Money matters

Just 23 sleeps until the big day – make sure you’re not wasting cash in the run-up to Xmas. Financial strategist Laura Linden, of Feisty FD (feistyfd. com), shares some savvy reminders...

Q I’d like to help others this Christmas but my budget is limited. Do you have any tips? A There are lots of ways to help others that don’t involve money. Are there any local charities near you lookin

This is an age-old problem. The simplest answer is to start with less, so decluttering is always the first step. Sort through your belongings and separate what you use daily from what you only need se

Q I’ve tried the 50/30/20 method of budgeting, but found it too difficult. Is there an alternative? A50/30/20 budgeting involves allocating 50% of your income to essential spending like rent and food,

IDEAL HOME’S COLUMNIST AND EDITOR OF MONEYWEEK.COM KALPANA FITZPATRICK SHARES HER FINANCIAL WISDOM

Take care before you “splash the cash” at Christmas, warns money expert Stephanie Hawthorne. I HAVE such fond memories of my childhood. At Christmas, my parents usually bought their seven children pre