Mums Finance

My son and his fiancee are living in Germany right now and he is really looking forward to Xmas this year. It will be his first Xmas in Germany and we all know that that time of year is like a magical wonderland. Money is tight for them so I will be sending them a big food hamper – I asked them what they wanted and they stipulated gifts of the edible kind…

They are talking about which Xmas tree to buy – an artificial christmas tree or a real one – the thing my son has to keep in mind is his allergy to pine needles and that’s what Xmas trees are made of basically. I haven’t told him but I am posting him some thermals for when the cold really sets in – I hear February really is a bum freezer!

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Yes, that’s right – here’s something for free from those who normally take your money from you! credit card companies are currently so keen for your custom they are dishing out free flights and vouchers to new customers.  After a two-year drought in anything resembling decent offers providers have finally realised the best way to snare your business is by offering tempting perks such as freebies. Crafty cookies eh…?

All you have to do is to spend a certain amount on your card, then pay off your bill in full and on time every month (which you should do anyway…) and for doing so the freebie is yours. And there is nothing to stop you cancelling the card once you have taken the perk.This is something my partner would jump upon in a second. What’s on offer…? well not exactly expensive cigars but you have Amazon vouchers, CD’s, DVD’s…

Also the SonyCard – from the technology firm – will give you 4,000 ‘Pulsebeat’ reward points when you spend anything in the first 90 days. You can redeem this for anything from its catalogue, which includes CDs, DVDs and console games and the Lloyds TSB Duo card – which is an American Express and a Mastercard – gives 1,500 Airmiles when you sign up through Airmiles before Saturday. Then you will need to spend at least £10 by the end of the year. And you thought something-for-nothing was a thing of the past…

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Poppy sellers from the Royal British Legion have been banned from shaking their collection tins in case they are seen as a ‘public menace’. Asking anyone if they want to buy one and even approaching people have also been declared illegal. Instead volunteers have been told they must remain still and silent or face being removed from their stands or prosecuted.

This is despite it being within the law for ‘chuggers’ – charity workers who are often likened to muggers hassling people for money on high streets – to do the same. They ask people to donate from their bank accounts rather than giving cash directly. The rules for poppy sellers, which have been drawn up by the Institute of British Fundraising but are enforced by local councils, state that it is illegal for collectors to ‘harass people’ or act in a way that could be seen as ‘aggressive. We have all been subject to this at some stage – those hawkers who stop you as you pass, I have even had several grab me by the sleeve as I try to go around them!

Poppies are only sold for a few weeks each year – let’s support the cause give these poor poppy sellers a break.

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