...but did they stay true to last year’s promises?

Put subscriptions to the sword

GOODNESS knows how much money I waste on unwanted subscriptions and memberships.

However a cursory glance of my bank account on Christmas Day – while my wife Sacha was busy cooking the turkey and peeling the sprouts – confirmed that the sum might be approaching £100 a month.

Time for some corrective action, I think.

An array of subscriptions are ripe for culling. Top of the list is ending my subscription to Now TV, which costs £28 a month.

Yes, I like Formula 1 racing (well done Lewis Hamilton), but precious little other sport gets my heart rate soaring.

Amazon Prime and Netflix are

THIS time last year, the team were also full of resolutions, but did any of them pay off?

JEFF PRESTRIDGE

A YEAR ago, I vowed to keep dripping money into my cash and investment Isas. It’s a pledge I adhered to, although I had to change tactics a bit.

My promise to put some money into my cash Isa every time I walked past my bank branch in London proved impossible when lockdown kept me housebound miles away from the capital. Instead, I made a bank transfer every month as soon as I was paid.

Just as effective, of course, but I did miss the friendly bank staff who treated me like royalty.

TOBY WALNE

A VIRTUE-SIGNALLING boast to go carbon neutral went up in smoke the minute that the lockdown was announced. My high-minded plan to plant trees, use my bike more and cut down on plastics was thrown out of the window when it became a struggle just to get out the front door.

Yet, by accident rather than design, my carbon footprint is smaller. Less gas-guzzling in the car and no chance of helping to destroy the ozone layer as holidays abroad were knocked on the head.

The only conscious ‘good’ I did for the planet was installing a wind turbine on the hen house to generate electricity. It produces just enough juice to stop foxes breaching an electric fence.

LAURA SHANNON

TWELVE months ago I pledged to remortgage to get a decent interest rate – and I was true to my word.

Back in May I took stock of my options. There was little difference between the best mortgage deal overall and the best deal offered by my existing bank, so I stuck with the lender that knows me best.

I usually encourage people to switch – but only if the gain is significant. If the difference is minimal, reduced paperwork and a speedy resolution can be worth more. The result is that I bagged a better-than-average five-year fixed-rate at 1.49 per cent – saving £77 a month. A sum much needed now there is another mouth to feed in the household.

SARAH BRIDGE

THIS time last year I vowed to sort out my numerous pension pots, maybe merging some.

Twelve months on, I’m looking at a job half done. I managed to contact all the pension providers and get up-to-date paperwork, correcting my address where necessary.

But when Covid struck and stock markets went into meltdown, I took a step back. Making long-term financial decisions in such a rollercoaster market didn’t seem right.

When things stabilise, I will return to the task. Hopefully that’ll be before my retirement date.