Practically perfect: Our year of money triumphs
From seeing Mary Poppins Returns for free to winning an £1,800 payout, our team tells how their funds fared
THE VICTORIES Jeff Prestridge: ARTS ON THE CHEAP
WHEN I am not working, I divide any spare time I have between three big passions – running (rather badly); immersing myself in the arts ( theatre, cinema and jazz clubs); and watching football teams Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion attempt to make it into the Premier League.
All somewhat costly pursuits, even the running as a result of my propensity to enter races I do not then turn up for as a result of a niggle here and a strain there.
The only shrewd move I made this year in pursuing these passions was in plumping for an annual pass to the Curzon chain of cinemas – located not just in London but in Sheffield ( where my eldest son l i ves); Oxford ( where I have friends); and Canterbury (where I am hoping to establish contacts).
Although the annual pass costs £350, it means I do not have to pay a bean when buying cinema tickets. So tonight I am off to see Mary Poppins Returns at the Curzon Victoria in London starring Emily Blunt. A deluxe seat – enough room for two – would set me back £18 without my ‘cult membership’.
This year I reckon I have seen at least one film a weekend – so I have saved myself a small fortune with my annual pass.
Favourites? Lucky (Harry Dean Stanton’s swansong); Free Solo (Alex Honnold’s epic scaling of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, 3,000 feet of vertical granite – with no r o pes) ; a nd Disobedience (Rachel Weisz at her best).
Other victories were on the ‘Mum front’. During the year, I managed to get Mum cheaper home insurance by using a comparison website, while I also trimmed her monthly energy bills after discovering her account was in credit. Last week, she rang to say the direct debit had suddenly increased. Time to ring again and see what is going on. If the account is in credit, I will fly off the handle.
Sally Hamilton: FLIGHT DELAY COMPENSATION
THIS year’s money masterstroke was effectively grabbing financial victory from the jaws of travel defeat.
Over the past 12 months, I have suffered a string of frustrating flight delays – and none of them involved Ryanair. While the hanging around at airports proved tiresome to endure, there was some relief i n the form of financial compensation for at least two of the flights.
This was thanks to the European Union’s EU 261 regulations which demand airlines compensate passengers for flight delays – unless the circumstances are beyond their control such as poor weather.
A 24-hour delay on a flight to the Canary Islands in February was sadly not eligible as windy conditions were to blame. But a five-hour wait for a one-hour flight to Northern France (due to a missing pilot) in August and an eight and a half hour hold-up en route to San Francisco a month later due to a faulty ignition meant my family netted a total of €2,050 (£1,844) in compensation. Christmas could be quite jolly this year.
A smaller victory was reclaiming the £34 excess on the fee I paid five years ago when registering Power of Attorney for my elderly mum. Many thousands of people are entitled to similar refunds – some up to £54. They are owed it because the Ministry of Justice managed to cut its administrative costs. I recom- mend others act now as it is an easy thing to do. Visit gov.uk/power-ofattorney-refund.
Laura Shannon: A GOOD DEAL ON TRAIN TICKETS
ONE of my favourite tips for people seeking a good deal on the railways – hard to find day-to-day I grant you – is the wealth of ‘rangers and rovers’ passes. They are cost-effective tickets for anyone who wants to explore a patch of beautiful Britain via a much-loved mode of transport (that is, loved when not squeezed on to a commuter train like cattle).
So this year I used my own tip and bought a Scottish Grand Tour travel pass, one each for me and my husband. It allowed us unlimited offpeak train travel on four separate days, within an eight-day period. Enough for us to complete a circular anti- clockwise trip covering Edinburgh, Aviemore, Inverness, the Isle of Skye, over the Glenfinnan viaduct (known to many as the Harry Potter Bridge), to Loch Lomond and finishing in Glasgow.
Usually passes are priced £ 89 each, but with a Two Together Railcard this reduces to £58.75. I also got the Railcard at a discount – from £30 reduced to £10 as a perk offered by my Gold Card – which is given to commuters with a journey beginning or ending in London.
In total an £80.50 saving on train travel. Even better, my one-yearold daughter travelled free. The pass also included a delightful ferry ride from Armadale on the Isle of Skye to Mallaig on the mainland which made the journey even better and was a scenic way to depart such a picturesque island.
There are many different types of rangers and rovers passes – visit the special offers section of nationalrail.co.uk.
Toby Walne: CUTTING ELECTRICITY BILLS
THE electricity bills for my fourbedroom home are astronomical – regularly topping £200 a month. Sometimes I wonder if the neighbours have somehow palmed their bills off on us – although I must admit our house is more than 300 years old and a wicked draught constantly runs through it during the winter.
This year, I have managed to seize back control of my energy bills – although somewhat fortuitously. First I ditched supplier Ovo Energy after it got shirty after attempting to install an energy ‘smart’ meter – surprise, surprise it did not work. Apparently I had the wrong type of meter.
Using a comparison website, I quickly found another energy supplier – Bulb. Not only cheaper – £300 a year cheaper – but providing much better customer service. A smart move, I reckon.