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Updated November 10, 2025 | Articles

Budget 2021: What you need to know

What you need to know about furlough, tax hikes and more.

This spring Budget, as announced by the Chancellor Rishi Sunak on 3rd March 2021 is the probably the most packed in the seven years I’ve been writing about them.

A lot of the measures where leaked in the days ahead, but there was plenty of new announcements, and I’ve compiled a list of the key ones below.

It was billed as a Budget to protect jobs, so there wasn’t a huge amount on how we’ll pay for the additional spending – but we still heard about a few of the ways money will be raised in taxes.

You can watch this round up video or keep reading

More detail will come in the next few days, and I’ll add information below as it’s revealed.

I’ll also be talking to the Financial Time’s consumer editor Claer Barrett on Friday’s episode of my Cash Chats podcast to analyse everything. You can subscribe now on your favourite podcast app so you don’t miss it.

Jobs & benefits

Furlough extended

The Coronavirus Job Support Scheme, due to end on 31st April 2021, will now finish on 30th September 2021.

Employees on furlough will continue to receive 80% of their wages up to £2,500 a month, though from the summer businesses will have to contribute some of the cash. In July it’ll be 10% of the 80%, and in August and September it’ll be 20% of the 80%.

Watch more about the furlough extension in this video

Self-employment scheme extended

Those eligible for SEISS (Self-Employment Income Support Scheme) will be able to apply for another three-month payment in April, covering 80% of profits up to £7,500.

There will also be a fifth (and final) grant to cover May to September. Those who have seen a turnover loss of 30% or more will get the same 80% (so up to £7,500). But if the turnover drop is less than 30% the grant will be reduced to 30% of those profits (capped at £2,850). It’ll be available from July 2021.

What’s also different this time is that it’ll now be based on the 2019/2020 self-assessment form, which brings in around 600,000 people who have previously missed out.

Nothing for ExcludedUK

Once more there was nothing to help the remaining 2.4m people who’ve had no support in the last year because they were limited company directors, freelancers, people on fixed term contracts or people earning a mix of PAYE and self-employment income.

Universal Credit uplift

The £20 extra weekly payment for low-income households claiming UC will be extended for six months. It will now stop at the end of September 2021. This was after a huge amount of pressure from the oppostion and other groups.

Eligible Working Tax Credit recipients will receive the same amount but as a £500 one-off payment.

The surplus earnings threshold for UC will remain at £2,500 for another year and then revert to £300.

Training grants

The government’s incentive for employers to bring on apprentices between April and September 2021 will be doubled to £3,000 per apprentice.

From June there will also be subsidised management training (Help to Grow: Management) and in the Autumn free digital training available (Help To Grow: Digital), as well as discounts on software. You can register interest here.

Tax & Savings

Green bond for savings

A new “Green bond” will be available to the public to put their savings in accounts that’ll help fund green initiatives. It’ll be from NS&I (National Savings and Investments) from the summer of 2021. The rate hasn’t been announced.

Income tax freeze

The different income tax thresholds were due to increase slightly from April 6th and this will go ahead, but they’ll stay at this level until 2026. This means:

The first £12,570 earned is tax free (Personal Tax Allowance, though it reduces for earners over £100k)
The next £37,700 is taxed at 20% (basic rate tax)
Earnings above £50,270 are taxed at 40% (higher rate tax)
Earning over £150,000 are taxed at 45% (additional tax rate)

This is really a stealth tax increase as you’ll lose out in real terms as inflation means prices you pay elsewhere will have gone up and if you get a salary increase you could be moved into the higher tax bracket.

Corporation Tax

In April 2023 Corporation Tax will jump to 25% on company profits from its current 19%.

Companies with profits of under £50,000 will see the rate remain at 19% under a “Small Profits Rate”, while the increase will be tapered above this. In total only 10% of businesses will pay the full rate (those with profits above £250,000 a year). The differnet tiers haven’t been revealed.

This is less of a blow for small businesses as was feared, especially those with smaller profits. It’s a big increase for big companies, but no doubt something the likes of Amazon and Facebook can avoid as we didn’t see a mooted digital sales tax.

Pension, capital gains and inheritance tax freezes

Other tax thresholds will stay at the same rate including Inheritance tax, Capital Gains Tax and the Pensions lifetime allowance. These will stay the same until 2026.

Booze increase frozen

All planned alcohol (Scotch, wine, cider and beer) will be frozen for another year.

Travel taxes

The petrol duty increases will also not happen in April.

Other travel taxes such as Air Passenger Duty, Vehicle Excuse Duty and company vehicle benefits will increase inline with inflation.

Housing

Stamp Duty holiday extended

The £500,000 threshold where no Stamp Duty is required will carry on for another three months in England and Northern Ireland.

Then from July until the end of September the nil-rate band will be £250,000. From 1st October it will return to the normal £125,000.

Scotland and Wales are still to announce what they are doing.

New 95% mortgage scheme

The government will guarantee mortgages for homebuyers to encourage more lenders to offer 95% mortgages. So it means you’ll be able to buy with a 5% deposit, subject to meeting the usual affordability criteria.

It’ll be capped at properties worth £600,000, but it won’t be restricted to first-time buyers or new build homes as other schemes have been.

Homebuyers will be able to fix for up to five years and the scheme will run until December 2022.

Shopping & retail

Contactless limit to increase to £100

You’ll now be able to tap your card without entering your PIN on payments up to £100. This is a massive jump up from £45, which was only increased from £30 a year ago.

It might take a short while for retailers to change systems for this to work.

VAT cut extended

The 5% rate of VAT (down from the usual 20%) for hospitality and tourism will remain until end of September.

It’ll then go to 12.5% for the next six months, before returning to 20% in April 2022.

No new schemes to get people shopping

There was no repeat of Eat Out To Help Out or similar schemes to get us shopping.

Non-essential and leisure retailer grants

“Non-essential” retailers that will be able to open in mid-April will be able to claim “restart grants” of up to £6,000 per site.

Hospitality and leisure businesses in England that will open later – such as pubs, hotels, restaurants, gyms and hairdressers – will be able to apply for grants of up to £18,000 each

There’s a similar fund set up for the other UK nations to distribute to retailers.

Business rate cut

Until the end of June, Business Rates will remain at zero for eligible retail, entertainment and leisure properties. It will be discounted by two-thirds until 31st March 2022.

Other announcements

Recovery loans scheme

Any business can apply for loans between £25,000 and £10m, with the government guaranteeing 80% of the money borrowed.

Super Deduction on tax for business investment

Companies spending money on equipment will be able to offset 130% of the cost against profits for two years.

More grants for sport and the arts

Most museums, cinemas, theatres and music venues have been closed for almost a year. An extra £300m will be added to £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund, £18.8m going to community initiatives and £77m to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Another £300m will go to support sports such as cricket and tennis, and there will be money for a 2030 UK and Ireland World Cup bid.

Green grants

A new national bank based in Leeds will be funding public and private green initiatives.

Funding for vulnerable groups

There will be funding for some groups:

An extra £19m to tackle domestic abuse
£10million for military veterans with mental health problems
A lifetime commitment for victims of the Thalidomide scandal

Visa reform for “highly skilled”

To encourage overseas workers from industries such as science, tech and engineering it’ll be easier to get a work visa via a points-based scheme.

Updated November 10, 2025 | Articles

Autumn Budget 2021: What you need to know

Andy Webb

What you need to know about the Government’s spending and taxation plans.

This Autumn Budget, as announced in Parliament by Chancellor Rishi Sunak on 27 October 2021 didn’t have many surprises.

Most of the measures were leaked in the days ahead than in any previous year I’ve covered (even more than last March’s budget).

But there were still some extra details and a handful of fresh announcements, and I’ve compiled a list of the key ones below.

More detail may come in the next few days, and I’ll add information below as it’s revealed.

I’ll also be talking to the financial journalist Lily Canter on Thursday’s episode of my Cash Chats podcast to analyse everything. You can subscribe now on your favourite podcast app so you don’t miss it.

Watch my Q&A on YouTube talking about the Budget

Jobs & benefits

The headlines here are around wage increases for the lower paid and public sector workers – though in the context of high inflation and increased living costs, any extra cash is likely to be eaten by elsewhere.

Minimum wage to increase

From April the National Living Wage for those over 23 years old will increase from £8.91 an hour to £9.50 an hour. This 6.6% rise means someone on minimum wage who works 35 hours a week will see their pre-tax income jump up by £1,074.

This is before tax, the increase in National Insurance and any impact on the UC uplift cut.

And of course, many employers will choose to pass on some or all of this cost on to customers – which will also eat into the value of this increase.

There are also increases for younger workers. Those aged 21 or 22 will see the minimum wage increase from £8.36 to £9.18. It’ll increase from £6.56 to £6.83 for those between 18 and 20 years old, while under 18s will see a jump of 19p to £4.81 an hour. The Apprentice rate will go from £4.30 to £4.81 an hour.

It’s worth noting here that though the Government rebranded the minimum wage as the National Living Wage a few years ago, it’s different from the level recommended by the Living Wage Foundation. The figures for 2021 will be announced on 15 November and with the increased cost of living over the last 12 months it’ll remain higher than the increases listed above.

Universal Credit taper change

People claiming UC will be able to earn more from work before they begin to lose their benefits.

The current “taper rate” of 63p means that if you earn over a certain amount you’ll only keep the equivalent of 37p from every pound due in benefits – putting some off working more hours or going for better paid jobs.

The new rate will be 55p per £1, and this will be introduced within weeks and certainly before 1 December 2021.

There will also be an increase by £500 a year in the Work Allowance (how much you can earn before the taper is introduced) for those caring for children or a household member with limited capacity for work.

Public sector pay increases

Workers for the NHS, schools, police, civil service and other parts of the public sector will see a pay freeze ended. It’s not clear what the increase will be, and it’ll no doubt vary depending on each area. All the small print says is the increases “should retain broad parity with the private sector”.

Nothing on rumoured student loan changes

Nothing was said about the rumoured change to when people begin repaying student loans – though that could still come as a separate announcement.

Personal Tax & Savings

Alcohol tax revamped

There will be just six (rather than 15) different tariffs on booze. The stronger alcohol will be taxed more than before, while lower alcohol drinks will be taxed less. Four of these tiers (though not the rates) will be:

1.2-3.4% alcohol by volume (ABV),
3.5-8.4% ABV,
8.5-22% ABV,
and above 22% ABV

As part of this, sparkling wines will no longer be taxed more than still wines, and fruit cider will be taxed at the same rate as apple and pear cider.

There will be a relief for smaller producers while pubs will also get a break with 5% relief on draught beer and cider – presumably these are the two other tariffs.

These new rules won’t come into effect until April 2023, but the broader increases set for alcohol this year will be cancelled.

Flight tax changes

There will be a 50% cut in Air Passenger Duty for domestic flights, but long-haul flights over 5,500 miles will be faced with a new tax that will be £91 for economy, and more for higher classes. That’ll include most of South America and Asia, and potentially the west coast USA.

I’ve had a quick look at distances using this site, and London to Los Angeles is under 5,500, but Edinburgh to LA is just over! While it’s the other way around for trips to Mexico City. I’d imagine the 5,500 distance will be evened out, rather than making it more expensive to fly from Scotland than England.

Fuel duty hike frozen

Fuel Duty won’t increase this year, though there are no cuts to changes to combat record petrol prices.

Personal tax

The big tax increases were announced last month – a hike of 1.25% on National Insurance and Dividends to start in April. Income Tax rates were also frozen last year and there were no changes announced.

VAT stays on energy bills

Some have been calling for a temporary suspension of 5% VAT on energy bills to help with the huge increases over recent months (which will likely continue). This was rejected by the Chancellor and stays in place.

Green Savings Bond

First announced back in March’s Budget, the Green Savings Bonds are now available to use for your savings – though they aren’t great. Here’s my analysis and list of alternatives.

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Business Tax

I won’t go into all the business announcements as this is about personal finance, but there are a few significant ones.

50% discount on Small Business Rates

To help small retailers, hospitality and leisure businesses there will be a 50% cut in Business Rates for a year.

There will also be changes to broader Business Rates that’ll see them reviewed every three years, and a planned increase for next year will be cancelled.

No new online sales tax

It was thought there’d be some kind of announcement on an extra tax for online businesses, but this didn’t happen.

Property developer tax to fund cladding removal

The biggest property developers (worth more than £25million profit) will be taxed at 4% to build a £5billion pot to fund cladding removal on high risk buildings.

** UPDATE – turns out this is another measure that has already been announced!

Our podcast

Listen to Cash Chats, our award-winning podcast, presented by Steve Alderton and Editor James Andrews.

Episodes every Monday.

Listen now

Spending announcements

Transport

A regional transport package was announced worth £6.9bn, though only £1.5 billion is new money – the rest has been previously been revealed, including £4.2bn in 2019.

The money is to be spent on buses, trams and trains in England. Further money will go to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Education and skills

School funding will return to 2010 levels, worth £1,500 extra per pupil.

There will be money spent to fund new T-Level qualifications for 16 to 19 years olds (announced back in 2020) and £560 million to train 500,000 adults with low numeracy skills via a scheme called Multiply.

Health

A huge £5.9 billion will go to the NHS to largely fund equipment to help reduce the waiting lists for scans and tests that’s built up. This is in addition to the £12bn announced last month that’ll be paid for through the National Insurance increase.

Culture

Some major museums and galleries will get £850 million to redevelop or refurbish buildings. Another £75 million will go to regional museums and libraries to improve facilities.

£500 million fund for families

Local governments will be given funds to launch support centres for families, while money will also be allocated to areas such as mental health services and help with breastfeeding.

Overseas Aid funding returns

By 2024 the UK will once again provide 0.7% of GDP for overseas aid.

Updated November 6, 2025 | Articles

Apps to take advantage of your open banking data

Andy Webb

From analysing your spending to automating savings, sharing your banking data can help you better understand your finances.

There’s been a huge amount of coverage in the press about “open banking” – a new rule the banks have to follow that means they have to let you share your banking data. So things like spending habits or how much you pay for an overdraft.

That might not sound like much, but with that information, other companies can help you better manage your money and cut the cost of banking. Despite lots of effort to get people to switch bank, not enough of us do it. So the hope is open banking will encourage new and old banks to be more competitive and come up with new and better ways to help customers with their money.

But I wouldn’t get too excited just yet. Only a handful of the major banks were ready at launch, and it’ll take a few years before all the banks and apps are up to speed with the new rules.

However, there are ways you can share your data now. I’ve listed some of the top apps further down, but first… a little about open banking.

What is open banking?

Open banking means banks have to make data about your current account available to third parties. If you then choose to give other companies access to that information, they can use it to offer you better banking.

This could mean recommending where you can get a cheaper overdraft, allowing you to manage multiple accounts from one app, or analysing your spending to show where you could cut back.

Is it safe?

With open banking, the banks have to share your data with FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) approved companies. They’ll do this via APIs (Application Programming Interface) that require your permission but not your log in details. So if something does go wrong you’re protected by the bank.

Hasn’t this data sharing been happening for a while?

Yup. The difference is until now apps have been “scraping” your data from your bank after you’ve given read-only access. Scraping doesn’t have the same protection as the open banking APIs so if the app was to be hacked and your details were stolen, the banks don’t have to compensate you for any lost money.

And this scraping might carry on for a while. Just because the open banking rules have started, it doesn’t mean all the banks are set to share your data through APIs, or that these apps have got FCA regulation. In fact scraping isn’t banned until September 2019.

But though the API method will certainly be safer, it doesn’t mean you should wait. These apps do have their own security systems in place, and some have their own protections for your money. You just need to read up on these before signing up to make sure you’re happy to give access.

Do watch out though for scammers. It’s thought there will be some who try to take advantage of the new rules in order to get access to your bank account. Do your research first on any business that asks for this data.

The apps that’ll use your banking data

Whether you’re using open banking APIs or just providing read-only access through scraping, there are advantages to sharing your data now. And that’s mainly through apps or chat-bots that integrate with Facebook.

There are dozens and dozens of these, with new ones appearing all the time. I think there are some exciting ideas – though they won’t all work and some will fail before they even really get started.

I’ve been trying some of the apps available and I’ll be writing in-depth reviews the more I use them this year. Until then, here are a few apps to check out.

The apps to help you budget

If you’ve multiple current accounts and credit cards across different banks (I’ve got 11 current accounts at the moment!), checking every online account or app can be a bit of a faff.

To help there are aggregating apps which show you every account and credit card balance on a single screen, and list all your spending on another.

But they do a lot more, and are useful even if you only have a couple of accounts. They also analyse your spending so you can quickly see how much you spend on bills, or eating out and so on in a month. You can also set budgets and notifcations if you’re overspending.

The main ones are:

Yolt

I use this one the most. This one has been set up by Dutch banking giants ING. As well as seeing all your accounts and spending, Yolt predicts future spending so you have a “smart balance” – i.e. what you really have to spend or save after forthcoming credit card and household bills are taken away. Yolt is app only.

>> Sign up for Yolt

Cleo

Cleo primarily uses a chatbot in Facebook, which I’m not so keen on. But I do think you’re more likely to interact with Cleo on a daily basis this way, which is a good thing. It probably just takes some getting used to!t

However there is also a handy dashboard you can open from Facebook Messenger or on a computer which is very easy to use,

>> Sign up for Cleo

Money Dashboard

Money Dashboard has been around for years and was one of the first aggregators. It’s got less going on than Yolt, which is either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your point of view!

My main issue here is it displays a balance for an account I closed years ago, and says an active account is closed. And I can’t do anything about it!

Like Cleo you can use this from your computer, and also download the data to use in spreadsheet software.

>> Sign up for Money Dashboard

Emma

This has a more stripped back layout than Yolt and MD, which I’m not so sure about. But it’s only in beta which means not all the features are released yet. However it is FCA approved so your data is better protected (as long as your bank is ready with the APIs).

>> Sign up for early access to Emma

The apps to help you save

A smart feature with these apps can help you save. The apps analyse your spending data to work out how much you can afford to save. If you give permission the apps then use a Direct Debit to move that money to a separate account. These apps essentially make sure you don’t forget to save, and hopefully not notice there’s less money in your bank account as a result either.

Chip

You can earn up to 5% interest with Chip and I’ve been using it since mid-2017. Chip isn’t currently regulated by the FCA but your money is held in a Barclay’s e-wallet.

** UPDATE 16/1/18 – I’ve negotiated a deal where you can start with 3% rather than the standard 1%. Use the code CLEVER3 to get your 3% bonus. This offer expires 31st January 2018 **

>> Read my review and get up to 5% interest

Plum

You earn interest on savings here if you sign up for peer to peer lending, which comes with risks. Plum suggests you’ll get a 3% return on your savings, though the money isn’t protected so read up before investing.

Like Cleo, Plum uses Facebook Messenger rather than an app. I personally chatting to the app a bit annoying, but if you regularly use Facebook it’s easy to access. But it is handy to get daily notifications of your bank balance and your spending over the day, week and month.

>> Sign up for Plum

The apps to help you switch

I’ve not actually used these ones yet, but the idea is the software analyses the data to find where it thinks you are overspending. If you agree, you can switch to a cheaper deal through the app or cancel a service.

Two to check out are Bean and Mespo.

>> Sign up to Bean

>> Add Mespo to your Facebook Messenger

Updated November 6, 2025 | Articles

14 apps to save you money on your holiday

Andy Webb

Cut the cost of your holiday by downloading these 14 travel apps to your phone or tablet.

I’ve never been the person who just buys a package holiday and leaves it at that. I’ll shop around to get the cheapest I can on hotels, flights, travel money – pretty much everything. And apps can be a big help.

Here are some of the top apps you should download to plan your holiday, and save even more when you are away.

Each is available for iOS and Android. And you can also use your phone’s browser to go to the webpages for each of these.

Apps to save on your flights and hotels bookings

Probably the biggest expenses of most holidays – and where you can make the biggest savings.

1. Skyscanner

2. Kayak

These are both travel comparison apps which are great for that first wistful daydream to find the destinations for your budget. I tend to prefer Skyscanner for flights and Kayak for hotels.

3. Seat Guru

With flight shares (where different airlines share a route) you never really know who you’re flying with and what that means.

This app lets you enter the flight number to find out the type of aircraft, who is operating the flight, the facilities onboard (such as in-seat movies), and read reviews of different seats, helping you get the best value for your money.

4. Airbnb

Often far cheaper than a hotel, Airbnb is the service where people let out their spare room – and sometimes their whole home.

As long as you read the reviews you shouldn’t go too far wrong. Plus an added bonus is the local knowledge you get from your hosts.

Apps to save on your travel money

The worst thing you can do is leave it to the last minute to get your cash. I’ve written about how to get the best deal already, but these apps will make sure you know what you’re spending – and at the lowest rate.

5. XE

When I’m away I always use XE to get a rough idea of how the local currency converts to sterling. It won’t be exact (that depends on how you pay) but it should help you work out if it’s a decent price, and if it’s in your holiday budget.

6. Starling

7. Monzo

Starling and Monzo are two app-only digital banks are managed from your phone rather than in a branch. One of the reasons they’re stand out from other banks is you won’t get charged for spending overseas or withdraw cash from an ATM (though Monzo has a £200 monthly limit before a 3% fee is charged). When you use the card you’ll also be instantly sent a notification of how much you’ve spent, converted to pounds – though you obviously need data turned on for this to work.

Apps to save on your mobile data

I’m so used to doing everything on my phone that it’s a bit of a shock being restricted when on holiday. Yes, it can be nice to switch off, but there are advantages to being able to see what’s a nice place to eat, or find your way around without a big “I’m a tourist” map.

Though in most of Europe now you can use inclusive data, for the rest of the world it’s only Three which allows this, and only in certain locations. So for everywhere else, these apps can help you get online without adding bucketloads on your bill.

8. Wifi Finder

This app will tell you if there’s free wifi near you. It’s crowdsourced so might not always be correct, but it’s a big help. Of course, you need to be online to use it, but I use wifi at the hotel to take a look before heading out.

9. Google Maps

You can buy Sat Nav apps, or city maps, but thanks to a handy trick you can download sections of maps from Google Maps to use offline.

>> Read my guide to saving money on your mobile overseas

Apps to help you keep in touch

You can also wrack up big bills outside Europe for making calls, sending texts and using other messaging services. But as long as you’re connected to wifi you can talk, share pics and more with these apps.

10. WhatsApp

11. Facebook Messenger

You can make free calls to other WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger users, as well as send photos and instant messages

It’s also worth checking if your mobile network has an app that lets you make calls via the Internet as part of your calls package – meaning you can call landlines back home. Handy if your card gets declined and you need to phone the bank!

Apps to save on your shopping

Though we often think we’re getting a better deal at duty-free or in certain countries, it’s often not the case. So I’ll always use these apps to check the price back in the UK.

12. MySupermarket

13. Idealo

14. Amazon

MySupermarket is useful for things at duty-free, especially booze. I’ll usually pick up a bottle or two of spirits on my way home, but first I’ll check the price against the supermarkets back home. With price wars and promotion in the UK, the airport isn’t always cheaper.

For clothes and gadgets I’ll look at Idealo and Amazon. A pair of Converse I was about to buy in America a few years back were actually cheaper as part of a sale on Amazon.

Updated November 6, 2025 | Articles

How to stockpile for an emergency

Andy Webb

With more and more people building up a food stockpiles, should you be buying some emergency supplies?

I first wrote this article in 2019 when stockpiling became a hot topic around fears of a no-deal Brexit, but it’s getting a lot of traffic again now as people begin to worry about the effect of Coronavirus. Everything I’ve written below is still relevant if you’re thinking of getting some emergency food and toiletries in.

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If you’ve been into a supermarket or shopped online recently you won’t have escaped a growing number of sections with no stock. The reason? People are stockpiling for Brexit. And quite a few of them too. A survey last month found one in six Brits had already started or was about to start doing it.

And I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s even more people now, worried about stock running low due to others stockpiling, or news that big retailers like Sainsbury’s and M&S are concerned about the supply chains in the event of a no-deal Brexit. And it’s not just food. There are already reports of shortages of some medicines, while I’ve seen entire shelves cleared out of toilet roll.

But I’ve been sceptical of getting involved. The more people stockpile, the more there will be empty shelves. This, in turn, could panic others into taking part too. Though supermarkets are stockpiling themselves, this run on the supermarkets could lead to shortages. And that’s even before the chaos of a no-deal Brexit. So I’ve held back writing about this so not to fan any flames.

Why stockpile?

However, when both Becky and I were recently ill and hardly left home for a week, we very quickly got through a lot of our everyday storecupboard and frozen supplies. It actually surprised me how poorly prepared we’d be for any prolonged period where we couldn’t get food.

Plus, though we don’t know how badly Brexit will affect our access to food, there are daily news reports out there which suggest even if the government manage to negotiate a smooth departure there will still be higher prices and stock problems. Both are reasons to begin stockpiling, especially if you’d struggle with the cost of food going up or if you have dietary requirements.

And as our illness showed, all sorts of emergencies could force you to delve into your stockpile. For example, if you live in an isolated area it only takes some heavy snow or flooding to stop you leaving your home.

So for all those reasons we’ve now started to build up our own supply of food and toiletries. Here are some basic rules you need to follow to make sure you’re not wasting money or food.

Stockpiling rules

Buy what you’ll actually use

For the most part, only buy things you’d usually have and use. As you use them in normal life you can just replace them in your stockpile.

There will, of course, be some things where the long-life version isn’t something you’d normally buy. For example, you might usually get fresh milk, fruit or fish rather than UHT or tinned versions. But it’s important to make sure you’ve got a supply of vitamins, protein and calcium.

Stock up to on herbs, spices, stock cubes and so on. Plus oil for cooking with.

However, avoid buying food you won’t eat. I’m thinking about things I wouldn’t normally touch like pot noodles or tinned all-day English breakfasts.

Check what you’ve already got

A lot of the things you think you might need might already be in your cupboards and freezers, so it’s just a case of replacing them as you use them.

Only spend what you can afford

Don’t get into debt by whacking a year’s supply of tins on a credit card. Work out what you can afford and stock up as and when you have more cash.

You’ll get more for your money if you downgrade to own branded items, and obviously, look for special offers. And look for reduced food to fill your freezer.

Check expiration dates

Some food won’t be suitable as it’ll be out of date sooner rather than later. But it’s worth checking everything.

We picked up six tins of tomatoes on special offer with a date of Dec 2019. Which is more than long enough. But we already had some in the cupboard with a date of Dec 2020! So do check for the longest dates possible. Also, remember that you can still eat anything past its best before date, but not anything past its use by date.

You’ll need to keep track too. Use any food which is nearing its end date and then replace it.

Think beyond food

Toilet roll, toothpaste, cleaning products and the like could all also be affected by problems with the supply chains or trade deals. These products will all last for ages. You should also think about your pets, and things like batteries, cling film and foil.

Extreme stockpiling

If you read any of the Brexit Prepper forums you’ll see people talking about water purification tablets, solar chargers, gas stoves and tents. I think this is extreme for Brexit, but as I said earlier, you should think about stockpiling for any kind of emergency.

So say water supplies were contaminated or energy supplies cut then some of those things could come in handy. I won’t get into it here, but you can search online if you want to take your stockpiling to the next level…

What if there’s no need to use your stockpile

There’s little harm buying supplies of things you’re going to eat anyway. If Brexit is delayed then you just won’t need to buy your supplies for a while. So pasta, rice, tinned tomatoes, etc are likely to all be storecupboard staples that you’ll get through.

Of course, you might not use everything. For example, if you bought powdered egg but there’s always a supply of fresh eggs, then you’re unlikely to use this alternative. Or if you’ve got huge numbers of some items – some people are stockpiling for a year – then you’re not going to want to solely eat these if you don’t have to.

In either of these cases, you can donate surplus supplies to a food bank. Aim to do this at least three months before the expiration date. You can find many local foodbanks via the Trussell Trust, but there could be others too.

Do you have a stockpile? What’s in it? Let me know in the comments below

Updated November 6, 2025 | Deals

Cheap and free Kindle book offers

BCWYC Team

How to get Kindle ebooks for less.

Kindles can be great ways to read on the move. While you may prefer to hold a proper book, the Kindle can be an essential item for holidays and travelling.

It’s also possible to save a lot of money on the books you buy with hundreds of Kindle titles on sale at just 99p, and many more available for free.

And these aren’t just books you’ve never heard of. — selections change all the time, but you can get bestsellers and Booker and Pulitzer Prize-nominated titles.

Here are the best ways to get free or cheap ebooks for your Kindle.

Some articles on the site contain affiliate links, which provide a small commission to help fund our work. However, they won’t affect the price you pay or our editorial independence. Read more here.

Free Kindle books for all

Kindle Unlimited free trials

For £9.49 a month you can get access to Kindle Unlimited – a library of over 1 million Kindle books (as well as magazines and audiobooks). This is a subscription so you’ll keep paying every month unless you cancel it.

However, there’s also a 30-day trial to give it a go. After that, it’s £9.49 a month. You should be able to take a free trial every 13 months (so 12 months after a 30-day trial ends).

Amazon Prime members can sometimes get a longer trial though the offer you’ll get can vary. Click the link below to see what you can get.

Free “Amazon Classics”

It’s possible to pick up free Kindle copies of older books that are no longer under copyright.

For example, a quick look has found titles like Homer’s The Odyssey, Tolstoy’s War and Peace and HG Wells’ The Time Machine all part of a series called Amazon Classics. And the vast majority of the titles in this group are free with only a handful coming in at £1.99.

Check out the latest Amazon Classics titles

Free Kindle book lists

You can also see all the free Kindle books via the EReaderIQ website. However, there are so many books listed that it could take you hours to go through them all and find anything decent.

You can filter by rating to help weed out the trash, and you may want to select “also available in paperback” (not that there won’t be some decent self-published books).

Search for free books at EReaderIQ

Free Kindle books for Amazon Prime members

You’ll need to be signed up to Amazon Prime to get these freebies.

Not got Prime? Try a 30-day free trial

Prime Reading selection

If you have Amazon Prime then you’ve got access to Prime Reading, a selection of titles you can read for free, including the Harry Potter series. It’s a smaller version of Kindle Unlimited.

There are some decent books in this selection, so it’s worth taking a look if you haven’t already, or if you’ve been disappointed in the offering before.

Check out Prime Reading’s latest selection

Free First Reads every month

Another offer for Prime members, First Reads gets you a copy of a new title that hasn’t been released yet. A new selection is released on the 1st of each month.

Check out the latest First Reads selection

Featured deal

Santander £240 switch offer

Customer rating 3.9/5

Switch bonus
£240
Perks
8% regular saver
Monthly fee
0
Offer ends
Unknown

FSCS Protected? Yes
Bonus requirements To get the £240 switch offer, you need to complete a full switch with the Current Account Switching Service. Then, within 60 days of your initial switch request, you need to set up two active direct debits, deposit £1,500 into the current account, set up a Santander Regular Saver, and deposit £200 into it.
Regular saver 8% (variable) regular savings account. Includes 5% (variable) bonus for 12 months
Existing customers? You can't have held a Santander account on 1 January 2026.

View Deal

Cheap Kindle books

You can also pick up very cheap books every day on Amazon. Prices can go up and down all the time, but there are a couple of regular offers to keep an eye on.

99p daily deals

Every day Amazon sells five or six titles for just 99p (or just over). These deals last just 24 hours before new offers replace them. I’ve picked up quite a few titles from this deal and have signed up for a daily email so I get a nudge to check what is on offer.

Check out the Kindle Daily deals

£1 monthly offers

On the 15th of every month, a new selection of 80 different Kindle books is made available at just £1 each. These titles are usually also available via Kindle Unlimited.

Shop the 80 monthly £1 Kindle books

Kindle book price tracker

Prices of Kindle books can jump up and down all the time and it’s easy to miss a book your after at a lower price.

However you can actively track specific books and set up alerts so you’ll know if it drops to a price you are happy to pay. You can also track by author.

It’s back on that EreaderIQ website. You do need to enter your email address to access this feature and though a donation is welcome you don’t have to pay.

Kindle device deals

You don’t actually need a Kindle to read Kindle books – you can download the free Kindle app to your computer, phone or tablet.

However it’s a better reading experience if you do get one, and there are often deals to bring down the cost.

Cheap Kindle device trade-in deal stack

If you’ve an older Kindle you can trade it in for 20% off a new one, but if you time this for when the Kindle is on offer (such as on Prime Day or Black Friday), that 20% should come off the original price (make sure you check!).

So a £94.99 Kindle, reduced to £79.99, would be discounted by £19 to £60.99.

And even better, there could be gift card on top of this, depending on the age and condition of your existing Kindle. For me, I was offered a £30 gift card for my two year old Kindle Paperwhite, and £20 for my wife’s seven-year old version.

Using the £20 voucher brings the total we’d pay down to £40.90 – more than 55% off.

You could supersize this stack and opt for the Kindle Kids edition. This is the ad-free Kindle, comes with a two year warranty, and a case (though the cases are now very kiddy). You’ll need to set it up with a kid’s account, but you can then log out and log in with your own – and it’ll work as normal.

It retails are £114.99, but can be reduced to around £94.99. With the trade-in 20% discount, you’d pay £71.99. A gift card of £20 would bring it down further to £51.99.

Get a reduced Kindle

Updated November 6, 2025 | Articles

The best of Be Clever With Your Cash in 2021

Andy Webb

Catch up on my top articles, podcasts and videos from the last 12 months.

Over the last 12 months I’ve produced more content than ever before, writing 174 articles, recording 84 episodes of my Cash Chats podcast and uploading 142 videos to YouTube. And that’s not including countless deals posted here on the blog and Instagram!

No doubt even the most regular readers among you won’t have managed to take in all that money-saving and making content. So here’s a look at the highlights that are still well worth a look.

I’ve shared the most read, listened to and viewed over the year, which lends an obvious bias to content produced earlier in the year, so for each category I’ve also shared my personal favourite from the year.

And I’d also like to say thank you to all of you who consumer my content. This year will be my biggest by a long way, with more than 4 million views across all content. That’s double 2020’s figures. I couldn’t have done it without you, so thanks!

The Be Clever With Your Cash blog in 2021

It’s been another record year for visits to this site. In total 1.9 million people (up from 1.2 million last year) came to Be Clever With Your Cash reading a total of just over 2.8 million pages (up from 1.6 million in 2020).

I think part of this is down to the total redesign of the site back in May, and new sections for “Best Buys” and improved search on “Deals“

People looking at these sections for the best savings accounts and current accounts were as ever a huge part of the traffic, along with pages offering deals.

Elsewhere the most read new articles published this year included:

My personal favourities included my scoop on Sainsbury’s changing in-store Nectar offers and my expose of misleading advertising by HyperJar.

Featured deal

Santander £240 switch offer

Customer rating 3.9/5

Switch bonus
£240
Perks
8% regular saver
Monthly fee
0
Offer ends
Unknown

FSCS Protected? Yes
Bonus requirements To get the £240 switch offer, you need to complete a full switch with the Current Account Switching Service. Then, within 60 days of your initial switch request, you need to set up two active direct debits, deposit £1,500 into the current account, set up a Santander Regular Saver, and deposit £200 into it.
Regular saver 8% (variable) regular savings account. Includes 5% (variable) bonus for 12 months
Existing customers? You can't have held a Santander account on 1 January 2026.

View Deal

The Andy Clever Cash YouTube channel in 2021

2021 was the year where YouTube really grew for me. I started 2020 with 4,100 subscribers and by the time you read this that figure could well have just nudged over 20,000.

Views were also phenomenal, with more than 1.2 million taking place across all the videos – that’s almost 1 million more than in 2020.

Alongside the usual video guides, I also held 34 live Ask Andy Q&A’s which have been an amazing way to connect with you every other week.

The most viewed videos created this year included a number of “best for 2021 videos”, which I won’t share below as they’re obviously out of date (new versions are coming in the next few weeks). But of the rest, these had the most views:

Cancel Sky TV: Why you need to do it now (89k views)
How much does Sky Glass cost? (33k views)
Monzo Bank review (21k views)
Plum app review (19k views)
Best mobile banking apps (18k views)

It’s hard to pick a favourite here, but I love the format of the monthly updates on savings, banking and credit cards, while this week’s look at the best budgeting apps took more than a day to research, film and edit – so I hope it does well!

The Cash Chats podcast in 2021

There have been a total of 172,000 downloads (up by 46,000 from 2020) of Cash Chats, firmly placing it in the top 1% of podcasts WORLDWIDE.

I managed to publish at least one episode a week all year, bringing the number of consecutive weeks to 102! Podcasting might be smaller than the others, and not really bring in any income, but I love being able to speak to guests or just chat to you each week.

This year also saw the launch of a new bonus Friday episode called Your Money, This Week, and that was part of 2021 being the biggest year for my podcast.

The most listened to episodes this year were:

You can subscribe to Cash Chats on your podcast app via these buttons

Our podcast

Listen to Cash Chats, our award-winning podcast, presented by Steve Alderton and Editor James Andrews.

Episodes every Monday.

Listen now

Updated November 6, 2025 | Articles

The best of Be Clever With Your Cash in 2022

Andy Webb

Catch up on my top articles, podcasts and videos from the last 12 months.

Over the last 12 months I’ve produced more content than ever before, writing 221 articles, recording 54 episodes of my Cash Chats podcast, uploading 96 videos to YouTube and hosted 25 live Q&A. And that’s not including countless deals posted here on the blog and Instagram!

No doubt even the most regular readers among you won’t have managed to take in all that money-saving and making content. So here’s a look at the highlights that are still well worth a look.

And I’d also like to say thank you to all of you who consumer my content. This year will be my biggest by a long way, with close to 7.5 million views across all content. That’s almost double 2021’s figures. I couldn’t have done it without you, so thanks!

The Be Clever With Your Cash blog in 2022

It’s been another record year for visits to this site. In total 2.5 million people (up from 2.1 million last year) came to Be Clever With Your Cash reading a total of just over 4.1 million pages (up from 2.8 million in 2020).

Almost half a million of those views were for my savings best buy tables! Streaming deals and bank switch offers were also very popular.

The most read new articles published this year included:

My personal favourities included:

Featured deal

Santander £240 switch offer

Customer rating 3.9/5

Switch bonus
£240
Perks
8% regular saver
Monthly fee
0
Offer ends
Unknown

FSCS Protected? Yes
Bonus requirements To get the £240 switch offer, you need to complete a full switch with the Current Account Switching Service. Then, within 60 days of your initial switch request, you need to set up two active direct debits, deposit £1,500 into the current account, set up a Santander Regular Saver, and deposit £200 into it.
Regular saver 8% (variable) regular savings account. Includes 5% (variable) bonus for 12 months
Existing customers? You can't have held a Santander account on 1 January 2026.

View Deal

The Andy Clever Cash YouTube channel in 2022

2022 was another great year for YouTube. I started 2021 with 20,000 subscribers and by the time you read this that figure has just nudged over 50,000.

Views were also phenomenal, with more than 3.1 million taking place across all the videos – that’s almost 2 million more than in 2021.

Alongside the usual video guides, I also held 25 live Ask Andy Q&A’s which have been an amazing way to connect with you every other week.

The most viewed videos created this year included a number of my monthly updates on savings, banking and credit cards, which I won’t share below as they’re largely out of date (new versions are published every month). But of the rest, these had the most views:

Premium Bonds after a year: Were they worth it? (108k views)
The best money making apps of 2022 (43k views)
Chase vs Staring vs Monzo (42k views)
14 ways to improve your credit score (34k views)

There are also a handful of videos with lower views which I think are worth a look at if you missed them:

10 Places To Find Forgotten Money (3.3k views)
3 Credit Card Rules You Have To Follow (6.6k views)
American Express HACK: Get THREE sign up bonuses (8.6k views)
Creating a budget you can stick to (2.4k views)

The Cash Chats podcast in 2022

Even though I had to drop the bonus weekly “Your Money, This Week” episode of the pod (I just didn’t have time, but hope to bring it back in 2023), there have been a total of 225,000 downloads (up from 172,000 in 2021) of Cash Chats, with double the number of people listening to each episode.

Once again I managed to publish at least one episode a week all year, bringing the number of consecutive weeks to 154! Podcasting might be smaller than the others, and not really bring in much income, but I love being able to speak to guests or just chat to you each week.

But the two biggest moments of the year for me were thanks to the podcast. First, in March, I interviewed then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak on the show, a huge coup for an independent podcast.

And then in October Cash Chats was featured as “Show of the Week” in the Radio Times, selected ahead of alternatives from the BBC, Which? and the FT.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Andy Webb | Be Clever With Your Cash (@andyclevercash)

I’m not going to suggest certain episodes to catch up on as it’s best to just follow Cash Chats on your podcast app via these buttons and start listening!

Our podcast

Listen to Cash Chats, our award-winning podcast, presented by Steve Alderton and Editor James Andrews.

Episodes every Monday.

Listen now

Updated November 6, 2025 | Articles

What benefits and financial help are you entitled to?

Andy Webb

Help is available for those you need it.

Benefits aren’t just for the unemployed or the sick. There’s support available for a broad variety of people – from parents to the bereaved, from low-earners to carers, from the young to the old. Even people will a decent income might be eligible for certain support.

And it’s not all money. Some benefits come in the form of discounts on bills, housing, travel and more. Others might provide you with food, a blue badge for parking, free dental treatment or even things like school uniforms.

There could even be a grant you can apply for, where the money and support you get comes from charities rather than the government.

Ok, so the amount you’ll get in cash or kind from any of these routes might not be great. And at times the processes can be mired in bureaucracy and injustice. But if you are entitled to any of these benefits it means you need it. And it will in turn help you and your finances.

Don’t be too proud. Don’t think you can’t claim. If you’re struggling then it really is worth making a claim.

So how do you go about doing this? Well, first of all, you need to find out what – if anything – is available to you.

Find out what benefits you can claim

There are so many different benefits I’m not going to list them here. Instead it’s worth taking 10 minutes to check what you personally can get.

The way to do this is to use a benefits calculator. There are a number out there, and these are regarded as good ones to try.

You’ll need some basic information to complete the calculators including your household income and level of savings, details of any benefits you already claim and all your bills.

Go through the calculator and you’ll get a list of what you can apply for and how.

Where to get advice about benefits

Need more help? Well there’s plenty of free advice out there.

Citizens Advice is a great source of help for people needing advice on many topics, including benefits. However, demand always outstrips availability so you might struggle to get an appointment. You can find more information about how to get in touch with your local Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) here.

There are also specialist benefit advice lines for individuals suffering from cancer, the elderly, single parents and more. The Money Advice Service has a good list of these groups here.

How to get a food bank referral

Food banks work slightly differently, and you need to have a referral in order to get one of the food parcels.

Places you can get a referral from include local organisations and individuals such as your local CAB, your GP and social workers.

The Trussell Trust, which runs the country’s largest network of food banks, suggests you contact your local food bank to see who they work with locally.

Once you get your referral voucher you can visit your food bank and you’ll be given a parcel that should last you three days.

It’s worth noting that most food banks are only open for a couple of days each week (the one near me is just Tuesday and Friday), so you need to plan ahead if you are close to running out of all your food.