Money Saving Blog

When you book a cruise, the price will include your accommodation, food, and entertainment. However, cruise ships will look to sell you extras while you are on board from expensive drinks to speciality meals, excursions, spa treatments and so on. If you want to be careful and avoid overspending, we have a few tips to help you.

• Choose a cruise company where tipping extra is not expected. Companies such as Thomson and Swan Hellenic include tips in the basic price, so you won’t be expected to tip extra on top.

• Pick a cruise where on board charging is in sterling. By doing this, you can avoid paying foreign exchange fees, and you’ll also be used to working in this currency so will know when something is cheap or expensive.

• Excursions that are run by your cruise ship can cost anything from £20 to £90 per person for a half or full day out. It’s often possible to book a similar tour through a private company or avoid a tour all together, and just get a taxi for yourself from the port to the location you want to visit.

• Freestyle dining is a plan that is often offered within a cruise. This option generally means you have a choice of restaurants throughout the cruise ship rather than dining in the ships dining room.

• Spa treatments on board ship can be expensive, so look at options such as booking several treatments at the same time, or see if there are any times such as when the ship is in port at the beginning of the cruise, when specials are offered.

• Drinks can add considerably to your cruising costs. It is often possible however, to pre-book a drinks package at around £10 per day that will cover a reasonably wide range of drinks.

• Cruise ship laundry bills can be expensive. Opt instead for a quick trip to the ships self service launderette, or find out if there are deals for getting a larger quantity of clothes washed at the same time.

• Make sure that you carry sufficient supplies of things such as sun cream, batteries, and other necessary items with you rather than paying an on-board premium for them.

• Ask yourself if you really need internet access on board the ship. Online access can cost as much as £10 for half an hour, so it can be worthwhile opting to use an onshore internet café where you can instead.

• Avoid on-board casinos, and auctions where you’re plied with free drinks. The more you drink, the more relaxed you become about things, and generally, the more you are likely to spend.

• Take your own photos and video clips rather than buying copies of the photos and video taken by the cruise company. Yours will be much more personal to you, and they will be far cheaper too.

£5 instead of £39.95 for a whole years membership bringing you savings on fantastic locations with The Hotel Offer Company

Click the image below to get your £5 deal at Groupola.

Experience style, comfort, quality & pure elegance

Here is the perfect chance to book a luxurious mini getaway. Take advantage of some of UK’s finest hotel accommodation & the best part is, it’s practically free!

Everyone deserves a break, especially during the summer holidays. Groupola are offering you the chance to soak up some British sun in some of U.K’s sunniest locations. We know finding the right accommodation for your holiday without breaking the bank can be quite difficult which is why we have teamed up with The Hotel Offer to provide you with this amazing deal:

Pay just £5 for a 12 month membership to The Hotel Offer Company (worth £39.95!) & enjoy 12 months of FREE hotel accommodation in 100’s of superb hotels in the UK, Ireland & The Channel Islands.

Full Company Details:

The Hotel Offer Company have brought together some of the finest hotels in the UK, Ireland and The Channel Islands and together with Groupola have secured this fantastic deal for our members. They are constantly recruiting new hotels for members to enjoy FREE. All members need to pay for are their breakfasts and evening meals. The room comes FREE!

The Hotel Offer Company has hotels all over the UK, Ireland and the Channel Islands. From Country Inns to Manor Houses, from the rugged windswept landscapes of the north to the hustle and bustle of Central London, The Hotel Offer Company offers the perfect bargain break whatever your taste and whatever the occasion! Stay in the amazing 4* Crabwall Manor Hotel in Chester. Perfect for a weekend shopping & sightseeing or the relax in the luxurious surroundings of this magnificent grade II listed manor house after a summers day at Chester Races.

Or explore the Welsh countryside in Llanddeiniolen at Ty’n Rhos Country House hotel. Ideally located for the outdoor attractions and scenery of Snowdonia National Park. This 5* hotel has a talented team of in-house chefs who take pride in the dishes they create from locally sourced ingredients.

With summer coming up (and they’ve promised us a good one!) a break at St Michaels Hotel & Spa in Cornwall could be the perfect summers beach break. Overlooking the coast with outstanding views that can be enjoyed from the hotels sub-tropical gardens.

Many of the superb hotels have spa facilities, golf courses, beautiful gardens (all for members use) and of course, amazing restaurants – many are award winning!

All members have to pay for during their stay are their meals, ranging from £22.00 per person per night up to £65.00 per person per night, with realistic prices that are reflected in the hotels often mouth watering menu’s! Prices are based on breakfast and evening meal.

There has been a sudden explosion in the number of one day deal websites and whilst there are lots the ones that stick out at the moment are Mycitydeal, KGB deal and Groupola.

I have got myself some pretty good deals from the site – I got a cinema ticket for £1 a few weeks and and a gourmet society card for £1 so it is worth a look.

http://www.groupola.com

If you are looking for adventure and excitement, you should browse the many cheap holidays to Egypt that are offered by numerous online travel agencies. Traditionally, Egypt has been a destination for those of affluent lifestyles; however, with so many new innovations in travel technology and the addition of new hotels, the country has experienced an upturn in visitors over the last two decades.

Rewarding and Educational
A holidays to Egypt can be one of the most rewarding vacations that you have ever taken. Not only does the country lie in the area where man first walked the Earth, but it also holds some of the most innovative forms of architectural creations of any country across the globe. By visiting Egypt, you no longer have to gaze at photographs of the Great Pyramids in books or on television because you can see them yourself. No longer do you have to read about the allure and history of the famous Nile River because by going there yourself, you can soak your feet in its waters.

Amenities and Recreation
While you are in this historical country, you do not have to live as if you were a part of history itself. The many hotels throughout the country provide its patrons with all of the luxuries that he or she would find in any high-end resort destination in the world. Many hotels offer five star dining, indoor pools, exercise rooms, and practically anything else that you could desire. To make your holiday even better, you can easily compare and find the best avaible option through dealchecker, leaving you with more to spend on amenities and luxuries while you are there. Get busy and book your next vacation to Egypt today.

Many Helpful Resources
There are many helpful resources for you to use when you are looking to book your next travel holiday to Egypt. You can use many of the websites that specialize in cheap holidays to Egypt, which will give you options such as where to go and what to do. With a simple snap of the fingers, you can have all the information you need to make the best of your holiday to Egypt.

Taking a holiday should be a relaxing event, but if you’re stressing about how much money you’ll be spending then it’s not likely to be. Here are some top tips on how to find cheaper options for travel, cheap flights and hotels:

Use websites designed to help you find a budget holiday
There are many websites out there where you can find budget holidays and flights, and they can be budget for different reasons. Some sites such as lastminute.com look at selling you flights and holidays that are about to happen so you don’t get a lot of time to prepare, but you do get a cheaper holiday. Other sites offer budget options for other reasons from late bookings, to less popular destinations, or off peak travel times.

Be flexible
Being flexible about when you travel, or even about where you go will help you to get better deals because there will be more of the cheaper options available to you. If you don’t have to travel during school holidays, then make that clear when you’re talking to travel agents or airlines, or online.

Talk directly to people
Sometimes, particularly if you’re looking for a last minute deal, it’s possible to get a flight or room more cheaply by going direct to the airline or hotel and asking. In general, it makes more sense for a hotel or airline to fill all its rooms/seats even if it has to sell a few of them more cheaply to do so, after all, they’ve got to staff the aeroplane or hotel anyway. So phone them up and ask. You won’t lose anything by doing so.

Check for deals in newspapers
Quite a number of national newspapers (Telegraph etc) these days are offering their readers holiday deals. Some are for the UK, others for abroad. Generally the idea is that you have to buy the paper to collect a number of tokens and then send those with an application for the holiday deal. Many of these offers can be really excellent value for money getting you a holiday for a fraction of what it would normally cost you. Do however look out for hidden costs as these do sometimes apply – such as paying extra for linen, meals, etc.

No frills options
Like everything else in life today there are no frills options within airlines, and accommodation. Flying no frills tends to mean you need to take your own food, and you’re more restricted on things like luggage weight, but if you’re looking for cheap, it can save quite a lot of money. For accommodation you could look at hostels rather than hotels. Though people tend to think of these as being for younger single people, many of them do have family rooms that you can book, and although you won’t get room service or fancy décor, you will get a cheap and comfortable place to lay your head each night.

I will be totally honest, maths is not my strong point, show me a spreadsheet and I will most likely put my hands to my head after 10 minutes in utter confusion.

If you are anything like me and you also need to renew your tax credits then you will find the videos on the Direct Gov website really useful! They have a range of step by step guides which explain easily how to calculate your tax credits which means that you can then make sure you are still eligable for tax credits. You can sample one of the videos below and visit the Direct Gov website to view more and workout your tax credits.

http://campaigns.direct.gov.uk/taxcreditsvideos/index.html

Many people today use free antivirus software on their computers, but even so, it’s hard sometimes to know which ones are really worth while using, and which ones are not going to block things you want blocked. Personally, I like to run one good piece of antivirus software on my pc, and I also have a couple of other things on there that help me to keep malware and spyware off my system as well.

Two of the best known pieces of free antivirus software available at the moment are AVG and Avast. Both are good, and it will depend a lot on who you talk to as to which they recommend. Personally I prefer AVG, but maybe if I’d used Avast first, I’d have gone with that as a personal preference.

Both of these, along with many others have free versions available on the internet which you can download and use on an ongoing basis without having to pay for them. Like every single piece of antivirus software out there, paid for or free, they’re not perfect, and there is still a chance of your pc getting infected, but you’re much less likely to be if you use a decent piece of software and set it to scan sites that you’re going to as well as checking incoming e-mails, attachments and any device you plug into your pc be it CD, DVD, memory stick or card. It’s always best to set your software to scan on a regular basis at a time when your machine is likely to be on, I set mine to scan daily as my computer gets a lot of use every day, but some people prefer to set theirs to scan weekly as they use the pc less.

If you’re not sure whether to go with free software, or paid for software, you could always try looking for a free trial. Many companies such as Bullguard Antivirus Norton, Kapersky and others offer free trials of a week or a month so you can see how you get on with their software before you decide whether to buy it or not.

Whatever option you pick, make sure you do choose something. Sadly these days, you’re computer is at risk every time you connect it to any other device including (and particularly) the internet, and as viruses can be pretty nasty in some cases, it’s important to protect all your documents and software.

If you need help renewing your tax credits then watch this video.

How to get free nappies, free cuddly toys, free baby food, free baby books, free money from the Government – and more!

They’re cute and cuddly, but they can be expensive little things, clocking up £9,152 in running costs within their first year alone, according to insurance firm, LV=

So, if you’re a new parent feeling the financial squeeze – here are 25 fantastic baby freebies to help you cut down those crazy baby costs!

Before giving birth

1. Health In Pregnancy Grant. No matter what your income, if you’re 25 weeks pregnant or more, the Government will give you £190 tax free. Get a claim form from your midwife or doctor or find out more at www.direct.gov.uk.

2. Free clothes and baby equipment. On a low income? You may be able to get help from the charity Care Confidential where local centres offer free clothes and baby equipment.

3. Free fruit and veg – worth £160 a year if you’re pregnant or have at least one child under four and you’re receiving certain benefits. Under the ‘Healthy Start’ scheme you can get a voucher worth a minimum of £3.10 each week.

4. Free dental treatment. Get this while you’re pregnant and for one year after the birth. Get the paperwork to fill in from your doctor, midwife or health visitor so you can apply for a Maternity Exemption Certificate.

5. Free prescriptions while you’re pregnant and for one year after the birth – these are the same forms as for the free dental treatment.

6. Free vitamins – supplements available under the ‘Healthy Start’ scheme from NHS clinics, health centres, your midwife or health visitor or call 0845 607 6823.

After giving birth

7. Child Benefit. You can claim Child Benefit as soon as your baby is born. You’ll get £20.30 a week for your eldest or only child, and an extra £13.40 for any additional children. It’s not means-tested, so you can claim regardless of income; find out more at www.direct.gov.uk

8. Tax Credits. There are two types on offer; Working Tax Credit (basic element worth up to £1,920 a year) and the Child Tax Credit (basic element worth up to £545 per family, and up to £2,300 a year for the child element). Find out more here.

9. Free books. Once your baby reaches seven to nine months, you should get a free Bookstart pack (with two board books and a placemat) from your health centre.

10. Free baby music and play class when you apply for a trial session at Gymboree. Classes are around forty minutes and you can find your nearest one on the site.

11. Free Pampers nappies worth £14 when you sign up and refer a friend at Free Nappies.

12. £40 of Argos vouchers when you register your details with Emma’s Diary. Plus you’ll get a voucher to swap for a free goodie pack from Lloyds Pharmacy.

13. Free magazine. Get a free copy of Bumps & Babies Magazine with heaps of advice for new parents when you sign up here.

14. Free Disney potty training chart – choose from four designs to download along with stickers at Potty Training, plus lots of helpful advice for Mums & Dads.

15. Free Johnson’s Baby Soothing Naturals Cream - perfect for relieving dry skin. Sign up here for your free sample.

16. Free Heinz baby food when you pop into a Welcome Break motorway service station – you’ll find supplies near the baby corner along with a microwave for warming baby’s milk.

17. Free photos so you can send out gorgeous pictures of your little one – just sign up to Photo Box for 40 free 6 x 4 prints.

18. Free cuddly polar bear and nutrition advice if you sign up with Aptamil.

19. Cots and nursery furniture – for the ultimate in freebies check out Freegle where you can give and receive stuff for free.  Put in your postcode to find what’s available in your area.

Join the club

There are lots of ‘baby clubs’ out there offering freebies, as well as online forums for advice and support. Once you’ve registered online you’ll get sent the freebies; but naturally it’s a savvy way for companies to get you on their mailing list. It’s a good idea to set up a separate email account if you don’t want to be inundated with future promotional offers.

20. Free baby gift basket worth £30 packed with goodies for both Mum & Baby with Mum’s gifts including moisturiser, foundation and mascara from Tesco Baby & Toddler Club when you buy a pack of Pampers newborn nappies for £3.74

21. Free ‘Mum & Baby Bundle’ with Huggies nappies, changing mat, shower gel and baby wipes worth £9.99 from Sainsbury’s ‘Little Ones’ club.

22.  Changing bag worth £29.99 when you sign up to Boots Parenting Club or register in store.

23. Free baby rice, cereals and weaning spoon from Heinz Baby, as well as vouchers and coupons.

24. ‘Bounty’ goodie pack with lots of info and samples when you register at Bounty.com or ask your midwife or health visitor.

25. Free baby record book when you register with hippbabyclub.co.uk.

BIO

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A good travel book is an extremely useful thing to own, and can help you to explore an area that you are looking to visit much more thoroughly than you might otherwise do. They can give you information about off the beaten track places to eat and stay as well as information on tourist attractions and lesser known about events that may be of interest to you. They’re a great source of information for virtually any location you could imagine visiting, but they can be really rather expensive to buy, and sometimes even a little hard to find.

Buying them online is a good way to get them a little bit cheaper particularly if you look at all the options available to you, and are willing to do a little searching.

First of all, the internet is often quite a lot more competitive in terms of prices because most of the sellers don’t have to worry about the cost of overheads for shops. This means that you can often find the same book available online for a few quid less than you could get it on the high street.

If you don’t mind taking the second hand option then you can look at a lot wider range of second hand stores online than you might find in your high street too. Places like www.greenmetropolis.com and www.abebooks.co.uk are great starting points and then there are of course amazon marketplace sellers and ebay as well. It’s also worth pointing out that many of the major second hand bookshops around the country such as those in Hay on Wye have websites too, so you can browse these too without leaving the comfort of your own home.

Another alternative – particularly if you’re looking for a book to read before you travel rather than one to take with you – might be to opt for an e-book. There are a number of sites specialising in such things including www.ebooks.com and www.wisdomebooks.com Some of the e-books you’ll find out there in cyber space are even free, so they really something that you shouldn’t dismiss before looking to see what’s available, and it’s always possible to print off the odd page here and there to carry with you, or you may have an e-book reader which would allow you to carry the book in it’s original electronic format anywhere in the world.

For more on travel visit http://europetraveler.co.uk/