Cut last minute Christmas costs – exclusive interview with Santa

‘Twas the night before Christmas, well… almost You’re tired, stressed and your bank account looks as if it’s done 10 rounds with Joe Frasier. Yet still we plunge into the crowded high street to buy more food and presents. Are we brave or just plain foolhardy? The good news is that it’s still possible to cut those last minute Christmas costs and you don’t have to take our word for it. For these final tips before Christmas (watch out for our New Year advice) we’ve turned to the man himself, Santa. In this exclusive interview he gives us the snowdown […]

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Christmas shopping tricks designed to make us spend & how to counteract them

1. In posh shops it’s about establishing relationships We all hate bored shop assistants who seem more interested in what’s going on under their nails than our desire to purchase. But shops which train and encourage friendly, helpful assistants are being very astute. The better the relationship between assistant and shopper the harder it is not to buy. Glamorous, high-end shops  with lots of space, but not very intiutive layouts, are actually creating the ideal environment for friendly, well-informed assistants to step forward and offer to help: “I’m sure we have that in modoms (sic) colour and there is a […]

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Stamp duty changes

The planned stamp duty changes announced by Chancellor George Osborne in his autumn statement come into effect today. HM Treasury has produced a really useful two page guide and you can download a copy here Under the old rules, you would have paid tax at a single rate on the entire property price. Now you will only pay the rate of tax on the part of the property price within each tax band – like income tax. 98% of home buyers should benefit. […]

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