Pounds and Sense

Is a River Cruise Right for You? - Pounds and Sense In a recent post I talked about How to Save Money on Cruise Holidays. One or two people asked if I had any specific advice on river cruises, so today I thought I would address this subject. River crui...

New on PAS: Is a River Cruise Right for You? www.poundsandsense.com/is-a-river-c...

Some residents in England face bill hikes of £200 from April, as calls grow for reform of ‘outrageous’ council tax system

Read more: trib.al/1GXhOIs

Would you be friends with a Labour voter is a more pertinent question.

Guest Post: Your Morning Coffee Might Protect Your Brain as You Age – Here’s the Sweet Spot! - Pounds and Sense Today I have a guest post on a subject close to many people’s hearts (including mine!) – what are the benefits (and risks) of coffee drinking and how much a day is best? This subject may be of particu...

New on PAS: Guest Post: Your Morning Coffee Might Protect Your Brain as You Age – Here’s the Sweet Spot! www.poundsandsense.com/guest-post-y...

Guest Post: Why a Post-Nuptial Agreement Could Be a Wise Financial Decision - Pounds and Sense Today I’m sharing a guest article on a subject that – while it might seem unromantic – could be crucial to ensuring your financial security in later life. Sadly, growing numbers of older people are se...

New on PAS: Guest Post: Why a Post-Nuptial Agreement Could Be a Wise Financial Decision www.poundsandsense.com/guest-post-w...

My Investments Update - February 2026 - Pounds and Sense Here is my latest monthly update about my investments. You can read my January 2026 Investments Update here if you like. I’ll begin as usual with my JP Morgan Personal Investing (previously Nutmeg) St...

New on PAS: My Investments Update - February 2026 www.poundsandsense.com/my-investmen...

Make the Government Pay! How to Use Gift Aid to Redirect Your Tax Money - Pounds and Sense As more people in the UK find themselves paying income tax again – particularly retirees whose pensions, savings interest and state pension now push them over the personal allowance – it’s natural to ...

New on PAS: Make the Government Pay! How to Use Gift Aid to Redirect Your Tax Money www.poundsandsense.com/make-the-gov...

As long as RTD isn't allowed anywhere near it.

Planning a UK Holiday This Year? Here Are Some Ideas For You! - Pounds and Sense For many of us 2025 was another difficult year, with a cost-of-living crisis driven especially by rising gas and electricity costs. With the festive season behind us now – and a cold and miserable sta...

New on PAS: Planning a UK Holiday This Year? Here Are Some Ideas For You! www.poundsandsense.com/planning-a-u...

Households urged to claim £200 cost of living payments in January

Eligible households must apply for the payment before a looming deadline.

Opinion | Motability is a luxury that's being abused

It is unsustainable for the state to maintain a gold-plated programme when the welfare bill is ballooning

🖋️ By Lana Hempsall

trib.al/Hj4iPoc

Reeves leaves 2,000 hospitality venues facing closure after refusing bailout

A trade body has warned the equivalent to six hospitality venues could be forced to close every day due to crippling property tax hikes.

What Are Investment Trusts and How Can You Invest in Them? - Pounds and Sense When most people think about investing, they picture stocks and shares, funds, ISAs and perhaps ETFs. But there’s another long-established option that often flies under the radar: Investment Trusts. D...

New on PAS: What Are Investment Trusts and How Can You Invest in Them? www.poundsandsense.com/what-are-inv...

Switch to EDF Energy and get a FREE £50 credited to your energy account. Zero-carbon energy at low online prices. Terms and conditions apply edfenergy.com/quote/refer-... #ad

What Are Index Funds and How Can You Invest in Them? - Pounds and Sense Today I thought I would take a closer look at Index Funds. These are among the most straightforward and cost-effective ways to invest in the stock market – especially for long-term savers and beginner...

New on PAS: What Are Index Funds and How Can You Invest in Them? www.poundsandsense.com/what-are-ind...

My Top 20 Posts of 2025 - Pounds and Sense As is customary for bloggers at this time of year, here are the top twenty posts on Pounds and Sense in 2025, based on comments, page-views and social media shares. They are in no particular order. I ...

New on PAS: My Top 20 Posts of 2025 www.poundsandsense.com/my-top-20-po...

Ridiculous decision.

What Are the Best Video Calling Tools for Older People? - Pounds and Sense Christmas will soon be here. But with flu and other respiratory infections at high levels – and the Covid pandemic still a fairly recent memory – many older people will be understandably cautious abou...

New on PAS: What Are the Best Video-Calling Tools for Older People? www.poundsandsense.com/what-are-the...

State pension triple lock update as Rachel Reeves makes huge statement

The future of the triple lock has been under scrutiny as the cost of the policy continues to soar.

Can You Wear the Same Socks More Than Once? A Microbiologist Explains - Pounds and Sense A few months ago I published a guest post on the subject of how often you should wash your bedding. The article generated quite a lot of interest, so today I am publishing another by the same author: ...

New on PAS: Can You Wear the Same Socks More Than Once? A Microbiologist Explains www.poundsandsense.com/can-you-wear...

The day net zero died Quietly this afternoon, the government’s last remaining hope of achieving net zero by 2050 drained away. BP has abandoned its project to develop a ‘blue’ hydrogen plant on Teesside which was supposed…

It is not just a defeat for net zero ambitions but for Ed Miliband personally, given that he had fought hard in cabinet to advance the project.

✍️ Ross Clark

www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-...

My Investments Update - December 2025 - Pounds and Sense Here is my latest monthly update about my investments. You can read my November 2025 Investments Update here if you like. I’ll begin as usual with my JP Morgan Personal Investing (previously Nutmeg) S...

New on PAS: My Investments Update - December 2025 www.poundsandsense.com/my-investmen...

Twelve Great Christmas Gift Ideas for Older People (That Aren’t Socks) - Pounds and Sense It won’t have escaped your notice that Christmas will soon be here.  It’s well known that older friends and relatives can be the hardest to choose gifts for. But don’t despair – as an older person mys...

New on PAS: Twelve Great Christmas Gift Ideas for Older People (That Aren’t Socks) www.poundsandsense.com/twelve-great...

Why Growing Numbers of Over-50s are Buying Park Homes - Pounds and Sense Today I’m looking at a growing trend among older people: the switch to park home living. I am grateful for their assistance with this article to my colleagues at Compass Insurance – leading specialist...

New on PAS: Why Growing Numbers of Over-50s are Buying Park Homes www.poundsandsense.com/why-growing-...

And if you're already an EDF customer (or sign up now) you can enter a free draw to win a holiday in the UK with £700 prize money! www.edfenergy.com/edfstaycations.

Enhanced offer! Switch to EDF Energy via my link and get a FREE £75 credited to your energy account. Offer ends 22 December 2025. Terms and conditions apply edfenergy.com/quote/refer-... #ad

YouTube video by Martin Lewis Martin Lewis: Check your student loan account NOW! Over a million of you can reclaim £100s

Check your student loan account NOW! Over a million of you can reclaim £100s or £1,000s you've paid!
 
For more info including when you can’t reclaim watch the full episode of The Martin Lewis Money Show this came from on www.itv.com/watch/the-ma...

Please God, no.

Are You Ready for Amazon's Black Friday Sale? - Pounds and Sense Black Friday is fast approaching, and Amazon UK is gearing up for one of the biggest online shopping events of the year. This year Amazon’s Black Friday Sale extends over 12 days, from Thursday 20 Nov...

New on PAS: Are You Ready for Amazon’s Black Friday Sale? www.poundsandsense.com/are-you-read...

Winter Fuel Payment 2025/26 - What Pensioners Need to Know - Pounds and Sense As you doubtless know, one of the first acts of the new Labour government last year was to scrap the Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) for all but the very poorest pensioners (those eligible for pension credi...

New on PAS: Winter Fuel Payment 2025/26 – What Pensioners Need to Know www.poundsandsense.com/winter-fuel-...