Money saving tips

The chancellor has recently revealed plans that will translate into increasing austerity for millions of British people in the months and years ahead.  These plans include spending cuts, benefit cuts and higher taxes.

In times of recession, high unemployment and rising living costs, it’s becoming more and more of a necessity to reduce expenditure and make savings where possible.

Below are some useful tips on cutting household bills and expenditure:

Shop around and find the best deal. Energy costs have risen quite significant recently and many energy suppliers have increased their tariffs.  A quick and convenient way of doing this is using an energy broker or online comparison site who will search many companies and help you to find the cheapest supplier for your usage and area.  We recommend Energy Helpline who are fully accredited to the Consumer Focus Confidence Code to compare energy for domestic consumers.

As with many things – it pays to shop around and this is particularly true with insurance.  Whether it’s home insurance, car insurance or life insurance – it pays to review your policies periodically not only to make sure you’re not paying more than you should be, but also to make sure your policies provide you with the right kind of cover – especially if your circumstances have changed since you last took out or renewed a policy.

You can save a lot of money simply by changing where you shop, changing what you buy or not buying "stuff" that you don’t really need.

Do you tend to buy over-priced premium or top-brand products when you could get a virtually identical product for much cheaper?  Research has shown that for most products, less known or Supermarket own brands are as good as leading brands – but are often significantly cheaper.

Try experimenting – just change a few top branded products in your shopping basket for cheaper brands and see if the alternatives are as good.  If they are – stick with them and then save more money by experimenting with more products.

How many times do you walk down shop aisles and get tempted to buy something you don’t really need because it’s at a reduced price or part of a special offer such as ‘buy one get one free’?  There’s nothing wrong with treating yourself or your family now and again, but stop wasting money on things you don’t need!

One final tip, be sure to use any loyalty schemes that various shops or supermarkets may be running. The points you receive usually entitle you to a percentage off your shopping as well as access to special deals on products that you already buy.

To help you save money, we offer all our customers FREE collection and delivery for any of our services - washing, laundry, dry cleaning - just call 01622 870111 or book online http:www.iron-maids.co.uk/book

Father's Day

It would be interesting to know how Father's Day came into practice and celebrated worldwide with an equal sincerity and respect as any other significant special days.

About 4,000 years ago a young boy named Elmusu wished his Babylonian father good health and a long life by carving a Father's Day message on a card made out of clay. No one knows what happened to Elmusu or his father, but the tradition of having a special day honoring fathers has continued through the years in countries across the world.

The Countries, where the Catholic Church were of particular influence on the culture of the society, Father's Day is celebrated on St. Joseph's Day. However, a more secular celebration which is not associated with any religion is followed in recent times to highlight the increased diversity among people from all over the globe co-existing together in one place.

Father's Day is celebrated commonly on the third Sunday in June in many parts of the world. The idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington. A woman called Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909. Having been raised by her father, Henry Jackson Smart, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.

In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. President Nixon, in 1972, established a permanent national observance of Father's Day to be held on the third Sunday of June. So Father's Day was born as a token of love and gratitude that a daughter cherishes for her beloved father. Roses are the Father's Day flowers: red to be worn for a living father and white if the father has died.

Treat your father to an Iron Maids gift voucher this year - we don't just iron, we take care of dry cleaning too and all with free collection and delivery.  Call us on 01622 870111 or book online - http://www.iron-maids.co.uk/book