schedule for 2008.

OK, so these tips probably aren't the recommended choices, but they are still options if you are in need...

• Ask for a payment holiday on your cheapest debt. In that time, throw all your repayments at your most expensive one.
  • Risky for three reasons:
    
    • The lender may think you are asking because you are going to default
    • They may misunderstand and treat it as a default
    • Temptation to spend your repayment rather than putting it towards your larger debt
• Extend the length of your loan. Yes, the interest you pay will end up being more but...
  
  • If you have a lrge debt with a big interest rate, and another loaan with a lower rate, ask to extend the deal of the lower rate. Use the estra each month that you are saving to put towards the bigger debt.
    
  • Don't extend your cheaper loan beyond the time you think it will take to pay off the more expensive one.
    
• Take out PPI (?)
  • More likely to get a loan if you ask for PPI, and it will more likely be at a lower interest rate.
    
  • You have a small window in which to cancel your PPI, so Cancel it when you can.
    
  • Risky because you may forget to cancel it.
    
• Consolidation. Use any from of credit to consolidate (credit cards, unsecured loans).
  
  • Budget properly though!

You could always rob a bank if it's the only option... That last one wasn't serious by the way, although it is tempting...

Although Woolworths are shutting some of their London stores, there are some bargains going...

Like a Beko Widescreen LCD Television for only £149.99!

Thats a bargain!

Over the summer, thousands of UK motorists will be driving over to Europe for their holidays, but do they realise that their level of insurance may differ? It's not just when motorists go abroad that they get caught out either.

A number of insurers have changed their T&Cs meaning that fully comp isn't as comp as it used to be.

Insurers will automatically downgrade your insurance if you take your car over to Mainland Europe. 39% of drivers weren't aware of this. Regulations state that insurers must provide third party cover in the EU. Five of the UKs 10 leading insurers automatically reduce the cover:

• Barclays
• Direct Line
• Churchill
• ESure
• Swift Cover

The companies that maintain their level of cover usually cap the amount of time you are insured for when driving over to Europe, usually between 60 and 90 days.

Even in the UK, many insurers are leaving out elements of fully comp cover that used to exist, such as windscreen cover, courtesy cars and third party cover when driving another car. If companies do offer the third part cover, there is normally restrictions, such as you must have the owner's permission, and it must be a privately owned vehicle. Certain drivers don't qualify for this cover at all:

• Under 25s
• Certain occupations such as mechanics, drivers of high power vehicles etc
• Drivers with poor claims
• Drivers with a convictions record

Windscreen cover used to come as standard, but now, the majority of providers ask you to pay an excess. Paying extra also comes as standard when it comes to legal protection, the provision of a courtesy car and any other relevant add-ons which you need.

I was one of the lucky ones. Having passed in 2002, I just missed out on the 'new improved' theory test. All I had to do was pass the basic test, and the driving test, and all was peachy. I was also lucky because my family helped me out with the lessons, and I also had access to a banger for once I had passed. If I was to take it now though, how much would it cost? Probably enough to mean I'd need to take out secured loans!

• Provisional driving license: £50
• Copy of the Highway Code: £2.50
• Theory & Hazard Perception Test practice materials (book, CD-ROM): £15
• Theory & Hazard Perception Test: £30
• Professional Driving Lessons: £24 p/hour (Typically). Average of 45 lessons: £1,080
• Insurance for 22 hours driving practice: £200+
• Practical Driving Test: £56.50
• Use of instructor's car on day of test (two hours): £48
• Pass Plus: £160 (Typically)

Thats a total, potential cost of £1,642, depending on whether you want to spend your money on a Pass Plus course, which isn't really worth it, and whether you need to buy the material to prepare with, (You could just see if somebody else has it, off whom you could borrow it). When I was learning, I didn't practice in a family car, so therefore, there was no need for adding me onto their insurance, and I think I got a copy of the highway code from a friend. I did kind of make up for these savings by needing a few more lessons though.

According to DirectGov, people who pass their driving tests have had, on average, 45 lessons of professional training and 22 hours of private practice.

Then, there's always the possibilty of you needing to take another test. Not everyone is lucky enough to pass first time. And, even once you have passed your test, there's still the small question of buying a car and insuring yourself on it - and in the current market, bagging a bargain is no easy feat, especially when fuel is so pricey! If you have to borrow money to buy your first car, search online to find thes best deals - you don't want your new skill to drive you into debt!

Pre-tax profits for the company have jumpred 25% to £56.6m, and they are putting it down to their 3-year plan to improve their turnover, which began last year.

Like-for-like sales for the UK and Northern Ireland were up by 11.4%, while their book chain, Waterstones, also saw a rise of 3.3%.

Their debt, which stood at £134m a year ago, is now down to £200,000, improving since the sale of their Japanese business and also their increased revenue.

Music sales rose despite the declining market, and DVD sales jumped 18%. But their forte can only lie with Video Games, with sales now accounting for 21%, compared with 14% a mere year ago.

The 'next generation' stores feature a social hub, entertainment websites and multi-player gaming zones. It seems, from the profits, that this new formula is working for them.

One in three Brits can't afford to put money into a savings account because they can't afford to. A survey 0f 6.381 people showed that half were not saving enough, as part of their retirement plan.

The survey was part of a report by Scottish Widows, who are also suggesting that people are becoming worried about how they will cope after they finish their career.

Almost 60% of those surveyed said that they would be unable to increase their savings over the next year - 40% felt better off five years ago. 51% of people set aside enough money to provide an dequate income during retirement.

Those who are paying enough into their retirement fund are most likely to be male, over 50, working in the public sector and earning between £30,000 and £50,000 a year. On the other hand, the least likely of people to save, were found most likely to be women, or people with children under five, self employed or have debt.

The research, conducted by YouGov, monitors people over 30 and who earn over £10,000 a year, found that there had been a 2% increase in people who are adequately saving.

Almost all sites online where you can purchase tickets for upcoming gigs and shows, will charge you a booking fee on top of the advertised price. Sites like Ticketmaster don't advertise the booking fee until you have searched for the tickets you like. Once you have moved to the confirm zone, and you are given a space in the queue, that's when they land you with the extra charges.

Which? found that some ticket companies ask for up to 30% of the price of the ticket. This can get to be pretty expensive when you are wanting good seats, or are off to see a once in a lifetime performance. Some agents don't even offer a refund if the show is cancelled.

Online booking is highly convenient nowadays. I know I use it, particularly for European festivals and non-local gigs. But I agree with 4 out of 5 people asked by Which? - booking fees are too expensive. At least sites like Seetickets.com tell you how much you will be paying after you have added the booking fees. For example, I'm off to see Bon Jovi in a couple of days. For a normal standing ticket at the Manchester show, prices go up by at least £5 after you have added the booking fee.

But at least this site tells you that before you commit to buying them. Just be careful over where you are buying your tickets from. Some agents are just greedy. Others are ok and charge a minimal amount.

And, it's not just the online sites that make you fork out extra for the tickets you want. Even buying them from the box office can cost you hidden extras, such as, if you want to pay on card, you sometimes get charged a card fee. Ouch.