July, 2010

If you’re struggling with debt problems, the last thing you should be doing is splurging on expensive tickets or theme park entrance fees to entertain the family. However, summer is coming up and the kids surely deserve a few fun days out, but how can you make them enjoyable and more affordable?

What you may not realise is that there are literally hundreds of cheap or free attractions available in the UK, many of them open especially for the summer.

One of the main examples of these is museums and art galleries. As well as being free, many of these now feature exciting interactive exhibitions and child-focused activities so that the whole family will have a good day out.

To really save money though, you ideally want to find an activity in your local area so that you won’t have to shell out on expensive transport. With the help of a local newspaper or area guide, along with a bit of imagination, you should be able to find endless ways to entertain the kids this summer.

Here are just a few fun ideas for the family:

• Have a picnic in the park
• Go to the beach
• Visit a local funfair or craft fair
• Head to a local music festival
• Visit a local heritage site
• Take the kids to a local petting zoo or animal farm
• Go on a hike or a ramblers walk

Local newspapers and noticeboards are a good place to start looking for upcoming festivals and events. You should also go online and search for activities in your area that are free of charge. Once you start looking, you’ll find lots of things going on in your community.

FREE tickets to a night at the theatre

If you’re aged 25 or under you can get free tickets to many theatre shows across England. Just go to the Arts Council website to check what’s on, enter your postcode and choose a participating theatre. Choose from available free tickets, then call to book at the theatre’s box office or book online.

Tickets are allocated on a first come, first served basis. The promotion is part of a pilot scheme by the Arts Council, which is running until the end of Mar 2011. It’s aimed at 16-25s, although children under 16 can also get free tickets too, depending on the show’s age rating.

So don’t let debt problems spoil your summer fun; take advantage of free local activities for the family and save money at the same time!

The internet is a great resource for making some extra cash, especially auction sites like eBay where you can sell anything (and we mean literally anything!).

The first step, of course, is to find things to sell. You need to de-clutter your home, gathering up anything and everything you don't use anymore or not likely to want in the future. Look at everything as a potential sale, even if it looks like rubbish and you think no-one will want it; people buy the weirdest things on eBay – such as a bucket of water and even rhino dung!

This said, the things that sell better on eBay include branded, niche and new items.

Selling tips

Once you've got stuff to sell, you need to know how to entice buyers. Follow these few steps:

1. Build a profile – Everyone has to start somewhere, but bear in mind that the more transactions you are involved in the higher your feedback rating will be.
2. See what other people have sold the same item for –Search eBay for your item, under the ‘completed' category, to find an average price.
3. Choose a search-friendly title – Get all the relevant search terms in (i.e. size, brand, condition) and leave out unnecessary information.
4. Compelling and accurate item description – Include as many details as possible, including why you're selling the item and if there is anything wrong with it. Don't forget to spellcheck!
5. Choose a good photo – Take a clear photo of the item, on a clear background, and upload it to your listing.
6. Other tips – Go for a lower starting price for inexpensive items to attract more attention, include more countries in the list of where you'll post to, and make sure the listing ends at a good time (i.e. at tea-time, rather than 2am).

Many contracts and deals, on everything from home insurance to savings accounts, offer you a fantastic deal at the beginning but then add on a pile of interest after a certain time. As well as robbing you of value for money, this unexpected change in your contract can leave you with hefty bills to pay and could even lead to serious and sudden debt problems.

People often forget when their contract ends or how long their great deal lasts, so it is a good idea to make a note of it, so you know the perfect time to take action. Doing so can help you switch to a better value product before it's too late.

The following are a few deal expiry periods to look out for:

• Credit card 0% interest deals

This offer is a standard on many credit cards, and it is very effective at luring new customers in. However, it is limited and if you fail to pay off your credit card balance before the last 0% month ends; you could be facing a huge leap in interest payments. To switch to a new card and get a better deal, you need to allow yourself six weeks or so to move provider before the 0% period runs out.

• Home insurance

Simply renewing your policy at the end of the contract is no guarantee of the best deal. Many insurers are notorious for rewarding customer loyalty with above average renewal quotes – as many customers are lazy and will renew anyway without shopping around first. You could save money on your insurances by shopping around for the latest and best deals, so give yourself a few weeks of researching time before your policy runs out to find the cheapest or best priced cover that you need.

• Savings accounts

Some accounts have end dates, when your interest rate falls and your money isn't earning as much as it used to. It pays to move your money around to where the best interest is offered, as it could significantly boost the amount of money you have saved. Switch to a new account about six weeks before your \”offer interest" period happens, by searching around online for the best deals.

Good places to look for all of these deals include comparison websites like Compare-the-market and Money Supermarket. Or you could even shop around first and then go back to your original supplier and ask them to match the price you have been offered elsewhere.

There is an important difference between things you need to buy and things you simply just want. If you are struggling with debt problems, then desirable, non-essential luxury products are generally out of the question but you may still need to buy essentials at some point.

Examples of items you may need to buy include:

• Groceries
• Baby equipment, such as clothes, toys and bottles
• Items for the house like lightbulbs, fridges, cookers, and kettles
• Schoolbooks and clothes for children

These items don't always come cheap however, which can be a nightmare if you're trying to save money or address debt management problems. Luckily, there are a few ways you can get these for free or at a discounted price.

Try the following:

• Use Freecycle ‚Äö√Ñ√¨ This is the most useful resource you could turn to for your essentials, and even some luxury items. This is because everything listed on the site is free, as long as you're able to collect it. With a bit of searching, you can find anything and everything you might need ‚Äö√Ñ√¨ even the unusual items! As well as saving money, you are also helping the environment by using Freecycle, as it's a recycling community where unwanted items find new homes rather than being thrown out.
• Try other freebie websites such as Gumtree or SnaffleUp
• Charity shops ‚Äö√Ñ√¨ Although the products in charity shops aren't free, they are vastly cheaper than in high street shops. You can find clothes, small furniture items and books, the cost of which goes towards a worthy cause.
• If you are receiving any of the benefits below you could receive four low energy light bulbs absolutely free:

  Income support, housing benefit, council tax benefit, income-based JSA, DLA, war disablement pension, industrial injuries disablement benefit, working families tax credit, disabled person's tax credit, child tax credit, pension credit, working tax credit

  Send your name, address, and details of the benefits you receive to:

  Disability Now (Powergen)
  FREEPOST
  PO Box 7
  Manchester
  M19 2HD

• Swapping – you may also be able to trade something that you are no longer using, for something that you need. Try local adverts or classified pages in your local newspaper, or check out the noticeboards in local supermarkets and shops.

Utility bills are essential expenditure for most families, but that doesn't mean you can't find ways to cut costs and avoid any potential debt problems.  The following are a few hints and tips on cutting your water bill down to size, which can also help to alleviate any debt management problems:

• Switch to a water meter

Either use a comparison website or contact your water supplier to find out whether a water meter would be financially viable for your home (recommended if there are more rooms in your house than there are people). As you will pay based on how much you actually use rather than a standard rate, you could make savings.

• Send meter readings yourself

To avoid being charged an estimate price by your water company, make sure to send meter readings on a regular basis. Many (if not all) water companies have been accused of over-estimating, in a way to get more of your money into their bank accounts. By sending an accurate meter reading regularly, it will result in an accurate water usage charge – so you'll only pay for what you have used.

• Use water-saving devices

There are devices available to help you use water efficiently, by conserving water where possible. These include Showersmart devices and Save-A-Flush bags, as well as others you can get from the Water Board, which are designed to reduce the amount of water usually used. The service (such as your shower or the toilet flush) will still work the same and won't be noticeably different, but they could save you money off your bills.

• Fix leaking taps

Along with ensuring that taps are turned off properly, fixing leaking taps ensures that you aren't wasting water. What seems like a slow drip could accumulate enough water to fill a bath – which is a bath of water being wasted! A good way to uncover any hidden leaks, is to turn all of your taps off and see if your meter continues to move. If it does, call someone in to find and fix the problem.