‘Who’d have thought eating would become a luxury?’ New Action for Children research reveals impact of £20-a-week cut to Universal Credit on UK’s poorest families amidst soaring cost of living crisis. An analysis of its…
Read More
SSE Airtricity, Northern Ireland’s second largest electricity supplier, and Budget Energy, Northern Ireland’s fourth largest electricity supplier have announced price increases for their residential customers. These increases will effect three in ten households, around 248,000…
Firmus energy announced on 5 April 2022 an increase of 37% effective from 3 May 2022 for gas customers in the Belfast area. This news will impact approximately 47,000 domestic customers in Belfast and means…
SSE Airtricity has announced on Friday 4th March an increase of 39% effective from Friday 1 April 2022. This will impact around 186,000 gas customers throughout Northern Ireland and is the biggest rise in gas…
International charity, the Society of St Vincent de Paul, has revealed that the number of requests for help with fuel in February 2022 has increased by a staggering 497% on the same period last year…
Do you speak to the neighbours? Most of the year we exchange glances, but at Christmas a quarter of us actually speak them – but we find it difficult because we forget their names. Six…
The UK’s dog owners are set to spend £162 million on their canine companions this Christmas as a thank you for their support this year. A survey of dog owners found almost three-quarters will be…
Have you got a junk drawer in the kitchen – and another in the bedroom… and maybe several other junk drawers around the house? A study reckons we’ve got tech to the tune of £815…
Grandparents will spend an average of £103.86 on Christmas gifts for each of their grandchildren, a poll suggests. More than half of children think granny and grandpa give great gifts, with a pink guitar and…
If you were to guess at what age we most enjoy Christmas the most, 31 would be an unlikely answer. However, new research this morning suggests this is the age we have the best time….
A typical UK family will spend £1,700 more per year on household costs in 2022, according to a forecast. The analysis, conducted by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, projected the inflation rate would…
It’s Cyber Monday and they reckon we’re on course to blow a record £3.4billion today. Christmas sales fever shows no signs of slowing according to data. Spending at the end of a four-day shopping spree…
Amazon will stop accepting Visa credit cards issued in the UK from 19 January, the online retail giant has said. It said the move was due to high credit card transaction fees but said Visa…
A group campaigning for lower fuel prices has demanded urgent intervention, claiming drivers are being “fleeced” at the pumps. FairFuelUK say it’s clear that the government should look at how “rip-off” pump prices are calculated…
Budget changes that boost the income of some working people on universal credit come into force from now, the government has announced. Workers will now take home 8p more of any extra pound earned, owing…
More than 90% of Black Friday deals were the same price or cheaper in the six months before the sales event last year, a Which? investigation has found. The consumer champion advised shoppers to make…
Online shopping scams cost consumers £15.4million last Christmas as more than 28,000 people reported being conned — up 61 per cent on the year before. Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales last year also saw…
High-speed internet can add £5,000 to the value of a home, a poll of estate agents has revealed. Since Covid, internet speed is the second most important feature after property size. Its survey of 300…
More than 300,000 people working for employers who have voluntarily signed up to the Real Living Wage are getting a pay boost of 40p to £9.90 an hour. This is not to be confused with…
We’re sitting on more than £342 million worth of small change around the house. A study exploring the hidden value around our homes found we’ve got around £12.70 in small change lying around – that’s…
The budget was on Wednesday, and now after we’ve had time to look at it all, several studies in many papers say MILLIONS of us will be left worse off in the coming months due…
Northern Ireland is the region worst hit by rising energy costs according to a new study. The research conducted by heating experts Boiler Central have found that residents in Northern Ireland spend 40% more on…
Dog walking, selling old clothes and flogging old tech are among the ways we’re making some extra cash for Christmas. A third of us expect to have a shortfall of £239 on average this festive…
The cost of living could rise at its fastest rate for 30 years, the government’s forecaster has warned. Its latest forecast says inflation, which measures the change in the cost of living over time, is…
The number of families in debt has tripled during the pandemic, an anti-poverty charity has revealed. At least one in three low-income households are in arrears with at least one bill, according to work done…
Economy Minister, Gordon Lyons, has revealed that just under 1 million Spend Local cards have yet to be issued. Around 1.4 million people have applied for the High Street Voucher scheme since the applications opened…
It is believed Northern Ireland is likely to get a 2.5% to 3% real terms average annual increase in day-to-day spending power in Rishi Sunak’s budget. Once the budget has been announced Stormont ministers will…
Everything is going up in price loads, but unfortunately our wages aren’t at the same pace and the state pension is too. The state pension is tipped to rise by just £4.26 a week next…
Northern Ireland is the region worst affected by the increase in energy costs, new research can reveal. Out of all UK regions, residents of Northern Ireland spend the biggest proportion of their household budget on gas…
New independent research from AIB has revealed that an overwhelming majority of consumers in Northern Ireland (90%) consider having an energy efficient home to be important. Over three quarters of people surveyed (78%) also said…
The latest Quarterly House Price Index report indicates a market which continues to exhibit increased trading up activity and price acceleration thanks to strong levels of market demand coupled with supply inelasticity. The Ulster University…
According to a recent survey about what the UK would rather keep out of sight of nosey neighbours, ‘heated discussions’ came out on top with 43.1% of the votes. We’re not surprised that the nation…
Economy Minister Gordon Lyons has announced the contract for the delivery of the High Street Scheme (HSS) has been awarded to Prepaid Financial Services (PFS). The £145million scheme will give everyone aged 18 and over…
Click Energy has announced it will be increasing electricity prices by 9% for customers on a variable rate tariff from 1 September 2021. This will see the typical bill paying customer needing to find up to an…
The Consumer Council is urging AIB customers to review their banking needs ahead of the upcoming closure of several local branches later this year. Eight of AIB’s 15 branches are due to close on 12…
Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey has introduced a Private Tenancies Bill in the Assembly improving protections for tenants living in the private rented sector. Minister Hargey said: “I am putting the needs of tenants at the heart…
The Consumer Council is urging Danske Bank customers to review their banking needs ahead of the upcoming closure of four local branches later this year. The branches in Ballygawley, Mallusk, Hillsborough and University Road in…
SSE Airtricity has announced it will be increasing electricity prices by 9.7% from 1st August 2021. This will see the typical SSE Airtricity customer needing to find up to an extra £58 per year. Raymond…
New CreditLadder and Equifax research finds that new 5% deposit scheme could be the key to the door for 33% of first-time buyers. As the average first-time buyers’ deposit[1] reaches nearly £59,000, £12,000 more than a…
Asda Income Tracker reveals disposable income growth is faster in NI than any other UK region Disposable income growth for the average NI family hit an 11-year high in the first quarter of 2021 –…
Millions of people in the UK are baffled by their home’s energy usage – with just one in 10 aware the electric shower is the most expensive appliance to run. The study of 2,000 adults…
Leaving lights on, putting recycling in general waste, and leaving clothes in the washing machine are among the biggest gripes for the UK’s rental households, research has revealed. A survey of 2,000 private renters found…
Holywood, Co Down has been named the Best Place to Live in Northern Ireland. It is top of a list of three locations in the region chosen by The Sunday Times in the annual Sunday…
The Chief Executive of car technology company Bluesona, Mel Morrison, has welcomed the introduction of tougher action on mobile phone use while driving as an important step in improving safety. Downpatrick-based Bluesona works with insurance…
The Consumer Council has launched a free website to help consumers in Northern Ireland shop around when buying petrol and diesel. The Fuel Price Checker allows consumers to check the highest, lowest and average price…
Loud passengers, driving in an unknown area and overtaking cyclists are among the most stressful things about driving. A study of 2,000 motorists revealed almost half said other drivers make them more concerned on the…
Donna Louise is a 35 year old, cleaning fanatic and mum from Cookstown who is better known to her followers as ‘Mrs Houseproud’. She has recently surpassed 50k followers on her popular Instagram page where…
Four in 10 Gen Z women have experienced a wake-up call during quarantine that made them realise what they want to pursue in life, according to new research. The study asked 2,000 American women aged…
Randy people in Belfast are showing off their sexual prowess with couples enjoying themselves in hotel rooms right by the window, according to a survey. And, it seems that across the UK, there are thousands…
Growing indoor plants will continue to be a trend this season – with searches for “autumn plants” rising by 950% and searches of “winter plants” rising by 1550%, according to Google. But, although adding indoor…
You must be logged in to post a comment.