Planning an overseas trip with your furry friend can be a headache, but it is possible to minimise the cost with a little planning ahead. Here’s my guide to getting your pet from A to B with your sanity, and contents of your wallet, intact. Vaccinations Each destination country has its own requirements. You can…
Parcels gone astray? Letters lost? How to claim compensation
Still reeling from a frustrating experience with a UK parcel delivery service, I’m in the process of filing a claim for compensation. My urgent parcel, required at its destination before its recipient needed to catch an international flight, was posted using a popular 48-hour service costing £12.98. Sent on the Monday via the Post Office, it had…
Too smart to fall for a holiday scam?
Holiday scams are on the rise. Action Fraud reported a 20% increase in cases of online holiday fraud in 2016, up from 2015. Booking online can be a great way to find a bargain but it does expose us to less-than-savoury characters keen to diddle you out of your hard earned cash. These convincing fraudsters…
How I save money on greetings cards
Did you know that Brits buy an average of 33 greetings cards a year? With prices ranging from £1.50 to a whopping £3.99 (using WHSmith as an example), it’s easy to see that you could be saving a lot of money by opting out. Here are some of the increasingly creative ways you can do just…
Fabulously budget travel tips: Vietnam
Your money goes a long way in Vietnam – making it a great choice for anyone wanting to experience its buzzing cities, tropical beaches, compelling history, and natural beauty without maxing out the credit card. Brits are among a handful of nationalities entitled to a free tourist visa on arrival for visits of up to…
Would you have your hair cut by a trainee?
In my twenties, when I couldn’t stretch to exorbitant salon prices, I was usually very happy with free, or almost free, hair cuts done by trainee hairdressers. I say ‘usually’ because there was just the one time when I emerged from the chair distraught after a scissor-happy frenzy had ensued and I was convinced my…
Considering working overseas?
Considering working overseas? How to get your finances ship-shape before you move If you’ve accepted a job offer from abroad, jumping on the next available flight to your new life might seem tempting. According to the Office for National Statistics, over 128,000 Brits migrated from the UK in the year ending September 2016, with work-related…
The CV writing service: helpful tool or CV suicide?
Ask anyone what comes to mind when you mention job hunting and the response, often accompanied by a grimace or an exasperated sigh, usually involves words like ‘depressing’ or ‘soul destroying’. You know the drill – you fill out the application form and hit ‘send’. You hear nothing back. Nothing. Just rude. By this stage,…
What it’s like not to earn your own money
It’s all a bit awkward really, not earning your own money. It has taken me a long time to get used to it. It still isn’t something that I am entirely comfortable with, even now that my son is ten years old. At the moment, I don’t earn a salary, as such, although I have…
Fabulously budget travel tips: Cambodia
Visiting the Kingdom of Wonder doesn’t have to set you back a fortune. Consider tagging this fascinating country, one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in the world, into your itinerary, if you happen to be holidaying in one of its neighbouring countries (Thailand, Laos, or Vietnam). Regional carriers such as Silk Air, Bangkok Airways…