Archive for February, 2009

The art of swapping till you drop!

Saturday, February 28th, 2009

A great way to save money and be environmentally friendly at the same time, according to the article “Don’t shop, swap” is to swap those belongings that have become surplus to requirements in your home. Swapping involves shopping around without the necessity of spending any money. Credit-crunchers should take note!

Instead of shopping, why not consider swapping? Swapping is another way to shop without having to part with any money! You can swap pretty much everything from books to jewellery! You name it – you can swap it! Join the swapping community today! If you are hoping to have a holiday this year, why not become a ‘hopper’ and swap your home to save money. The benefits include saving on accommodation and ensuring your home is never empty for burglars. By hopping, you will still have the usual expenses of travel and insurance but you will save hundreds of pounds!

You will be surprised what you find when you begin to comb through your home for those unwanted objects at what you will realise you can live without. How many items do you have in your wardrobe that you have either never worn or only worn once? Those unwanted Christmas presents (still in the box) are a prime target for good swapping material!

Finding a suitable location to swap should not present a problem for there are a number of suitable Internet sources available. By googling ‘swap shop’, hundreds of thousands of swapping sites will instantly become known to you as if by magic. Find one to suit and away you go!

Swapshop.co.uk is a popular site that is free and allocates points for swap items to use for buying other swappers’ items. Studentswapshop.com suits people on small budgets (even if you aren’t a student) allowing users to swap text books, computer games and a variety of other items. To benefit from a range of special offers and discounts at restaurants and the like on studentswapshop you will just need a university email address.

Another type of swapping to appear as though by nowhere is ‘skill swapping’. By skill swapping you offer your personal skills in return for any kind of skills that you require yourself. Free of charge, skill swapping gets back to basics and allows you to exchange say your keyboard skills in return for carpentry skills. If interested, check out swapaskill.com and teamuphere.com. To get started, you will need to enter your details to build a profile naming the skills you are able to offer and away you go!

Bookworms step forward. Readitswap.co.uk is a vehicle where you post unwanted books and swap for books you haven’t read. Browse the comprehensive catalogue of books until you discover one you want and get it for the price of postage. When you have finished the book in question, you then simply insert onto the website for the next swapper. You may never have to clutter your house with unwanted books again!

Other things that can be swapped include fashion, holidays and even houses! Swap your house for a holiday in another by registering at ukholidayswapshop.co.uk for the initial cost of £14.95 a year. All you need to do to get onto the swap conveyor is to find one that is suitable for you via Google and simply sign up for the immediate benefits.

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Succumbing to the SWEET temptations of buying a home!

Friday, February 20th, 2009

In an effort to encourage homebuyers to come forward developers are offering sweeteners to get us motivated. You never knew home buying could be such fun!

According to the article “Frenzy of freebies to tempt homebuyers” you could be the proud owner of a home. All you have to do is to purchase a winning raffle ticket for fifty pounds and take part in a quiz. Polish up your general knowledge and you could have your own home!

Homes are becoming increasingly difficult to sell thanks to the recession with an estimate of 20,000 unsold homes across the nation. This is why a whole host of incentives are being created to give the current sluggish home buying market a bit of a boost. The developers MIA are discovering that a well placed incentive scheme is just what is required to stand out from the crowd. Managing Director Rafik Patel claims you need to innovate in order to survive the struggles of the current house buying market. The company is offering up a £8.25 million apartment development for 200,000 subscriptions of raffle tickets at fifty pounds a time as well as some participation in an online quiz. Don’t worry if you don’t win an apartment in East London, your money will contribute towards a good cause, that of Great Ormond Street hospital.

Incentive schemes available elsewhere include that by Persimmon who are set to pay your utility bills, council tax, buildings insurance, contents insurance and mortgage payments for twelve months when you take on one of a selected range of houses. This is a package worth about twelve thousand five hundred pounds. Home buying has never been so thought provoking.

The more you look, the more of these incentive schemes you see as builders and sellers alike are pitching against one another to sell up in what appears a very stagnant marketplace. While the offering of incentives is not a completely alien idea, say the Home Builders’ Federation, it is becoming more commonplace with schemes becoming more inventive in an effort to stand out from the crowd. The federation went on to add these incentive schemes were once upon a time used to encourage customers to close the deal but nowadays, it is unusual to come across a plot without one as they are more commonly used in order to get customer traffic moving.

The development giant, Taylor Wimpey is currently offering discount vouchers of £17,500 or if you would prefer free carpets, furniture and removals. On a smaller level, a seller in Lancashire hopes to raise the money for his house via 14,000 tickets for entry into a Sudoku competition at £50 a time.

House buying has never been so strange!

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Posted in Home & Contents Insurance | No Comments »

Preparing for those pet dentist visits

Thursday, February 19th, 2009

Pet insurance is essential but does yours cut the mustard? According to the article “Dental bill more than just a toothache” pet owners have been finding their insurance falls short of requirements. Some pet plans do not include dental cover and therefore having to foot a great big bill they had no idea was coming.

In the UK, pet dentists bills for work that is not routine amounts to a whopping £28.5 million every year! This is some serious pet care! People with pet insurance have to fork out when it comes to paying the bill for their pet’s health. We need to be more aware of our requirements when shopping for pet insurance and stop assuming dental care features as part of the package according to Sainsbury’s Finance.

People turning down pet dental and regular care treatment has reached two point five million mainly because they could not afford it. It is feared that during the nation’s credit crunch this is a growing problem.

In order to do the best by your pet, first of all shop around for some good value for money insurance and secondly ensure your pet has a regular dental plan. Beware the insurance providers who claim their pet plans cover dental treatment for it may only cover accident related work and not routine or illness.

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Fighting the wave of credit crunch crime

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

During this credit crunch, there is all the more reason to take out tenant insurance than ever before.

The Home Office have disclosed the results of a recent report to show a steady increase in burglaries. According to the article “Insure against recession related crime” this growth appears to be directly related to the steady decline of our ever-deepening recession.

Domestic burglary throughout July, August and September in 2008 was reported to be 4% higher than the same months of the previous year. These startling results reveal, not surprisingly, there is a link between the recession and the increase of burglar activity.

With this increase in criminal activity, in particular burglaries, it is of the utmost importance that us tenants think about taking out insurance to protect our possessions. HomeLet, the major player in tenant insurance urges us to ensure our valuables and belongings alike are suitably covered.

John Boyle Managing Director of HomeLet said that he wasn’t surprised of the effects of a worsening recession and how it leads to more widespread unemployment and more burglaries.

While basic home contents insurance will cover your belongs to a certain extent, it would be advisable to consider more specialist insurance. In the event that an accident should happen, the tenant is protected should any damage to the landlord’s property occur. Being a tenant can lead to sleepless nights regarding any damage to the landlord’s property. Whether you spoil the curtains or stain the carpet, you are responsible at the end of the day! Any expenses incurred due to damage to the fixtures, contents, buildings and fittings, can be lawfully obtained by the landlord from your deposit. In the worse case scenario, you can be held responsible for the costs caused by flooding, fire and or burglary. Specialist tenant insurance is great in that it covers you against theft and the potential perils of day-to-day living.

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Posted in General, Home & Contents Insurance | 1 Comment »

Lend an ear for some new and improved travel advice

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

On the road, you can encounter a number of difficulties that can be eased with your familiarity and experience of a destination. With so many people heading off to pastures new this holiday season, it never hurts to take advice from a seasoned globetrotter.

According to an article on travelling abroad by expert holidaymaker Emma Lunn, efficiently named “Travel tips from a pro”, you can avoid a number of pitfalls if you pay heed to a couple of proffered pointers. There is something for everybody as the article covers travel insurance, money, hotel accommodation and communications. Her tips are based on her recent experiences in Barbados but can apply to a range of destinations.

If travelling to the Caribbean this year, travel insurance is vital. Health expenses and medical costs are almost as high as those in the United States so it is best to ensure you are covered. Travel insurance will protect you against the loss of your favourite gadgets also so you can rest assured that if you lose anything, you can claim on your policy.

Although a fairly secure money carrying device, in some instances, it can be tricky to rely on Travellers Cheques when holidaying in an unfamiliar place. Always a good idea to have some money changed up into the local currency in case the banks are closed when you need them and you have walking around money on you for basics. It is cheaper to have some money changed into the currency you are going to need from your bank at home and take a credit card for emergency use.

When requiring holiday accommodation, have you considered utilising your bank’s travel services (if they have them)? You could end up saving a hefty sum.

Last but not least, what about your phone? Swap your home SIM and mobile network for a Global SIM. This is usually cheaper although whether it is good value for money depends on the destination you use it in.

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How to weather those wintry hazards

Monday, February 16th, 2009

It is no wonder that we want to escape to the sun at the first sign of winter what with all the hazards that suddenly hit us immediately the temperature slides south. A month or two into the colder season and the insurance company phones become alive to the tune of bells whether its claims on car insurance, house insurance or holiday insurance, it never gets busier for an insurance company than over the winter.

According to the article “Q & A: Insurance cover in the snow” there are ways to prepare ourselves for the onslaught of potential wintry disasters citing a few examples along the way.

In the event of pipes bursting, your home insurance should cover the expense of damage unless you have been absent from your property for over thirty days. Usually, burst water pipes are covered by contents and building insurance, while tanks with frozen water is covered by buildings insurance. Check your insurance policy for a breakdown of specific cover.

The roads are icy and you like many others this season, have struggled to drive your car and collided with another. You can claim on your fully comprehensive insurance although insurance companies urge drivers not to go out in difficult driving conditions unless absolutely necessary. If you have third party insurance and you collide with another car, your insurance won’t cover it.

A common winter complaint is that cars won’t start in the morning but can they claim on their insurance? If this happens to you, you cannot claim on your insurance however you can get assistance on your breakdown cover.

Frosty nights present problems galore for insurance companies thanks to the crime of “frosting”. People leave the car running while de-icing it in the morning allowing 15,000 opportunistic thieves a year to take advantage and steal your car in a crime recognised as “frosting”.

Bad weather has caused you to miss your flight because you couldn’t travel to the airport. Your travel insurance will cover you as long as you prove there was no way you could get to the airport on time and you will need to have checked in too.

There are many problems caused by the wintry weather, in addition to the ones just mentioned, there is the matter of a cancelled flight, snow damage to your home and cars skidding into your car to name but a few. If in any doubt, check with your insurer immediately!

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Posted in Car Insurance, Car Insurance For Women, General, Home & Contents Insurance, Travel Insurance, Van Insurance, breakdown insurance | No Comments »

Don’t fall down on ski travel insurance!

Sunday, February 15th, 2009

At Go Travel, for as little as twenty pounds, you can have not only fully comprehensive skiing insurance but peace of mind as well!

Whether you are skier, a snowboarder or a sledger, you may want to rethink your plan to save money by opting out of buying ski insurance. According to the article “Ski insurance, can you afford to go without it?” holidaymakers heading off for the pistes thinking they will save money by skimping on their travel insurance, could fall down (in more ways than one!)

When skiing abroad, the medical treatment for a broken leg could set you back at least four thousand pounds or over double that in the USA. Repatriation expenses will be incredibly expensive while accidents on the winter slopes will require air assistance, which isn’t cheap also!

When you think what could go wrong on a skiing trip, travel insurance could turn out to be a lifesaver. It is easily bought online with a few simple clicks and when purchased at the time of booking the holiday, your insurance will cover you additionally for the cancellation of your holiday too. Ski insurance is great value for money in the ways mentioned already and additionally for loss, theft or accidents that you have caused to happen to other people. Buy some ski insurance today!

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Avoiding corner cutting insurance plans (not getting any!)

Saturday, February 14th, 2009

The 2007 official British Behaviour Abroad report by the Foreign Office has produced some startling results according to the article “Travel Insurance”. Out of the many holidaymakers from Britain who end up in hospital every year, the health authorities of Spain, Greece and Thailand over all other destinations are dealing with our casualties to a much greater degree.

One in five travellers of fourteen million holidaymakers to overseas destinations will do so without travel insurance. It seems the credit crunch is encouraging people to cut corners wherever they can but considering our rate of holiday accidents, cuts are being made in the wrong places. People could end up losing their homes to afford medical bills overseas. Taking all into consideration, travel insurance ought to be a priority.

Expenses in the event of an accident abroad can run into the many thousands. Consider the air ambulance costing up to £16,000 to deliver a casualty from the Canary Islands back to the UK – who can afford these kinds of expenses? The Association of British Travel Agents or ABTA urges the holidaying Brit to spend a few pounds on travel insurance. It is only a small price to pay in reality compared to that which could be demanded of us in the event of an accident.

Cut back on your spending money because travel insurance is no place to cut your costs.

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Biting off more than you can ‘ATCHOO!’

Saturday, February 14th, 2009

Do not drive when ill with a cold or influenza because this could lead to dire consequences, warn the insurance people at Lloyds TSB.

According to the article “350 million pounds bill for driving under the influenza” in excess of one hundred and twenty five thousand motorists were involved in accidents that were caused by the effects of flu.

When incidences of flu are at their peak as they were just before Christmas, the occurrence of road traffic accidents can be rife. Many accidents are caused by slower reactions and by sneezing at the wheel. A recent study revealed that a driver’s road awareness can be impaired by as much as eleven per cent when under the influence of a cold virus. This kind of reduced attention compares with the effects of drinking a double whisky before setting off for the road.

In the event of suffering with a cold you could put yourself and others at risk if driving under the influence of flu symptoms. All motorists should therefore bear in mind the increase of driving accidents and to ensure all the more urgently they have car insurance not only to cover accidents they are responsible for, but those caused by others too.

Flu symptoms are not the only cause of impaired judgement affecting a driver’s motoring skills, tests proved driving with PMS, high stress levels or a headache will negatively affect your driving ability. Flu symptoms however did come off the worst in the research.

The report has helped to conclude that during 2008 one in ten of all road accidents can be attributed to the driver’s flu symptoms. This is a trend that produced an insurance bill totalling a cool three hundred and fifty million pounds!

The painful truth is that people are not aware of the damaging effects of the flu virus on a driver. With the occurrence of flu pandemics becoming a growing concern, it is all the more vital that motorists are made aware of this destructive and growing problem. The question of shall I or shan’t I drive is answered plainly on single rule of thumb that it is not safe to go out if in doubt.

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Posted in Car Insurance, Car Insurance For Women | No Comments »

Towing the line when it comes to caravan security!

Friday, February 13th, 2009

We all take an interest in the security of our homes but why are we less motivated to do the same with our mobile homes? According to the article “Your Caravan is a Target – Act Now & Insure Your Caravan” if we make an effort to improve the security of our caravans, our homes on wheels security can be increased by a massive ten times! This is something we are all interested in as there is nothing worse than losing our prized possessions to opportunist thieves!

The Home Office have claimed that crimes against our vehicles amounts to nineteen per cent of all England and Wales crime. This is a serious problem that can be contained to a considerable degree if we just use our heads. In addition to added security measures, it is important to insure our vehicles against (amongst other things) damage, fire and theft and to consider the importance of finding an insurance policy that suits our requirements to the optimum level.

When considering the caravan insurance policy that offers the best value for money as well as keeping your premiums to a minimum, you must fit your caravan with an immobiliser. Ensure that whenever you stop, your caravan is completely immobile. Fit a caravan wheel clamp whenever you stop for a period to prevent a passing thief from being tempted into removing your vehicle. Make the commandeering of your caravan as difficult as you can by ensuring each corner is secured with a decent padlock and if chains are used, ensure these are as short as you can make them.

Always make sure your windows, doors and sun-roofs are firmly locked when you leave your caravan and get into the routine of doing this whenever you leave the vehicle empty.

A worthwhile security measure that is increasing in popularity all the time is to get a tracker fitted as well as a good alarm. In the event of a theft, security marking is recommended by the relevant authorities. To assist the police in tracking your caravan, you would be doing yourself a big favour to ensure you have the manufacturers seventeen digit identification number (or VIN) marked on the chassis and windows.

When parked up, ensure your caravan is less interesting to criminals by leaving the vehicle for only short periods at a time. If there are no valuables on board your caravan, make sure passing thieves know of this by leaving curtains open.

To avoid damage to the caravan by burst pipes, make sure all pipes are drained and that the electricity and gas supplies are switched off when you are away from the vehicle. To avoid fire (which is a great risk in a caravan) you are responsible for maintaining your heating equipment and making sure everything is in good working order.

Last but not least, avoid becoming just another Home Office statistic by ensuring your caravan keys are on you at all times even when away for the shortest period of time.

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