crazy rewards

There's a battle going on this weekend between all the major supermarkets, who are all introducing their own special offers in competition with eachother. It's set to be of limited time, some offers ending on Tuesday. This war couldn't come at a better time for families who have to do their weekly shop, especially with the current boom in food prices.

Asda have on offer a range of 50p staple foods, including bread, butter and eggs.

Tesco has cut more than 40 goods and its promotions point out how much cheaper they are than Asda.

Sainsbury's have cut the prices of many summer groceries, including strawberries and ice cream, as part of a promotion which ends on Tuesday.

They all seem to be following a boom in sales at discount stores such as Aldi and Lidl.

The June Index showed that annual food proce inflation is running at 19.8%, adding £1000 to a typical annual food bill for an average family.

But are these food price slashes an indication of the ingredients used and the suppliers being squeezed?

Every time you use a cash machine at Tesco, the company will donate money to charity. The initiative is fee amd has been established to raise £33,000 for Marie Curie Cancer Care, which is currently celebrating its 60th birthday.

The promotion is hoping to fund 1,500 extra hours of nursing care at home, for peole with terminal illnesses throughout the UK.

Every time people use cash machines to withdraw from their current or savings accounts, as well as topping up their mobile phone through the machine, money will be donated Marie Curie, to help those people who are suffering from cancer and choose to die at home.

More than 3million Brits want to move home this year, according to research by Alliance & Leicester, and in order to make their property more appealing, 20% of homeowners are planning to do home improvements within the next 12 months.

The most popular ways to add value to homes were found to be:

• Redecorate (69%)
• Improve outdoor space (59%)
• Carry out routine maintenance (44%)

DIY and home improvement remain important to all homeowners, both to increase the value if selling and also for personal benefit if the owner is wishing to stay put.

People with mortgages in place are looking for the number of bedrooms and large kitchens when deciding to buy.

According to the Halifax price index, the average house price has falling again in May, to £184,111

Facebook has triumphed, as have the other varying social networking sites, but, apparently, the online banking facilities are much more heavily used. Since the onslaught of the credit crunch, more and more Brits are checking their finances online.

According to a recent survey by Cahoot, UK residents spend 3 billion hours a year checking their finances using online banking. Thats 300million more hours than people using Facebook. This equates to every adult in the UK spending 1.5hours per week using the banking facilities.

Around 70% of people who bank online have also said that they use the service more now than they did a year ago.

You would think that people would want to shop around for the best loan for their circumstances - especially since the internet feature of being able to search online has become more and more popular. But, while 80% of British consumers look for cut price deals everyday, only a few actually seek the best deal for mortgages and secured loans.

61% of consumers said they would visit a pound shop to find the cheapest product for their needs. However, only 8% said they would shop around for the best deals on things like cars and secured loans - giving various reasons for their reluctance, including the prospect of it being too much trouble and also scepticism - many believed that their efforts, if they were to shopa round, would result not result in a better deal.

A spokesperson from Lloyds TSB, who conducted the survey, warned that if consumers continued to take this approach, they would be losing out. It just goes to show that finding the best deal on whatever product really is worth it, and can save you money.

And with the latest search online facilities, it really isn't that much trouble.

For the first time since records began, more than one million homes are for sale in England and Wales - a sure sign that homeowners are desperate to sell their homes before the prices fall even more. Others are selling to take advanatge of the bargains, particularly in the form of new builds.

The report says the average asking price has fallen by £3,000 between May and June - In some places, the slump is even bigger, such as West London, where prices have fallen by nearly £20,000.

Rightmove said that 172,000 homes had been put on the market in the 5 weeks between May 11 and June 14 - this has pushed the total past 1 million for the first time. Results also show that estate agents have masses of unsold homes on their books, averaging at 75 per branch. It has also been estimated that now, there are 15 properties for every one buyer and the average asking price comes in at £239,564. Annual price growth has reduced to 0.1%.

This all signifies that buyers have finally come to terms with the fact that their property isn't worth as much as it used to be.

The latest price changes:

• -2.4% in the South East
  
• -2.2% in the South West
  
• -1.6% in East Anglia
• -1.4% in London
• +0.5% in the North
• +0.4% in the West Midlands
• +0.4% in Wales

Rogue traders are still selling dodgy items, and when it comes to a car, you want one that doesn't cause you an accident. But these death trap vehicles are still being sold to young drivers, leaving them at risk.

Five out if eight second hand cars bought during an undercover operation in Hertfordshire, were deemed unsafe to drive. Trading standards officers are encouraging young drivers to get an independent engineer to check out the low-price cars or insist on a full MOT before they go ahead and buy.

Nearly 42,000 people complained about their second hand car last year - thats the biggest single source of complaints from consumers which were received by trading standards officers.

Among the faults were cut brake fluid sensor wires, leaking rear suspension dampers and under-inflated tyres.

Just shows the importance of buying a motor from a reliable dealer.

According to a survey by Co-operative Financial Services, house-hunters are most likely to be put off by smells, particularly damp (26%), tobacco (25%) and drains (19%).

Nationwide believe the off-putters are cigarettes and pets, adding DIY disasters and poor building work.

Halifax claims that buyers think limescale or mould are undesirable, as well as lack of parking spaces and gardens. If the property did have a garden, there were a few things that wouldn't be appreciated:

• Rubbish (67%)
• Cat or dog mess (59&)
• Overlooked by neighbours (59%)
• Unhealthy lawn (43%)
• Overgrown plants/weeds (21%)
• Concrete areas (20%)
• Gnomes (17%)
• Toys (7%)

It is common sense that you ensure your house is in the best condition it can be when it comes to selling it, especially since buyers are few and far between due to the current crunch.

Telephone calls from prison have been complained about, since they cost seven times more than normal payphone rates.

The group says that half the calls made from jail last less than three minutes due to these high costs and has made a super-complaint to OfCom. The NCC say that the cost of the calls seems to be completely unrelated to the cost of provision, where calls to landlines cost a minimum charge of 10p for the first 55seconds and then a charge of 1p per 5.5 seconds after that. This is the equivalent of 11p per minute, and does not vary on the time of day or destination of the call.

Other research has found that nearly half of prisoners lose contact witht their families during their sentence, and are six times less likely to offend if they have their supportive family network. This would obviously be more difficult to maintain if the cost of phone calls is so high that the prisoners can't pay for the call.

The phone services are provided by BT in England and Wales, and Siemens in Scotland. A BT spokesperson said that the prices are in accordance with the Prison Service.

OfCom has 90 days to respond to the complaint, which makes up part of a very few number of lodged super-complaints, which also include bank charges, PPI and doorstep lending.

As we all know, petrol in the UK is extortionate, and is still set to increase. However, if we were to drive over to mainland Europe for our holidays, we could be paying much much less. A recent survey, the Motoring on the Continent Report, said that the cheapest fuel is in Spain and Switzerland. Switzerland was the only one of 12 different European countries, where unleaded petrol was still less than £1 a litre, announced by Post Office Travel Services.

Driving in Spain was the best deal for diesel and for hire cars. The UK was the sixth best value for money, but it did show the largest underlying price increase for the year to June for unleaded petrol.

The report showed that the cost of unleaded had risen massively int he past 12 months, in the 12 countries analysed. So, what are the prices?

For unleaded (£ per litre):                                   

1. Switzerland - £0.92                                   
   
2. Spain - £1.00
3. Austria - £1.02
4. Sweden - £1.11
5. Italy - £1.15
6. UK - £1.16
7. Germany - £1.19
8. France - £1.24
9. Denmark - £1.28
10. Netherlands - £1.29
11. Belgium - £1.30
12. Norway - £1.40

For diesel (£ per litre):

1. Spain - £0.94
2. Austria - £1.01
3. Switzerland - £1.02
4. Germany - £1.12
5. Italy - £1.15
6. Netherlands - £1.15
7. Belgium - £1.18
8. France - £1.22
9. Sweden - £1.27
10. UK - £1.29
11. Denmark - £1.32
12. Norway - £1.45

It was also found that hiring a car for three days was cheapest in Spain and Portugal, and most expensive in Greece and Norway.

Despite the age certification of some violent games being over-18, youths are still able to buy them online, particularly through online auction sites.

Almost 90% of retailers tested by the Trading Standards Institute sold under 18 year olds games, which are specifically designed with an 18 certification. These games included Manhunt 2 and Grand Theft Auto 4. This is in breach of the official classifications and traders can face a hefty fine, or 6 months in jail if they are caught. Online traders have to comply with the same rules.

The association also added that parents and guardians also had an important role to play, by ensuring their children are not playing these games, which are deemed unsuitable.

Six local authorities enlisted volunteers between the ages of 12 and 16 to attempt to buy 18-rated games online, paying with them by postal orders. Out of 44 transactions, 38 of the volunteers walked away with the game. The games also included Godfather and Hitman, and all carry a BBFC rating of 18 due to the violent content.

Game ratings are under increased scrutiny after Manhunt 2 was certified an 18 in the UK earlier this year, despite a nine month battle with the makers, Rockstar, to ban the release of the game.

The strike over the weekend has left a number of Shell stations dry. As the drivers took part in the 3rd day of the strike, just over 7% of stations had no unleaded or diesel, compared with 1% on Saturday.

Demand for fuel was up by a third compared with the week before. On Sunday, 647 petrol stations out of 8700 in the UK were dry, compared with 112 on Saturday.

The tanker drivers have confirmed that they are to hold a second four-day strike next weekend, in rows over pay.

There is also a tight supply of fuel from other providers, particularly in the South West and North West of England, and central Scotland.

• Texaco said it was coping - between 30 and 40 of their stations had run out of some kind of fuel
• Esso said some of their fuel grades had ran out. They have also asked people to only buy what they need.
  
• BP said they had no major reports of stations being dry, but demand was still high

Due to the high fuel costs, global airlines are increasing fees and fares, and cutting jobs, to try and manage their costs.

Australian airline, Virgin Blue is to raise ticket prices by an average of £2.40 and plans to cut costs by $50m AUD this year.

United Airlines and US Airways are incurring a $15 fee for the first checked in bag. United Airlines have also said they will cut around 1000 jobs in addition to 500 previously announced.

Finnair are planning to cut 500 jobs and some US airlines are adding a surcharge of $20 per roundtrip to account for fuel.

Northumbrian Water have said that they will be finding it difficult to keep water rates in line with inflation.

Rising energy costs, spending on a reservoir (Abberton Reservoir, £140million project) and the investment in preventing sewers flooding are said to be accountable for the cost of bills.

The comments came as Northumbrian Water reported profits of £170.3m, up 15.2% from last year. They supply water and sewage services to 2.6million people in the North East, and 1.7million in the south though trading with Essex & Suffolk Water.

This has also followed the firm being fined £15,000 for not providing full sets of water samples for analysis by the Environment Agency in 17 out of 56 visits between January 2005 and February 2006.

It seems that Abbey have a wide range of fantastic deals available, especially considering the current market. But is this worth the renowned bad customer service? It has been said on a number of occasions that the customer service Abbey offers is far from great, but with the fantastic deals, hopefully they will also improve there competency.

Mortgages

As the credit crunch continues and banks close their doors, Abbey has stayed open. Why? Because of the funding available to its Spanish parent, Santander.

Abbey's current best fixed rate is 5.84% until September 2011. For this, you need to provide a 20% deposit, and a booking fee of £999. Higher rates are still available for those with a 10% deposit.

However, they did increase the rate on their fixed rate deals to 0.56%. But, they weren't the only ones.

Credit Cards

The Zero card offers 0% on both balance transfers and purchases for 6 months, with no fee. It also benefits from no foreign exchange transaction fees or cash advance fees. It is only short term though. It is good for travel though.

Current Accounts

They give a choice of either 8% credit interest on balances up to £2500 for the first 12 months, or 0% interest on an agreed overdraft for 12 months. After the 12 months, the in-credit interest rate drops to 2.5% (with £1,000 monthly credit needed). It is still 25 times the rate paid by other leading competitors.

Savings Accounts

Their Instant Access Saver gives 6.5% on savings and after opening the account, you can use any branch you want to deposit or withdraw your money. This can be a lifesaver when internet transfers can take up to 3 days. It does come with an introductory bonus of 1% payable for the first 12 months, and you need at least £1000 to benefit from the best rate.

Loans

Their loan has a typical APR of 7.9%, which applies to all amounts between £1000 and £25000. So whether  you decide to use Abbey for your next loan, or search online to compare the best deals on unsecured or secured loans, Abbey a worth a thought. Especially in the current crunch.

It has been warned that airline prices are to be on the increase, as well as extra charges for luggage etc. being imposed and it's all down to soaring oil prices. It's expected that extra prices will be seen on major airlines, much like the system Ryanair currently operate, whereby airline users will be paying extra for food, baggage etc.  The warnings have come after British Airways added £60 to long distance return flights. Other major airlines such as Virgin Atalntic have also upped their prices.

The Office of Fair Trading has warned 12 firms to stop making misleading claims to people who have declared themselves insolvent. The firms in question have been sending unsolicited letters to the reciepients to cancel their IVAs and to go bankrupt instead.

The OFT have also hreatened to fine or close down the firms if they do not stop their mailings. Scrapping an IVA could make the individual's financial position worse. It is expected that any advice given to debtors should be in their best interests.

Bankcruptcy is a much hasrher position to be in that claiming insolvency, with the threat if losing your home and any control you still had over your finances.

The firms have four weeks to respond and to change their advertising/marketing material.

It has been confirmed by the Land Registry. It said prices fell by 0.2% in April, taking the average price to £183,626. This meant that the annual rate ofh ouse inflation fell again, from 3.6% to 2.7%. The Land Registry also said that the latest movement continues to point towards a weakening housing market, but suggests the decline in prices has not been as fast as some other surveys have suggested.

There are big differences between regions according to the Land Registry. Prices have fallen in the last year in the East Midlands, Wales and the West Midlands. In London, they are still 7% higher than they were this time last year.

The mortgage crisis, which has happened due to the credit crunch, has seen a 30% drop in property sales. In the first quarter of 2008, there were on average, 72,479 sales a month, in comparison to 103,141 the quarter previous. A similar trend has been seen for the applications to build new homes. Applications between Feb and April were 27% lower than in the same period a year ago.