Practical Matters

Top money-saving hints and tips
TV money guru Jane Furnival shares some economising tips.

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Phone around charity shops in upmarket areas asking them to let you know if they have any good dresses - they are quickly snapped up.

Your body absorbs about 15 per cent of a vitamin supplement if you don't have a specific deficiency, so if you take an 'insurance' dose a day you are producing some very expensive urine! One company makes many brands. This is particularly true for sofas and kitchen appliances. Before buying an appliance it is worth asking a good independent repair man which machines he recommends. He will tell you which are made by the same companies and which are virtually identical. This can save you several hundred pounds.

You no longer have to pay BT for your phone line rental - the factor that pushed up the price of switching phone providers. OneTel guarantees lower rentals than BT Together. 0800 950178, www.onetel.co.uk.

Are you still paying, out of habit, for old insurance policies you no longer need? Lots of people are.

Keep nice boxes, ribbons, cord from carrier bags, tissue paper and bubble wrap and re-use it for gifts. Buying special gift boxes can cost a fortune.

Don't wear the same shoes every day. Wear them on alternate days. Resting your shoes allows them to recover from stress, sweat and stretching and each pair will last longer than if you took two pairs and wore pair 'A' all the time and then pair 'B' all the time.

If you walk past a shoe shop, rather than going in, reward yourself with a small treat like a magazine, glass of wine or bar of chocolate. Not a fashion magazine!

Can't find or can't remember an earlier company pension? Try the Pension Schemes Registry, www.essentialpensions.co.uk.

As a rule of thumb, supermarket garages are cheapest for petrol.

All tips above from:
Smart Spending by Jane Furnival Published by Hay House, £8.99

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Question of the month
Last month Maggie Maule asked how to remove static from clothes and we had a couple of good responses.

Jennie Caulfield from Keighley sent in the recipe for her very own anti-static spray. You mix a small amount of fabric conditioner with water at a strength of about 30:1. Then you simply spray on furniture and carpets and allow it to dry.

Den Markham, a computer whizz from Preston, advised Maggie either to wear leather shoes or consider buying a cordless anti-static wrist strap. However, although they are available on the internet they can be hard to find on the high street.

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