Mrs Mean Money Show

The pandemic and cost-of-living crisis have caused many people to make very difficult decisions about their spending to be able to keep within their stretched budgets. But an alarming number of workers need to look at their spending again if they are to avoid a poor old age. Up to 25% of workers stopped paying into their pensions to increase their take home pay, according to one survey. This also had the effect of saving their employers money as well.Times are still hard. But as the state pension is the worst in the developed world, workers need to invest for their old age and to make sure they do not miss out on their employers' pension contributions and the generous tax relief available.Pensions are a key part of our wage packages and many companies will help employees to catch up with their pension pots. In just the same way as employers pay employees different rates of pay they may pay more into individual pensions as this helps to keep the beneficiaries loyal. If you don't ask you don't get.

It has never been more important to make our money go further. Inflation may have reduced, but we are still paying a lot more for our food,energy and homes. One way open to us all to make money is to sell stuff. It may be old clothes, old books, games, tech toys, kitchen equipment, in fact anything you have finished with.Remember we typically wear less than half the clothes we own. We have wardrobes, chests of drawers, and rooms full of items that could boost your bank balance.Every household has stuff that can be sold.It is straightfoward to set up as an online seller, and surprisingly addictive. There are no selling costs with most sales, and there should be no tax to pay either.Selling can make a big difference to our family budgets and as a bonus make space in our cluttered homes.

Fraud is an increasing problem in the UK made worse by the closure of thousands of bank branches. Banks are now required to pay compensation up to £85,000 within five days when criminals defraud their customers. But as banks try to reduce their potential compensation bills it is becoming more difficult to make bank transfers and open new accounts, especially if your bank has closed the local branch. It may be worth opening a second bank account that gives you local access to your money and the help of banking staff. Mobile phones, internet businesses, social media and the way we shop online make it easier for criminals, and the banks on the hook for our fraudulent losses are upping their game in providing information about what to watch out for. Essentially we should trust no one especially if they call on your land line, sound friendly and say they are from your bank; and never allow yourself to be rushed to make a payment.My bank has twice got in the way of transactions I wanted to make. It was annoying at the time but if the deals had been dodgy they would have saved me from being defrauded before compensation became compulsory.We need to make sure we understand the rules that our banks impose on interbank transactions before we have to make a transfer. If possible visit a bank branch. If you are making a payment to a new payee then send a small amount as a test transfer. Read the small print when buying online.It is also important to tell actionfraud.police.uk if your are defrauded. It may help them to warn others of a new danger.Most importantly taking time may save you from repenting at leisure.

Supermarkets make it difficult for us to get the best value for our money. They game us with their loyalty cards, special prices, extra points, yo-yo pricing and price matching.The last quarter of the year is the most profitable for them.We all need to work hard to make sure we are not made fools of by attractive displays, misleading prices and two tier pricing.Shopping takes a little longer, but you can save a lot more by checking prices and trying own and basic brands than you will by being seduced by the loyalty card prices.And you will soon see the patterns of when prices are increased. Big shopping baskets at the end of the month are likely to be more expensive than mid month because shoppers are less price conscious when they have just been paid, and the stores know it.

The way we work has changed in recent years and employees are set to get more opportunities to make work work for them and their families. Compressed four-day weeks will give employees the chance to complete a full working week in four days and continue to earn their full salaries. They will also be able to save big money as they are more productive for their employers. Working from home saves big on travel costs and a four-day week allows parents to cut their child care costs by thousands of pounds a year as well as cutting commuting costs.You may also be able to claim the cost of working from home from your employer or HMRC.

Our finances have never been so sorely tested. Energy bills are increasing so are water bills and tax is also a worry among Mrs Mean listeners. But that does not mean we have to accept the bad news without fighting back. There are lots of tips to save money on energy and water bills. Now is the time to check them out. Those trying to improve their financial positions also need to make sure that side hustles do not increase their tax bills. New rules announced at the beginning of the year for people selling stuff on websites such as eBay, Vinted and Depop will increase the admin for the apps and websites but should not incur tax bills for most users. Check out the details and keep records to keep yourself safe.Taking a lodger can also rescue a stressed family budget with £7,500 a year rent without incurring a tax bill, as lots of students and people starting their first jobs need better value accommodation than offered by private landlords. Listen and save money.

Student finances are even tougher this year for those starting their university courses, as maintenance loans are just 2.5% higher than last year, even though rents and other costs are increasing far faster than the cash help. The average maintenace loan is just £6,116 less than the average rent.And to make matters worse the financial help offered by the Students Loans Company has been reduced for students whose parents have a household income of £25,000 or more since 2008.Many parents with higher salaries will still struggle to help with the living costs of their children as their household finances are strained by higher mortgage rates, energy and food costs. Many parents are also not clear just how much they are expected to contribute to their children's living costs.It is not surprising that more than half of students have to find a job.We look at university living costs, the financial help available, getting a job, other ways of raising money and getting a guarantor for rental properties.

Cash is making a comeback. The cost of living crisis means that millions of people have to watch every penny and cannot afford to get carried away with credit cards or contactless ones.The number of people using cash for day-to-day spending is at a four-year high and cash is used for 12% of all transactions. It gives greater control of our money and does not fool us into thinking we have more money than we do.Supermarket shopping may take a little longer using cash and sticking to a budget but it is satsifying to cut grocery bills. You can also cut food waste if you plan for meals rather than buying the same things every week and throwing quite a bit when it goes off.There is new help in keeping cash in our wallets. After 6,000 bank branches closing in recent years banks are being required not to close any more from next year without making sure that local people will still have access to cash. Now is the time to avoid "card only" retailers and tell them why. Cash can allow you to treat yourself and may mean that your money does not run out before the month does.

The world gets faster but it can make us very vulnerable as scammers and the unscrupulous, trick us into making decisions too quickly. The banks are not always helpful if customers are defrauded.It is not only the elderly who are at risk. We all have to make sure we do not click on links, open attachments or accept phone calls from unknown senders.Busy people are probably the most vulnerable as they do not allow time to check things out. Just as dangerous are the friendly faces of stage and screen who encourage us to put our savings in special accounts or to take advantage of crypto currencies for the first time. These trustworthy faces are anything but. The celebrities know nothing about the investments being advertised their faces are being used by criminals to get us to trust them with our money.And once you have sent them your money it will disappear - probably out of the country - and in many cases the victims do not realise for years that they have been defrauded.Every time we check our emails we are in danger if we allow ourselves to be rushed. When we make holiday bookings we need to be just as careful as there are lots of criminals trying to tempt holidaymakers with super accommodation at bargain prices. Take time to do your research and protect yourself.Parking your car can also be a battleground with criminals and while supermarkets are not run by criminals they are not as open and honest as they used to be.Just take time to keep yourself and your money safe.