Blowin Cheese

What with the freak snow we have had over the past couple of days, many people have been unable to make it to work. A lot of people have been stranded because of gridlock roads and train/bus/plane cancellations, and a lot of us haven't even bothered venturing outside, and have chosen to work from home instead.

But what are your rights if you couldn't make it to work because of weather conditions? Can your employer dock your pay for your no-show? Apparently, very few jobs have a clause in the contract saying that if you can't make it to work, then you lose a day's pay. You have statutory protection against unauthorised pay deductions and could therefore be argued against. It should be unlikely that your boss would dock your pay anyway, seeing as there has been widespread disruption and travel experts recommending you to stay at home.

If you're a pub licensee with a few financial problems, this article might be of interest to you.

It's all about how taking out an IVA as the answer to your debt troubles could cause big issues and even result in you losing your premises.

So if you do run a pub and your finances are in a mess, I'd definitely recommend that you check it out.  It could just save your livelihood!

If you're into your football, no doubt you've seen that Manchester City have offered a massive £240 million to buy AC Milan's Brazilian superstar Kaka.

Their new billionaire sheik owner is also reported to have offered the striker half a million poounds a week.  Half a million pounds a week?  That's insane!!

How can anyone be paid that much money just to play football?  I don't know what it works out as an hourly rate, but it's got to be a lot!

A lot of people have been moaning about the money involved in football for quite a long time, a lot of it justified in my opinion, but this just takes things to a whole new level.

For many, the prospect of early retirement isn't possible anymore, due to the economic downturn. 23% of people surveyed by Life Trust said that they just can't afford to retire at the time they had planned on previously.

For those of us who are planning to retire early, it's advised that they keep control of their finances and try to become as debt free as possible - now, rather than later.

This advert tickles me. It's quite a good little advert actually, promoting comparethemarket, but instead, introduces the cute meerkat fella and his site...comparethemeerkat.com.

I like simple adverts like this. To me, they are a lot more effective than some other, complicated ones, that have absolutely nothing in common with what they are actually offering.

The meerkat reckons comparethemarket is the place to go for your price comparison needs, and recommends taking a look.

Simples.

As managing your finances is even more important at the moment, it should be a necessity that you understand your APRs, but many people don't, which is a tad worrying.

The APR is the annual percentage rate and is the more common figure to hear about when it comes to loan applications. But then there is also the headline rate which can often put customers into a bit of a confused state.

The APR basically includes the basic interest rates on a loan, credit card etc as well as the basic charges which may be implemented. With headline rates, you need to have a read into the charges as well - often, even though they look like more attractive rates, they aren't.

Just make sure you know your interest rates before you sign on the dotted line. Understand them and you're a step closer to managing your finances successfully.

Students have been advised to ensure their deposit for their rented accomodation is protected, so that at the end of their academic year, they won't be in for a nasty surprise. Students in England and Wales should make sure their landlord is complying by the rules and has put their deposit in a government-approved scheme.

The main advice is to ask for confirmation as to where the deposit is being held. If unprepared, the minority whose lease doesn't end amicably, could be faced with debts of hundreds of pounds if a returned deposit is vital to stay out of the red.

Now I don't pretend to know much about this sort of thing, but I've just read that Russia is planning to spend a whopping £94.5 billion on weapons over the next three years. That's a lot of money!

They're planning to buy, apparently, 48 fighter jets, 14 ships, 60 helicopters, 300 tanks, a bucket load of rockets as well as - worryingly - 70 strategic nuclear missiles.

The money for all this new military hardware has come from the extra cash that the government have made from Russia's vast oil production over the last few years.  I'd rather I just got cheaper petrol!

It's been predicted that house prices are set to fall a further 10% in 2009 and a further 3% in 2010, but Nationwide and Halifax have failed to comment. They won't be making their end of year and 2009 predictions, which usually run alongside the monthly forecasts.

One reason for Halifax failing to comment could be because they are soon to become part of the Lloyds Banking Group and therefore could be an inappropriate time to be making predictions.

They have announced one of their biggest sales, where a 1000 of their lines will be cut by up to 50% in the run-up to Christmas.

So take a look at what they are selling for cheap, and grab your hands on a bargain.

Apparently, a lot of Brits are miscalculating the value of their home contents, and are inderinsuring their home, by a total of £225billion.

New reserach by Axa found that the average home is insured for just under £29,000 - £9,000 less than the £38,000 average value placed on possessions by consumers. That means that, if their home did get burgles, or was subject to fire/flood, many people would struggle to replace all their things, affecting their debt management.

It's important that homeowners know how much it would cost to replace their items, rather than picking the cheapest home insurance policy available.

Apparently, the 0% interest rate certainly is possible in the current conditions. It’s been said that interest rates are likely to fall to 1% by February 2009 and could fall even further.

The next meeting for the MPC will be in a couple of days, when we will find out what they have decided. Further cuts will be bad for savers, but people with secured loans could see their repayments fall if lenders pass the cut on to them.

What with the economy and disposable income falling, it's a good time to go back to basics this Christmas, and you can save money along the way.

The Presents

If you can't afford to splash out this year on all the latest trends, why not make something? Homemade food/chocolates/crafts save a bucketload, and they have that personal touch too.

The Tree

If you want to buy a real christmas tree, buy from a sustainable source - that way, you are doing your bit for the environment as well. Or, you could buy an artificial tree, which can be used for years to come - saving oodles on cash!

You can also stay energy efficient with the tree:

• Use LED lights instead of normal lights
• Switch them off at the plug when you're done
• Only switch them on at night time
• Use candles instead of electric lights (Not on the tree though...)

The Food

Buy locally - especially if you have a local farmer or something similar. This way, you are supporting the local producers and more than likely saving money as well.

Despite the current conditions, and the growing unemployment rates, most young people are still confident that when their time comes to join their chosen career path, they’ll land on their feet and find a job. A poll of 765 15 to 19 year olds found that nearly 90% felt that they would find work. More than half rejected the idea of signing on for the dole.

Let’s hope that by the time they do get around to getting a job, the high unemployment rates and the recession are long gone.

According to transactions in 2004 and 2008, the Vale in Kensington and Chelsea would set you back an average of £4,677,500 to live there. Ouch.

If your pennies won't stretch that far, you can always opt for Ingram Avenue, at a price of £4,465,000, or how about Cottesmore Garden, for £4,288,125?

Or... You could be like me, and live in a normal house in an affordable street, in a perfectly decent area of the UK.

UK workers who have been employed for work abroad had found the handling of their finances difficult.

New research found that a third of Brits had worked oevrseas, despite preferring to do their banking from home. Many people believe that people can struggle getting work overseas, due to not having bank accoutns for salaries to be paid into, hence why people are finding it easier to just do their banking from the UK.

As we are part of the European Union, all Brit workers have the right to work in Europe. It's recommended that whoever does decide to take the plunge, should inform the tax office and not expect the same employment rights as many countries have different procedures.

Orange already offer a pretty good deal all year round with their 2 for 1 cinema tickets with Orange Wednesdays. All you have to do is have an Orange mobile, and text 'FILM' to 241.

However, at the moment, McDonalds are also offering 2for1 cinema entry, for any day of the week, not just a wednesday. If you buy a large meal or premium salad, keep hold of the code sticker that comes with it. The promotion is running until 25 November, so it's not going for long, but there are some decent films on at the minute, so you may as well take advantage.

To get it, go to their website before th 30 NOvember, and enter the cose you havd with your meal. Choose your nearest cinema and print out the voucher and attach your original sticker to the voucher. The voucher is then valid until the 30 June 2009. Not bad!

Hundreds of primary schools in England will be getting rebuilt, after ministers release £1.75bn for approved building work. Over 1,500 rebuilding/refurbishing projects are planned, and will be begin across 133 local authorities over the next 2 years. The remaining 15 local councils will be offered advice on what to do to bring their plans up to speed.

The projects are all part of the Primary Capital Programme, which is investing £7bn into refurbishing/rebuilding half of all primary schools by 2022/23.

The 15 councils which didn't satisfy the DCSF's plans are:

• Bristol
• Halton
• Hammersmith & Fulham
• Herefordshire
• Leicestershire
• Liverpool
• Medway
• North Lincolnshire
• Northamptonshire
• Northumberland
• Nottingham
• Sheffield
• Shropshire
• Southend-on-Sea and
• Turrock

These councils will have consultants sent in to help revise their plans and money is hoped to be released to these areas by April 2009.

The government is reviewing lifetime tenancies for council homes, and it is possible that housing arrangements could be reviewed on a more regular basis. It has been indicated that means testing may be implemented and any tenants who, in theory, could afford their own home, may be forced to do so.

The move has been criticised by some, as an attempt to deflect criticism of the government's lack of affordable housing. It remains to be seen how the plans pan out in the longterm - many people may have nowehere to go, and be in an even more financially difficult situation than many of us are already.

Empty homes in England are falling in numbers according to the Halifax. Their housing report showed that there has been a 9% drop in empty homes in the last 5 years.

However, more than 3% of the total stock in 17 local authorities are still empty properties, with more than half of these being in the North West.

Among the 17 local authorities with the >3% figure, 15 were in the 20% most deprived parts of the country, while 11 had an unemployment rate which was the same or above the national average.

Online spending has increased in the midst of the credit crunch in the UK, with many consumers looking for better value for money. The attraction of online spending has been particularly evident int he insurance market, where many consumers have gained considerable discounts on policies. The online clothing market is also expected to see a bit of a boom in the run-up to Christmas, where prices on the high street have seen considerable pressure.

For those of us who are willing to take time out and shop around, there are major discounts available for online shopping - delivery is often free, and direct to your door within a few days. This year has already been a record year for online spending, and as Christmas isn't too far away, the spending levels are still expected to increase - at the expense of the conventional High Street stores.

It's the householders responsibility to protect themselves and their families against the dangers of CO poisoning. How do you make sure you are fully protected?

• Ensure all gas appliances are regularly serviced by a qualified professional
  
• Heating cover policies may include the above point
• Install carbon monoxide alarms - they cost £15 each, which, if it saves a life, is nothing.
  
• If you have an orange "squashy" flame in gas appliances, it may be a sign the CO is present
  

According to a survey by COCAA, only 6% of people are confident that they can spot the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. The survey also found that 20m homes don't have their appliances serviced regularly or have a CO alarm.

The average age of men retiring is still rising, and has nw reached almost 65.

Between April and June this year, the average age was 64.6 years - the highest since ONS records started in 1984, where it was 63.7 years.

The average age for women is now 61.9, up from 60.7 in 1984.

Under current government policy, the state pension age for women will rise from 60 to 65 between 2010 and 2020. For both men and women, it will rise further, from 65 to 68, between 2024 and 2046. I'm not looking forward to reaching retirement age, if that's the case.

It seems as though we are at the start of another price war when it comes to petrol prices. Today saw Morrisons cut their petrol prices by another 2p, to 97.9p a litre in reaction to a move by Tesco last week.

It seems unlikley that the government price cut announcement last week was the reason for this fall, when you bear in minf the taxation position on petrol. It did however focus upon the fact that the cost of oil has halved in recent times but petrol prices haven't.

Some people are saving so much to pay for essentials, that they are cutting their children's pocket money. According to the Chelsea Building Society, one in seven of people asked said they had cashed in their savings to pay utility or council bills. And, according to AXA, a similar proportion have cut their children's allowance in the last six months.

A survey of 1,050 residents found that 14% of them had used savings to pay for food and 12% had eaten into savings to settle their mortgage payments in the last three months.

More than 70% of those asked also expected to spend more on food, gas and electricty and also petrol in the next three months.

Approximately 17% of parents had cut the amount of pocket money they gave to their children, out of the 2050 people asked in the AXA survey. It said that 17 year olds were amongst the hardest hit, by the bank of mum and dad cutting down on how much they were giving.

One in four charities that accepts donations has seen a fall in donations in the past year, and one in 12 have had to make redundancies due to the current financial climate.

The Charity Commission conducted a poll of 500 charities and found one in five had experienced a rise in demand for their services - i.e. those providing health, care for the elderly and social services (21% rise).

38% of charities had reported being hit by the economic downturn of the last year in some way.

54% were affected by increased costs for energy, food and travel.

The FSA have announced that Alliance & Leicester have been fined £7m for mis-selling PPI between January 2005 and December 2007. They were found to have not made it clear to customers that taking out the cover was not compulsory.

It's a record fine, and after 3 years of regulating the policy sales, disppointing to see these sorts of cases still cropping up.

Homeowners who possess home insurance have been warned by Virgin Money that stolen DVDs and CDs may not be covered unless they are an official copy. Downloaded versions captured from the internet are unlikely to be covered on many household insurance policies, despite them being home content.

An estimated 200m legal music downloads have been sold in the UK since 2004, and a number of artists are exploiting the Internet to release tracks exclusively online.

So if your computer was to get damaged, lost or stolen, you should check whether your stuff can be restored as new, or make a back up.

Sports Direct are selling England home shirts for £8.99 (short sleeve) and £14.99 (long sleeve) - merch that would usually RRP for up to £50!

You can either go instore or online, but if you choose the online option, you will be charged £3.95 P&P.

The new home kit is due March 2009, so they are this seasons for a little while longer and well worth grabbing the bargain if you don't have your shirt already.

Why are they cheap? Probably because there aren't that many England games left this season, but if you like sporting your footie shirt, it's still worth a buy.

UK motorists are apparently changing their driving habits, so that they can cope with the cost of living. According to uSwitch, over 50% of drivers are cutting back on the number of trips they make. The survey from the comparison site also showed that 38% of drivers are now only using their cars for the most essential of trips.

The school run is no longer seen as a necessary journey - over 25% of drivers say they no longer take their kids to school by car.

And not only is this habit change helping the pennies, but it's also helping out with the environment.

I was always a big fan of this guy, and his death in January was quite a sad time. And now it seems that his family, including his 2 year old daughter, are caught up in a battle with his life insurance provider.

He had been reported to have trouble sleeping, and took a host of prescription drugs to help him with his insomnia. A complete tox report showed a number of drugs in his system, but concluded accidental death. However, ReliaStar Life Insurance are refusing to pay out ont he claim, as they argue the death could be a result of a suicide attempt, making the claim null and void.

The total value of the policy is $10m, which is how much Ledger's estate is worth, but before they release it, they are investigating the matter further. Poor Ledger.

Students have been urged to keep insurers updated of their circumstances, or they could risk debt because their policy may be made invalid.

For example, if a student has just moved away to university, and have taken their car with them, they have to inform the car insurance provider of this. It has also been recommended that students should amend their car registration documents as well.

As graduates try and pay off their student loans, it seems job satisfaction is being sacrificed. A survey by Ecperience Inc found that 50%of college students would consider placing earning a higher wage above job satisfaction.

Graduates are admitting that their student loans are affecting their chosen career paths and despite only 40% of recent graduates confirming that they actually chose the higher wage over job satisfaction, the issue is a growing concern.

BT are making changes to some of its smaller phone charges, as effective from 16 September...

• Don't use ringback on 1471/1571 -  1471 can be very handy, finding out who last called you, and 1571 allows you to pick up your voicemails. But, although these are free to dial, if you choose to ring the caller back by pressing 3 for 1471 and 0 for 1571, you will be charge, and this charge has increased from 7.5p to 10p. Every time.
• Ringback Increased from 15p to 30p - Using this service automatically redials for you when a number is engaged, and now it costs 30p for the privelege.
  
• Reminder alarm costs 30p now - It used to cost 20p, but this has gone up. The reminder service sets and alarm for you. But it costs. 
  
• Three way calling now costs 60p - This allows you to talk to two people at the same time, but has increased the charge from 50p to 60p

The Bank of England has kept interest rates at 5% for the fifth month in a row, as it struggles to deal with a slowing economy and rising inflation.

Expectations are that rates may have to be cut either this year or early 2009. Some analysts are predicting rates could fall as low as 3.5% next year.

Waitrose are jumping on the wagon that M&S started not long back, offering hungry shoppers pizza, salad, cheesecake and a bottle of wine - all for £10.

That's not bad if you wanted something special without forking out on a posh restaurant. Check it out!

I was gutted last year, when I saw the Wispa disappear from our shelves once again - only to find that Cadbruy's were just doing a "trial run" of my personal favourite chocolate bar.

But, coming back from Germany the other day, and reading a newspaper, I couldn't believe my eyes. The Wispa is returning. And not just for a trial this time - this time, it's for good!

During the trial run last year, 20million Wispas were sold in 7 weeks. Obviously, Cadbury's were impressed, and have vowed for the Wispa to return to the shelves as of the 6 October 2008, with a cost of 45p per bar.

It first went on sale in 1981 for 16p and was discontinued in 2003.

I'm a happy bunny to see its triumphant return.

As all the EU countries move to source 31% of their energy needs from renewable sources by 2020, Scotland has taken a huge step and has plans to make the world's largest onshore wind fram in south Lanarkshire. The move will easily dwarf other ventures being planned throughout Europe and the other one that is being bilt just outside of Glasgow.

Once complete, the wind farm will be able to produce power for 320,000 homes and should result in a significant drop in energy bills in the region.

The venture is also set to produce over £600million of investment to the local area and create over 200 full time jobs, not to mention those involved in the construction.

Reserach by Vodafone suggests that older workers are the happiest.

70% aged over 50 said they felt fulfilled compared with half of 25-31-year-olds. 97% of those over 65 said they felt enabled in their work, against 61% of 31-35 year olds.

The research was based on a survey of 3800 people and suggested that people in their thirties expressed the most negative feelings about work.

Of this age group, 58% felt undervalued, 49% felt unfulfilled and 43% said they were de-motivated. The report also said that mid-career depression was brought on by the pressures of starting a family. In contrast to this, older workers felt a second burst once the stresses of the family life stage had passed.

Just taking a look at what is available nowadays for them cosey nights in with a DVD...

• The local rental store - You can rent a DVD overnight or for three nights, or sometimes longer and return it when you are done.
  
  • The Pros...
    • Usually some good deals to be had
    • The ability to buy ex-rentals at a cheap rate
    • Can spread the cost of the rental between you and your mates
  • The Cons...
    • You need to leave your house
    • Online deals are cheaper if you use it enough
      
• Downloading them - You normally ahve a set time to watch the download in and once started, you have to finish it within 48 hours.
  
  • The Pros...
    
    • With Apple's iTunes, you can watch the movie straight away
      Vizumi have a big range of titles
  • The Cons...
    • They cost £3.49 each off iTunes
    • Some newer titles are only available to buy, at £10.99. May as well buy the proper one.
      
    • Titles are limited
    • Download limits can conflict with what you want to download
• DVDs Delivered to Your Door - Using providers such as LOVEFiLM
  • Pros...
    • Free P&P when it comes to sending them back
    • Relatively cheap
    • Convenient
  • Cons...
    • Good service if you are going to make use of it. You can also use a PAYG option such as easyCinema, which gives you credits which last 90days instead of a set number of DVDs each month, giving you more freedom over how often you watch them.
      
• Terrestrial Channels - Upgrade with a digibox.
  
  • Pros...
    
    • Lots of extra channels which equals more chances of a good film to watch
      
    • Readies you for the digital switchover
    • Opt to Pay-Per-View New Releases in some packages
  • Cons...
    
    • May not always be something on you want to watch
      
    • Channels like FilmFour, although they play good films, play them over and over again, limiting what you can watch. Still good though.

If you fancy shopping online, you can £15 off £50 spends at Waitrose by entering the cose save15 and this should work twice per household. The offer is valid until 31 August 2008. Even though you have to pay a few quid for delivery, you will still be saving a bundle on your food shop.

Rising food and fuel costs have pushed UK inflation up to a high of 3.8% in June, now well above the 2% government target and may reduce the chance of a UK rate cut.

Food and non-alcoholic drinks were the main factors fuelling the rise with prices increasing at a record pace of 9.5% in June. When compared with May, this value was 2.1% higher. Surging oil prices have driven up the cost of fuel with the average price of petrol increasing by 5.3p a litre. There has been a drop in clothes and shoes though, as retailers cut the prices in an attempt to attract more business.

If you receive Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit, make sure you renew your claim to avoid missing out.

Check whether you have received the renewal forms. they should tell you wheter you need to renew or not.

If you do need to renew, Hurry Up! The deadline is 31 July 2008. If you miss it, your payments for 2008/09 will stop

Ok, so when you are planning your wedding day, like I am mine, you don't really like the idea of cutting corners. If you are anything like me, you would like the whole shebang, but you still can cut corners to save money, and things will still look awesome.

Such as, Invitations/Place Settings etc...

I was browsing the internet the other day for ideas, and it's amazing how cheaply you can get the crafts to make cool invites. And, by making them yourself, your guests would feel special as they are all handmade. You can get templates and stuff off various sites, and ideas of what to write inside.

You can get card in various colours from stationery stores, or even EBay. You can also get luxury parchment paper off EBay or Findmeagift too. 

To do cool writing, you can find a nice font, print off a template, and use a calligraphy pen to do the brush strokes - also purchase-able off EBay.

And to top it all off, you can get nice finishing touches such as wax seals from sites such as Findmeagift really cheaply, and they would look brilliant to seal the invite or the envelope (which you can also buy off EBay or Findmeagift)

Stationery for wedding invites, by buying them this way, can be really cheap. You needn't spend a fortune on the materials, and doing them yourself would cost a lot less than paying for them, which can easily cost £100 for something worthwhile. It's worth having a think about in my opinion.

Boots are giving consumers the chance to stock up on their healthcare products:

• 3 for 2 on selected healthcare
• 3 for 2 on selected vitamins and supplements

And, if you spend over £50 online, between the 2nd and the 8th July, you get 500 extra points!

You know the prices of basics at the moment. Going to the supermarket and spending a fortune is just common practice at the minute, what witht he credit crunch and the rising food and fuel prices. So, what can you do to try and save a few bob on your food?

• Reduce food waste. You can save on waste by not buying as much, thus making your shop cheaper. You know what gets wasted, learn from it, and save cash. Also, don't throw something away as soon as it has hit the 'best before' date. It's a needless waste of money. If you do have greengrocers close to you, buy fruit and veg from them. At least you know it's fresh and hasn't been rotting away in a warehouse - therefore, it will, or at least should, last longer.
  
• Use traditional recipes. The ration-book recipes are coming back into fashion. So many chefs, particularly on the TV, are trying to encourage eating food like they did back in the 40s. Eating good, fresh food which is more frugal, would save money and is super healthy too.
  
• Eat in moderation. A bit of portion control and basic moderation could allow your pennies to go further, and it would benefit your health too. Cutting out the sugary snacks would also save money.
• If you want to eat soups. make your own. You can make vast amounts, and freeze the rest in tupperware boxes. This would save a bundle rather than heading down to the shops every time you want a healthy snack.
• Buy supermarket branded produce instead of the big names. It's amazing how much you pay for a household name, when the supermarket's own is just as good.
  
• Make a list before you head down to the shops, and stick to it. That way, you won't be buying needless bits, and you know how much to buy.

The firm have warned investors that profits will be much less than previously predicted, due to lessening demand for expensive handsets.

The company is a joint venture between Sony and telecoms firm Ericsson, and their shares have tumbled 11% to 58.5 Swedish crowns. The demise has been put down to the credit crunch, which has given consumers less money to buy top of the range handsets.

Analysts have said that the figures may point to an industry-wide problem of weakening consumer spending.

The company are planning to break even in the three months from April to June.

It's all over the news lately. Going green with your fuel consumption is the latest phenomenon, to attempt to make the country a more economically and environmentally friendly place. But how much will it cost us to pay for meeting the EU's 2020 emissions target? It could contribute to a rise in energy prices by 20%.

Ernst and Young predicted that the UK would have to cough up £100bn for the capital investment needed to satisfy Europe's green initiative. The EU wants European countries to cut carbon dioxide levels by 20% by 2020. It also wantes member states to raise the proportion of renewable enrgy they use to 20%.

The report says that UK household could not easily afford higher energy bills to fund this goal, especially at the moment with the record fuel and food bills. The potential rise in bills could push consumers into fuel poverty.

The 2020 plan has been set out by the European Commission President and has been criticised by business groups who fear the climate change migration will cost more and hit company profits. The UK's Energy Minister said that Britain would undergo a £100bn "green revolution", with plans to fit a quarter of British homes with solar power and build thousands of new wind turbines.

At present, Britain obtains less than 5% of its electricity via renewable methods - the majority of this is wind.

BAA have announced that Heathrow need a third runway to remain globally competitive.

A government decision on whether the proposal is to go ahead will be expected later in the year. More than a third of Heathrow's passengers are transfer passengers, with 23 million people touching down in Heathrow before taking off to another destination in 2008. This number had increased from 19million in 2000. Therefore, reducing the numbers of transfers would be a fundamental error and would seriously affect the economy.

There is also specualtion that BAA will have to sell one of their 3 London airports to improve competition between airport operators and improve choice for travellers in South East England.

It seems that the full switch from analogue to digital media, by changing the UK's radio and TV channels, has been requested to be brought to forward to 2020, and, if possible, 2015.

Costs are spiralling and digital companies are struggling to obtain reasonable investment returns, as the majority of consumers have yet to switch.

The switch began in the Lake District earlier this year, and although further switches are planned, many are concerned the process is taking too much time.

The switchover will still definately be happening, but there is increased stress on the authorities to speed the process up a notch.

Over half the British population have never taken advantage of financial advice when it comes to current accounts and similar products.

Zurich found that as many as 84% of 18-24 year olds have never asked for advice, while 48% of people who are married or bringing up children chose to go it alone when it came to their money worries.

Midlanders were found to be the worst culprits, where 64% had never spoken to a financial advisor.

20% said that their reason for choosing to go alone was because they believed the advisor would be too expensive.

Drugs such as Piriton, which you buy at a pharmacist, to treat your hayfever, can cost a lot of money, yet you can legally get exactly the same treatment for your allergies as normal, for substantially less.

Antihistamines reduce the symptoms of hayfever, but before you turn to the meds, just do these simple things to reduce the chance of your hayfever flairing up:

• Sign up for pollen warning texts
• Vacuum up damp dust
• Keep windows and doors closed
• Smear vaseline inside your nose
• Bring the washing in
  

Depending on where you live in the UK, your prescription price can differ. If you live in Wales, prescriptions are free. In the rest of the UK, if you have to pay, it would be £7.10 per item in England, £5 in Scotland and £6.85 in Northern Ireland. Pretty pricey for a condition which could benefit from other, cheaper options.

You can look at what the active ingredient in your remedy is. This is listed on the back of the packet. Then, just go and buy the cheapest generic product with the same ingredient. This is much less than paying for a prescription.

Also, you can check out alternative therapies, which are sold in pharmacies and online. Results differ, depending on how heavy your condition is, but it may be worth a go, cuz it usually turns out cheaper.

500 oil tanker drivers are planning a four day strike - the unions that represent them are going into some last minute talks to stop it from happening. The members of the union, who work for two firms contracted with Shell are at war over pay. If the strike goes ahead this Friday, it will affect 10% of UK petrol stations.

Drivers have been told not to panic buy fuel, in fear of a possible shortage. But, some petrol stations may run out. The tank drivers are planning to strike between 6am Friday and 6am the following Tuesday. the drivers work for Hoyer UK and Suckling Transport.

The union claims the average pay of the tank driver is £32000pa, which hasn't increased since 1992. They are suggesting a wage of £36000pa would be more appropriate. The drivers have rejected a 6.8% rise. hoyer UK claim that if the drivers had accepted this offer, their pay would have increased by a third over the past 5 years.

So, there is a possibility that Shell garages across the country will run out of fuel. It is inevitable that some of them will. Disruption is being kept at a minimum. Hopefully.

The government will know if thousands of NHS workers have rejected or accepted a pay offer. Nearly 500,000 have voted on the offer of an 8% pay rise over the next 3 years. The Royal College of Nursing have backed it so far.

Members of other health unions have rejected the offer, making the Unison ballot crucial. The offer would give more than a million staff a pay increase of 2.75% from April, a further increase of 2.4% in 2009/10 and 2.25% in 2010/11, taking a nurse's starting salary to over £20,000 this year. The offer is the highest seen in the public sector, aiming to stop the threat of industrial action.

Opponents say that the offer will amount to a pay cut, as the 8% increase is not in line with the increased living costs.

Its been rejected by the GMB union and also by physiotherapists and members of Unite. 93% of nurses voted in favour of the deal. But with so many people voting against the offer, its unknown as to how many of Unison members will back it.

According to the Trades Union Congress, the current economic climate is causing employees to work longer hours. It found that the number of people working over 48 hours a week has increased by 180,000 in the first few months of 2008.

Between 2000 and 2006, the number of people working this amount of hours had fell from 3.8million to 3.1million. But this rose again in the last part of 2007, and now, the number has spiralled to 3.3million.

The biggest increases were in the east of England, and London. The union found 85% of the longer workers were male and is urging the ministers to consider this problem before they head off to meet other Eurpoean ministers next week, and to think about the possibility of taking action to end this excessive working time.

With Nationwide, you get 20% off when you buy buildings and contents cover and 20% off the renewal price next year and 10% off this year's discounted price when you buy online, as long as you buy the buildings and contents cover as a bundle.

They are also saying there will be no extra charge for paying by direct debit, unlike some lenders and claim that they offer better cover as standard:

• Provision of temporary accomodation if your home is damaged and you have to move out
  
• Covers accidental damage, including Home Entertainment appliances
• Replaces locks and keys up to £500
  
• Provision of up to £1000 cover for garden contents
• Covers the cost of a replacement mp3 player AND the music downloaded
  
• Increases the cover for birthdays, weddings & religious festivals by 10% for the 30days before and after the event
• Covers student accomodation if offspring is away at college or uni
• Covers cash kept at your house, up to a value of £500

The housing crisis is encouraging more and more people to rent their homes instead of going out there into the mortgage market. At least until the situation calms down. But, it's not just your home you can rent. You can rent pretty much anything you may need, whether it be a car, a TV or even a really psh swanky handbag.

• Cars - Car Clubs such as City Car Club, charge £49.50 a year membership, with a one-off joining fee of £75. You then choose to pay as you drive, at £4.75 an hour, or pay a monthly fee. There are no associated costs, only petrol, and some petrol is included. But, you do have to match their insurance criteria. Then theres the top end car clubs, who let you drive more luxurious motors. You pay the joining fee, and the annual fee, which gets you points. Depending on the car you want, you use the points accordingly. Insurance can be expensive though, via the excess that you would have to pay for damage or theft.
  
• Handbags - Fashion Hire charges £60 a year for membership, plus between £20 and £120 a month a bag. Choosing a pricier membership gives you more bags. The most fashionable bags have a fee on top. Losing or damaging the bag can be expensive. Some expect you to claim on your insurance if you lose or damage it.
  
• Televisions - It allows you to change the screen as new technology emerges, and gives access to free repair or replacement service for £3 a month. But, again, check the insurance.
• Appliances - Fridges, freezers, washers and tumblers. Free repair and replacement. The more appliances you rent, the cheaper the price, in some firms.
  

Landlords are seeking top returns from their properties which they rent out to the ever-growing student population, including decorating to the highest spec and providing wi-fi.

The student housing which the older generation pictures, with the squalid living, the damp, the holes in the floors and the dirt, are beginning to be a thing of the past. The sector is worth £6.6billion and is expected to grow to £20billion over the next 6 years.

New purpose built homes with funky kitchens, en suites, gyms, spas and wi-fi means the student sector is nearly level with the private non student sector, says Savills. This accomodation could cost £100-£350 a week.

Student rent has increased 31% over the past 2 years, influencing the student's decision to remain at home with their parents, attend a local uni and commute, this number increasing from 13% in 1996 to 19% in 2006.

Student numbers have increased by 31% over the last ten years, totalling 2.34million and is expected to increase to over 3million by 2014.

So the top rent places (based on a 2-bed flat; source Hometrack)?

• Oxford (£223pw)
• Brighton (£214pw)
• Cambridge (£200pw)
• Bristol (£165pw)
• Edinburgh (£147pw)
• Norwich (£140pw)
• Cardiff (£137pw)
• Leeds (£123pw)
• Lancaster (£121pw)
• Durham (£103pw)

If you use Ebay to buy stuff, be careful of how you pay for it. The site is increasingly becoming a target for phishing scams, and users need to be aware that all may not be what it seems all the time.

If you use the secure way to pay, i.e. Paypal, stick to it. Paypal is a registered payment option by Ebay, because its a trusted site. Don't trust emails that may come through to you offering payment methods such as MoneyGram or Western Union. These methods are banned on Ebay as they are unsafe and victim to phishers. Ebay would never offer them, so don't pay with them. You would lose yor money and not receive the item you paid for.

If something like this happens, inform the police. Once an investigation begins, Ebay and the police can deal with the fraudulent sellers. Phishing scams are becoming increasingly frequent; be aware of them. On sites such as Ebay, theres links to their safety centres. Read the notes on these pages. It helps.