Money you didn't know you had.
Did you know there is at least £15 billion hanging around in old accounts in banks around the country? This is money that people have forgotten they've got so they don't make use of it.
Make sure that doesn't happen to you.
Get on to Mylostaccount and search around to see if you've got a few hundred or even a few thousand lying around doing nothing.
Because it's a free service you've got nothing to lose: just fill out the forms and wait and see.
Investments you didn't know you had.
While we're on the subject of old money, it's quite possible you could have investments, bits of pensions or insurance bonds languishing in some financial institution.
Go to the Unclaimed Assets Register and look for financial assets you might have lost - or didn't even know about (if you were left them by a relative, for example).
These could include life policies, pensions, investments, accounts and savings generally.
They do charge for this service so only use it if you are pretty sure there's something waiting for you! You can also try the Association of British Insurers which runs a free search programme on their website for old insurance policies you might have, as long as you know at least the name of the original insurer that you took the policy out with.
Cashback credit cards.
If you're going to spend anyway, why not get some free cash back for it? You'll need to make sure you can pay off your balance each month (or the cashback benefit will disappear in interest payments) but this can be a straightforward way of earning back small amounts often.
Benefits you should be getting.
Are you sure you're getting all the benefits that you should be having? You could be entitled to more cash each week together with extras like free dental care and possibly even free local gym membership.
Check out the website Entitledto to find out what other benefits you could be getting.
Also, get in touch with your council to find out what free or discounted services you could be enjoying locally.
Tax credits.
The tax credit system is complicated so it's easy to miss out on money back that you should be having.
Check what you could be entitled to on the excellent government website Directgov, and go to the Revenue's website to get more information.
If you're still not sure, ring the free helpline and speak to someone at the HMRC.
They should be able to tell you what you might still be entitled to.
Down the back of the sofa.
Get on your hands and knees.
Trawl through the nooks and crannies of your home and you might find you're one of the 88% of people who reckon they've got at least a tenner in small change lying around in jars, tins and down the back of the sofa.
Give it a go- you might get to tidy up the house at the same time!
Did you know there is at least £15 billion hanging around in old accounts in banks around the country? This is money that people have forgotten they've got so they don't make use of it.
Make sure that doesn't happen to you.
Get on to Mylostaccount and search around to see if you've got a few hundred or even a few thousand lying around doing nothing.
Because it's a free service you've got nothing to lose: just fill out the forms and wait and see.
Investments you didn't know you had.
While we're on the subject of old money, it's quite possible you could have investments, bits of pensions or insurance bonds languishing in some financial institution.
Go to the Unclaimed Assets Register and look for financial assets you might have lost - or didn't even know about (if you were left them by a relative, for example).
These could include life policies, pensions, investments, accounts and savings generally.
They do charge for this service so only use it if you are pretty sure there's something waiting for you! You can also try the Association of British Insurers which runs a free search programme on their website for old insurance policies you might have, as long as you know at least the name of the original insurer that you took the policy out with.
Cashback credit cards.
If you're going to spend anyway, why not get some free cash back for it? You'll need to make sure you can pay off your balance each month (or the cashback benefit will disappear in interest payments) but this can be a straightforward way of earning back small amounts often.
Benefits you should be getting.
Are you sure you're getting all the benefits that you should be having? You could be entitled to more cash each week together with extras like free dental care and possibly even free local gym membership.
Check out the website Entitledto to find out what other benefits you could be getting.
Also, get in touch with your council to find out what free or discounted services you could be enjoying locally.
Tax credits.
The tax credit system is complicated so it's easy to miss out on money back that you should be having.
Check what you could be entitled to on the excellent government website Directgov, and go to the Revenue's website to get more information.
If you're still not sure, ring the free helpline and speak to someone at the HMRC.
They should be able to tell you what you might still be entitled to.
Down the back of the sofa.
Get on your hands and knees.
Trawl through the nooks and crannies of your home and you might find you're one of the 88% of people who reckon they've got at least a tenner in small change lying around in jars, tins and down the back of the sofa.
Give it a go- you might get to tidy up the house at the same time!