From party frocks to invites and Christmas cocktails, we've got everything you need to throw a fabulous party
10 ways to spring clean your household finances
Planning is the key to making your household budget work and the start of the year is an ideal time to take stock and look at how much you're paying out and to whom
That way, if you decide to redecorate or have building work done, you'll be able to find the most affordable way and the best time to do it. The more time you spend sorting your finances, the less energy you'll spend worrying about them. Here are 10 ways to help you get started.
Reproduced from the January 07 issue of Good Homes magazine. Subscribe now and save 40 per cent.
Money-saving expert Martin Lewis is an ultra-specialised financial journalist and a regular expert on BBC One's The One Show and Radio 2 Vine. In 2004 Martin created www.moneysavingexpert.com, dedicated to taking companies on and finding the best deals
5 ways to organise your finances
- Do a financial fact sheet
This is a crucial family-finance tool - if you don't have one, you should create one. Make a list of all your regular financial and household expenses, and the details that go with them - but don't include account numbers, in case the list gets lost.Write down all your insurance policies, utility providers, bank accounts, saving accounts, credit cards and investments, along with contact phone numbers. This means that if you or your partner goes away for any length of time, or one of you is in an accident, confusion over how to run the household won't be a problem. Also, if you get cold-called by a utility company, you'll be able to quickly check your list to see whether it is in fact your provider.
- Slow-burn money saving
While I'm always enthusiastic about getting the best deals, not everyone is willing or able to put aside a day or two to do a financial blitz. My solution is the slow burn - this simply means that every time you get a bill or sort something out for the house, ask yourself whether you could get it cheaper elsewhere, then spend 10 to 15 minutes finding out.By this, I mean search the internet or look at the Sunday papers to compare rates on credit cards or savings accounts, or call around to get a new insurance or utilities quote. Do this regularly and by the end of the year you'll have given yourself a money makeover.
- Plan your budget
Write down how much money is coming in and going out each month. Be totally honest about how much you're spending - you might find bank statements from the last couple of months useful for this. Then subtract your expenditure from your income and work out how much you've got left. For an easy way to do this, try using the free, detailed Budget Planner tool at www.moneysavingexpert.com. - Take companies on with a money calendar
Look at your calendar - it's probably got important dates marked, like birthdays and appointments. You need to add some 'money dates' too. We live in a world of short-term offers, from 0% credit cards to half-price TVs for six months. Make a record on your calendar about two weeks before any special offer ends or a contract needs to be renewed. Give yourself research time to decide whether you want to stay with the same service provider. You could also use the Tart Alert tool on my website to arrange to be sent a reminder email or text message. - Count down to Christmas
Now is the perfect time to prepare for Christmas - yes, I mean Christmas 2008. If you need wrapping paper, a tree, decorations or special china, this is the time to take advantage of the sales and stock up. The British Retail Consortium estimates that the average family spends £600 on Christmas, with most of us finding that money from within our December budget. It would be far better to put £50 away each month in a kitty or high-interest.
1 | 2 | next
printer friendly
send to a friend
Delicious
Digg
reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon
Horoscopes| Message Boards | Quizzes | Newsletters | Join
iVillage Ltd is a UK company registered in England & Wales (3837269) at 80-110 New Oxford Street, London WC1 1HB
