Sebastian Huschner works in financial services and is a self-confessed ‘Power Snooper’!
I’ve been using Snoop since March 2020 and consider myself a 'Power-Snooper' as it’s the first app I open in the morning! I love the personalised hints and tips around financial wellbeing, the way it allows me to live my life smarter, the simplicity of having all my in-and outgoings in one place thanks to Open Banking technology, and the hassle-free (without ever being pushy) service of saving money on regular bills (i.e. Insurance, Broadband, Mobile).
So far I have saved around £40 per month on household bills because of switching to cheaper tariffs/ bank accounts. In addition, Snoop helps me with one-off savings across a range of sectors, i.e. tax, groceries, electronics, or clothing.
To sum it all up - Snoop allows you to connect your bank accounts and credit cards so you can have them all in one place. It offers household bills management support where applicable. In addition, members can share ideas that may benefit the wider Snoop community. It's a great all-round service which helps members connect with the things in life that matter and raises awareness to allow living smarter at a lower cost.
The Snoop Payment Hub will help me save £50 per month
One of my 2021 resolutions was to take a closer look at household bills.
My partner and I used to forget when to switch to the best possible tariff that reflects our circumstances when it comes to gas and energy usage, home insurance, mobile or broadband/ TV contracts.
Thanks to Snoop, we have now been able to streamline this process, using the invaluable and ultra-practical ´Payment Hub´.
The Payment Hub allows you to categorise spend/bills, and also track when certain contracts run out so you get an on-time reminder to look for an extension of your current deal, or a more cost-effective alternative.
By diarising expiring deals or policies throughout 2021, we are now able to stay on top of our regular payments, and expect to save approximately £50 per month throughout. (By the way, you can also track subscriptions such as Spotify, Netflix or Prime, so you never deal with unwanted regular payments anymore.)
On a more personal note, I find myself being stuck in Europe after I visited my parents over the festive period. Who would have thought we would be dealing with sudden border closures on the back of virus mutations on top of everything else Covid threw at us.
Well, luckily I was able to add a personal touch for my partner who stayed back home in the UK. Thanks to Snoop, I was able to send flowers at a reduced price (M&S Flower promotion) as well as a personalised post card (thanks to “Free Print Cards” you get 1 free card/month).
As you can see, as a self-confessed `Power Snooper´ I am able to take advantage of a range of services through Snoop that make my life not just simpler, but also more cost-effective.
If you want to save money, stick a pin on it
It's been a busy month, sorting out tax returns (and the like) but I have to say I’m feeling more energetic now that the sun is shining a bit more, with spring literally around the corner!
This month I took advantage of the super-duper Snoop Gas & Electricity switch offer. It came with a £25 Amazon gift voucher, but be quick as this won't last forever. I also learned that you could split your council tax payments over 12 months instead of 10… I guess every little helps in these challenging times. A handy tip from me, make sure you check your Snoop app regularly, and pin the most relevant items to your wall, so you can come back any time, and take action.
With Mother's Day around the corner it's time to show some love to mummy! As such I took advantage of a free mother's day greeting card, and boosted my Boots Advantage Card balance by 300 points (both promotions thanks to Vodafone VeryMe Rewards) to be able to buy her a little gift to go along with the card. Thanks to Snoop for the hint, me (and mummy) appreciate it. If you're after some flowers instead, I recommend “Bloom & Wild” or “Freddie’s Flowers” who both focus on sustainability, and have promo offers in place for new customers.
On a more personal note, I signed up for a free 3 month trial of Amazon Music (I love a good bargain) to accompany me with my complimentary LinkedIn learning courses that I signed up to. I enjoy learning new stuff, hence I decided to brush up my skills on Project Management and Digital Marketing.
Take care all, and stay tuned for more hints and tips next month!
Peace of mind - music, food and flights for less
Here's what I have been up to this month.
My partner and I wrote our respective Wills. Yes, I know what you think, not really a topic for 40-somethings, but its never too early to discuss such topics at home.
Did you know that you are entitled to a free basic will per person if you are a member of a union (i.e. Unison, Unite etc)? Thanks for the heads up Snoop, we’re all sorted now.
I also took advantage of the recently announced Sainsbury's + Nectar partnership.
Even though my travel activity has been pretty much non-existent for the past 12 months, I’ll be flying again soon (I hope!), so I took advantage of the welcome offer to exchange 1,600 Nectar points for 1,500 Avios. Usually it's 1,600 Nectar points for 1,000 Avios so a good deal!
On the grocery side of things, Snoop once again helped me save.
First, I signed up for BP Rewards, and got my first £20 click & collect M&S food shop for £10 instead.
Second, I tried out Iceland's free home delivery, and after entering a few promo codes, my shopping ended up being £11 cheaper, incl. a complimentary bottle of Prosecco.
Also, did you know you can get 25% off wine & fizzy drinks at Tesco's until Tuesday 6th April (when you buy 6 bottles or more).
There’ll still be a week to go until the pubs open a week later on the 12th April, so a pretty good alternative!
Finally, my partner took advantage of an incredible Shazam offer. If you don’t know, Shazam identifies tunes by artist & song title and, if you download the app before 31st March, you’ll get 5 months of complimentary Apple Music - a subscription service usually costing £9.99/ month. That's a saving of nearly £50!
In summary, we took advantage of discounted food & drink for Easter, we have thumping tunes to go along with our socially distanced celebrations, we are ready to purchase flights with Avios once borders re-open and, even if things don't go to plan, we’ve put our last wishes into an official document for some peace of mind.
See how Snoop helped Sebastian this month
This month I did some in-depth research about combining my work pensions, as I had paid in to quite a few of those over the course of my professional life.
I ended up using Nutmeg, and I was very happy with the user experience, the simplicity of their digital & paperless proposition, as well as the speed of completing the process.
I have now combined all my previous work pensions into one single pot, and can change risk/ investment strategies with a few clicks, so I always know where I stand when it comes to the performance of my pension savings.
Thanks for making me aware Snoop!
I also saved a bit of money on groceries (again), thanks to some 1st time customer promo codes.
There was the new Deliveroo & Aldi collaboration (get £10 off your £20 shop) which I very much enjoyed, but also the great Morrison’s deal (get £15 off your £80 shop) – simply brilliant. I really do love a good bargain!
By the way, has anybody tried out the new kid in town ‘Dija’ already?
They deliver your groceries in 10 mins to selected London post codes - mine is not included yet, but I wondered whether my fellow Snoopers had experienced the service already?
After all the food and drink I ordered, time for some wellbeing. Snoop pointed me in the direction of ‘MyFitnessPal’.
It’s a fantastic offer - If you sign up before 1 July 2021, you get the first 3 months of Premium membership free of charge, a saving of £30. #activelifestyle.
To close off this month´s blog, I thought I let you know I voted for Snoop at the “British Bank Awards” – did you?
I’m a shareholder after all, and got involved with the crowdfunding back in 2020. Wishing the team best of luck.
Sebastian and Snoop – a match made in money saving heaven
The month of May brought some very wet weather, but also some gradual easing of lockdown restrictions.
Also, my mood brightened when I found out I was picked as a winner for participating in the #SnoopEasterEggHunt – what a lovely surprise to receive a luxury chocolate treat.
A personal highlight for me this month has been getting my first jab of the Covid Vaccine – thanks to the NHS!
Anyway, back to Snoop!
Thanks to a tip from Snoop I received a £66 refund from my previous energy supplier!
I also took advantage of a 50% saving (£40) on my annual Microsoft Office subscription, which I qualified for through my company.
Furthermore, I signed up for B&Q Club, and got a £5 voucher for my first purchase – a very practical tip with the DIY season just around the corner!
I then signed up for Treatwell to receive £10 off my recent haircut – Snoop really is the app that keeps on giving. (Or should that be saving!)
Moving swiftly on from saving to lending, did you ever consider looking into your credit score? I didn’t until ClearScore popped up in my Snoop feed.
Like Snoop, ClearScore connects with your main banking and credit card accounts using open banking technology.
It then identifies your credit card/ overdraft limit usage and any other outstanding debt to automatically calculate your personal credit score.
Even better, it gets updated on a monthly basis, so you're always in the know when it comes to your chances of being approved for, say, a credit card, personal loan or mortgage.
Last but not least, I am excited to go on a little holiday later this month, exploring the Jurassic Coast and surroundings.
Luckily, I got 5% cash back on my car rental thanks to the recently launched #CurveRewards, and took advantage of the amazing Premier Inn promotion with double rooms starting from £29/night – awesome deals that Snoop made me aware of.
And just in case the weather might get wet, I got ourselves 2x VUE Cinema tickets for £7 thanks to Vodafone VeryMe Rewards.
See you next month!
It’s great to know Snoop is genuinely on my side!
Over the past month I tried out the Snoop Current Account switcher tool, and was very impressed to find out it wouldn’t actually make sense for me to switch to a new current account deal.
It's unusual to be told (by a friendly robot no less!) to not do something, simply because it doesn’t add up from a customer's perspective. It’s great to know Snoop is genuinely on my side!
Elsewhere, to take advantage of the amazing weather, I had a long weekend away in the North West.
Snoop suggested the 'Petrol Prices' app which shows you the best petrol prices based on your location.
I downloaded the app and made great savings!
During my trip I visited Beeston Castle, and got 50% off at the entrance thanks to an M&S Sparks member promotion.
I also paid for my hotel with my Amex card and received £50 cashback on my final bill.
This was thanks to American Express personal offers’. It’s worth checking out for yourself, there's great discounts for everyone´s taste.
Back in London, I did my first order with grocery delivery company Getir.
I was very impressed by their delivery promise (it took only 8 minutes from the time I ordered until my items were delivered), but also by their generous £15 off promotion on your first purchase.
It’s certainly a service I'd recommend to any fellow Snoopers based in London.
Last month was also one to reconnect with friends after a long period of lockdown. Thanks to Snoop I was made aware of the awesome ‘The Lost Year’ promotion by Gaucho restaurants.
Thanks to my friend being over 70 years of age we got 70% off our food bill which made the incredible steak even tastier, and the bill less steep.
The promotion runs until the end of July, Mondays to Wednesdays only.
Last but not least, I was informed, that based on my login habits, I am in the Top 5% of Snoop users.
I guess that makes me a money-saving, money-managing ninja!
Until next month, over and out.
Sending postcards to Peru and getting money back from HMRC
Summer greetings to my fellow Snoopers, I hope you are all keeping well and safe.
This month I registered for TouchNote, thanks to Vodafone VeryMe Rewards.
The promotion enabled me to send four complimentary postcards to my friends and family in Germany, Spain, Peru and Australia!
Especially in times where traveling is complex or impossible to certain destinations, receiving postal greetings with personalised pictures makes a difference to your loved ones. Check it out for yourselves.
I still don't want to give up on a holiday abroad this year though, hence I found Snoop´s Travel Insurance ABC super helpful.
In other news Snoop made me aware of an Airtime Rewards promotion, whereby I received £3 off my recent £10 shop at Boots.
I also utilised a first time discount code over £10 for my first order at Lloyds Pharmacy and received £10 back on my recent £30 fill up at BP thanks to American Express offers.
Every little helps I guess, with great support from Snoop, the app that keeps on giving.
I’m pleased to say I’ve now completed my 2020/ 21 tax return. And thanks to a hint from Snoop I claimed tax relief on the days spent working remotely during the past tax year, and got £125 back from HMRC!
One more thing I recommend you to take a look at is the incredible Spotify offer. If you register a new account using TikTok, you get a 4 months complimentary Premium Membership.
Last but not least, massive congrats to the Snoop team for scooping a number of awards, such as “Best use of Open Banking”, “Best App – Consumer”, amongst others.
Well done and thanks for helping me be better off each month.
More control, more savings
This past month, I very much loved trying out Snoop´s latest app features, such as their smart spending analysis, custom categories, and their very clever in-depth transaction analysis. Try it out for yourselves, so you are even more in control of your finances.
By the way, did you know you can get your parcels collected for just £0.30 directly from your home, without having to visit the post office? But better be quick, that promotion ends on 26th September. Thanks for the heads up Snoop.
What did I save this month thanks to Snoop?
Well, I grabbed a free iced cappuccino from Costa Coffee, thanks to Vodafone VeryMe Rewards, bought 5 Odeon cinema tickets for £25, courtesy of Groupon, grabbed a 60-day free tastecard to eat out for less, and had “unlimited pizzas” mid-week lunch at Pizza Hut for £8.99. On the wellbeing side of things, I got complimentary access to the Balance Meditation app, a fantastic saving of £68.
With the ongoing uncertainties around travel in mind, I treated my partner to a stay-cation in London. We went to a lovely hotel for the night, enjoyed going out for food with a view, and even got £100 cashback on our stay, thanks to American Express offers. Do check them out should you hold an Amex - there are treasures to suit everyone´s taste and budget.
On that note, I was pleased to hear the CMA raised a formal enquiry about Covid-19 PCR test providers, with prices currently ranging between £25 and £200, hence making it difficult to properly budget for these expenses when going abroad.
Also, did you know, roaming charges return next year? Depending on your provider, you may get charged up to £2/ day starting from Jan 2022. It can be as low as £1/ day if you pre-purchase your allowance in advance. I recommend you to check in with your provider as to what the rules are, and if/when roaming charges are indeed coming back.
Thanks Snoop for yet another month of helping me be better off – I very much appreciate it.
I love having my very own #RobotHood
In September, I learned a lot of new stuff about topics I’m less familiar with.
I now know how to not void my home or car insurance policies and how to reduce my carbon footprint. I also really enjoyed the Boring Money article on how to kick-start my investment journey – thanks for the heads up Snoop.
On the freebies side of things, I enjoyed a complimentary Bombay Sapphire Sunset Gin cocktail (and a free pint at my local pub) thanks to the “we love sport” app. Sometimes Snoop’s hints are too tempting to resist!
Other savings include a handy £10 back on my recent £60 Boots shop and £5 off my first shop with the Coop after registering for their Coop Membership Programme.
I also took advantage of an Apple promotion. I got 10% off gift cards which I can use towards my monthly storage subscription – awesome.
As a keen traveller, I was thrilled to see the government ditching the ‘travel lights system’, meaning no more pre-departure tests before returning to the UK from non-red countries.
With just the Day-2 test remaining post arrival (lateral flow will do, instead of PCR) this is a significant cost saving. Next stop – Santorini for a week – I’m so excited for some sunshine!
Staying with travel – it’s helpful to know that if you’re on your way to the airport National Rail now provides live train time updates via WhatsApp. You have to register for the service, but it’s super useful, and worth checking out.
Finally, Snoop’s been nominated as one of the UK´s ‘Top 50 Innovative Fintechs’. I’ve cast my vote already and I encourage you to do the same – I love having my very own #RobotHood!
Snoop helps me better organise my life and save along the way
In October, I actually had my first proper holiday abroad since the start of the pandemic.
It was great to recharge batteries, and thanks to Snoop's new Travel Insurance finder tool, I felt “insured” for the duration of my trip.
When we got back home, we found out our energy supplier went bust, but thanks to Snoop, I was immediately reassured that my energy supply is safe, knowing that Ofgem will appoint a new supplier in due course.
There were quite a bit of freebies and savings involved this month, which I obviously love.
I received £8 off my first £50 shop at Iceland, 300 free Boots Advantage Points thanks to Vodafone VeryMe Rewards (£3 worth of Boots spend), and I signed up for £12 off my Christmas shop through Tesco Clubcard.
I also celebrated going back to the office with a complimentary Latte from Costa Coffee, and picked up a free “Billionaire Shortbread Selector” box from Hotel Chocolat (usually £4.50) again courtesy of Vodafone VeryMe Rewards.
In addition I sent a free, personalised Hallmark card, to a dear friend (usually £4.95), encouraged my sister to sign up for 4 months of free Spotify Premium (offer now ended), and got access to a free basic Will through my Union.
I’m so glad Snoop makes me aware of all these great things that help me better organise my life, and save along the way.
Finally yet importantly, I decided to take the free flu jab, which you can easily book through the NHS patient access app. I’d encourage everyone to do the same to get us all through winter.
On that note, speak to you all next month, and stay safe.
A great month with great savings
I’ve recently had a week off in the Netherlands and I really enjoyed being away from it all. (Did you know you can get there directly by Eurostar from Central London in 3.5 hrs – just brilliant).
It’s worth knowing that Eurostar are running a sales campaign now where you can purchase train tickets on selected dates in 2022 starting from £68 return to either Belgium, France or The Netherlands.
What else have I been up to – well, I bought a new sofa in the recently launched “Aldi Home Store”, which I’d recommend for some good quality furniture at acceptable prices. Staying with that sofa-theme, I loved Snoop´s recommendation of the “JustWatch” app – finally I know which series are on, and where to stream them from, extremely useful.
I took advantage of the brilliant 1-month subscription offer for Disney+ (£1.99 instead of £7.99) to make the most of the upcoming holiday season. And I very much enjoyed reading the “birthday freebies” post which had lots of useful info on where to grab a bargain, both for yourself and loved ones.
I also checked out the PensionBee pension tracker to get a better understanding of what retirement might look like for my partner and me. I totally recommend you taking a look, it´s super simple and provides a much-needed reality check of where you are, and moreover, what you still need to do to reach your goals.
Finally, Snoop helped me sort a new broadband deal - with £175 in cashback - and even better, I paid for it all using my recently issued NatWest Debit MasterCard, made of fully recycled material!
A 'curve' ball at Christmas and financial wellbeing in 2022
December was all about getting ready for Christmas, and spending time with my family and friends.
I loved using the secret Netflix codes to watch some of my favourite series free and I enjoyed a free box of Christmas biscuits from Tesco, thanks for Vodafone VeryMe Rewards. Thanks for making me aware Snoop.
I did some shopping in the run up to the festive season, as you do, and received a £10 welcome gift when I signed up for "Curve", a digital wallet proposition which reduces your wallet to ONE, yes believe me, just ONE single plastic.
They offered 1% cash back in the first 30 days at my 3 favourite retailers and I’ve received >£25 in cash back to date already.
I took part in the annual Amex "Shop Small" initiative and got £5 back on my shopping. I brought a bag of used clothes to H&M, and received £5 off a £25 gift voucher that I bought for my sister. I also participated in a promotion by "My John Lewis" and bagged £5 off my shop at the department store.
On a personal note, I played Santa at my friends' house, and delivered presents to their 2-year-old twins – a beautiful experience.
As I was driving there I got £10 cash back off my gas purchase at BP by being part of the BP Loyalty scheme - a welcome respite in times where prices at the pump continue to rise.
Planning for 2022
In terms of planning for my continued financial wellbeing in 2022, I followed Snoop's brilliant suggestion to spread my council tax payments over 12 instead of 10 months.
I'd recommend reading Snoop's suggestions on "a few handy apps"? It may help you with:
- managing your loyalty cards in one place ("Stocard")
- find real-time complimentary parking ("Appy Parking")
- score food freebies ("Too good to go"); and
- learn how to cook with what you've got left in the fridge ("Super Cool").
I managed to do some holiday planning thanks to the helpful Snoop about getting 54 days off in 2022 with just 24 days of Annual Leave.
And I was thankful for the reminder to complete my tax return before 31 January 2022!!
Snoop on the big screen comes highly recommended
I mean is anybody out there that really likes January - it's cold and dark outside, and feels like a very long month when it comes to work.
This year I used the extended time at home to complete my self-assessment tax return – you’re still not too late though as HMRC has extended their deadline until 28 Feb 2022. (Snoop: No late filing penalty, but interest will be payable from 1 February, as usual.)
It's been incredibly helpful to have Snoop Web App, as it's great to get an overview of your finances on the big screen – see for yourself, highly recommended.
In addition, it's never too late to improve your Excel skills – thanks to Snoop for making me aware of the complimentary Excel skills book download.
I also learned to avoid unsubscribing from spam emails, as the sender is able to identify it as an account in use.
Instead, I shall delete suspicious items in the future, and report them to report@phishing.gov.uk instead. Thanks for the hint Snoop!
There were a few good savings this month as well, here are some of the highlights...
I received 10% off £25+ gift cards at Apple, a great discount for my monthly storage subscription.
If you're interested, there’s also a 3-month introductory deal for Apple TV if you subscribe for the "Currys Perks"newsletter before August 2022.
For food, I tried out the Co-op delivery service for the first time, and got 15% off my £30 shop and a £5 Amazon gift card on top, not bad.
Talking about the brighter side of life, I’m excited testing requirements will be lifted when returning to the UK from abroad after 11 Feb 2022 – let's go travelling again, who else shares my excitement?
If you're more into a local staycation, I can recommend the current Premier Inn hotels promotion with rooms available from £29 between February and June 22 – get involved.
Have a good month everyone, I shall speak to you at the end of February.
Claiming Working from Home Tax and deals galore
This past month I was once again busy planning and saving.
My newly established Limited Company started trading which is something I am very proud of.
It's been great having Starling for Business by my side, which makes the entire process of company turnover and expense management much less complex, thanks to a great app with helpful features & integrations. Highly recommended.
I very much enjoyed reading the recent feature about “Talking about money with friends and partners”, as it puts things into perspective, and encourages the dialogue with people you trust. A very helpful Snoop!
By the way, did you know you can claim “working from home” tax relief from HMRC. You can reduce your income tax by up to £125 p.a. and can be backdated for up to 4 years. Thanks for the hint Snoop.
There were a few good savings this month that I took advantage of, here’s some of the highlights.
I signed up for the “Gorillas” delivery service, and as a result will receive £10 off each of my first 4 orders, I treated my partner and I to 50% off pizza @ Papa John's, celebrated the phased return to the office with a complimentary 1-month subscription at Pret (drink as many coffee's as you like), and bought 2x cinema tickets for £7 thanks to Vodafone VeryMe Rewards.
I’m also excited I managed to buy £70 Eurostar return tickets to Paris this spring, which is great value for money.
On another note, I was made aware that 1st and 2nd class stamps are going to be phased out by 31 January 2023 so just make sure you use the ones you've got left, or exchange them on the Royal Mail website.
Have a good month everyone and speak to you soon!
Too Good To Go, Avios and Money Savers galore
March brought an end to Covid restrictions in the UK, which really got me in travel mood. I renewed my commuter pass and got a 3-month complimentary Tidal & TasteCard subscription - usually only 1 month is free.
It was a busy month at work and going back to the office was great, but also means greater everyday costs.
As such I was pleased to explore Too Good To Go – an app that helps you save money and reduce food wastage.
It’s worth checking out the growing list of restaurants and café chains in your area - their “magic bags” start from only £3.
I signed up for the newly launched Barclays Avios MasterCard, offering best-in-class value to UK residents.
On the back of a generous sign-up bonus (30k Avios) you collect 1.5 Avios for every £1 you spend, trigger a British Airways cabin upgrade voucher in Year 1 if you reach a certain spend threshold, and receive a 5-month complimentary Apple One subscription.
The savings market also saw the return of some decent rates, highlighted by the market-leading Chase Reward Saver, paying 1.5% on your regular (always accessible) savings.
During the month I enjoyed learning about Home Insurance renewal, and that it pays to wait until 3 weeks before your cover renews to get the best price.
Following that, I’ve set up a reminder in Snoop under “my bills” to benefit from it when it comes up in the Summer!
With energy and gas prices at an all-time high, I found it especially helpful to read about the 7 most expensive items to leave on standby.
It’s the little things you don’t always think about that can help with savings and I now make sure the TV, laptops and other electronics are only on when they’re being used!
You know by now that I love a good deal, here are some of this past month´s highlights….
I ordered flowers for my granny and mum and received 25% off through Apple Yard Flowers.
I tried out Boots recycling scheme where I took 5 empty product packages into my local store and benefitted from double the usual Advantage Points (£5 worth of points when you spend £20 in store).
Finally, I tried out Amazon´s pickup location service and got £7 off my first >£20 shop – just use promo code ‘7OFFPICKUP’ before 04/05/22 to take advantage of this offer.
Have a good month everyone and speak to you next month!
No Time To Die (for free) and spectacular offers from Snoop
Hello, I hope you all had a great April, and enjoyed the rather balmy Easter weather. I was glad Snoop reminded me that the latest James Bond film, No Time To Die’, was streaming for free throughout the Easter weekend on Amazon Prime – I enjoyed watching it too. I also spent some time checking out the recently launched streaming service “Fifa+”, which features some nice content for a trip down memory lane – take a look if you're a football fan like me.
I treated myself to some great food over the course of the month, thanks to some spectacular offers Snoop made me aware of. How about a 5kg box of fruit & veg for £1.50 from Lidl, two pizzas and a four-pack of San Miguel beers for £5.50 from Co-op, or £10 off my first >£30+ Gorillas groceries order. (I paid with my Curve card and received another £10 one-off promotional cashback on top!)
I was also pleased to receive my £150 council tax rebate, bagged another £150 for switching my current account to First Direct, and opened a “Reward Savings Account” with Moneybox which pays a competitive 1.20% interest. Thanks for the heads up Snoop – such a welcome respite in the wake of the rising cost of living.
Looking at the bright side of life, and thanks to a recent IHG Hotels & Resorts promotion, I booked two rooms for the price of one for the Early May Bank Holiday - great value for money. Also, just in case you are thinking of going away this summer and need to fill in a passport application - make sure you apply for a new or replacement passport online via the www.gov.uk website instead of by post. It costs £9.50 less!
Finally, did you know there is an app that pays you when you move by planting trees? You must walk more than 5,000 steps a day, for at least 5 days a week, and Treekly will plant one tree each week in recognition of your efforts. On that note, have a great May and I’ll be back next month