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Fit Business and Ireland AM ran a Start Your Own Business competition worth over €50,000 in association with the Daily Star
...read moreAvoid getting scammed online.
November 11, 2010Last week the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland ruled against the website Claims.ie for misleading potential claimants into thinking they were applying to the official Personal Injuries Board. Visitors to the site provided personal information and details of their injuries to the website which has no details about the people or organisation behind it. The
case highlights how easily the most experienced internet user can be duped and the growing incidence of online fraud.
Prescription fees – a sick tax
November 01, 2010Medical card holders and the Irish Patients’ association have been up in arms with the introduction of a 50 cent fee for all prescription medicines. Now the poorest and most vulnerable are to be subjected to what is essentially a tax on illness. Expected revenues of €24 million undermines Mary Harney’s assertion that it is intended “to discourage over-prescribing and the over-use of medication”.
Buying a car privately without a history check could drive you round the bend
October 29, 2010Failing to do a complete car history check when buying a car privately could mean you lose the cost of the car as well as the car itself. A survey by Cartell.ie found that when buying a 2 –year old car you have a one in four chance of buying a car with outstanding finance. Unfortunately for the unsuspecting buyer, a car that has been financed remains the property of the financing company until final payment has been made.
Mediation can help couples feeling trapped by the recession.
October 08, 2010Getting help to eek out mutual consent on maintenance and custody issues could save separating couples between €10,000 and €30,000 - the typical cost of a contested divorce in a circuit court. Warring couples heading for the High Court could save anything up to €200,000. In light of legal costs it is unsurprising that the fall off in divorce applications from 3,588 in 2008 to 3,301 in 2009 is widely attributed to couples being too poor to split. There are less costly alternatives.
Reduce your fuel bills – insulation and draught-proofing are worth the investment.
October 05, 2010The cost of heating and lighting my home prior to making some energy efficient changes last year was approximately €4,246 annually. Following a range of upgrades the annual bill for our five-bedroom house is now closer to €3,000. The very helpful and informative National Energy Auditors- NEA conducted a detailed energy audit of my home, provided me with a list of potential upgrades with guideline prices and payback periods. My goal was to implement recommendations that would have the greatest impact for the least amount of money and/or the quickest return on investment. Here are my best and worst upgrades.
Avoid transaction fees- negotiate free banking now.
September 16, 2010Time is running out to talk to your bank about free banking. It could save you at least 20cent every time you use an ATM machine and/or quarterly fixed rate charges of €4.50. Bank of Ireland admits to 750,000 of its customers qualifying for free banking while AIB are less forthcoming. Irrespective of free banking, your debit card will incur a stamp duty cost of €5.00 a year - €2.50 for Laser cards and €2.50 for ATM cards.
Student accommodation – the hunt is on.
August 31, 2010Approximately 200,000 students will be seeking accommodation in the next few weeks. If you are one of them, the earlier you start your search the better your chances of getting the best value, location and standard of accommodation.
Campus accommodation comes at a premium but is ideally located for access to the library, classes and sports and of course, to recreational facilities. Living in is a great way to get to know people in your first year. University accomodation caters for a very small percentage of students overall however and is typically over-subscribed. UCD charges between €4,288 and €5324 a year for their rooms and allocate on a first come, first served basis. DCU charge €112.50 per week, payable in 2 instalments annually and operate a random selection process. It may not be too late to get your name down.
Tired of getting pipped at the post in Best Dressed competitions?
August 24, 2010With this weeks Killarney races, the Tattersalls Millions Champion Stakes in September and Leopardstown races in December its not too late to be in with a chance to win a “Best Dressed” competition and with it a plethora of prizes ranging from diamond bracelets and vouchers worth thousands to VIP trips for two to Paris. Surely, that has to be worth getting dressed up to the nines, paying admission fees (on average €20), parading in front of judges noses until you get “noticed” and missing half the actual races.
Newly Revised – the difficulty recycling school books
August 19, 2010If you don’t qualify for the Back to School allowance you could still save up to 66% off the cost of your children’s school books by buying secondhand where you can.
A recent study by Barnardos has found that the cost of sending a child to school now averages more than €800.
Get a grip on golf club fees.
July 14, 2010Massive reductions and in some cases abolition of sign up fees, reductions in annual membership and green fees make golf a more affordable pursuit once again. There has never been a better time to join what has previously been an elitist, exclusive, expensive but entertaining pursuit. I still find it hard to fathom that during the halcyon days of the celtic tiger we were willing to pay anything from €5,000 to €300,000 just to become a member. Annual fees in the thousands and green fees in the hundreds were still expected. It was time we got a grip and not of a golf club.
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