As households face another rise in energy prices, our consumer expert, Jane Hawkes, who runs the consumer advice website www.ladyjaney.co.uk, shares her ten checks everyone should be making to help keep their bills down. The changes coming into force on 1st October make now the right time to give your energy account a five-minute MOT.

Our consumer champion, Jane Hawkes, shares essential guide to using AI effectively when making a complaint - and reveals the mistakes consumers must avoid. Consumers are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to help them make complaints against companies but there can be significant pitfalls.

We normally think of summertime as a time when we don’t worry so much about energy bills. Brits are now being urged to pay attention to their summer energy bills if they want to remain savvy about savings. From July 1st Britain’s energy price cap is set to rise by 13.5% for an average household – or £221 from the previous level.

As temperatures rise across Europe and the UK braces for more hot weather, consumers are being warned that heatwaves can quietly take a serious toll on household budgets as well as personal wellbeing.

With the cost of living still biting many households, and projections of declining disposable incomes for the rest of the decade, many people are looking at ways of making extra cash. And around half of UK adults now have a second job, or a ‘side hustle’. Whilst average earnings are often modest, at around £200 a week, others can do well enough that it becomes their main form of income.

This January is set to see UK consumers returning over £1 billion worth of Christmas gifts. Whether it is something you’ve purchased yourself, for a friend or loved one or it’s an unwanted gift, it can be a trying experience. If you’re trying to return something after Christmas, your rights depend on how and why you’re returning it.

It is possible to pick up freebies for stocking fillers and get Christmas dinner bargains if you know the right places to look. The average person will spend over £1,100 this Christmas on gifts, food, drink and going out – a significant chunk of most people’s monthly pay at a time when we’re all feeling the pinch from the cost of living,” says Jane.

A north-west based mortgage expert has shared his advice on how first-time buyers can increase their chances of securing a mortgage and get that first foot on the housing ladder.

January is always a really hard month for everybody due to the aftermath of the overspend of Christmas. That January pay slip also always seems to take much longer to arrive. “It’s little wonder then that many people end up with the blues at this time of the month. “But as hard as it is, January can also be the springboard to financial change by adopting a few changes.

Our consumer expert Jane Hawkes shares her tips on how to find the best credit card deals this month.

It’s that time of the year where shops, and online retailers will really be hoping to cash in. Brits plan to spend an estimated £3.8 billion in the 2024 Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales alone. 59 percent of us plan to spend during the Black Friday weekend – which adds up to nearly 32 million people.