Save money and time this Christmas by using the
internet
You don't have to be a Scrooge this Christmas to save money.
Financial planning isnt the same as financial skimping and with
just a little time spent on the internet, you can ensure you're
getting the best deal on all of your personal finances, as well
as your shopping. It is interesting that many of us will shop
around for insurance and to a certain extent for our Christmas
shopping, but with products that demand long term
accountability we tend to be more passive. For example, we may
choose to shop at Tesco instead of Waitrose to save money and
we buy Value instead Finest, but when we are paying more than
we have to on credit cards and loans apparently were more than
happy to stay put.
The lack of interest in managing our personal finances has more
serious consequences though and in its October report, Credit
Action, a national debt education charity, informed that:
* 15% of 18-24 year olds thought an ISA was an iPod
accessory
* 10% of 18-24 year olds thought an ISA was an energy drink
* Almost 80% of people surveyed did not associate APR with
interest rate
Whilst we are quick enough to apply for credit, were quite slow
in effectively managing our borrowing, but its not as if the
tools arent there to help us. Moneynet, for example, not only
provides price comparison research for loans (
http://www.moneynet.co.uk/loans/index.shtml ) and credit cards;
it also offers a tool to help you manage your finances online
securely, and has published a series of product guides to help
consumers make sense of their finances. (
http://www.moneynet.co.uk/product-guides/index.shtml )
The increase in young people entering higher education and then
leaving with debt has also provoked many financial institute
companies to review their product portfolio, targeting
graduates who want to get one foot on the property ladder and
the other foot on the career ladder. Barclays for example,
offers several graduate products on its loans page (
http://www.barclays.co.uk/loans-index/ ), including career
development personal loans, professional studies personal loan
and a graduate personal loan.
Whilst young people may not be saving, they do tend to be more
adept at using the internet for online shopping. Not only does
shopping online often save you money, its also more convenient.
Without moving from your home, you can do all of your Christmas
shopping in one session. Whether you're looking for the latest
Sony Ericsson 3G mobile ( http://www.sonyericsson.com ), an
engraved iPod from Apple ( http://www.apple.com/ipod/ ), or
even a classic piece of jewellery from H Samuel (
http://www.hsamuel.co.uk/webstore/jewellery.do ) its all
online. And whether you're stocking up from Tesco (
http://www.tesco.com ) the internet allows you to order exactly
what you want and get it delivered to your door.
If you're new to shopping and banking online, moneynet offers a
comprehensive guide to personal finance at Christmas (
http://www.moneynet.co.uk/christmas-savings-guide/index.shtml )
and sites such as Kelkoo and Ciao will give you a head start to
begin finding the best price for your Christmas shopping.
Famous online brands like Amazon and eBay will also offer you
an extensive range of conventional and less conventional
Christmas choices at discounted prices.
Shopping online is now as secure as high street shopping and
given that the internet is open 24 / 7, you can now shop whilst
the kids are in bed.
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About the author:
About Rachel:
Rachel writes for a variety of online publications, including
her own personal finance blog Cashzilla.
http://www.cashzilla.co.uk
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