E Quids in!

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E
R
F
Quids in!
The UK’s Number 1 Money Magazine | ISSUE 28 Autumn 2015
www.quidsinmagazine.com
s
g
O
’
D
life
INSIDE!
Advice on:
✔ Spending
✔ Saving
✔ Borrowing
✔ Earning
WIN AN IPAD!
Our crossword prize
worth £269
Top Tips for
keeping a pet
on a budget
B ROA D B A N
D
e best
How to get th
re
deals out the
EASY LASAGNE
Our simple cookery
course continues
THE ANTI-AUSTERITY BRIGADE:
YOUR MONEY
meet the party leaders who
dare to think different
BE INFORMED
TAKE CONTROL
Welcome
When the kids are
ill, we know there’s
a GP to sort them
out and we don’t
need to think of
the cost. But when
it’s a poorly pooch or puss, it can
trigger a minor panic about the
pound signs. It makes you realise
what we have in the NHS.
It’s the same with the benefits
system that we pay into while
we’re in a job. It’s good to know
the safety net is there for when
we find ourselves out of work, or
out of health, but the system is
changing and it’s worth knowing
how it works. We know the rules
are changing so it’s harder to
make a claim, but how many
people realise that we’ll need to be
able to use a computer to do it?
This issue is all about not
taking these things for granted;
the winds of change are blowing
through everything.
We have to be informed if we
want to take control… as it says on
our front cover.
Jeff Editor
editor@quidsinmagazine.com
Jeff’s top tip…
There’s a free online
calculator that will help you
work out which benefits you
can claim. Just visit www.
entitledto.co.uk to start…
THE
WIN!
Apple
A 16GB i worth
in
iPad m69 p8
£2
NO GUARANTEES
A new form of lending is sweeping the UK
Recent research published by
Citizen’s Advice shows a growing
epidemic of guarantor loans: loans
where one person guarantees
another’s loan @quidsinmagazine
It sounds perfectly reasonable, and more
than one company pitches it as a return to
good old-fashioned borrowing based on
common sense, but guarantor loans can ruin
people’s lives.
The idea’s simple enough. You may not
have a good enough credit score to get a
loan, but you might know someone who
does. So you ask them to ‘guarantee’ the
loan. That means that if you can’t keep
up your payments the loan company will
instead ask your ‘guarantor’ for the money.
And it can go badly wrong. As one
guarantor told Citizen’s Advice: “I foolishly
In this issue…
agreed to guarantee a loan to someone
I thought I could trust completely. The
payments were kept up for a few months
and then she defaulted and I was forced,
because of almost 50% interest charges, to
remortgage and pay back the loan.”
In another case reported to Citizen’s
Advice a woman who had left her marriage
due to domestic abuse sought advice over
a loan on which she was the guarantor for
her husband. In some cases guarantor loan
companies will even pursue the guarantor
for money if the person who took out the
loan dies.
Quids in! says. In an ideal world we’d tell
everybody to steer clear of these types of
loan all together.
If you are going to
“I was forced
guarantee a loan
to remortgage though, make sure
and pay back
you could afford to
pay it off yourself.
the loan”
“The SNP’s priority
is ending austerity”
“We’ve teamed
up with The
Dog’s Trust”
“Broadband
is seen as a
must-have”
Rocking the boat page 4
Top pet tips page 6
Getting online page 5
Quids in! magazine
Address 3 Monmouth Place, Bath, BA1 2AT. Tel 08456 8049 06
Editor Jeff Mitchell Email editor@quidsinmagazine.com
Publisher Steve Faragher Email steve@socialpublishingproject.com
Comms Officer Dan Fineman Email dan@ socialpublishingproject.com
Advertising Opportunities Lisa Woodman Email lisa@ socialpublishingproject.com
Copy Sales Rhiannon McNamara, Deborah Colvill
Email rhiannon@socialpublishingproject.com, debbie@socialpublishingproject.com
Quids in! makes every effort to ensure content is correct at the time of going to print. Readers should take specialist advice
where necessary. Quids in! has 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.
2 | Quids in!
Quids in! magazine is designed
to help people understand and
manage their money better. It
is published quarterly by the
Social Publishing Project, a
social enterprise.
Quids in! magazine is
supported by Aon and
Aviva. Aon arranges
home contents
insurance with Aviva for
tenants of social and
council housing. Ask
your landlord if they
have a scheme in place.
BUZZ
The latest news
affecting you and
your finances
Win up to £300 cash with our reader survey next issue
Two years ago Quids in! readers
responded in their hundreds to tell us
all about their finances.
More than half our readers told us
their mental health was suffering, and
one in three said they felt physically
ill, because of money worries. Things
were worst for working age people not
in full-time jobs. Almost half of them
skipped meals and three in five turned
off the heating despite being cold.
What a tweet!
We took the results around the country
telling landlords and support agencies
what our readers need. We also published a
paper to give policy makers the low down.
The survey
will
be available
er
read
in it
survey
report tog
online
as well as on
eth er...
paper. If you don’t
receive the survey,
QuIdS IN reAderS Are...
or Quids in!, in
three months’ time,
you’ll still be able
to enter at www.
quidsinmagazine.
com and be in with
WhAt ALL thIS MeANS
a chance of winning
that top prize.
In our last issue, we asked readers to
tell us how they’re faring money-wise,
right now. You didn’t
let us down. Nearly 2,000 people gave
up their time to tell us their stories.
And we have to say
it’s a tough picture we’re getting. Once
our resident boffins have analysed
all the data we’ll have
a clearer picture, but the bad news is
that things seem to be getting tighter
for all of us.
Working 35%
retired 19%
using a food bank
already 8%
Might need to in the
future 19%
struggling to keep
up with payments on
things you owe 39%
Feeling frightened,
anxious or depressed
about money 47%
Finding it hard to pay
the bills 50%
Benefit claimants
facing bigger council
tax bills 55%
not meeting up with
friends and family to
save money 49%
Benefit claimants
with benefits cut
51%
Going without food
to make ends meet
using payday loans
cheque cashing
services, store cards,
catalogues and
doorstep loans 28%
36%
Video of the issue
Taking money from disabled
children in hospital isn’t
right. http://buff.ly/1TqJ1Qq
#Together4HumanRights
My husband managed twice to drop his
mobile into water, my daughter dropped
hers down the loo and once forgot to take
it out of her pocket and it got washed
in the washing machine, and the other
evening my son accidently knocked a cup
of tea over his friend’s phone. None of the
phones would work after their soaking,
but after submerging them into a bag of
raw rice for twenty four hours they all
worked perfectly. Trudy Simpson
£ALL OF IT
Amount guarantor will have
to pay if the borrower can’t
keep up payments
SPOTTED OUR
QIMAG.UK LINKS?
You can follow up what you read in
Quids in! by turning to the internet.
Simply type the qimag.uk/link (as
it appears in the story) into the web
address bar on your browser and press
'enter'. Check out our Animal Antics
playlist at qimag.uk/qipop1
EMILY BLAND
Excellent advice and help to make a
budgetyou can stick to. Could change
your life qimag.uk/qi28tips
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49.9%
Typical APR. That means that
if we borrow £100 for 3 years
we’ll have to pay back £175.66
The number of Quids in! readers struggling
with bills is about
the same as a city the size of Norwich
or Northampton.
@quidsinmagazine
Citizen’s Advice highlight story
of disabled boy who had benefits
withdrawn becasue he was in hospital
£6,945.27
Amount one person and her
guarantor paid back on a
£3,000 loan
However, if our findings reflect the
lives of all social housing
tenants, we’re talking about huge money
worries faced by a
population the size of Greater Manchester
TWICE OVER.
Quids in!
£7,000 BENEFIT STING
566%
Increase in complaints about
guarantor noans received by
Citizen’s Advice this year
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Quids in! | 3
G
N
I
K
C
O
R
AUSTERITY SPECIAL
THE BOAT
To bring the nation’s books into balance, we were all asked to
tighten our belts. But as things improve, how long before we
all feel the benefit? And is there an alternative to austerity?
WHAT IS
‘AU STE RITY’,
ANYWAY?
A saving or act of selfdenial, especially in
respect of something
regarded as a luxury;
thrift imposed as
government policy
[Encarta Dictionary]
“For me, austerity means making the
poor and the disadvantaged pay for
the greed and fraud of the bankers by
cutting back essential services like
children’s centres, mental health care
and youth services,” Natalie Bennett,
leader of the Green Party tells Quids
in! “Austerity is simply inhumane and
an abuse of the vulnerable.”
Back in 2010, we were warned
that some hardship was needed to
get the country back on track. But five
years later, benefits continue to be
cut and services that many people on
low incomes depend upon are being
streamlined or moved online to save
money. Many still need to budget
carefully, find help for debt and seek
out a foodbank to keep the family fed.
When will it end?
4 | Quids in!
I
n the run up to this year’s General
Election, three voices came together
to speak out against austerity.
Considered outsiders by many, they
lined up alongside the Tories, Labour
and LibDems. Natalie Bennett, Leanne
Wood and Nicola Sturgeon not only
challenged economic policy but ignored
“The economy
has been choked
by the austerity
experiment"
Leanne Wood (leader of
Wales’ Plaid Cymru)
political differences to speak with one
voice on the subject.
The Scottish Parliament has long
opposed the extent of cuts imposed by
Westminster. In a letter to party leaders
across Scotland, the First Minister told
them: “The Scottish Government has set
out the case for an alternative to the UK
“The SNP's priority
is ending austerity,
and the damage it
does to people's lives"
Nicola Sturgeon (Scottish
First Minister and leader of the
Scottish Nationalist Party)
How austerity
make the book aimed to help
s balance:
¬ VAT in
creased from
17.5% to 20%
¬ Benefit caps
introduced so
no-one can clai
the average U
m more than
K earnings
¬ Deductions
from Housing
Benefit for ho
bedrooms (the
mes with unus
'Bedroom Tax'
ed
)
¬ Child Trust
Fund and the
Health in Preg
both ended
nancy Grant
Government’s austerity programme...
I firmly believe that this would be a fairer
and more effective approach to take.”
“The SNP's priority is ending austerity,
and the damage it does to people's lives,”
Nicola Sturgeon said in May, vowing to
fight Government cuts “at every turn”.
This approach is echoed by Leanne
“For me, austerity
means making the poor
and the disadvantaged
pay for the greed and
fraud of the bankers"
Natalie Bennett,
(leader of the Green Party)
any money at all (as benefit sanctions
Wood, leader of Wales' Plaid Cymru, who
leave so many now).”
also rejects the imposing of austerity
One positive feature of UC is that
on Wales by the UK government: “The
it should make claimants starting work
economy has been choked by the austerity
better off. Nicola Sturgeon argues it must
experiment," Leanne said. "The UK is
ensure it doesn’t give with one hand and
the only major economy where the gap
take away with the other. Earnings will not
between rich and poor is widening. The
be wiped out by deductions from benefits,
poorest ten per cent have borne the brunt
for example, but she is counting the cost
for harsh cuts.”
to claimants of cuts to tax credits. “There
One way the Government is trying to
are some really difficult trade-offs in all
reduce costs is through programmes like
of this,” she has said.
Universal Credit (UC) that aim to simplify
It’s a complex system. Jobseekers are
the benefits system. Although it is only
advised to find a ‘better off calculator’ and
slowly rolling out across the UK, it will
budget around what they will bring home.
affect most working age people on lower
It seems austerity is not going away
incomes, like many renting council and
any time soon. After all, the government
housing association homes. Landlords are
is confident it has been working. Its plan
worried changes like monthly payments
was to spend less public money and let
in arrears – which will include housing
the business markets sort themselves
benefit – will push claimants into debt.
out and, according to news reports, there
Of the small number of tenants who
are now more jobs, which the government
have been moved to UC, one landlord
hopes means more people off benefits
was shocked to find all of them fell into
and paying tax.
rental arrears. A third of them were facing
For the female leaders of the three
eviction. Five times as many claimants are
anti-austerity parties, there is a wind of
struggling with their rent once they move
change in politics now and they want to
onto UC.
make their opposition known.
“Universal Credit is frightening for
“Politics really is changing,”
potential recipients, social
says Natalie Bennett, pointing
landlords, and whole
Quids in! s
to the 1.1 million votes for
communities,” says
ays…
Whether
or not we
the Greens in the general
Natalie Bennett.
agree that
we’re 'all in
it togethe
election and the success
“What we call
r', if we’re
strugglin
g to make
ends mee
of the SNP in Scotland
or worrie
for instead is a
t
d ab
benefits, th out changes to
as evidence. “People are
‘citizens’ income’
e best help
get is self
we can
-help. If w
looking for new solutions,
that would be paid
e’re sinkin
we need to
g,
find expe
to create a humane,
to everyone, that
rt support
before we
,
drown alto
caring, just, economically
would end benefit
gether.
Our Usefu
l Numbers
panel is
and environmentally
traps and ensure
on page 8
.
sustainable Britain.”
no-one was left without
Quids in! | 5
E
U
S
IS
R
THE B ROADE
tting online
The essential Quids in! guide to ge
Getting the best deal
It’s almost impossible for us to
say what the best deal will be by
the time you read this, our crystal
ball isn’t quite that powerful! But
if you head over to Martin Lewis’
moneysavingexpert website you’ll find
all the latest cheap deals (see www.
qimag.uk/msebroadband). At the time
of writing this, for example, there’s
a BT landline and broadband deal
that costs just £200 for a whole 18
months, that’s only just over £11
per month.
TOP 5 WAYS
BROADBAND
SAVES YOU
MONEY
1
Shopping Around
2
Long Distance calls
It’s really easy to check online to
see which shop has the item we want
at the best price. And it works for
holidays too! And utilities!
Programs such as Skype make it
free and easy to stay in touch with our
loved ones far away
3 You switch
It’s easy to set up a diary and
switch gas, electricity, broadband and
mobile phone deals when we’re online
4 You benefit
It’s so much easier to apply for
benefits, and check which ones we
should be getting
5 Work from home
No commuting, no pricey
lunches, even if we can only do it from
time to time it’ll save us cash
6 | Quids in!
I
of effort and some time you can easily
t’s getting to the point where
halve that.
broadband is seen as a must-have.
And once you’ve signed up to a deal
Leading online skills charity Go On
you’ll need to keep a careful eye on when
calculates that having broadband
it runs out, and remember to switch
has a value to a new user of over
before the price goes up. Boring
£1,000 per year. Having broadband
and unfair, but it’s the way
increases our earning power,
the world works at the
reduces our chance of
Quids in! s
ays…
As we rep
moment. At least until
orted last
dying and makes us
issue if yo
only watc
u
h televisio
the government
feel part of a modern
n
catch up
services su using
passes laws with
society. Not only
ch as BBC
iPlayer yo
u don’t ne
ed to buy
TV licenc
teeth to stop
that, but with the
a
e. The gov
ernment
moving to
companies tempting
introduction of
is
close this
‘loophole
but it will
’,
take them
us with great deals
Universal Credit
some tim
do it. In th
e to
e meantim
then
sneakily putting
everyone of working
e if you’re
strugglin
g to afford
broadban
the
price
up when they
age will have to be
why not d
d
itch the T
V licence
run
out.
So
put it in your
online if we need to
to
pay for it?
diary, and make a switch
claim any benefits. So
when you need to.
here’s Quids in!’s quick guide
to broadband, to help us get online,
or save us money if we already are.
Getting online isn’t difficult, but it
can seem expensive. Like other major
There are g
ood deals to
utilities today such as gas and electric,
be had with
companies
su
ch as Virgin
you’ll need to shop around to get the
, Talk Talk an
Sky with lin
d
e rental, bro
best deal. If you don’t you can easily
ad
band and
TV all in on
e monthly p
find yourself paying over the odds,
ayment. Mak
sure to che
e
ck that they
with some standard broadband
are worthw
before sign
h
ile
ing up to a lo
deals coming to over £400/year by
ng contract
and remem
ber you can
the time you’ve counted line rental.
haggle..
We say that’s too much. With a bit
Packages
It’s aS
DOG’
LIFE
Bowie was the sta
r of Channel 4
documentary ‘Do
gs on the Dole’
which looked at th
e work of the Do
g’s
Trust with people
on a lower incom
e
The problems of looking after a pet on a low income were highlighted on the Channel 4
documentary Dogs on the Dole. We’ve teamed up with The Dogs Trust, the experts behind
the programme, to offer you our top 10 tips for keeping a pet on a budget.
1
6
2
7Groom groom
Whip ’em out
Neutering a cat or dog will save us
money in the long run. These days there’s
no guarantee that we’ll be able to sell pups
and so we may be left with even more
hungry mouths to feed. It’s our top tip for a
good reason
Let them eat cake
Not reallly, though Bowie did have a
fondness for toffee sponge cake with pink
custard before he went on a diet. What
we can do is swap expensive treats with
bits of chopped up veg or the occasional
spoonful of boiled pasta or bit of toast
3Be inventive
Dogs love playing games, but you don’t
need to spend a fortune on costly toys.
Fill an old box with shredded paper and
hidetreats inside (warning: messy!) or get
hold of an old tire and put treats inside it
4Direct whine
Pet insurance. Dull but important.
Few of us can afford the bills if our pet
suddenly becomes really ill, and neither
can we just let them suffer
5Doggie doovs
Whether a cat or a dog, our pet
doesn’t care if it’s sleeping in some kind of
designer dog den or not: so why not buy
a cheap duvet when they’re on sale
and let Fido nestle down on that
Make with the microchip
If our dog strays we could be facing a
hefty bill from the dog warden. But we can
get our dog microchipped by Dogs Trust
(or the local council) for just a few pounds.
Won’t get lost again
If we get the kind of dog that needs
expensive care, brushing their hair once
a day will increase the amount of time
needed between expensive salon visits
Help me!
And if all else fails, and we realise
we
need some help looking after our
pets,
there are all kinds of lovely people
who
would give us a hand…
THE DOGS TRUST
For help with all things doggy, from
neutering to basic support
www.dogstrust.org.uk or call
0207 837 0006
PDSA
8Staycation
If you can’t afford a vet and are on
benefits, the People’s Dispensary
for
Sick Animals may be able to help
, and
they’re nationwide.
www.pdsa.org.uk or call 0800 731
2502
9Bowled over
Again can help with vet treatment
if you
can’t afford it for dogs, cats, rabb
its
and even horses
www.bluecross.org.uk or call 019
93
822651
When we’re going away on holiday,
rather than opting for expensive kennels
or a cattery for our loved one, we could get
together with other owners and take it in
turns to pet-sit
Our pets don’t care what they eat out
of, so we could use an old plate or bowl, or
even just pile the food onto a wipe clean
table mat rather than buying a special bowl
10
Say aaaaah
We can look after our pet’s teeth
by brushing them regularly, or providing
them with dry dog biscuits to chew on.
THE BLUE CROSS
CAT PROTECTION
Help when your dog isn’t a dog. Cats
Protection can help pay for neuteri
ng.
www.cats.org.uk or call 03000 12
12
12, selecting option 2 (lines open
from
9.30am-1pm)
RSPCA
Provide low cost treatment to peo
ple on
low incomes across the country
www.rspca.org.uk or call 0300 123
4555
Quids in! | 7
Odds & Ends
The page that has all the bits that don’t fit anywhere else!
PRIZE CROSSWORD
Win a £269 Apple iPad mini
WIN!
One lucky winner will get their hands on a stunning Apple iPad mini worth
£269. Compact and beautiful, the Apple iPad mini is the perfect tablet
To enter the draw simply complete
the crossword and pop it in the
post to us. Don’t forget to include your name and
address. Send your completed crossword to Apple
iPad mini, Quids in!, 3 Monmouth Place, Bath BA1 2AT.
Or you can enter by taking a pic of your completed
crossword and sending it to editor@quidsinmagazine.
com. Closing Date 31st November 2015. See www.
quidsinmagazine.com for terms and conditions.
HOW TO ENTER
ACROSS
1 Young sheep (4)
4 Drug or idiot (4)
8 Fish eggs (3)
9 Go backwards (7)
10 Synthetic fibre/fabric (5)
12 Call: heads or _____ (5)
13
15
16
17
LOAN SHARKS
The National Illegal Money
Lending Team tackles
loan sharks. To report a
loan shark anonymously
you can call them 365
days a year on ✆ 0300
555 2222, text LOAN
SHARK and your details
to 60003 or email them
at reportaloanshark@
stoploansharks.gov.uk.
In Wales call ✆ 0300 123
3311or send an email to
imlu@cardiff.gov.uk
Disabilit y Benefits Centre
(✆ 0345 605 6055) and
for Child Benefit and tax
credits call Inland Revenue
(✆ 0845 300 3900).
• Council Tax and Housing
Benefit is dealt with by
your local council.
• Pensioners should call
the Pensions Service
(✆ 0800 99 12340).
• Free benefits calculator
www.entitledto.co.uk
DEBT ADVICE
Get in touch with any of the
organisations below to get
CREDIT UNIONS
free advice and help.
fornotare
Credit unions
• National Debtline
profit organisations that
✆ 0808 808 4000
,
unts
acco
bank
ide
prov
www.nationaldebtline.
They
loans and savings.
co.uk
may help people the banks
• StepChange Debt Charity
l
loca
your
nd
fi
won’t. To
✆ 0800 138 1111
credit union call ✆ 0161
www.stepchange.org
832 3694 or visit www.
Offers free debt
.uk.
n.co
unio
edit
findyourcr
management plans, debt
advice and more.
S
EFIT
BEN
• Citizens Advice
and
t
men
• For unemploy
www.citizensadvice.org.
work-related benefits talk
uk. In Wales call ✆ 08444
.
Plus
e
entr
to Jobc
77 20 20 England call ✆
or
ies
• People with disabilit
08444 111 444
carers should contact the
8 | Quids in!
2
3
4
5
6
7
9
8
10
11
13
12
14
15
16
17
18
Conceals (5)
Military brass instrument (5)
Extreme fatness (7)
Nothing, eg as a football score
(3)
18 Requests (4)
19 Ready to harvest or eat (4)
✆ QUIDS IN! USEFUL NUMBERS
1
19
DOWN
2 Chopper (3)
3 Aristocrat, as in The Red _____
(5)
4 Bed quilt (5)
5 Space for stationary cars (7)
6 Police baton (9)
7
11
14
15
17
You can find these on the
beach (9)
Snakes and _______ (7)
Secret agents (5)
One who purchases (5)
Short sleep (3)
THE QUIDS IN!
SIMPLE COOKING COURSE
3. Lasagne
SERVES
For our third recipe in the series
6-8
we’re going to combine our previous
two and make something magical,
COSTS
Lasagne! Almost everybody loves
£4.80
this rich, meaty dish with its
unctuous sauce, it’s a real treat. To
find the recipes for tomato sauce
and white sauce either look out your
last two copies of Quids in! or visit
qimag.uk/simplecookingcourse
minced beef until brown. Mix in the
INGREDIENTS
tomato sauce. Leave to cool.
3. Get a square ovenproof dish.
• Quids in! tomato sauce
Put a thin layer of white sauce on
• Quids in! white sauce
the bottom, then a layer of lasagne
• 500g minced beef
sheets on top. Then a layer of the
• 1tbsp oil
beef and tomato, then lasagne
• 1 pack lasagne sheets
sheets, white sauce, lasagne sheets,
• 100g grated cheddar cheese
beef and tomato, lasagne and
METHOD
finish with white sauce on the top.
Sprinkle cheese on top and bake in
1. Make tomato sauce and white
oven for 30 minutes.
sauce. Turn your oven on to 200
degrees Celsius.
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2. Heat a large frying pan on a high
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heat. Add the oil and then fry the