Cash Chats UK Money & Personal Finance podcast

Often people think of mental health in relation to serious conditions such as bipolar or depression, but it's something we should all consider - not just for ourselves but for friends and family. Mental health is pretty much how you're feeling and functioning. It can be good, or ok. But all of us will have moments where it's bad - even if it's not a condition which might require longer-term management or medication. Whenever we're feeling down, feeling stressed or feeling lonely we're experiencing poor mental health. And there's a good chance any of these can impact our finances. On a more severe end of the scale it could mean you need to miss work, causing you to lose money. It's common for people to get anxious when dealing with any kind of admin, but when that's bills or bank statements that can be a larger issue. Motivation can be a problem, leading to important money matters getting ignored. Or perhaps moments of depression or mania could prompt people to spend more money - money they don't have. The worst case scenario is that these scenarios lead to unmanageable debts - but it can work the other way too. The two really are linked. Money problems can feed depression and anxiety, and that in turn can impact on relationships, work and family. Big life changes can make a difference to both finances and mental health too - so having a baby or losing a loved one. So it's not something we should dismiss or hide from. It's important to take some action before anything happens. In this episode I talk to fellow money blogger Charlotte Burns from lottyburns.co.uk who shares her experiences with poor mental health and debt, and how she deals with triggers even 10 years later. You can read more at www.becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats70/

How to make sure you get the best value for money on Christmas travel, gifts, decorations and food and drink. We're just 12 weeks away from Christmas. That might seem like a long time, but it'll creep up on you faster than you think - meaning it's a good time to start thinking about how much you'll spend. In fact, even if you're reading this in November in December, or just want to get well ahead of Christmas 2019, it's never too late or early to follow the tips in this article. So here's a checklist of the main expenses, along with tricks to bring down their cost, plus some tips to help you pay for everything. More on https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats69/

Is this the end of Debenhams, House of Fraser and John Lewis? And what do their struggles mean for customers? We've had all three major department stores hit the headlines over the last few weeks, so I've taken a look at what's happened, including news that House of Fraser customers might not get their money back on cancelled orders and returned gift cards. More and show notes at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/cashchats68

This week on the podcast I share how to cut your mobile phone bill to around a tenner, and other ways to bring down how much you pay. Not many of us can go without a mobile phone, which is probably why so many people overspend. It's possible to cut a monthly bill down to around £10 without losing coverage, and if you want a new handset, you can get them far cheaper if you don't automatically upgrade when your contract ends. Read more at https://becleverwithyourcash.com/wp-admin/cashchats67