Tax Credits deadlines are looming – have you renewed?
Posted inAll things tax

Tax Credits deadlines are looming – have you renewed?

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is sending out 5.8 million tax credits renewals packs, so if you are in receipt of tax credits, look out for your renewal pack’s arrival by 30 June.

Last year some 650,000 claimants had their money stopped because they did not renew by the 31 July deadline, don’t get caught out. This year, you can renew by post and by phone. If there have been no changes to your circumstances (i.e. salary, relationship status etc), then you can also renew online, via GOV.UK.

Four domestic goddess tips for the half term…
Posted inFamily life

Four domestic goddess tips for the half term…

Eeek…are you still finding the odd biscuit tucked away in a corner somewhere, or toys in sofa after the Easter break? Just when you thought you were on top of it all, here comes another half term break, which means one more thing…more mess.

Children will be children, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t out something in place to stop (or reduce) the mess they create. Here are some tips:

Top five professional cleaning tips
Posted inFamily life

Top five professional cleaning tips

Vacuum cleaners are one of those investment buys that can be a hit or miss sometimes – especially if you don’t do your research before parting with your cash.

If you’ve bought a vacuum cleaner and can’t seem to get the best out of it, here are five tips that could help change your vacuuming experience:

Posted inHow to promote your business How to sell online Starting and running your business

Two simple ways to boost your selling power overnight

There’s not much more demotivating than having poor or no sales when you start a new business. All the dreams you had conjured up if stick flying off your shelves (or out of the garden shed) suddenly start to look like it’s going to turn into a nightmare. But the truth is, if you’re planning to build your own business, you have to be ready for the challenges. If you give up at the first hurdle, you really aren’t giving your business the chance to succeed.

Five reasons why you’re making zero money from your website
Posted inHow to run a successful website

Five reasons why you’re making zero money from your website

Do you run a website? Is it profitable? No? Do your competitors seem to be making it big while you just can’t seem to make a penny?

Here are five possible reasons why your website hasn’t performed as well as you wish it would:

Posted inMoney - how to keep it and how to make it

How to get your first mortgage…not just for the twenty something’s

Getting on the property ladder can happen at any point in a person’s life. We often have a picket-fence mentality when it comes to thinking about how families grow – get married, buy a house, have children and live Stepford Wives happy ever after. Back to reality…not everyone’s plan works out that way, and getting a mortgage can come a little further down the line.

Posted inMoney - how to keep it and how to make it

Spending less than you earn is the key

If you want to become financially independent, you need to spend less than you earn over a long period, or start your own business, or get lucky!
The way is by living below their means.

Posted inMoney - how to keep it and how to make it

What do new employee shareholder contracts mean for you?

From the beginning of September 2013, the government introduced new rules enabling employers to offer contracts allow workers to trade their employment rights in return for shares.

Posted inProduct reviews

Get organised with these home office must haves

With all the beat will in the world, there are some documents that you need a hard copy of.

Take your certificate of incorporation,  for example. And there’ll be many more that you’ll want to find and  take out with ease.

The breakup: how to end a client relationship
Posted inStarting and running your business

The breakup: how to end a client relationship

There come a time in every relationship when people don’t always see eye to eye – marriages,  parent and child relationships…even business relationships.

When it’s your loved ones there are ways that you can express yourself that you can’t in a business relationship.

Four ways to stay motivated when you’re self employed
Posted inStarting and running your business

Four ways to stay motivated when you’re self employed

Whether you’re just starting out with your work at home business or you’ve had a home business for many years, you’ll need to stay motivated if you’re going to see continual success.

What’s your most valuable possession?
Posted inFamily life

What’s your most valuable possession?

Is it your favourite childhood toy, or irreplaceable photos of the kids? If it’s the later then you’re not on your own because  family albums have been revealed as the nation’s most treasured possession, according to a recent poll.

How to plan your meals for school and work to save yourself a small fortune
Posted inFamily life Money - how to keep it and how to make it

How to plan your meals for school and work to save yourself a small fortune

Once you know your family’s lunch budget, you can cut your spending by meal planning.

Put pen to paper at the weekend and decide what you’ll be packing for your lunch at work and for the kids (if they take a packed lunch to school) for the coming week.

Posted inFamily life

How to make your home safe for a babysitter

We all need some help sometimes – last-minute crises,  or just an evening out with friends to let your hair down.

Whatever the case may be, the last thing any parent wants is to come back home to pandemonium or an accident. This video will show you how to make your home safe for a babysitter.

Posted inChildren & Relationships Money - how to keep it and how to make it

Top tips for budgeting with children

Having children can be expensive, especially for parents with several mouths to feed, shoes to buy and school outings and uniforms to pay for, not to mention holidays, birthdays and Christmas.
Keeping up with everything can be difficult, making it so easy to get into debt. Luckily, there are a few steps and clever budgeting methods you can use to ensure you can still afford the things you want without spiralling into debt.

Almost half of small business startups fail in the first year – find out why
Posted inStarting and running your business

Almost half of small business startups fail in the first year – find out why

For many parents, the idea of running a business that fits in with family life and makes enough for a decent life is a distant dream. For some it’s a raw subject of failure, and for others, they are living the dream.

Take inspiration from these women: unsung entrepreneurial success
Posted inChildren & Relationships Real mums

Take inspiration from these women: unsung entrepreneurial success

Hands up anyone who can’t by now, after several series of The Apprentice, recite exactly, Karen Brady’s business career almost as well as Alan Sugar’s? Who doesn’t know about the nerve and willpower of Margaret Thatcher as she took on the Old Boys’ Network and won? 

Child tax credits:what you should know
Posted inFamily life Money - how to keep it and how to make it

Child tax credits:what you should know

If you’ve been stung with a huge childcare bill this half term, then you’ll appreciate getting up to 70% of that money paid back to you by way of tax credits.

Many families qualify for tax credits but don’t know they should be applying or how to apply – is yours one of them?

Posted inMoney - how to keep it and how to make it

How to be and stay financial free in 2014

All of us have done it, making New Year’s resolutions and promising ourselves that this will be the year that we’ll keep them for definite, only for a couple of weeks to pass and for us to find ourselves falling back into our old habits.