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In today’s column, we’re chatting with Andrea Woroch, make money online money saving expert, a money-saving expert who specializes in simple budgeting tips for busy moms. Here, she’s sharing the four tips every mom needs to know to keep spending in check and save money for the future.

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1. Don’t Give Into Social FOMO

“Don’t fall into the trap of comparing your life with other families and moms on social media,” Woroch said. “From over-the-top birthday parties to extravagant family vacations to all those family photos in which the kids are outfitted from head to toe in the most adorable outfits, it’s easy to feel like you’re not doing enough for your own kids and start spending more to keep up with what you see on Instagram or Facebook. Just remember though, you’re only seeing the ‘highlights’ of this mother’s life and you don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors. There’s a chance these flashy spenders are struggling more financially than you know. Go ahead and spend on what you think is enriching your kid’s life, but don’t do it just because the other moms are.”

One way to resist the temptation of overspending out of FOMO is to be more conscious about who you’re following on social media.

“If you notice someone makes you feel less than your best on social media, it’s time to unfollow them,” Woroch said. “Instead, fill your feed with accounts that lift and inspire you.”

Helpful: 4 Essential Tips for Moms Re-Entering the Workforce

2. Streamline Your Savings Efforts

“Busy moms have enough on their plate, and trying to find coupons or comparison shop can be a time suck. But that doesn’t mean you have to forgo saving money,” Woroch said. “The good news is there are several digital tools that take the legwork out of saving money that every mom should use.”

Woroch recommends downloading money-saving browser extensions, like CouponCabin’s Sidekick tool.

“It automatically adds coupons and cash back to your online cart, ensuring you never miss out on a deal,” Woroch said. “Meanwhile, Paribus tracks prices of items you purchase online that are linked to your email, and will request money back on your behalf in the event they detect a price drop on that purchase as long as it falls in the retailer’s price adjustment timeframe. Popcart is also a helpful browser tool, as it provides instant price comparison online so you don’t have to open multiple tabs and run several online searches.”

Read More:How Every Woman Can (and Should) Become a Confident Investor

You can also use apps to streamline your investments.

“As far as investing goes, the micro-investing app Acorns is great because it has a feature in which they round up purchases made with your debit or credit card to the whole dollar and put the difference to your investments,” Woroch said. “I love that this is on autopilot because remembering to invest is often the biggest barrier to actually doing it for moms who are already juggling multiple things at once.”

More Help:3 Alarming Ways Women Are Lagging Behind Men When It Comes to Their Finances

3. Prioritize Retirement Over College

“As moms, we want to give our kids the best life, which usually focuses on extracurricular activities, family trips and all the toys and clothing they want,” Woroch said. “It may also mean wanting to pay for their higher education so they can get further earlier in life. However, overspending when they’re young may interfere with your financial security later. If you aren’t putting away money towards retirement and instead overspending on toys or activities or only saving for college, you may not have enough to cover basic living needs when it comes time to retire.”

Woroch notes that while your kids can take out loans for college, you cannot take out loans for retirement.

“Focusing on building a healthy nest egg is crucial,” she said, make money online money saving expert. “Not to mention, taking care of yourself means your kids won’t have to worry about you financially later, and that’s truly the best gift you can give them!”

Plus, you may be able to help your child pay back college loans in later years.

“In the event your children need to take out loans for college because you had to put more towards retirement, you can still help them out later by covering some or all of their repayments in the event you were able to catch up on your investment goals,” Woroch said.

More Help:How Millennial Women Can Take Control of Their Debt

4. Keep Birthday Party Budgets Under Control

Birthday parties are an area where parents tend to splurge.

“It’s easy to get wrapped up in the excitement of celebrating your child’s birthday and overspend in an effort to make the day extra special,” Woroch said. “Just keep in mind you don’t need to spend a lot of money to make your son or daughter’s birthday party fun and memorable.”

See:4 Money Lies Women Tell Themselves (& Why They’re Not True)

Begin by setting a budget and tracking your spending.

“Pinpoint the area that means the most to your child where you will spend more, such as toward entertainment like a magician or Disney princess. Then, look for ways to cut back on other party elements,” Woroch said. “Instead of catering food, pick up a few pizzas from Costco or Sprouts and bake your own cake. You can also pick up plenty of decorations from the dollar store on the cheap! Ultimately, you can have fun without spending a lot of money.”

To keep her own birthday party spending down, Woroch only throws a party every other year.

“This way, I don’t feel as bad when I spend a little extra knowing I will be saving the following year,” she said. “This allows me to do a little more without feeling pinched or stressed.”

GOBankingRates wants to empower women to take control of their finances. According to the latest stats, women hold $72 billion in private wealth — but fewer women than men consider themselves to be in “good” or “excellent” financial shape. Women are less likely to be investing and are more likely to have debt, and women are still being paid less than men overall. Our “Financially Savvy Female” column will explore the reasons behind these inequities and provide solutions to change them. We believe financial equality begins with financial literacy, so we’re providing tools and tips for women, by women to take control of their money and help them live a richer life.

More From GOBankingRates

How we're spending our money has changed so much over the past 12 months. Whether you have saved more or exhausted your funds, we all need a little financial inspiration to help us save where we can. So, check out our twenty-three of tried and tested money-saving tactics. You'll be amazed at just how much you can save without even trying.

1 Save first, spend later

Pay yourself first. If you do this it’s a sure way towards financial freedom. Use the 50/30/20 flexible approach to budgeting. This means 50% of your take home pay goes on your needs (bills, food, minimum debt payments), 30% goes towards fun (eating out etc) and 20% goes to future you (debt payments above the minimum, saving for emergencies and investing). If this split doesn’t work for you when money is tight, you can adjust the ratios as you go.

2 Don't pay interest on your credit card make money online money saving expert

If you've got card debt, put a strategy in place for getting rid of it. Don't panic if you haven't got a handy lump sum to magic away the full amount, you can achieve the same end result by transferring the debt to a 0% balance credit card to avoid paying interest for a fixed time (up to 30 months) and paying off a set amount every month.

Some cards come with a small balance transfer fees, so make sure you do the maths, make money online money saving expert. Do set up a direct debit to avoid missing minimum payments and being stung with high charges. If you still have debt after the 0% period ends, move to another deal. Do not use this card for purchases. Find the best 0% balance transfer card using comparison site such as Moneyfacts and MoneySuperMarket.

3 Stay on track

Don’t let cash slip through your fingers. With digital bank Monzo you can transfer a set amount of spending money to your card while prepaid cards – like Monese and Transferwise – only let you spend what you load.

Too high tech? Set up a day to day spending account with its own card, and transfer your weekly disposable income on to it.

4 Use an incognito browser

Going incognito when you shop online can help you save money by automatically deleting your browser history when you close a tab. This means companies can’t track what you’re looking at and put prices up (yes, it happens!), so it will be especially useful for planning your next holiday.

5 Don't splurge on payday

Nationwide’s Payday Saveday survey revealed 1 in 5 people spend over half their spare monthly wages within 48 hours of getting paid! Don't let your disposable income burn a hole in your wallet, always ask yourself if you really need it.

Prioritise your most important outgoings, plus something for the savings pot, before you start spending, make money online money saving expert. That way, you’ll know how much disposable income you really have to last the rest of the month.

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6 Get savvy with your savings

If you haven't already, maximise your £20,000 tax free ISA allowance. You can either put money into a cash or investment ISA. Admittedly, rates for cash ISAs aren't great at the moment, but you'll get more the longer you are prepared to leave the money untouched. Check out www.gov.uk/individual-savings-accounts for more information. Check for the best cash ISA rates at Moneyfacts

You don’t need a lot of money to start investing, nor do you need to be an expert. Some investment apps, such as Moneybox, even let you begin with just a few pennies by rounding up your loose change every time you spend.

7 Claim working from home tax relief

If you’re still working from home as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, you could claim some money back for working from home expenses in the form of tax relief paid by HMRC. Anyone required to work from home, even for one day, great sources of passive income apply for tax relief last tax year for the whole 2020/21 tax year.

8 Weather the storm

If the current crisis has taught us anything, it's the importance of a rainy day fund. If yours has taken a battering recently (or you never really had one), make money online money saving expert, start saving – anything is better than nothing. The rule of thumb is to have three months’ income saved for emergencies, ideally six if you have a mortgage.

9 Beware the BOGOFs!

How many times have you walked into a supermarket and fallen victim to a BOGOF (Buy One Get One Free) deal? says Robert Gardner, Director of Investments at St James's Place. We’ve all done it. We go to do the monthly food shop and we get swept away by all the ‘money saving’ opportunities that we see on the shelves. But did you know that the average person in the UK spends £1,300 more a year on these BOGOF deals than they need to? The money you spend buying three bottles of Coke when you only need one is significant and these deals not only cost you dearly, but may also contribute to food waste. So next time you go shopping use the calculator on your phone to work out how much you could save by not bitcoining mining parts for the BOGOFs.

10 Switch supplier

Spend 15 minutes on a comparison site and, you are almost guaranteed to find cheaper deals on your household bills. Ofgem calculates that the average household can save £300 a year by switching to a better energy and gas deal.

If you haven't done this in the last 18 months, now might be a good time to grab your latest utility statements and check out comparison sites, such as uswitch or moneysupermarket. Don't stop there. When the insurance comes up for renewal, look around for cheaper deals.

11 Remortgage!

If your fixed term mortgage deal has come to an end you may be paying a ‘loyalty’ penalty of high interest which could add up to as much as £1000 a year. So, talk to your mortgage broker about remortgaging to the best deal for now, or find an independent mortgage adviser at unbiased.co.uk or vouchedfor.

12 Shop for own brand

Swapping branded products for own brand alternatives is an easy way to slash the price of your shopping bill – from cornflakes and pasta, to oven chips and washing up liquid. If you’re worried about the taste being compromised, 'blind' test them out skatt pa bitcoin norge the family first! If they don't notice the difference, you're onto a winner!

13 Waste less food

Almost three quarters of what we throw away in the home is edible, according to recycling charity WRAP. Make a conscious effort to use everything you buy make money online money saving expert you'll save a fortune.

If you're worried about food safety, remember: ‘use by’ date is the cut-off after which it is not considered safe to eat the food. However, eating food past a ‘best before’ date won't cause any health issues.

14 Claim back money with your name on it

From forgotten bank accounts to tax rebates, you could be sitting on a pot of gold without even realising it. Do you hold a sneaking suspicion that there might be savings somewhere with your name on? Find out with My Lost Account.

If you think you may be on an incorrect tax code, get in touch with HMRC. The same applies to council tax – you can challenge your band if you’ve lived somewhere for fewer than six months or the area has changed.

15 Check your insurance policy

If you are going to be using your car less as a result of the pandemic and working from home more, check your car insurance is still the right fit. Never auto renew, always check for better deals via your existing supplier and comparison websites such as CompareTheMarket and MoneySupermarket.

16 Cut your grocery bill

Buying only what you need may sound like make money online money saving expert obvious way to save money, but it can be easier said than done. Once you’ve planned your meals for the week ahead, the Love Food Hate Waste Portion Calculator can help take the guesswork out of totting up what you need to buy.

Get to know the world food aisle in your supermarket (it hides savings of up to 75% on cupboard staples including rice, lentils, beans, spices and sauces), shop in the evening's for discounts, look at lower supermarket shelves for smaller prices, don't pay for plastic bags and make your fruit and veg last longer.

17 Have a no-spend day

Exercise some self discipline and try to have at least one no-spend day each week, it'll make you more careful with your cash in the long term. This can be as simple as having last nights leftovers rather than buying lunch out, snacking only from your weekly shop and carrying coffee/tea in a keep cup. Require more than one brew a day? Many chains (including Pret) cut the price of your beverage if you bring a portable mug.

You can cheat on travel expenses if it's absolutely necessary. Or, get paid to walk with smartphone apps, make money online money saving expert, such as Sweatcoin and BetterPoints, which exchange your steps for store discounts and freebies. make money online money saving expert Check your workplace pension

'Make sure you are checking in with, and making the most of, your workplace pension,' says Robert Gardner of St James's Place. When you start at a new company or when your employer sets up a new pension scheme, you will usually receive information to make money online money saving expert the percentage of your salary that will be paid into your workplace pension. Your employer will then deduct your pension contributions directly from your wages before paying you.

It’s important to check your pension to make sure you’re saving enough for retirement and you’re happy with how your pension is being invested. It's also worth checking whether your employer will match pound for pound any personal contributions you make, make money online money saving expert, which is like a pay rise – or free money! – to your future self.

19 Paperless energy bills

If you ditch paper whats an easy way to make money and become an online customer, you're almost always more likely to get access to a range of better deals and cheaper plans. Not to mention you can monitor and manage your account money making jobs in australia or through a smartphone app.

20 Track your spending

The more conscious you are of what you are spending the less likely you are to overspend. Use free budgeting apps like Money Dashboard to monitor all your accounts in one place on a handy dashboard.

Digital banks like Monzo and Starling are also great at helping you manage your spending with a number of budgeting tools within their apps. It could be useful to check your current spending pattern as it may differ from your usual one.

21 Try a little patience

When shopping online, fill your shopping basket but don’t check out immediately (unless it’s something that’s selling like hotcakes). If suppliers spot items sitting in your basket for a day, they’ll get in touch to ask you if you forgot to check out and sometimes they’ll send you a discount to persuade you to return.

This only works if you have an online account with them, as they’ll need your email address.

22 Ask for a price match

Some shops have a policy that if you find a lower price, they will beat it. While make money online money saving expert isn’t the case at all retailers, it’s always worth asking, as popular shops like John Lewis and Currys have price match policies, make money online money saving expert. Just do your research make money online money saving expert first so that you can back up your claim.

Alternatively, you can use the VoucherCodes ‘DealFinder’ plug-in on Chrome to be instantly alerted to the best deals when shopping online.

23 Manage your gadgets and appliances

It’s not a myth, a small amount of electricity is still drawn when a device is plugged in for charging. Instead of charging overnight, make money online money saving expert, juice up for a couple of hours during the day and unplug to save on your electricity bills. This could save you as much as £30 a year, according to the Energy Saving Trust.

Did we mention that not defrosting your freezer is costing you more in energy, too? The more ice your freezer is fashioning, the more energy it uses. So, if the ice gathering around the inside is thicker than around 3cm, defrost it.

24 Make the most of resale platforms

Did you know that the average British woman accumulates an estimated £22,000 of unworn clothes over a lifetime? It's time to make make money online money saving expert while you spend it by exchanging your old clobber for cash via resale platforms such as Depop, Vinted and eBay.

You can also use these sites to hunt for top-quality gifts. Pre-owned doesn’t have to mean lower-quality – many items sold on these sites are brand new and often cost less than the original retail price.

25 Check your workplace benefits

If you haven’t had time in the past to check out the benefits your employer may offer, now might be a good time. From healthcare plans and childcare support to local discounts, know what’s on offer, sign up and you'll reap the maximum reward.

If you'd like more great money reads, SIGN UP HERE for our fortnightly Financially Fabulous newsletter!

Martin Lewis’ MoneySavingExpert website has explained eight ways to collectively make £1,000 - or more - by Christmas.

The tips include free money just for switching your bank, as well as earning free Amazon vouchers online to spend on Christmas presents.

These quick ways to make cash will come in handy for struggling families as a raft of Covid support schemes have ended in recent weeks.

The £20 weekly boost to Universal Credit payments comes to an end today - just days after the furlough scheme was brought to a close on September 30.

Households are also seeing higher energy bills due to the increase in the energy price cap.

The MoneySavingExpert letter reads: "This week, it's about quick ways to get legit free cash, to try to help in this high-spend period in the run-up to the festive season.

"Following some or all of these plans should reduce the risk of debt or disappointment."

Here are eight ways to make cash for Christmas

Switch bank accounts - £100+

There are currently seven banks that will pay you to switch over your current account to them.

First Direct, Lloyds and RBS are each offering £100 as part of their switch bribes - and the money will arrive in time for Christmas.

Nationwide will give you £125 if you're an existing customer and you move over another account to its service, or £100 for new customers.

HSBC, meanwhile, is offering £110 plus £30 Uber Eats vouchers, and Virgin Money is giving out £150 Virgin Experience Day gift cards.

Santander is technically the top player right now, offering £130 for those who move over to its service, but you may not get the cash in time for Christmas.

This is because the bank says it will assess your account 60 days after the switch has been instructed to decide whether you have qualified for the cash bribe.

If you qualify, it could then take up to 30 days for the money to hit your account.

For each account, you'll need to check the eligibility criteria carefully to make sure you'd qualify for the switch money.

For example, some will require you to pay in a certain amount each month and move over direct debits.

Claim marriage tax allowance - up to £970

Marriage allowance is a tax perk available to couples who are married or in a civil partnership.

It works by allowing one person to transfer £1,260 of their personal allowance to their spouse or civil partner - effectively lowering their tax bill.

Marriage tax allowance for the 2021/22 tax year is high risk high return investment meaning up to £252 with the change applied to your tax code.

But you can also backdate make money online money saving expert claim by up to four tax years - and this amount is given to you in the form of a cheque.

If you're eligible for all four years, this would be worth £970 and the money should take six weeks to arrive.

The amounts for each tax year are worth up to:

• 2021/22 – £252
• 2020/21 – £250
• 2019/20 – £250
• 2018/19 – £238
• 2017/18 – £230

One of you needs to be a non-taxpayer while the other person needs to be paying the basic 20% rate of tax to claim marriage tax allowance.

Slash your broadband bill - £125 Amazon voucher

Firms must now make money redirecting traffic existing customers whose contracts are ending about their cheapest deals - but this doesn't include sign-up perks.

For example, Vodafone will give you a £125 Amazon voucher to new customers signing up to its broadband and phone package.

The deal is for 35Mb fibre broadband and you'll pay £19.50 make money online money saving expert month on a two-year contract.

Or, MoneySavingExpert also highlighted a Plusnet deal where you get a £75 prepaid Mastercard by signing up to its £18.50 per month 10Mb broadband and phone package, on a one-year contract.

Keep in mind these deals are likely only relevant if you're out of contact or nearing the end of your current broadband deal.

Claim work from home tax relief - up to £140

If you've been forced to work from home, even just for one day, since the start of the current tax year (April 6) then you can claim tax relief worth up to £140.

This is applied to the whole tax year and sees your tax code changed.

But if you worked from home in the last tax year too, and you didn't claim, you can still backdate your tax relief.

This will be sent to you in the form of a cheque or bank transfer and will be issued within three weeks.

There is essentially a flat rate of £6 a week available to you and taxpayers who are eligible can claim based on the rate at which they pay tax.

People paying the standard level of tax of 20% can get £1.20 a week in tax relief, while those who pay tax at the higher rate of 40% get £2.40 a week.

Or if you're on the top 45% rate, you can get £2.70 a week.

For the whole year, this amounts to:

• £62.40 for basic rate taxpayers
• £124.80 for higher rate tax payers
• £140.40 for additional rate tax payers

Workers bitcoin investor ervaringen latest find out more and make a claim at gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/working-at-home.

Cashback on spends - £150 Amazon voucher or £265 at Sainsbury's

If you're going to be spending around £1,000 a month before Christmas anyway, you may be able to take advantage of cashback offers.

For example, get accepted for an Amex Gold credit card and spend £3,000 on it within the first three months, and you'll build up enough bonus points for a £150 Amazon voucher, or to convert to Nectar points worth £265.

The points are usually applied within a couple of days, says MoneySavingExpert.

But before you sign up for any credit card, always check you can meet the repayments and only spend what you really need to.

You should also note that if you don't clear your Amex Gold each month you'll pay 24.5% rep APR interest.

You'll also pay a £140 yearly fee after you've had the card a year.

Complete surveys online - £30 Amazon voucher

Yes, you can really get paid just for giving your opinion on everyday topics, TV shows and a whole host of other things.

MoneySavingExpert recommends using survey site Swagbucks as you get a £20 bonus once you've earned £10 from answering questions.

You have to do this within 30 days of signing up, so be prepared to put the time in.

Have a clear out - £100s

If you've got unwanted belongings gathering dust in your drawers or loft, flog them online to make some extra cash.

Of course, the amount you could make depends on how much stuff you've got to sell.

Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree both allow you to sell your belongings for free.

Use cashback sites - £100s

Cashback websites pay you to shop by giving you money back on what you buy.

Simply purchase your item through free websites including TopCashback and Quidco and registered purchases will automatically add cashback to your account.

Once received, you can withdraw the money and transfer it straight into your bank account.

Keep in mind that your cashback won't come through until your spend has been authorised, which can take several months.

So don't leave it until the last minute if you want the cash before Christmas.

Read More

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British consumer finance information and discussion website

MoneySavingExpert.com is a British consumer finance information and discussion website, founded by financial journalist Martin Lewis in February 2003. The website's focus is to provide people with information on saving money in the form of deals, tips and journalistic articles. In September 2012, it was bought by the moneysupermarket.com group for a value of £87M.^[1] Since 2015, Lewis has taken on the role of executive chairman, overseeing 100 staff and editors reviewing and updating the site.^[2]

Petitions[edit]

The website has launched three petitions:

• The first aimed to have the secured loan adverts banned from children's television which the site claims received 45,000 signatures. This campaign was the subject of a Parliamentary early day motion.^[3]
• The second, launched in collaboration with the Consumer Credit Counselling Service and Credit Action, appealed to Carol Vorderman to stop appearing in secured loan advertising.^[4] This petition received over 80,000 signatures.^[5][6]
• The third was in conjunction with the site's work on Bank Charges,^[6] and was placed on the UK Prime Minister's website, attracting over 70,000 signatures.

Both of these campaigns have been the subject of Parliamentary early day motions.^[3]

Campaigns[edit]

In August 2006 the site started to develop a system to check whether people were in the correct council tax band. Over a number of months an increasing number of people reported £1000s in backdated payouts.^[6] On 26 January 2007 Martin Lewis presented a Tonight programme on this following up the successes from the 2022 bitcoin price chart it rated 4.5 million viewers and saw the site covered in many national newspapers including the full front pages of the Express and Metro.^{[citation needed]}

During late 2005, the issue of reclaiming unfair bank charges was highlighted and a few small websites started to highlight the issue. The site has been one of the main campaigning forces on this ever since.^[6] In November 2006 the original article was updated by a step-by-step guide, make money online money saving expert, including template letters which speedily achieved its 1,000,000th download towards the end of February 2007.^[7]

Other large-scale campaigns for the website include reclaiming council tax, payment protection insurance, reclaiming mortgage exit fees and reclaiming credit card charges all of which have had over 100,000 people using template letter downloads.^[6]

The site also provides support for saynoto0870.com, a website that provides geographical alternative telephone numbers to 0870 numbers and similar.^{[citation needed]}

Charity contributions[edit]

MoneySavingExpert.com regularly contributes to charities nominated by site users. It is estimated that £100,000 was donated in the 2006-2007 year.^[8] In previous years all money has been given to nominated charities based on the percentage of the vote given by site users, but it has been announced that in the future a new registered charity, the MoneySavingExpert.com Charitable Fund, will distribute the money. It has also been announced that a proportion of the money will fund a feasibility study into setting up a "MoneySaving Kids charity" to help make money online money saving expert children about how to be consumers.^[9]

In December 2006 the book Thrifty Ways for Modern Days was launched by the site. The book was compiled from advice given on the threads of the MoneySaving Old Style section of the site.^[10] As the book was created from community knowledge and only edited by Martin Lewis, it was decided that all profits from the book would go to the MoneySavingExpert.com Charitable Fund.^[11]

Traffic[edit]

As of September 2020^[update], the site has a global Alexa rank of 8,891 and a UK rank of 175.^[12]

Awards and support[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Martin Lewis’ MoneySavingExpert website has explained eight ways to collectively make £1,000 - or more - by Christmas.

The tips include free money just for switching your bank, as well as earning free Amazon vouchers online to spend on Christmas presents.

These quick ways to make cash will come in handy for struggling families as a raft of Covid support schemes have ended in recent weeks.

The £20 weekly boost to Universal Credit payments comes to an end today - just days after the furlough scheme was brought to a close on September 30.

Households are also seeing higher energy bills due to the increase in the energy price cap.

The MoneySavingExpert letter reads: "This week, it's about quick ways to get legit free cash, to try to help in this high-spend period in the run-up to the festive season.

"Following some or all of these plans should reduce the risk of debt or disappointment."

Here are eight ways to make cash for Christmas

Switch bank accounts - £100+

There are currently seven banks that will pay you to switch over your current account to them.

First Direct, Lloyds and RBS are each offering £100 as part of their switch bribes - and the money will arrive in time for Christmas.

Nationwide will give you £125 if you're an existing customer and you move over another account to its service, or £100 for new customers.

HSBC, meanwhile, is offering £110 plus £30 Uber Eats vouchers, and Virgin Money is giving out £150 Virgin Experience Day gift cards.

Santander is technically the top player right now, offering £130 for those who move over to its service, but you may not get the cash in time for Christmas.

This is because the bank says it will assess your account 60 days after the switch has been instructed to decide whether you have qualified for the cash bribe.

If you qualify, it could then take up to 30 days for the money to hit your account.

For each account, you'll need to check the eligibility criteria carefully to make sure you'd qualify for the switch money.

For example, some will require you to pay in a certain amount each month and move over direct debits.

Claim marriage tax allowance - up to £970

Marriage allowance is a tax perk available to couples who are married or in a civil partnership.

It works by allowing one person to transfer £1,260 of their personal allowance to their spouse or civil partner - effectively lowering their tax bill.

Marriage tax allowance for the 2021/22 tax year is worth up to £252 with the change applied to your tax code.

But you can also backdate your claim by up to four tax years - and this amount is given to you in the form of a cheque.

If you're eligible for all four years, this would be worth £970 and the money should take six weeks to arrive.

The amounts for each tax year are worth up to:

• 2021/22 – £252
• 2020/21 – £250
• 2019/20 – £250
• 2018/19 – £238
• 2017/18 – £230

One of you needs to be a non-taxpayer while the other person needs to be paying the basic 20% rate of tax to claim marriage tax allowance.

Slash your broadband bill - £125 Amazon voucher

Firms must now tell existing customers whose contracts are ending about their cheapest deals - but this doesn't include sign-up perks.

For example, Vodafone will give you a £125 Amazon voucher to new customers signing up to its broadband and phone package.

The deal is for 35Mb fibre broadband and you'll pay £19.50 per month on a two-year contract.

Or, MoneySavingExpert also highlighted a Plusnet deal where you get a £75 prepaid Mastercard by signing up to its £18.50 per month 10Mb broadband and phone package, on a one-year contract.

Keep in mind these deals are likely only relevant if you're out of contact or nearing the end of your current broadband deal.

Claim work from home tax relief - up to £140

If you've been forced to work from home, even just for one day, since the start of the current tax year (April 6) then you can claim tax relief worth up to £140.

This is applied to the whole tax year and sees your tax code changed.

But if you worked from home in the last tax year too, and you didn't claim, you can still backdate your tax relief.

This will be sent to you in the form of a cheque or bank transfer and will be issued within three weeks.

There is essentially a flat rate of £6 a week available to you and taxpayers who are eligible can claim based on the rate at which they pay tax.

People paying the standard level of tax of 20% can get £1.20 a week in tax relief, while those who pay tax at the higher rate of 40% get £2.40 a week.

Or if you're on the top 45% rate, you can get £2.70 a week.

For the whole year, this amounts to:

• £62.40 for basic rate taxpayers
• £124.80 for higher rate tax payers
• £140.40 for additional rate tax payers

Workers can find out more and make a claim at gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/working-at-home.

Cashback on spends - £150 Amazon voucher or £265 at Sainsbury's

If you're going to be spending around £1,000 a month before Christmas anyway, you may be able to take advantage of cashback offers.

For example, get accepted for an Amex Gold credit card and spend £3,000 on it within the first three months, and you'll build up enough bonus points for a £150 Amazon voucher, or to convert to Nectar points worth £265.

The points are usually applied within a couple of days, says MoneySavingExpert.

But before you sign up for any credit card, always check you can meet the repayments and only spend what you really need to.

You should also note that if you don't clear your Amex Gold each month you'll pay 24.5% rep APR interest.

You'll also pay a £140 yearly fee after you've had the card a year.

Complete surveys online - £30 Amazon voucher

Yes, you can really get paid just for giving your opinion on everyday topics, TV shows and a whole host of other things.

MoneySavingExpert recommends using survey site Swagbucks as you get a £20 bonus once you've earned £10 from answering questions.

You have to do this within 30 days of signing up, so be prepared to put the time in.

Have a clear out - £100s

If you've got unwanted belongings gathering dust in your drawers or loft, flog them online to make some extra cash.

Of course, the amount you could make depends on how much stuff you've got to sell.

Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree both allow you to sell your belongings for free.

Use cashback sites - £100s

Cashback websites pay you to shop by giving you money back on what you buy.

Simply purchase your item through free websites including TopCashback and Quidco and registered purchases will automatically add cashback to your account.

Once received, you can withdraw the money and transfer it straight into your bank account.

Keep in mind that your cashback won't come through until your spend has been authorised, which can take several months.

So don't leave it until the last minute if you want the cash before Christmas.

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Money / Financial Planning

Natalia Lavrenkova / iStock.com

In today’s column, we’re chatting with Andrea Woroch, a money-saving expert who specializes in simple budgeting tips for busy moms. Here, she’s sharing the four tips every mom needs to know to keep spending in check and save money for the future.

Keep Up With the Latest: Sign Up for The Financially Savvy Female Newsletter
Stay in the Know: Read More From the Financially Savvy Female

1. Don’t Give Into Social FOMO

“Don’t fall into the trap of comparing your life with other families and moms on social media,” Woroch said. “From over-the-top birthday parties to extravagant family vacations to all those family photos in which the kids are outfitted from head to toe in the most adorable outfits, it’s easy to feel like you’re not doing enough for your own kids and start spending more to keep up with what you see on Instagram or Facebook. Just remember though, you’re only seeing the ‘highlights’ of this mother’s life and you don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors. There’s a chance these flashy spenders are struggling more financially than you know. Go ahead and spend on what you think is enriching your kid’s life, but don’t do it just because the other moms are.”

One way to resist the temptation of overspending out of FOMO is to be more conscious about who you’re following on social media.

“If you notice someone makes you feel less than your best on social media, it’s time to unfollow them,” Woroch said. “Instead, fill your feed with accounts that lift and inspire you.”

Helpful: 4 Essential Tips for Moms Re-Entering the Workforce

2. Streamline Your Savings Efforts

“Busy moms have enough on their plate, and trying to find coupons or comparison shop can be a time suck. But that doesn’t mean you have to forgo saving money,” Woroch said. “The good news is there are several digital tools that take the legwork out of saving money that every mom should use.”

Woroch recommends downloading money-saving browser extensions, like CouponCabin’s Sidekick tool.

“It automatically adds coupons and cash back to your online cart, ensuring you never miss out on a deal,” Woroch said. “Meanwhile, Paribus tracks prices of items you purchase online that are linked to your email, and will request money back on your behalf in the event they detect a price drop on that purchase as long as it falls in the retailer’s price adjustment timeframe. Popcart is also a helpful browser tool, as it provides instant price comparison online so you don’t have to open multiple tabs and run several online searches.”

Read More:How Every Woman Can (and Should) Become a Confident Investor

You can also use apps to streamline your investments.

“As far as investing goes, the micro-investing app Acorns is great because it has a feature in which they round up purchases made with your debit or credit card to the whole dollar and put the difference to your investments,” Woroch said. “I love that this is on autopilot because remembering to invest is often the biggest barrier to actually doing it for moms who are already juggling multiple things at once.”

More Help:3 Alarming Ways Women Are Lagging Behind Men When It Comes to Their Finances

3. Prioritize Retirement Over College

“As moms, we want to give our kids the best life, which usually focuses on extracurricular activities, family trips and all the toys and clothing they want,” Woroch said. “It may also mean wanting to pay for their higher education so they can get further earlier in life. However, overspending when they’re young may interfere with your financial security later. If you aren’t putting away money towards retirement and instead overspending on toys or activities or only saving for college, you may not have enough to cover basic living needs when it comes time to retire.”

Woroch notes that while your kids can take out loans for college, you cannot take out loans for retirement.

“Focusing on building a healthy nest egg is crucial,” she said. “Not to mention, taking care of yourself means your kids won’t have to worry about you financially later, and that’s truly the best gift you can give them!”

Plus, you may be able to help your child pay back college loans in later years.

“In the event your children need to take out loans for college because you had to put more towards retirement, you can still help them out later by covering some or all of their repayments in the event you were able to catch up on your investment goals,” Woroch said.

More Help:How Millennial Women Can Take Control of Their Debt

4. Keep Birthday Party Budgets Under Control

Birthday parties are an area where parents tend to splurge.

“It’s easy to get wrapped up in the excitement of celebrating your child’s birthday and overspend in an effort to make the day extra special,” Woroch said. “Just keep in mind you don’t need to spend a lot of money to make your son or daughter’s birthday party fun and memorable.”

See:4 Money Lies Women Tell Themselves (& Why They’re Not True)

Begin by setting a budget and tracking your spending.

“Pinpoint the area that means the most to your child where you will spend more, such as toward entertainment like a magician or Disney princess. Then, look for ways to cut back on other party elements,” Woroch said. “Instead of catering food, pick up a few pizzas from Costco or Sprouts and bake your own cake. You can also pick up plenty of decorations from the dollar store on the cheap! Ultimately, you can have fun without spending a lot of money.”

To keep her own birthday party spending down, Woroch only throws a party every other year.

“This way, I don’t feel as bad when I spend a little extra knowing I will be saving the following year,” she said. “This allows me to do a little more without feeling pinched or stressed.”

GOBankingRates wants to empower women to take control of their finances. According to the latest stats, women hold $72 billion in private wealth — but fewer women than men consider themselves to be in “good” or “excellent” financial shape. Women are less likely to be investing and are more likely to have debt, and women are still being paid less than men overall. Our “Financially Savvy Female” column will explore the reasons behind these inequities and provide solutions to change them. We believe financial equality begins with financial literacy, so we’re providing tools and tips for women, by women to take control of their money and help them live a richer life.

More From GOBankingRates

How we're spending our money has changed so much over the past 12 months. Whether you have saved more or exhausted your funds, we all need a little financial inspiration to help us save where we can. So, check out our twenty-three of tried and tested money-saving tactics. You'll be amazed at just how much you can save without even trying.

1 Save first, spend later

Pay yourself first. If you do this it’s a sure way towards financial freedom. Use the 50/30/20 flexible approach to budgeting. This means 50% of your take home pay goes on your needs (bills, food, minimum debt payments), 30% goes towards fun (eating out etc) and 20% goes to future you (debt payments above the minimum, saving for emergencies and investing). If this split doesn’t work for you when money is tight, you can adjust the ratios as you go.

2 Don't pay interest on your credit card debt

If you've got card debt, put a strategy in place for getting rid of it. Don't panic if you haven't got a handy lump sum to magic away the full amount, you can achieve the same end result by transferring the debt to a 0% balance credit card to avoid paying interest for a fixed time (up to 30 months) and paying off a set amount every month.

Some cards come with a small balance transfer fees, so make sure you do the maths. Do set up a direct debit to avoid missing minimum payments and being stung with high charges. If you still have debt after the 0% period ends, move to another deal. Do not use this card for purchases. Find the best 0% balance transfer card using comparison site such as Moneyfacts and MoneySuperMarket.

3 Stay on track

Don’t let cash slip through your fingers. With digital bank Monzo you can transfer a set amount of spending money to your card while prepaid cards – like Monese and Transferwise – only let you spend what you load.

Too high tech? Set up a day to day spending account with its own card, and transfer your weekly disposable income on to it.

4 Use an incognito browser

Going incognito when you shop online can help you save money by automatically deleting your browser history when you close a tab. This means companies can’t track what you’re looking at and put prices up (yes, it happens!), so it will be especially useful for planning your next holiday.

5 Don't splurge on payday

Nationwide’s Payday Saveday survey revealed 1 in 5 people spend over half their spare monthly wages within 48 hours of getting paid! Don't let your disposable income burn a hole in your wallet, always ask yourself if you really need it.

Prioritise your most important outgoings, plus something for the savings pot, before you start spending. That way, you’ll know how much disposable income you really have to last the rest of the month.

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6 Get savvy with your savings

If you haven't already, maximise your £20,000 tax free ISA allowance. You can either put money into a cash or investment ISA. Admittedly, rates for cash ISAs aren't great at the moment, but you'll get more the longer you are prepared to leave the money untouched. Check out www.gov.uk/individual-savings-accounts for more information. Check for the best cash ISA rates at Moneyfacts

You don’t need a lot of money to start investing, nor do you need to be an expert. Some investment apps, such as Moneybox, even let you begin with just a few pennies by rounding up your loose change every time you spend.

7 Claim working from home tax relief

If you’re still working from home as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, you could claim some money back for working from home expenses in the form of tax relief paid by HMRC. Anyone required to work from home, even for one day, could apply for tax relief last tax year for the whole 2020/21 tax year.

8 Weather the storm

If the current crisis has taught us anything, it's the importance of a rainy day fund. If yours has taken a battering recently (or you never really had one), start saving – anything is better than nothing. The rule of thumb is to have three months’ income saved for emergencies, ideally six if you have a mortgage.

9 Beware the BOGOFs!

How many times have you walked into a supermarket and fallen victim to a BOGOF (Buy One Get One Free) deal? says Robert Gardner, Director of Investments at St James's Place. We’ve all done it. We go to do the monthly food shop and we get swept away by all the ‘money saving’ opportunities that we see on the shelves. But did you know that the average person in the UK spends £1,300 more a year on these BOGOF deals than they need to? The money you spend buying three bottles of Coke when you only need one is significant and these deals not only cost you dearly, but may also contribute to food waste. So next time you go shopping use the calculator on your phone to work out how much you could save by not falling for the BOGOFs.

10 Switch supplier

Spend 15 minutes on a comparison site and, you are almost guaranteed to find cheaper deals on your household bills. Ofgem calculates that the average household can save £300 a year by switching to a better energy and gas deal.

If you haven't done this in the last 18 months, now might be a good time to grab your latest utility statements and check out comparison sites, such as uswitch or moneysupermarket. Don't stop there. When the insurance comes up for renewal, look around for cheaper deals.

11 Remortgage!

If your fixed term mortgage deal has come to an end you may be paying a ‘loyalty’ penalty of high interest which could add up to as much as £1000 a year. So, talk to your mortgage broker about remortgaging to the best deal for now, or find an independent mortgage adviser at unbiased.co.uk or vouchedfor.

12 Shop for own brand

Swapping branded products for own brand alternatives is an easy way to slash the price of your shopping bill – from cornflakes and pasta, to oven chips and washing up liquid. If you’re worried about the taste being compromised, 'blind' test them out on the family first! If they don't notice the difference, you're onto a winner!

13 Waste less food

Almost three quarters of what we throw away in the home is edible, according to recycling charity WRAP. Make a conscious effort to use everything you buy and you'll save a fortune.

If you're worried about food safety, remember: ‘use by’ date is the cut-off after which it is not considered safe to eat the food. However, eating food past a ‘best before’ date won't cause any health issues.

14 Claim back money with your name on it

From forgotten bank accounts to tax rebates, you could be sitting on a pot of gold without even realising it. Do you hold a sneaking suspicion that there might be savings somewhere with your name on? Find out with My Lost Account.

If you think you may be on an incorrect tax code, get in touch with HMRC. The same applies to council tax – you can challenge your band if you’ve lived somewhere for fewer than six months or the area has changed.

15 Check your insurance policy

If you are going to be using your car less as a result of the pandemic and working from home more, check your car insurance is still the right fit. Never auto renew, always check for better deals via your existing supplier and comparison websites such as CompareTheMarket and MoneySupermarket.

16 Cut your grocery bill

Buying only what you need may sound like an obvious way to save money, but it can be easier said than done. Once you’ve planned your meals for the week ahead, the Love Food Hate Waste Portion Calculator can help take the guesswork out of totting up what you need to buy.

Get to know the world food aisle in your supermarket (it hides savings of up to 75% on cupboard staples including rice, lentils, beans, spices and sauces), shop in the evening's for discounts, look at lower supermarket shelves for smaller prices, don't pay for plastic bags and make your fruit and veg last longer.

17 Have a no-spend day

Exercise some self discipline and try to have at least one no-spend day each week, it'll make you more careful with your cash in the long term. This can be as simple as having last nights leftovers rather than buying lunch out, snacking only from your weekly shop and carrying coffee/tea in a keep cup. Require more than one brew a day? Many chains (including Pret) cut the price of your beverage if you bring a portable mug.

You can cheat on travel expenses if it's absolutely necessary. Or, get paid to walk with smartphone apps, such as Sweatcoin and BetterPoints, which exchange your steps for store discounts and freebies.

18 Check your workplace pension

'Make sure you are checking in with, and making the most of, your workplace pension,' says Robert Gardner of St James's Place. When you start at a new company or when your employer sets up a new pension scheme, you will usually receive information to agree the percentage of your salary that will be paid into your workplace pension. Your employer will then deduct your pension contributions directly from your wages before paying you.

It’s important to check your pension to make sure you’re saving enough for retirement and you’re happy with how your pension is being invested. It's also worth checking whether your employer will match pound for pound any personal contributions you make, which is like a pay rise – or free money! – to your future self.

19 Paperless energy bills

If you ditch paper bills and become an online customer, you're almost always more likely to get access to a range of better deals and cheaper plans. Not to mention you can monitor and manage your account online or through a smartphone app.

20 Track your spending

The more conscious you are of what you are spending the less likely you are to overspend. Use free budgeting apps like Money Dashboard to monitor all your accounts in one place on a handy dashboard.

Digital banks like Monzo and Starling are also great at helping you manage your spending with a number of budgeting tools within their apps. It could be useful to check your current spending pattern as it may differ from your usual one.

21 Try a little patience

When shopping online, fill your shopping basket but don’t check out immediately (unless it’s something that’s selling like hotcakes). If suppliers spot items sitting in your basket for a day, they’ll get in touch to ask you if you forgot to check out and sometimes they’ll send you a discount to persuade you to return.

This only works if you have an online account with them, as they’ll need your email address.

22 Ask for a price match

Some shops have a policy that if you find a lower price, they will beat it. While this isn’t the case at all retailers, it’s always worth asking, as popular shops like John Lewis and Currys have price match policies. Just do your research online first so that you can back up your claim.

Alternatively, you can use the VoucherCodes ‘DealFinder’ plug-in on Chrome to be instantly alerted to the best deals when shopping online.

23 Manage your gadgets and appliances

It’s not a myth, a small amount of electricity is still drawn when a device is plugged in for charging. Instead of charging overnight, juice up for a couple of hours during the day and unplug to save on your electricity bills. This could save you as much as £30 a year, according to the Energy Saving Trust.

Did we mention that not defrosting your freezer is costing you more in energy, too? The more ice your freezer is fashioning, the more energy it uses. So, if the ice gathering around the inside is thicker than around 3cm, defrost it.

24 Make the most of resale platforms

Did you know that the average British woman accumulates an estimated £22,000 of unworn clothes over a lifetime? It's time to make money while you spend it by exchanging your old clobber for cash via resale platforms such as Depop, Vinted and eBay.

You can also use these sites to hunt for top-quality gifts. Pre-owned doesn’t have to mean lower-quality – many items sold on these sites are brand new and often cost less than the original retail price.

25 Check your workplace benefits

If you haven’t had time in the past to check out the benefits your employer may offer, now might be a good time. From healthcare plans and childcare support to local discounts, know what’s on offer, sign up and you'll reap the maximum reward.

If you'd like more great money reads, SIGN UP HERE for our fortnightly Financially Fabulous newsletter!

British consumer finance information and discussion website

MoneySavingExpert.com is a British consumer finance information and discussion website, founded by financial journalist Martin Lewis in February 2003. The website's focus is to provide people with information on saving money in the form of deals, tips and journalistic articles. In September 2012, it was bought by the moneysupermarket.com group for a value of £87M.^[1] Since 2015, Lewis has taken on the role of executive chairman, overseeing 100 staff and editors reviewing and updating the site.^[2]

Petitions[edit]

The website has launched three petitions:

• The first aimed to have the secured loan adverts banned from children's television which the site claims received 45,000 signatures. This campaign was the subject of a Parliamentary early day motion.^[3]
• The second, launched in collaboration with the Consumer Credit Counselling Service and Credit Action, appealed to Carol Vorderman to stop appearing in secured loan advertising.^[4] This petition received over 80,000 signatures.^[5][6]
• The third was in conjunction with the site's work on Bank Charges,^[6] and was placed on the UK Prime Minister's website, attracting over 70,000 signatures.

Both of these campaigns have been the subject of Parliamentary early day motions.^[3]

Campaigns[edit]

In August 2006 the site started to develop a system to check whether people were in the correct council tax band. Over a number of months an increasing number of people reported £1000s in backdated payouts.^[6] On 26 January 2007 Martin Lewis presented a Tonight programme on this following up the successes from the site; it rated 4.5 million viewers and saw the site covered in many national newspapers including the full front pages of the Express and Metro.^{[citation needed]}

During late 2005, the issue of reclaiming unfair bank charges was highlighted and a few small websites started to highlight the issue. The site has been one of the main campaigning forces on this ever since.^[6] In November 2006 the original article was updated by a step-by-step guide, including template letters which speedily achieved its 1,000,000th download towards the end of February 2007.^[7]

Other large-scale campaigns for the website include reclaiming council tax, payment protection insurance, reclaiming mortgage exit fees and reclaiming credit card charges all of which have had over 100,000 people using template letter downloads.^[6]

The site also provides support for saynoto0870.com, a website that provides geographical alternative telephone numbers to 0870 numbers and similar.^{[citation needed]}

Charity contributions[edit]

MoneySavingExpert.com regularly contributes to charities nominated by site users. It is estimated that £100,000 was donated in the 2006-2007 year.^[8] In previous years all money has been given to nominated charities based on the percentage of the vote given by site users, but it has been announced that in the future a new registered charity, the MoneySavingExpert.com Charitable Fund, will distribute the money. It has also been announced that a proportion of the money will fund a feasibility study into setting up a "MoneySaving Kids charity" to help educate children about how to be consumers.^[9]

In December 2006 the book Thrifty Ways for Modern Days was launched by the site. The book was compiled from advice given on the threads of the MoneySaving Old Style section of the site.^[10] As the book was created from community knowledge and only edited by Martin Lewis, it was decided that all profits from the book would go to the MoneySavingExpert.com Charitable Fund.^[11]

Traffic[edit]

As of September 2020^[update], the site has a global Alexa rank of 8,891 and a UK rank of 175.^[12]

Awards and support[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

I Need Money Now: Moderate Skill Set – Moderate pay-offs

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