Cash Chats UK Money & Personal Finance podcast

A new extra minipod with the best offers and deals you can get right now. This week:

1. How you can get a Google Home Mini smart speaker for free, £5 or £15
2. A half-price sale on Chilly's reusable bottles
3. Mother's Day flower discount codes
4. Half-price Easter Eggs
5. 4% off Netflix

More info on all these deals at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/deals-index/

There's no reason you can't have more than one account, and there are definitely advantages to having more. This week on Cash Chats I've delved into my wallet to take you through each of my 14 current accounts - and why I've got them.

The benefits include high interest on savings, cashback on bills, monthly rewards, free cash bonuses and fee-free spending overseas. You don't need as many as me, but two three in your wallet can make and save you some serious cash.

In the episode I've also shared a few additional bank accounts you might want to consider which I've already had but switched away from. You can read more about today's episode and the best current accounts over at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats79

In this week's episode, I want to take you through a simple money warm-up. You can make sure everything is working ok with your finances before you start doing anything good or bad with your money.

It's not complicated and won't take you long, but at the end of this MOT you should know the true state of your finances.

Find the links I discuss over at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats78

In part this is due to fears caused by the impending Brexit, particularly in the event of a no-deal exit from the EU. Reports state prices will rise and the supply chain restricted. Both reasons to stock up now if you can. But that's not the only reason. Any period of time when you might not be able to leave home - illness perhaps, or severe weather - could quickly eat up your normal cupboard and freezer supplies. So it makes sense to have a bit more at home.

But if you do this you need to follow a few rules to make sure you're not going to waste this food or spend more than you can afford.

So enjoy this week's episode. Please do leave a review and subscribe over on iTunes – it really makes it easier for others to find the podcast. You can also now listen on Spotify!

https://becleverwithyourcash.com/how-to-stockpile-for-an-emergency/

https://becleverwithyourcash.com/tricks-to-help-your-freezer-save-you-money/

https://becleverwithyourcash.com/best-use-best-dates-whats-difference/

https://becleverwithyourcash.com/addiction-yellow-stickers/

We've all made that impulse purchase that turns out to be not such a great idea. Sometimes we realise too late and we're stuck with it. But if you know you don't want or need something soon enough, then you might be able to get your money back. Whether you can or not depends on where you bought it, and how you paid for it. Read more at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats76

With days to go until Black Friday, I've shared my top tips to help you bag a bargain in these huge annual sales. Now there's obviously some cynicism around Black Friday. That's understandable - it's a manufactured event to get people spending money they hadn't planned to spend and buy things they hadn't planned to buy. But if you do it right it's a great chance to save some extra cash. More info and notes at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats75/

I'm joined by Cora Harrison to see whether posh advents for adults are worth the money. Festive advent calendars have changed. When you open the windows you don't just get pictures of snowmen or angels. Even that late 80s upgrade of small chocolates seems traditional now. And the advent candle is long forgotten. Now it's all about luxury advent calendars for adults. For the last few years we've been inundated with all sorts of advents for grown-ups full of 24 bottles of gin, 24 tiny test size tubes of cosmetics or 24 random bits of jewellery. And these aren't cheap either. You can pay upwards of £300 for the top end versions, and even shops like Aldi have one going for £50. I've felt they're bad value for money and always avoided them, but that doesn't mean they don't have other appeals. For a start you get to try all sorts of different varieties - whether that's craft beer, cheese or Pringles (these all exist too). And some, like the M&S Advent, full of beauty products, claims to have a retail value well above what you pay. So this week on the podcast I've been joined by fellow blogger Cora Harrison. On her YouTube channel Cora has been unboxing dozens of different luxury advent calendars to see what's inside - and test whether they're worth the money. Have a listen to see what we think, plus a chance to win a Beer Hawk craft beer advent calendar. More at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats74/

A cap on how much electricity and gas costs seems a good idea - and it is. But it's not as simple as saying everyone is going to pay less. In this episode of Cash Chats, I break down who the cap applies to, how it works, and why you shouldn't get complacent. And my golden rules to make sure you don't ever need to worry about paying too much for your energy. Read more at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats73/

In this episode of the podcast you can find out how to pay less for your internet. This week I haggled an extra £8 a month off my monthly broadband charge - which was already £22 off the standard price. My total saving over 12 months is going to be £336. So in this episode I've shared how I did it and how you can do the same. There's a mix of methods you can pick and choose from - or do a combination of them all. For me I first took advantage of a top new customer deal, and then jumped on Virgin's forthcoming price increase as an opportunity to haggle another discount. You can also save by stripping out services you don't need or blagging extra special offers such as cashback and free TVs. More at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats72/

This week I'm sharing where I think the best places are to put cash savings. With two new savings accounts offering 1.5% (Marcus by Goldman Sachs & the RBS Savings Builder), I've looked at whether they're any good, or if you can get a better rate elsewhere (spoiler: you can). I also discuss why most of you don't need an ISA, particularly if you earn under £46,350 a year. But if you are a higher earner with lots of savings, then find out why you need to think a little differently. More over at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats71/