Mrs Mean Money Show

• Ep - 106 - Cut childcare costs

  The cost of raising a child to the age of 18 has never been higher, even though there is extra government help with child care costs it is still unaffordable for the badly paid and even more expensive for the well-paid.It sounds good to get 30 hours of free nursery care until you find out it is for only 38 weeks of the year, and nurseries can charge those with a good income twice as much as those on an average wage, and then it is withdrawn for those who earn £100,000. It can cost £25,000 a year of taxed income to pay for one two-year old in a London nursery and Tax-free child care is also withdrawn for the best paid.In addition parents who individually earn £60,000 start to lose child benefit.But there are ways of cutting the cost of child care without sacrificing quality.Shared care by parents can reduce the income of a higher earner so that he or she qualifies for the free help and also reduces the monthly child care bills. It also helps those with lower incomes and is definitely worthwhile even though the savings are not quite so dramatic.Paying more into a pension can also help a parent qualify for child benefit and also builds up their funds for retirement. Grandparents can also help their children by looking after grandchildren up to the age of 12 and then can gain extra NI years towards their state pension.It is all super complicated so parents need to allocate time to checking their child care costs and lots of mistakes can be made, which if they are not spotted can result in overpayment, or even worse substantial arrears accruing.The planning is vital as few families can pay the mortgage or rent with only one income. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Ep 105 - The price of loyalty

  Grocery price inflation is increasing even though 97% of shoppers have a loyalty card, which is supposed cut some prices by up to 50%. It does not seem to make sense.The supermarkets have persuaded us that the cards save us lots of money so that people who forget to take their cards with them when they shop believe they have missed out on big reductions.We have to remember that supermarkets are making enormous profits. Just a week ago Tesco announced that its sales in the UK increased by 5.1% to £12.3 billion in the 13 weeks to May 24 and its market share in the UK has risen to 28 %.The big losers are shoppers who do not have a loyalty card. Some are deliberately excluded by supermarkets because they do not have a smart phone. Supermarkets have chosen not to allow offline membership or under-18 shoppers to benefit from the discounts.Now that shoppers believe that loyalty cards are a good thing it seems that the loyalty prices are less generous than they were when they were launched with lots of big television advertisements. We now have fewer advertisements and fewer discounts. But shoppers still believe in loyalty cards.We can save more by avoiding big brands that cost lots more than own-brands or discounted store products. But we also have to make sure we are not panicked into buying items because they have a special price that week. Yo-yo pricing means that we can work out the pattern of the reductions and buy items when they are cheaper again. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Ep 1 - Supermarkets

  Being a careful shopper can save you £s In this episode Mrs Mean warns shoppers to allow time and use their calculators.  The supermarket trickery may require you to compare the price per capsule with the price per kg for the same brand  washing detergent in different size packs.   Don't believe the bigger pack is always better value whatever the signage says. Usually the best value is on the shelf near your feet. At the till check the shelf price is what you are charged.  Mistakes happen too often.  And watch for yo-yo prices which can increase by 50p or a £1 and then be reduced by the same amount two weeks later.   But most of all look at the prices.  The stores expect us just to pick up our favourite brands week after week, without realising the price has increased.   It may be time to  change brandsIf you've got a money saving idea you'd like Mrs Mean to get her teeth into, please send a message Be like Mrs Mean and be careful with your money. Please send ideas questions, tips and warnings about rip-offs to Mrs Mean through the contact page on her website: mrsmeanmoneyshow.co.uk or to [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Ep - 104 Your Questions Answered

  It has never been more important to make sure that we get value for money and Mrs Mean is here to answer your questions.The energy price cap is being reduced in July but most of us can save hundreds of pounds a year by opting for a fixed rate tariff and it only takes minutes.While the Bank of England has reduced interest rates four times in the last year credit card interest rates have never been higher and many are increasing again in July. It is time for anyone who pays credit card interest to find out if they can get a deal paying nothing and get a head start with clearing their credit card debt.The holiday season is with us and trains, boats and planes are booked, but many people do not book travel insurance.It can be very cheap and save thousands but you have to beware as insurance companies are well practised in avoiding paying out. It is worth spending a few minutes to make sure that you get the cover you pay for.Making money is as important as saving it. The second-hand clothes market is booming, although most sellers want to call their fashion items pre-loved. It now costs nothing to sell your old clothes, or those of your children online, and there should be no tax bill either. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Ep - 103 - Cut Insurance Costs

  The good news is that motor insurance premiums are cheaper on average than they were last year. But you cannot rely on insurance companies to offer you the best deals up front.You need to prepare for the challenge and not allow yourself to be locked out of better rates by industry delays.Make sure you get your renewal information at the earliest opportunity because the later you check the market, using price comparison websites, the higher the premium is likely to be.Remember the insurers want to charge you more by selling additional protections, or offer an expensive instalment plan, but they do not want you to move to another company.Start early. Check exactly what you are paying for. You can save hundreds of pounds for a few hours work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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