Cost of Living Articles
Report Highlights Struggles of Single Parents in Poverty
23rd February 2018A new research report has highlighted the extent to which many thousands of single parents throughout the UK struggle to escape poverty while bringing up their children. According to the study conducted by the Gingerbread charity, around 47 per cent of children who grow up in single parent families do so against a backdrop of […]
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7 ways to finally tackle your finances in 2018
15th January 2018The start of a new year is the perfect time to take stock of your finances and put plans in place for a financially savvy year ahead. While you may feel your problems are insurmountable, there are always things you can do to help, most of them surprisingly easy. Here are 7 ways you can […]
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FREE and Cheap Christmas Events for Children and Families in Scotland 2017
28th November 2017With presents to buy, stocking the cupboards for the family Christmas dinner, not to mention the flurry of festive social events with friends, family, and colleagues alike, the festive season can be an expensive time. However, it is possible to enjoy all this time of year has to offer without spending a fortune. Here are […]
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Nearest food banks in Scotland – what are your options?
25th August 2017The latest figures on the use of food banks in Scotland show a disproportionately high need by Scottish residents in terms of population numbers, when compared with any other area of the UK. The Trussell Trust distributed 145,865 food parcels to Scottish residents in 2016/17 via their food banks, with almost 48,000 of those food […]
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1 in 4 People ‘Performing Poorly’ in Their Jobs Because of Money Worries
12th January 2017As many as one in four people around the UK are performing poorly in their professional roles as a result of concerns about their personal finances. That’s according to a new research report put together by the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD), a nationwide association for human resource management professionals. The institute is […]
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9 practical tips for cutting your household expenses
6th December 2016We all want to save on our household bills and have more money in our pocket for the fun things in life. While bills are an unavoidable fact of life, here are some ways you can help to reduce them: Switch energy supplier. If you’ve never switched supplier, then you could be looking at saving […]
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Cuts to Benefit Cap ‘to Cost Scottish Households £18m a Year’
16th November 2016Official government figures suggest that recently introduced cuts to benefit caps in the UK will cost households throughout Scotland a collective total of £18.2 million per year. The cuts effectively mean that no household can take in any more than £20,000 in benefits on an annual basis, or no more than £23,000 if they live […]
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FREE and Cheap Christmas Events for Children and Families in Scotland 2016
8th November 2016Christmas is a notoriously expensive time of the year. However there are ways for you to cut the expense without cutting the fun. Here’s what you and your family can enjoy in Scotland’s four biggest cities in the run up to Christmas without breaking the bank: EDINBURGH 24 Doors of Advent When and Where: 1st […]
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Uncertain Incomes Making Life More Difficult for Indebted Scots
16th September 2016A growing number of Scots are in the position of being uncertain of how much money they will earn on a weekly or monthly basis and, for many, the result is a very challenging personal finance scenario. According to recent research, there are more than a million Scots whose incomes are variable, as a result […]
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Personal Debts are a ‘Heavy Burden’ for a Third of Young Adults
7th September 2016Personal debts are a “heavy burden” for 32 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds around the UK, according to recent research. A study carried out on behalf of the Money Advice Trust has found that credit card arrears and other forms of personal debt are a source of real concern for many thousands […]
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Indebted Brits ‘Increasingly Reliant’ on Money from Friends and Family
2nd September 2016Growing numbers of people who are struggling with personal debt problems are turning to their friends and family for financial support. But borrowing money from friends and relatives can have serious negative consequences and can often hinder the process of seeking support in dealing with debt. That’s according to the debt help charity Step Change, […]
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Bank of England’s Interest Rate Cut Could Be Good News for Scottish Borrowers
4th August 2016The Bank of England has announced its first reduction in the base rate of interest since early 2009 in response to significant weakening of the UK economy. Having been a 0.5 per cent for more than seven years, the Bank has decided to take action and reduce its base rate to 0.25 per cent in […]
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Homelessness Levels Down Across Scotland
29th June 2016The number of people who were recorded as being officially homeless fell across Scotland over the course of the year 2015/16. According to the latest data on the subject, there were 28,000 cases of people being homeless or threatened with homelessness during the year, which represents a 5 per cent decline on the previous 12 […]
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Rent Levels Reach Record High Across Scotland
22nd June 2016The average amount of money being paid as rent to landlords across Scotland reached an unprecedented high during May of this year. According to figures from the estate agents Your Move, the average rent level in Scotland increased by 1.3 per cent from £542 to £549 between April and May. Glasgow & Clyde apparently saw […]
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Scots Owe Their Parents an Average of £3,000, Study Finds
15th June 2016A study by the Bank of Scotland has found that a typical Scot owes their parents as much as £3,000, with the so-called ‘bank of mum and dad’ now a major lender nationwide. In fact, research by the bank and its ‘How Scotland Lives’ report suggests that Scottish parents have lent their children a collective […]
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Calls to HMRC Last Year ‘Cost Personal Tax Payers £97 Million’
25th May 2016Making phone calls to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) cost UK personal tax payers as much as £97 million over the course of the year 2015-16. That’s according to official figures on the subject from the National Audit Office (NAO), which has criticised the government’s main tax-gathering body for laying off customer service staff too […]
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1.25 Million Brits Found Destitute in 2015
29th April 2016As many as 1.25 million people were found to have been destitute at some point in 2015, according to a new in-depth report published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF). The charity group conducted what is believed to be the first study into the scale of destitution in Britain last year and has now published […]
Read morePart-time Workers ‘Feeling the Financial Squeeze’
14th April 2016People who work part-time across the UK are increasingly finding it difficult to cope with managing their finances and their personal or household debts. That’s according to the debt help charity organisation StepChange, which recently reported that a growing proportion of people contacting its experts work part-time rather than full-time. Notably, of the part-time workers […]
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National Living Wage Rules Introduce Pay Rises Across the UK
1st April 2016New laws that insist employers pay their staff who are aged 25 or over a minimum of £7.20 per hour have been introduced throughout the UK as of April 1st 2015. It is anticipated that somewhere in the region of 1.4 million people around the country will benefit from an immediate pay rise as a […]
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Watchdog Lays Out Plan for Reducing Household Energy Bills Across the UK
11th March 2016An influential watchdog has published a report outlining a variety of ways in which household energy bills could be reduced across the UK. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has concluded that many thousands of British households have been consistently overpaying for their energy supplies and ought to see them reduced in future months and […]
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Average Household Debt in Scotland ‘Up 65% Since 2008’
26th February 2016The average amount of debt held by individual households across Scotland has increased by as much as 65 per cent since 2008, according to a new report looking at the state of the nation’s financial wellbeing over the past decade. In 2008, the debt level of a typical Scottish household apparently stood at £2,200 but […]
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Energy Companies Overcharging Their Customers, Says Ofgem
15th January 2016Gas and electricity bills being paid by households throughout the UK are often higher than they ought to be, according to the government-backed body that regulates the industry. The wholesale prices being paid by energy companies for gas and electricity have been falling in recent months but the resulting savings have not been passed on […]
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Britain’s Household Debt Level Tipped to Top £40bn
24th December 2015The scale of personal debt taken on by individuals and households around the UK is likely to go beyond £40 billion this year, it has been claimed. According to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), there is a growing reliance among British consumers on borrowing and credit, which some observers have suggested might soon lead […]
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Food Banks in Scotland ‘Being Used More Often Than Ever’
18th November 2015People living in Scotland are being referred to food banks more frequently than ever before, according to the latest figures on the subject. Food banks aim to provide three days’ worth of emergency food supplies to people who cannot afford to buy their own for any reason and there were reportedly tens of thousands of […]
Read moreScots Missing Out on Potential Energy Bill Savings
26th October 2015Many thousands of Scottish households are missing out on cost savings they could be benefiting from if they switched their energy suppliers. According to recent research, some 42 per cent of Scots are not aware that swapping suppliers could save them money on their energy bills and are working on the assumption that their energy […]
Read moreFuel Poor Households to Get Government Help to Stay Warm and Save Money
15th September 2015Households across Scotland that face a struggle to stay warm and to afford their energy bills will be given government help as part of a new initiative announced this week by first minister Nicola Sturgeon. An amount of £224 million has been pledged in support of the Warm Homes Scotland scheme, which will aim to […]
Read moreGovernment Aiming to Introduce Rent Control Measures Across Scotland
3rd September 2015A series of rent control measures look set to be introduced in Scotland through legislation designed to protect tenants from unexpected rises in their monthly outgoings. In what could be good news for thousands of indebted Scottish households, the government is planning to introduce a Private Tenancies Bill that will effectively give it powers to […]
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Car Insurers Charging “Eye-watering” Admin Fees
20th August 2015Many of the UK’s leading car insurance companies are charging their customers “eye-watering” admin fees on a routine basis, according to the consumer watchdog Which? Veering away from the subject of car insurance premiums, Which? insists that some companies are levying what it calls “sneaky fees and charges” that “don’t seem to reflect the cost […]
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UK Consumers ‘Overpaying On Energy Bills’
14th July 2015British consumers and households are paying more than they should to cover their energy bills, according to an in-depth independent report on the subject. Research suggests that the average UK household spends roughly £1,200 each year on meeting their energy needs but many are unaware that they could be paying less if they switched supplier. […]
Read moreEnergy Regulator Calls for Action Over Costly Pre-pay Meters
30th June 2015Ofgem, the UK’s energy industry regulator, has called for a clampdown on the practice of gas and electricity suppliers installing pre-pay meters at significant cost to consumers. The watchdog wants to see an end to policies that see end users of energy services paying up to £180 to have meters installed in their homes and […]
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Thousands of Scottish Jobseekers Becoming Their Own Bosses
25th June 2015Thousands jobseekers around Scotland have taken advantage of the government’s New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) scheme to start their own businesses over the course of the recent months. In fact, official figures show that more than 3,200 Scots become their own bosses with the help of the initiative in the 12 months after March 2014. That […]
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Scotland’s Average Rents Reach Record High
24th June 2015The typical amount of money paid as rent to landlords across Scotland reached an unprecedented high during May of this year, according to a new set of figures. An average Scottish renter paid out £544 to their landlord during May, with that nationwide figure having jumped more sharply than ever before in the month. The […]
Read moreEmpty Home Helpline Aiming to Reduce Homelessness Across Scotland
19th June 2015A helpline designed to help bring down rates of homelessness across Scotland has been launched with the backing of the Scottish government. The initiative will give members of the public a number to call if they see homes or properties being left empty on a long-term basis in their community. It is hoped that the […]
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Scottish Youth Unemployment Levels Reach Lowest on Record
2nd June 2015The number of young men and women who are registered as being unemployed across Scotland fell to the lowest level yet recorded over the course of 2014, it has been revealed. Figures detailing youth unemployment in Scotland were released in recent days by the Scottish government, with only 21,000 individuals aged between 16 and 19 […]
Read moreWhat is Attachments of Earnings and how does it work?
2nd June 2015An Attachment of Earnings, or Earnings Arrestment as it is known in Scotland, is part of the ‘diligence’ process available to creditors who have been unable to collect their monies despite obtaining a court order. They must have sent a charge for payment to you as their debtor, along with a Debt Advice and Information […]
Read moreUK Debt Woes ‘Easing Up’ But Everyday Financial Headaches Remain
1st June 2015The frequency with which British consumers are finding themselves struggling with personal debts is falling but money worries still provide major headaches for millions of men and women around the country. That’s according to a research report from Citizens Advice, which suggests that while personal debts aren’t wreaking the kind of havoc they did during […]
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Energy Switching Saves Brits £30m in One Month
14th May 2015A campaign designed to encourage UK households to switch their energy suppliers has yielded remarkable results within a matters of weeks, according to the Department of Energy & Climate Change. The so-called ‘Power to Switch’ campaign has seen thousands of Britons changing their energy suppliers and saving money in the process. In fact, as many […]
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Scottish House Prices Hit New High in January, Latest Index Shows
24th March 2015The average price of a house in Scotland increased by 1 per cent to reach a new high in January 2015, according to the latest figures on the subject. With the typical cost of making a property purchase in Scotland having reached £166,771, experts are suggesting that the worst of the nationwide property market slump […]
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Council tax arrears ‘piling pressure on indebted Brits’
16th March 2015Council tax arrears are becoming an increasingly serious source of debt problems for a growing number of households around the UK, according to a new report. Figures from the charity group StepChange suggest that more than a quarter (28 per cent) of people with problem debts around the country now count council tax arrears among […]
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Millions of Hard-Up Brits ‘Don’t Bother to Budget’
29th January 2015As many as 21 million UK consumers are failing to set themselves a household budget and finding it more difficult to manage their money as a result. That’s according to the debt charity StepChange, which carried out a survey recently looking at financial habits around the country to coincide with Debt Awareness Week. With millions […]
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SSE Promises to Cut Gas Prices by 4.1% from April
27th January 2015SSE has promised to cut the price to customers of its domestic gas supplies by 4.1 per cent from April 30th, which could lead to significant savings for tens of thousands of households across Scotland. Keeping up with energy bills can be a real problem for anyone tackling serious personal debt problems and relentless demands […]
Read moreDebt repayment concerns for one quarter of Scottish households
8th December 2014Amid reports that a number of Scottish residents will turn to credit to afford the cost of gifts and entertaining over the Christmas period, the most recent consumer credit survey from multinational professional services firm, PwC, has revealed that one quarter of Scottish households are already concerned about how they will repay their debts. Although […]
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Thousands of Brits Delaying Parenthood to Sort Out Finances
14th November 2014Money and the pursuit of financial stability plays a major role in the decision-making processes of people across the UK who are hoping to start a family, according to new research. Around 14 per cent of Britons polled recently said they were looking to have children in the next few years and two-thirds of those […]
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Christmas Spending 2013
29th November 2013Our latest survey into the spending plans of people in Scotland and across Great Britain this Christmas reveals a marked generational divide in festive budgets. The report shows a significant disparity in attitudes to spending on the festive season, both to the amount that will be spent and the willingness to use credit as a […]
Read moreOver 400,000 Scottish households already struggling with energy costs – before prices rise
19th November 2013It’s likely that your energy provider will have recently announced its upcoming winter price hikes. As many residents in Scotland and the rest of the UK struggle to make ends meet, this will no doubt be unwelcome news. Following announcements of planned price rises by many energy suppliers, the Debt Advisory Centre in Scotland revealed […]
Read moreSSE price hike sparks concern over fuel poverty
28th October 2013The recent announcement from energy provider, SSE, revealing a decision to implement an 8.3 per cent increase in average energy prices, has raised concern amongst UK consumers. Around 7.3 million UK gas and electricity customers will be affected by the rise, which will come into effect from November 15. At three times the level of […]
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Cost of living forces consumers to borrow as lending continues to rise
30th September 2013Amid reports that the economy is finally improving, many ordinary families in the UK are still facing an everyday struggle with the cost of living. In recent months both unemployment and the housing market have begun to show recovery, however, recent statistics from the Bank of England suggest that consumer lending is still rising, and […]
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Scottish debt problems remain as the cost of living rises faster than salaries
9th September 2013Despite increased optimism surrounding an improving economy, many Scots are suffering in silence, continuing their struggle to make ends meet as the basic cost of living keeps on rising. According to the recent report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), rising costs such as energy bills and childcare costs are accelerating at a rate which […]
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Rising cost of fuel is driving motorists into debt
9th September 2013For many of us, a car is an essential part of everyday life. However, recent research from the AA has revealed that an increasing number of motorists are beginning to struggle to keep their car on the road, with many even turning to payday loans to fuel their vehicles. Fuel prices have spiked four times […]
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Don’t get caught out by credit card ‘deals’
16th August 2013The recent cap on benefits introduced by the UK Government in July is rumoured to be affecting around 4,600 households in Scotland. This new strategy will result in a deduction of around £100 per week for at least one quarter of Scottish households, and for those affected by the changes, could leave families with no […]
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I’m struggling to pay my energy bills, what can I do?
24th June 2013The price of gas and electricity has sky rocketed in recent years and with the average energy bill now costing around £1,420 per year, it’s not surprising that the number of people struggling to pay their gas and electricity is on the increase. A recent survey from Age UK found that one in five pensioners […]
Read moreRemortgaging to restructure your finances
20th May 2013Recent statistics from the Bank of Scotland show that a third of homeowners in Scotland would consider remortgaging their property if they saw potential to save money. The research suggests that Scottish residents could make a monthly saving of £135, and that one in five people with a mortgage are confident 2013 will offer better […]
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I can’t afford to repay all of my debts in the agreed term, what can I do?
29th April 2013Last year, 118,244 Scottish residents sought help from the Citizens Advice Bureau due to rising debt levels, so you’re not alone if you’re starting to feel the pressure. If you’ve accumulated large amounts of debt, you might have to prioritise your payments in order to get back on track. However, for many, as creditors’ letters […]
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