Quids in! Winter 2022

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FREE

GUIDE TO SMARTER MONEY SAVING

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WINTER 2022 / WWW.QUIDSINMAGAZINE.COM

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COST-OFLIVING SUPPORT

Everything we need to know

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JAY BLADES

EXPERT ADVICE ON: ✔SPENDING ✔SAVING ✔BORROWING ✔INCOME

© BBC / Hungry Bear / Ben Gregory-Ring

Man on a Mission... to help people who struggle to read

our winter survey

BEHIN WHAT’S

D THE

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THE ENERGY PRICE GUARANTEE EXPLAINED

Welcome

● Remember – it DOESN’T cap our bills at £2,500

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Do you know how many Quids in! readers say that money makes them feel anxious or depressed? It’s more than two thirds of working-age readers not in full-time employment. How do we know?

Reader surveys!

Maybe that figure’s higher now.

Our last survey took place in 2018 and it told us what our readers need from us. When we saw one in two skipped meals, we published a guide to keeping food on the table when money’s tight.

“Sometimes Sometimes people who are struggling most people who are with the rocketing cost ng never of living never get heard. struggli Now’s our chance. get heard” Reader Lisette (page 4) shows how we sometimes just need to be in it to win it. Not only is there the chance of a big prize to be won from completing our survey, readers can also sign up to take part in research with the chance of further prizes. Our plan is to set up a research panel so our voices get heard. Get involved.

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Jeff, Managing Director

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editor@quidsinmagazine.com

You can take our cost-of-living survey at qimag.uk/survey

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he government’s new Energy Price Guarantee was announced back in September but lots of us have been confused about what it means.

We were all worrying about what the winter would bring in terms of energy bills. The Energy Price Guarantee will keep costs lower than we may have feared.

Predictions earlier in the year of £5,000 bills had left many of us wondering how we’d pay. But the Energy Price Guarantee will cap the price for a unit of energy at a lower level than we were preparing for.

An average bill will come in at around £2,500 a year. It’ll be frozen at this level until spring. After that it’ll go up to an average of £3,000 a year (and will stay at this level for a year).

While this seems huge, we’re still being protected from the real price of gas and electric.

In this issue…

Jay Blades

The Repair Shop star has a vital message for us Page 8

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N I W IN 0 £30

G SHOPPINRS E H C VOU

• Address 24 James Street West, Bath, BA1 2BT Tel 0845 646 0469 • Editor Sarah Reid Email sarah.reid@cleanslateltd.co.uk • Design Joe Burt Website wildsparkdesign.com • Head of Business Development Lisa Woodman Email lisa.woodman@cleanslateltd.co.uk • Managing Director Jeff Mitchell Email jeff.mitchell@cleanslateltd.co.uk • Office Manager Dan Fineman Email daniel.fineman@cleanslateltd.co.uk © This magazine may not be reproduced in part or full without prior written permission The publisher (Clean Slate Training & Employment CIC) makes every effort to ensure content is correct at the time of going to print. We have no political allegiances, and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher or editor. Any relationship with advertisers or sponsors is always on the understanding that we retain our editorial independence.

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IT’S NOT A CAP ON BILLS! The most important thing to remember about the Energy Price Guarantee is that it’s not our bills that are capped. It’s the cost per unit of energy.

Standing charges will mean we’re paying about 74p a day before we’ve even turned a light on (if we have both electricity and gas in our home).

The thing to remember is that the more we use the more we’ll pay. But it also means there may be things we can do to cut costs. If we can safely use less energy, we’ll keep bills a bit lower. There are loads of tips on www.quidsinmagazine.com. If we’re struggling to pay though, we should speak to our supplier as soon as possible.

Every household will still get the £400 energy bills support that was promised before the guarantee was announced (if we have a prepayment meter, see the page opposite for more about how we get this).

In November, the government also promised new one-off payments of £900 to those of us on means-tested benefits, £300 to pensioner homes and £150 for those of us on disability benefits. We’ll publish more details of these on the Quids in! website as they’re announced.

Win £300!

Comp queen

Just complete our living cost survey Page 5

Reader Lisette made winning an art form Page 4

Our purpose

Quids in! guides are designed to help people understand and manage their money better. They are published by Clean Slate, a CIC (Community Interest Company) and a social enterprise.

Clean Slate is a social enterprise that helps people on low incomes become better off through money guidance, employment support and digital skills. Staff recruited from the communities we work in offer advice alongside structured training.

Our money skills initiative (Quids in!) publishes a magazine, specialist guides, a website and monthly money email.

NEWS

DON’T MISS OUT ON

ENERGY

VOUCHERS

● If we have a non-smart prepayment meter we should be getting vouchers to help with our bills

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ots of us with prepayment meters might be missing out on help with our energy bills that’s worth hundreds of pounds.

Since the start of October the government has been giving every home cash to help with energy costs. It’s called the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

If we have a smart prepayment meter or pay by Direct Debit we get the discount automatically.

But if our prepayment meter is an older one we’ll be sent vouchers in the post, by email or by text message.

The first voucher was worth £66 and was due in October – so we should have had it by now. We’ll get the vouchers every month for six months and we’ll get £400 in total.

But figures suggest that many of us aren’t cashing them in.

not know about them and so aren’t checking their post.

If we haven’t had ours yet we need to contact our energy supplier as soon as possible. They’ll help us find out what’s gone wrong. It could be that they don’t have our latest phone number or email address. And if we’d like to change the way we get the vouchers, our supplier should be able to change that for us too. If we think we’ve lost our voucher, they should be able to send us a new one.

Annoyingly though, we have heard that some people have had to raise a complaint with their supplier before they got their vouchers.

We can redeem the vouchers at the Post Office or at PayPoint stores.

It will say on the voucher where we should cash it in.

If we’ve been holding on to our voucher because it hasn’t been cold that’s fine. But we should be careful – we’re meant to use them within 90 days. However, our supplier is supposed to extend them if we ask.

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WHY HAS THIS HAPPENED? It seems some energy suppliers were slow to send the vouchers out. But there are also concerns people may

BENEFITS TO RISE

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BY 10.1 PER CENT

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● The government has set out what help we can expect this winter. Here’s what we need to know

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s the cost of living crisis rumbles on, the government has said it will be giving us more support to get through it.

There were a few bits of good news in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement in November.

As well as the Energy Price Guarantee (see the story on the facing page), those of us on means-tested benefits will be in line for at least another £900 of support. We’ll get more if we’re disabled or a pensioner.

And the Household Support Fund will be extended. The fund provides a pot of cash that councils can give out to us when we’re struggling to pay for essentials.

As inflation keeps rising, our benefits just weren’t keeping up. But it was announced that they’ll rise by 10.1 per cent – the same as the inflation rate in September.

We’ll see this rise in our benefits from April 2023.

Rents are often the biggest part of our household spend and many of us are fearing big rises. The government has now said that social housing rents won’t rise by more than seven per cent. It’s still a big increase, but less than some people were fearing.

The minimum wage will also rise by the same amount – from £9.50 an hour to £10.42 if we’re over 23.

(The Real Living Wage is different. Some employers offer this higher rate of £10.90 outside London and £11.95 in London. Look out for the logo when job-hunting).

And if we were worried about reaching the benefits cap, that’s being raised too. It’ll go up in line with inflation, and will give us a bit of breathing space if we were getting close to it.

WIN £50

JOIN THE CONVERSATION Got something you want to tell us, or a money-saving tip to share? There's £50 for the best letter, email or tweet, so include your name and address.

POST The Editor, Quids In! 24 James Street West, Bath, BA1 2BT EMAIL editor@quidsinmagazine.com TWEET @quidsinmagazine

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‘I WON £1,050 TO PAY FOR CHRISTMAS!’

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Reader Lisette David son is the queen of competi tions.

She says any one of u s could be a winner to o...

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problems of the world, I simply t’s tempting to think that winning focus on the little things that give things is something that happens to me joy. Comping is right up there at other people. But could that be because the top of the list. Only last night I we’re not doing it right? put in a code online and won £10 Quids in! reader Lisette Davidson became in a Tesco competition.” a keen “comper” when she was a child. Since then she’s won everything from money and CHRISTMAS COVERED electricals to chocolate and cuddly toys.

In 2021, Lisette covered the cost “When I was nine I designed a three-legged of Christmas with a whopping alien on the back of a postcard,” says Lisette, £1,050 win. She’d spotted a 58. “It was for a comic and I won a Letraset competition being run by Pepsi transfer set. At that age it went to my head where all she had to do was enter and I’ve been doing it all my life.” a code online.

She says comps have changed over time.

“My husband and I got a She used to have to get creative – inventing couple of bottles and when slogans or taking photos – now the focus is he entered his code it came on instant wins by entering a code online. But up with £50,” that didn’t stop her carving says Lisette. pumpkins at Halloween in a “I focus on the “We thought, bid to win a prize. e “I wasn’t lucky enough to things that give m wow – that’s really going win this year,” she says. “But I joy. Comping is to help with had fun doing it and it keeps right up there” Christmas. you young. It stops me from The following focussing on the big Sunday I put in my code and it won £1,000. I was dancing around the room shouting to the children that their mum was a winner!”

The prize was delivered on 10th December – just in time for her Christmas shopping. “Our living room floor was covered with presents,” says Lisette.

It wasn’t the only thing she won last Christmas. “On Twitter Currys asked for your epic tech fail,” she says. “I’m not a technical person and mine was that I still use a basic mobile phone instead of a smartphone. And I won a 55-inch TV that got delivered in time for Christmas. It’s the third time I’ve won a television.”

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IT COULD BE YOU...

For those of us who feel we never win anything, Lisette has some advice.

“People say that because they never enter anything,” she says. “For me, if it tickles my fancy I just enter it. It’s very important to feel like you have a little edge. My little edge is the Compers News magazine.

“But the biggest advice I’d give is don’t discount the small print. It’s not there for no reason. Also, don’t be discouraged if you don’t start winning as soon as you enter.”

We’re not going to make a living from comping, says Lisette. But we might land ourselves a bit of cash or some other amazing prize. And have fun at the same time!

Welcome to the Quids in!

Cost of Living Survey!

Welcome to Quids in’s 2022 Cost of Living survey! We want to know more about what money means to you, and this quick survey will help us make Quids in! even better. The easiest way to complete it is online at qimag.uk/ survey but if you’d rather fill out this page you can pop it in the post to Freepost QUIDS IN, or send a photo of it to our WhatsApp number (07548 627303). However you get your survey to us, we’ll enter you into a prize draw to win £300 of shopping vouchers! Entry closes 31st January 2023 (see quidsinmagazine.com for T&Cs).

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ABOUT YOU

1. Which of the following apply to you? (Tick all that apply) ■ I am retired/past retirement age ■ I am working age and full-time employed ■ I am working age and not full-time employed ■ I am unable to work ■ I work but my job is not meeting my money or personal needs

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2. Thinking of everyone living with you, what is your household’s weekly income, whether benefits or earnings (after tax): ■ £260 or less ■ £261-£385 ■ £386-£442 ■ £443-£507 ■ £508 or more ■ Don’t know

3. When it comes to using the internet, which of the following apply to you? (Tick all that apply) ■ I cannot access the internet ■ I borrow a device ■ I use a PC at a café, library or community centre ■ I have a PC, laptop or tablet at home ■ I use my smartphone ■ I use WhatsApp for messaging ■ I often run out of data/don’t have data on my phone ■ Broadband/4G connection at home is poor or unreliable ■ I can ‘google’, upload photos, watch videos AND post comments (only tick this if all are true) ■ I check my emails every day/most days

YOUR MONEY

W IN £300 !

SH O P I N VOUC PING HER S

4. Which of the following apply to you? (Tick all that apply) ■ I know for sure I’m getting all the benefits I’m entitled to ■ I would know where to find help if I had money problems ■ I feel certain my money will last until I next get paid ■ I feel sure I could keep food on the table if my income stopped or decreased for a few weeks ■ I know exactly how much money goes out each month and how much my rent payments are ■ I check my bank balance every day ■ I cut costs by finding deals when buying clothes/essentials ■ I feel confident I can afford my utility bills ■ I use an online switching service or comparison website, for example for insurance or broadband ■ I feel confident to say ‘no’ if someone pressures me into something that’s not right for me ■ I feel happy using direct debits and I know when they go out ■ I am free of debt and rent arrears, or I’m taking action to deal with them ■ I have ID documents and I know where to find them ■ I want to make more money and have a plan to do so ■ I open all my post every day ■ I know how much money I have coming in every month ■ I set aside money for savings every day or every week ■ I feel totally happy about what happens if my income goes up ■ I plan ahead money-wise for holidays, birthdays, Christmas, etc

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5. How confident are you about managing your money?

■ Not at all confident ■ Confident with a few things ■ Pretty confident ■ Very confident, but there are a few things I’m not sure of ■ Completely confident

6. In the last year, due to money worries, have you? (Tick all that apply) ■ Skipped meals ■ Stopped paying for broadband ■ Fallen into rent arrears ■ Fallen behind or struggled to pay bills (not rent) ■ Asked for a gas/electricity prepayment meter ■ Started using cash more to manage finances

■ Felt my performance at work suffered ■ Taken sick leave from work ■ Cancelled home contents insurance ■ Used a comparison service to switch and reduce bills ■ Taken steps to reduce energy usage and cut bills ■ Missed out on occasions with friends/family ■ Had to turn off heating despite it being cold ■ Had difficulty keeping up with payments on debts ■ Felt frightened, anxious or depressed ■ Had arguments with friends and/or family ■ Become physically ill ■ Faced serious financial problems ■ Turned to a loan shark or an unofficial lender ■ Felt unable to treat my kids to something they wanted

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7. With regards to state support, which of these apply to you?

■ I claim Universal Credit ■ I do not claim anything ■ I claim other working-age benefits ■ I receive a pension 8. Which of these forms of support are you aware of/claim? aware of

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

claim

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Council tax/rates support or reduction Discretionary Housing Payment Priority Service Register for utilities Social tariffs for broadband/mobile Free internet data and computer devices

10. With regard to banking, which statements apply to you (in the past year)?

■ I was refused a service (eg, account, loan or overdraft) and I don’t know why ■ If I’m unhappy with my bank/lender I know who to speak to ■ If something went wrong, my bank would sort it out ■ I don’t feel safe making payments online 11. Which of the following do you have and which do you use?

have

use

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Savings account A private or work-based pension Credit card Bank account Basic bank account Online banking/banking app Private health care Credit union account Pay-day loan Store card, catalogue or items you owe money on Loan from someone who approached you at home Cheque cashing services Pawnbrokers Home contents insurance

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9. If you needed to replace something like a washing machine, costing £300, how would you do it? (Tick all that apply) ■ With a credit card ■ From savings or income ■ Borrow from friends or family ■ Would do without ■ A loan company that I know, which will call at my home ■ From a store that offers credit ■ From a second-hand shop ■ Approach a charity ■ Pay-day loan

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HELP AND ADVICE 12. Have you needed advice about any of the issues below in the last year? (Please tick all that apply) ■ Debts of any kind ■ Earning more money ■ Insurance ■ Budgeting and making ends meet ■ Checking I get all the benefits I am entitled to ■ Borrowing money ■ Savings ■ Mental health 13. Did you go to anyone for money advice in the last year?

■ Bank/building society ■ Friends/family ■ Power/water supplier ■ Citizens Advice or debt charity ■ Professional debt adviser ■ GP ■ Didn’t need advice ■ Didn’t know where to go ■ No one ■ Other (please specify)

15. If you get Quids in! magazines, emails or guides do you find the advice useful?

■ All the time ■ Often ■ Sometimes ■ Not really 16. In relation to Quids in! magazine, Quids In Readers Club or any of our guides, which of the following do you agree with?

(Tick all that apply) ■ I have read articles from Quids in! magazine, Quids In Readers Club or Quids in! guides ■ I have visited quidsinmagazine.com ■ It made me realise I’m not alone in my situation ■ It makes me think more carefully about my finances ■ It prompted me to look after my money more carefully ■ I would now think twice about high-interest loans ■ I learnt what is happening to my benefits/pension ■ After reading something, I realised I might need help ■ After reading something, I decided to get help ■ After reading something, I got help ■ I acted on advice I read in Quids in!

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14. If you got money advice, how good was the service you received?

■ Excellent ■ Very good ■ Good ■ Poor

MORE ABOUT YOU*

*Please provide your details so we can contact you if you win our prize or if you would like to hear from us about money tips or further research

Name

Name of landlord/who owns your home

Address

Town/ City

Age:

Male ■ Female ■

Postcode

Married ■ Widowed ■ Divorced ■ Living with partner ■ Single ■

How many of the following are living with you?

Children

Tel/ Mobile

Email

Adult dependents

Lodger/sub-tenant

Yes ■ No ■ Yes ■ No ■

Would you be interested in taking part in future research – sometimes paid?

Would you like to receive money information and tips from Quids in! via email?

Please contact me by:

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Post, I’m not online ■

I live alone ■

Email but send a text alert ■

Email, I check it regularly ■

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USEFUL NUMBERS

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LOAN SHARKS The Illegal Money Lending Team tackles loan sharks. Call anonymously on ✆ 0300 555 2222, text LOAN SHARK and your details to 60003 or email them at reportaloanshark @stoploanshark s.gov.uk .

In Wales call ✆ 0300 123 3311 or email imlu@cardiff.gov.uk.

Scotland: ✆ 0141 2876 655, or email loansharks@glasgow.gov.uk

dealt with by your local council.

• Benefits calculator www.entitledto.co.uk • Pensions Service: ✆ 0800 99 12340

CREDIT UNIONS Credit unions are not-for-profit organisations that provide bank accounts, loans and savings. They may help people the banks won’t. To find your local credit union call ✆ 0161 832 3694 or visit www.findyourcreditunion.co.uk.

• StepChange Debt Charity ✆ 0800 138 1111 www.stepchange.org • Citizens Advice www.citizensadvice.org .uk.

In Wales call ✆ 08444 77 20 20 England call ✆ 08444 111 444 • Citizens Advice Scotland www.cas.org.uk . ✆ 0808 800 9060 • Debt Arrangement Scheme (Scotland) www.dasscotland.gov.uk ✆ 0300 200 2770 • Advice NI (Northern Ireland) www.adviceni.net ✆ 0800 915 4604

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BENEFITS • People with disabilities or carers should contact the Disabilit y Benefits Centre (✆ 0345 605 6055) . For Child Benefit/tax credits: Inland Revenue (✆ 0845 300 3900).

• Council Tax and Housing Benefit is

DEBT ADVICE For free debt advice and help, contact any of the organisations below.

• National Debtline ✆ 0808 808 4000 www.nationaldebtline.org

Readers Club Pleased to receive your free Quids in! every three months? Now you can stay in touch all the time with our Readers Club. Join the growing crowd of money-saving, savvy-shopping, debt-beating, cash-boosting Club members and receive freebies and top tips throughout the year by email.

Sign up here: qimag.uk/QIClubReg

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COST OF LIVING

HERO

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The Repair Shop’s Jay Blades learned to read as an adult. In a cost-of-living crisis, people like Jay need support more than ever

find reading really hard.

It affects our chances of getting and keeping a job, and it means we’re more likely to have to take low-paid work.

MISSING OUT ON MONEY

But in a costof-living crisis problems with reading can be even more serious. We’re all getting support from the government this winter to help with rising bills (see page three). But those of us who find reading hard are at risk of missing out.

If we can’t read the news, or don’t understand the letters on the doormat, then how can we be sure we’re getting everything that’s out there? We can’t get the most out of money-saving tips, like the ones in Quids in! Then there’s the risk of falling into arrears because we can’t read our bills and don’t understand what’s being asked of us.

People might assume that after we’ve left school it’s too late. But that’s not the case. Like Jay, lots of people master reading when they’re adults – and never look back.

If we know someone who can’t read, or if we struggle ourselves, we should ask at our local Citizen’s Advice, GP or library.

They may be able to refer us to Read Easy, the charity that helped Jay, or other similar groups. Their help is usually free and won’t take up loads of our time.

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JAY’S NOT ALONE In a special programme he made about it, he used coloured filters to stop the words moving on the page. And he achieved his ambition of reading a story to his daughter.

Even though she’s now a teenager, it was a proud moment for both of them.

The show shone a light on a big problem and showed that Jay is far from alone. Across the country a massive eight million adults

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There’s a risk of falling int o arrears beca we can’t read our b use ills Now that he has thrown off the shame he used to feel, Jay has said how happy it makes him to inspire others.

“I’m going to make a change for people like me,” he said.

■ Jay Blades: Learning to Read at 51 and The Repair Shop are on BBC iPlayer

One more thing…

At Quids in! we make sure all our stories are easy to read. But we also have a function on our website that can read the words aloud – it translates our articles into other languages too. It’s because we don’t want anyone missing out on the news and advice we share just because they struggle to read. Just click on ‘Easy Read’ at the top of the Quids in! website to see how it works.

© BBC / Hungry Bear / Ben Gregory-Ring

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ay Blades, host of The Repair Shop, has friends in high places. In autumn we watched him meet the now-King Charles in a special episode of the show when they bonded over antiques.

The king was bowled over by the team’s work to repair the chimes on a royal clock.

Jay was later seen asking if he was happy with it. “Oh God, yes. I am so grateful to you,” Charles replied.

With his superb skills set, it’s no surprise that Jay won royal approval. But what is surprising is that he only learned to read at the age of 51.

Jay left school without passing any exams and found out at the age of 31 that he is dyslexic. For him, this means the words move around the page as he’s trying to read them.

“I never told anyone at secondary school that I couldn’t read,” he said in an interview.

“I’d ask people to read stuff for me. I’d taken a hospital letter that I knew was an important one into the street because I had no one at the house. I’d just say, ‘can you read this for me?’

“I probably messed up quite a lot not being able to read, and it’s quite a sad thing really.”