The web's cashback cooperative

Quidco.com is website offering cash back.

Buy something from one of 1,200 online shops (including Play.com), and you will receive a percentage of the price back.

Sites such as Google receive a referral fee. However, Quidco - the 'online cooperative' - pays the straight into your bank account.

One example is a 5% return from shopping at M&S.

Be wary of making "false economies". Only buy what you were going to buy in the first place. Don't buy more stuff "to make more savings", because you'll only gain pence when spending pounds!

50% off at Zizzi with the Daily Telegraph

If you like Italian food and you like a cut-price deal, then buy yourself a Daily Telegraph before the end of the week (30 Jan).

The newspaper has teamed up Italian restaurant chain Zizzi to cut 50% off the price of your main course.

Fancy pasta, pizza, risotto or an Italian salad? Then Zizzi is the place for you. And why pay full price when you can get the meal for half?

A single voucher covers the main meals of up to six people, and vouchers are printed every day in the Daily Telegraph. We all need a bargain. Get your voucher, and enjoy a meal out between now and 21 February (sadly, not St Valentine's Day, 14 Feb) in any of over a hundred Zizzi restaurants.

Competition Heaven

There ought to be something that we look forward to and if you enter competitions, then you never know! There's always the hope that you might be the lucky one out of the bag, or out of the hat. Mycomps.co.uk really does work. I have been a member for quite a while and I have so far won a few prizes, sadly not the big ones (cars and holidays) but hey, a Tefal wok always comes in handy. I also won a bucket of face masks...all for the price of a postcard and a 2nd class stamp! So see what they have to offer on their site. Remember, professional compers can make an absolute fortune with the right advice and dedication!! Good luck!

Make your records and cassettes sing again

Have you been replacing your old vinyl records and cassette tapes with the CD versions of the same albums? In fact, with CDs now being overtaken by MP3 music, you'll have been turning to online digital music stores.

I'll bet you haven't finished replacing your old stuff yet. And I'll bet you have most of your old records and cassettes stashed away in a box in the loft ... yet your record and casette decks have long since made their way to the dump.

All that beautiful music from the fifties to the nineties all lying idle in your dark attic.

Well now's the time to save your money. Stop replacing them and get those vinyl records out again.

All you need to do is invest in a USB record deck and a USB cassette deck (some have dual capability) and you can convert your records and tapes to digital music on your computer ... and re-live your dancing days all over again!

Try Iwantoneofthose.com or firebox.com.

As British Gas cuts gas prices by 10%, should you switch?

British Gas is to cut its gas bill by 10% in February. It is estimated that this will save customers about £83 a year on average. In doing so, it has become the first gas/electricity provider to lower its tariff in over two years.

While the cut was welcomed by consumer groups, it was described as "pitiful" by one critic, and others demanded that electricity prices should be cut too.

Gordon Lishman, director-general of charity Age Concern, said the price cut was a step in the right direction, but added: "Unless further reductions follow, and are made acroos all tariffs and energy companies, many pensioners will continue to struggle to pay their bills."

When companies raised prices 12 months ago, most gave only a day's notice, yet these decreases do not come in until 19 February. Consumer champion Martin Lewis described it as a "pitiful cut". He was expecting gas and electricty bills to come down by 10 to 20%.

Mr Lewis cautioned consumers against switching their supplier to British Gas, saying that other suppliers would follow suit. "They move with a herd mentality," he said. "British Gas may have been the first to cut, but they not be the cheapest supplier."

Try writing for extra cash

How's your English? Can you write?

Even in these difficult economic times there is a demand for writers. If you are looking for a job, trying to earn a bit of extra cash, biding your time, or considering taking up a career in writing, then writing in your spare time could be beneficial to you.

Currently WriteItClearly.com are looking for talented writers to join their team of contractors. They have big new projects on the go, writing news articles for a variety of internet news feeds.

They also need proofreaders, so if you are skilled in that area, get in touch.

WriteItClearly.com uses contractors without obligation. However, if you do write for them, your English will need to be perfect. Get practising!

Could you get a better broadband deal?

Most broadband users in the UK are getting speeds much slower than advertised. Wouldn't you like to get a better deal and cut costs?

Research by Ofcom, the telecommunications industry regulator, has shown that British consumers get an average broadband speed of just 3.6 Megabits (Mbs) for an advertised speed of "up to 8 Mbs".

You can get information about what speed you're getting by logging on at www.thinkbroadband.com, a large independent broadband news and information site.

You could ask your provider whether they can offer you a better package - and for less money. If they say no, then say you'll try elsewhere. Who knows, they might change their view! If you do want to look elsewhere, look at these sites for comparisons: www.moneysupermarket.com, www.broadbandchoices.co.uk, www.simplifydigital.co.uk, www.uswitch.com, www.simplyswitch.com.

Like gas and electricity, there's almost certainly a better deal out there for you.

Hurry, organic food lovers!

I can wholeheartedly recommend Abel & Cole, www.abelandcole.co.uk/, for good quality organic produce delivered to your door. But I wish I'd told you earlier that at the moment and only until the 23 January they are running a promotion of 25% discount on all non fruit and vegetable products. This includes all dried goods, rice, pulses, meat, fish, tinned food, dairy products, eggs, chocolate and other goodies too numerous to mention.

You may find that a regular box suits you if you like organic fruit and veg and are into cutting down on excess packaging - Abel & Cole are a highly ethical company and also treat their growers and farmers in the right way. That is why I love my regular Monday morning delivery - they deliver country-wide, so why not visit them today? Take advantage of the above offer which I think is really too good to miss!

Property may still make your fortune

Property may have got a bad name as an investment over the past 12 months or so, but there really isn't much doubt that over the long term, property will make money. "People," as they say, "will always need somewhere to live."

Many very rich people have made their money in property.

I found this deal recently. It's for a development called Skyline in Birmingham.

Deal Structure

Agency will arrange for your deposit to be paid to the value of 25%.
For example . . . Barratt List Price – £267,250.00
Current Market (Contract) Value, confirmed by an independent R.I.C.S surveyor £165,000.00 75% Mortgage – £123,750.00.
25% Deposit – £41,250.00.
Agency will arrange for your deposit to be paid so you do not have to put down any capital.

Costings

The total cost of buying an apartment is £2,500. Agency will then pay your reservation fee, your valuation and mortgage fees, your legal costs and provide the deposit. There are NO other fees to pay.

Finance

Agency arrange the mortgage on your behalf, ensuring you get the best deal currently available. They estimate for a 1-bedroom apartment your mortgage payment would be £380 a month and for a 2-bedroom apartment, £480.

Overview

Valuations are based on an up to the minute RICS valuation.
You pay just £2,500.
You will have 25% equity with rental income that covers your mortgage payments.
You have just bought at the bottom of the market.

There still are ways to make a fortune out of property!
Interested? Contact enquiries@europeanpropertypurchases.com

Find a voucher online!

It's all too easy to forget - if you ever knew - that it's worthwhile looking online to see if you can find a voucher or discount code for any purchase you wish to make online. In fact, once you decide to buy something why not look up http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/ and see what useful deals are available. The site has a list of current offers - for example House of Fraser are offering 10% off a £50 spend and this includes free delivery! Faith are offering 15% off full price items and so are Superdrug whose offer continues until the 31st January.

In the past, people used to cut out coupons from magazines or take advantage of leaflets with special offer vouchers delivered to their door. These days online shopping is very popular and it is a wise step to chase the discounts and promotions that are so readily available - you could save yourself a packet!

Look: there are good savings rates to be found

The Bank of England reduced the base rate to 1.5% last week, which is going to make life difficult for savers. Many rates on building society accounts have already fallen below 1%, and some are down to zero, relying solely on bonuses to give any return at all.

However, there are some good rates to be found, especially if you can save regularly.

First Direct has an offer of 7% (fixed) for those who invest between £25 and £300 a month. It's a one-year ISA, so it's tax-free too.

Abbey has a Super Fixed Rate Monthly Saver, also at 7%. The slight catch is that savers must open a regular investment, pension or protection plan at the same time. Monthly investment can be between £20 and £250. Without an investment product the savings rate is still a fair 5%.

More soon.

Half price pizza...

Check this one out for 50% off your next visit to Pizza Hut. I have kids - they always want to go to Pizza Hut and this month, I think I might treat them seeing as I can now get it half price. Just click here to check out this offer, but hurry because it ends on 13th February. Plenty of time to book a meal out, especially if there's a birthday coming up!

Business cards for free

Yes, it's true you can now get business cards and associated stationery printed for free by visiting Vista print. It really couldn't be simpler to design your own stuff and get exactly what you want. I have already ordered two sets of cards and they arrived promptly and of the highest quality! All you do it pay for the postage. Every little helps...

De-clutter and save the environment

Are you interested in getting rid of your stuff (“de-cluttering”), but not having to take it to your local tip? Perhaps you haven’t got the transport to do that, or you’d just like to keep it out of landfill.

Try UK freecycle at http://uk.freecycle.org/.

It is actually a worldwide network made up of many individual groups across the globe. It's a movement of people who are giving away stuff for free in their own towns. That means people are getting stuff for free too!

The commendable goal in these modern times is to keep usable items out of landfills. As well as environmental benefits, Freecycle also encourages us to get rid of junk that we no longer need and promote community involvement in the process.

Everything posted on Freecycle must be free, legal and appropriate for all ages. As well as offering something - whether it's a chair, fax machine, piano or an old door – you can post wanted messages if you are looking for something.

It’s free to register and use.

There’s bound to be a freecycle group near you. Sign up today, de-clutter your home, and help save the world!

Look for pound recovery by holiday time!

We have seen the pound plummet in recent weeks, but it did show a minor recovery last week, reaching 1.127 euros and $1.52 by the end of the week. There didn't appear to be a huge adverse reaction to the lowering of interest rates by the Bank of England to 1.5%.

It may be that currency traders feel that the worst is over for the UK economy (or at least, it can't get much worse), whereas it could actually get worse for those in the eurozone. Several European economies are struggling, but the eurozone interest rate is at 2.5%. There is still room for it to come down.

If the eurozone interest rate comes down and the UK interest rate appears to be stabilising, it could be good news for the pound. We might not see a return to the level of £1=1.5 euros, the rate for so long beyond a couple of years back, but at least we might get more euros for our money come the time for our summer holidays!

Help Financially

Some kind person sent me this: Lewis Geary's The Rich Life Letter ... a twice-weekly email specially designed to help you make money, save money and find a path to financial freedom. It caught my interest because it's free and I like free things! Lewis Geary gives you free tips and advice on how to ease your money problems and get a ton of stuff cheaper - or even for nothing by using a few brilliant (and perfectly legal) tricks and loopholes. This is what he reckons he has achieved:
• The TV trick that could get you a better quality 42" plasma set for £900 less than the "top-of-the-range" model.
• How a "debt diet" could save you A GRAND in a month - great if you need to pay off your credit card quickly... or save for a holiday
• New Tyres - you never know if you're being ripped-off. But visit this website and you can leave your car on the drive and let the cheapest tyres in your area come to YOU
• Is your bank penalising you for being a loyal customer? Put a stop to it NOW and get their top rate by making one phone call
• How to get tons of free stuff - from coffee... to perfume... to cat food. Why spend £££s on your weekly grocery shop when you can get it for NOTHING?
You can read more about him and sign up for his free email service here.

Is the FTSE 100 worth a punt?

No one could pretend that the economy is in a good state or that 2009 will be an easy year, but have we seen the worst of stock market volatility?

The UK stock market reached its low-point of 3,781 on 20 November, but since then it has shown remarkable stability and had climbed to 4,505 by close of business, Thursday 8 January. This is a rise of 19%. Is that making the headlines? Is anyone shouting from the rooftops? No, because good news doesn’t make for good headlines.

Yet if you had invested a thousand pounds of your money into a FTSE 100 tracker on 20 November, it would now be worth £1,190. And this is at a time when the Bank of England base rate has just gone down to 1.5%, and you can be sure that finding a savings rate of much more than 1% for a thousand pounds would be nigh on impossible.

The stock market appears to have rallied quietly in the last six weeks, and this may suggest an underlying feeling of optimism, despite all the doom and gloom that is about.

Let’s try a little experiment in the next month. Let’s pretend we put a thousand pounds into the stock market (e.g. a FTSE 100 tracker) on Friday morning (4,505 points), and we’ll see where it’s got to by Monday 9 February. We’ll compare that with a rate of 1.5% over a month, and we’ll see what happens!

I want to sell my stamps ...

I've been looking for ways of making some money in these hard times of recession. So now I'm concentrating on repaying my credit cards while using them as little as possible - preferably never - again!

So to supplement my income I've decided to sell my childhood stamp collection which my elderly mother has just given me back. Explanation - she kept them all these years under the pretext of growing her own small collection which had been merged with mine at some point!

As you grow older you may become less attached to these things and I haven't collected stamps since childhood. But I remember the thrill I used to experience as I received whole sets of stamps on approval through the post, visited a local stamp shop and spent hours lovingly mounting them in. It was an educational hobby and fed my love of travel and of learning foreign languages.

My (and mum's!) collection is housed in one album and an old Peak Freans biscuit tin called aptly Stamps and Biscuits and illustrated with pictures of various stamps of all shapes and sizes!

I won't miss my stamps now and I do want to sell them to help pay off those credit cards. I wonder now might there be just one or two valuable ones amongst this lot? Having done some research in the past I am now resolved to start Googling again and find out where those stamp fairs are taking place and whether it is best to go to a stamp dealer or find a private buyer. So I'll be back to let you know how I get on!

Fashion Statement

And there's more... I came across another site for recycling (as such), this one for unwanted clothes.

How many items of clothing do we have in our wardrobes that we haven't worn for donkeys' years? The fashion rule of thumb is throw out anything that you haven't worn for two years... I don't think so! I paid good money for them then and I intend to get something back.

So log on to http://www.fashionexchange.co.uk/ and start selling!

Welcome and start making money!

I don't know about you but I'm struggling in today's economic climate. I think it happened when they started calling it a recession instead of credit crunch ... it really is all in the name! Anyway, having been through this once before in the late 1990s, I decided I wasn't going to do it again so I've been using my resources. Now you might not think that you have anything worth anything in your house but think again. I have books, a lot of books - the majority of which I haven't read for a long long time. And although I would be very loath to get rid of a lot of them, I have to be ruthless and so I decided to sell. And I found this: http://www.greenmetropolis.com/ takes your books and sells them for £3.75 - that's EVERY book listed at the same price. You as the seller get £3.00 and the remainder goes to the site. For every book sold, they donate 5p to the Woodland Trust, the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity to help support Woodland Creation. And all you have to do is put in the ISBN number on the back of the book - ingenious! Check it out!