Free broadband for 3 months from TalkTalk

Here's an offer from our broadband partner, Broadband Choices, which makes an already great offer really worth checking out either today or tomorrow.

Until 30 April, TalkTalk is offering 3 months free bundled broadband and phone, normal cost just £6.49 a month plus phone line rental.

TalkTalk has just been voted Best Bundled Services ISP in the value for money category in a survey by Broadband Choices. Sky and Tiscali were in 2nd and 3rd places. Check out our...

>> Broadband finder

Grow your own 'watercress' for 0.15p a plant

As the allotment season gets into full swing for another year (yep, I'm one of them - in my 10th year) attention turns to growing stuff that would cost lots to buy in the market but can be grown yourself really cheaply.

One crop that never ceases to amaze just how much they get away with charging for is watercress, so permit me to introduce my great find of last year: land cress. It's like its watery equivalent, with a healthy, strong, peppery taste, but you grow it in soil whether in the garden, the plot or a window box. And it can last all winter if you're lucky.

It's £1.50 for 1,000 seeds at Wilkinson's (update: link no longer active)

or

£1.69 for 1100 seeds here

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Keep cats out of the garden for a few quid

Now that summer 2009 appears to be over already this one may be too late but a severe allergy to cats means that if the sun is going to come out again and I'm to use the garden I have to try whatever it takes to keep the beasts at bay.  

What works best are dried holly leaves left at strategic points but it's never enough. And so this year I'm going to try these plants. Cats hate the smell, apparently. 

Coleus Canina - available from Mailshop

Judging by the picture - of a cat seemingly admiring the foliage rather than running a mile - it doesn't bode well and previous attempts of planting broom, which cats were supposed to hate, didn't work.

But at £8 + £4 p&p for five of the things it has to be worth a tub.

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Australia for less than £500

It seems its against the law to publish words without mentioning latest karaoke sensation Susan Boyle so there, I've done my bit and now for something interesting.

You can flying to Australia - and back - in May and June for £489. Ridiculous. Check out...

Malaysia Airlines special offers on Trailfinders

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Ridiculously cheap travel insurance

 

 

Best buy lawnmowers (updated with latest Which? recommendations)

As the nation settles down to prepare for cuts of one kind or another to public services announced in the 2009 Budget, I thought I'd turn my attention to cuts of another kind: grass.

For after 15 year's service without maintenance, my cheapo Flymo has finally packed up. The motor is fine as is the blade, but the casing has crumbled under a decade and a half of neglect.

Bizarrely, or perhaps not given the latest inflation figures, a similar model costs the same as it did in 1994.

You can buy it here for a snip at £85

Which?, the consumer action group that charges a staggering £6.25 per copy of its monthly magazine, has this month published its list of lawnmower best buys (see below) but there are plenty of affordable models out there with plenty of online reviews to read. Here's some more from Littlewoods Direct.

Those Which? Best Buys...

For small gardens: Brill Razorcut Premium

For medium gardens: Flymo Multimo 360XC

For large gardens: Mountfield 461 HP

For heaven's sake do your own research.

Related

>> Low-cost home insurance

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The best business and money shows on TV and radio

Anyone interested in a comic look at the causes of the credit crunch - it was greedy morons in banks by the way - will do well to listen to Radio 4 this evening at 6.30pm. The brilliant spoof phone-in Down the Line from Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson (pictured below)  is back with a crunch special.

Or for a more serious view of business and economic affairs there are a range of quality shows out there.

Here are some of our favourites. (Feel free to suggest others.)

Daily (weekdays)

Wake up to Money
BBC Radio 5 Live
5.30am-6am
An entertaining and insightful round-up of all things financial

World Business Report
BBC1 5.30am-6am
An alternative to the above if you don't have access to a radio or computer with occasionally interesting worldwide angles

Working lunch
BBC2 12.30pm - 1pm
Lighthearted lunchtime business round-up

Monday

Panorama
BBC1 8.30-9pm
Sometimes featuring an insider's view of business stories

Dispatches
C4 8-9pm
Sometimes featuring an in-depth view of business scandals

The Secret Millionaire
C4 10pm-11pm
OK, not really business and seems to have run its course, but a reminder that success is not everything

Jeff Randall Live
Sky News 7.30pm-8pm
A matey look at business issues on Monday to Thursdays

Dragons' Den
Weekly online-only show
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dragonsden/

Tuesday

Great British Brands
C4 11.45am-12pm
Short daytime look at what made Great British business great

Down the line
Radio 4 6.3pm
Classic modern spoof of the phone-in. Rarely about business but there's still time to listen again to the crunch special

The Real Hustle
BBC 3 7.45pm-8pm
Free lessons in how to be a scammer

Wednesday

Money Box Live
Radio 4 3pm
Weekly personal finance phone in 

The Apprentice
BBC 9pm
Irritating game show with wannabee slebs around a business theme. But seems popular.

Saturday

Money Box
Radio 4 12pm
Long-standing personal finance show on the wireless

The Bottom Line
Radio 4
Today presenter and economist Evan Davies gets business leaders around the table

Sunday

In Business
Radio 4 9.30pm
A series of programmes about work covering everything from giant corporations to volunteers 

Related

>> Find cheaper broadband

>> Check TV packages in your area

Recession shopping: 10 things to buy now

If you have money, here's a nice little read worth perusing from across the Pond.

10 things to buy right now

Stuff you may not know about #2: Phone bills

You can save £500 a year off your phone bill. One reader claims to have saved £1,000. So what are you doing about it? Start here...

How to cut your phone bill by £500

Stuff you may not know about #1: wills

If you don't have a will and you die your children could end up in care. Get one before it's too late...

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/wills

Related

Alternative guide to wills

Proper guide to wills

Get rich slowly

'Few people get rich quickly, but almost anyone can get rich slowly by patiently following some simple rules.'

Spending a spending-free lunchtime reading this popular blog from an 'average guy' could be a useful diversion. Check out...

http://getrichslowly.org/blog/

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How to... become a millionaire easily

I was chatting to an economist the other day about my theories on saving money.  Most so-called money saving websites are all about spending money on stuff you don't need, which is why the global economy is in such a mess.

He told me to check out the book, Millionaire Next Door.

The author has met some of America's people with fat bank accounts and found that anyone can get rich if they don't follow the herd and live frugally. 'They don't look like millionaires'. You can spend your lunchtime reading the 280-odd reviews (link below) if you don't want to buy it. Or read this account from the New York Times.

Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley

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Millionaire interviews

 

Free safe car buying guide, free history check

Recession can bring out the worst in people. Already every year we spend £90m on stolen cars and £50m on internet motoring scams, so don't let the rogue car traders get one over on you if you're thinking of buying a used model.

Our sister site, Motors.co.uk, has produced this handy guide on how to spot a fraud.

Real or rogue - How to buy and sell safely

The site also carries out a history check on every car before it is uploaded to the site. Watch the video below.

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London discounts

According to recent statistics from the flight search website, Skyscanner, the most popular destination for flights from the UK this easter is... wait for it... no, not Florida or France or in fact anywhere in Europe or the rest of the world, but London.

People really are cutting back on foreign travel. Yet, London isn't the cheapest of destinations. There are however some interesting discounts out there. This one caught my eye. 

Save money on Madam Tussauds, London Eye and Tower Bridge 

If you are heading for the capital, the site has other offers worth a look

http://www.discount-london.com/

Related

Millions shun air travel in the crunch

Restaurant offers

South East offers

 

South East offers, 2 for 1s, meal deals, hotels and more

One downside of writing from an office in Kensington is the inevitable southern bias that slips in between the lines. It's a lot harder to get a feel for what's going on in Grangemouth or Morpeth when out the window is London.

We all know that the best bands come from the north, the best beaches are northern - although you need a centrally heated dry suit to take to the water - the best stotties are from the north, as are the best sculptures, Roman walls, mountain ranges, accents, beers, football teams, countryside, people (hey, so I'm from the north) but the South East is where most of us live because, oh, I don't know, it is (was) the centre of the global financial services industry.

So what else does the South East have to offer?

For one, Crawley is the birthplace of the Cure (pictured below). But it is also home to the Surrey Hills, one or two incredible sandy beaches (pebbles do not a beach make) at Camber Sands and West Wittering the South Downs, Brighton, Canterbury, Leeds Castle and Portsmouth Historic Dockyard to name a few.

If any of this sounds appealing, then there are loads of special offers available to visitors from 2 for 1 tickets for attractions, restaurants and hotels. Here:

South East Offers

South East Offers: activities and dining

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How to avoid the great airport water con

As we approach the end of our little series of travel-related tips, deals and offers, here's probably one of the most important for anyone heading through an airport this year - particularly if you are unfamiliar with the ins and outs of the War on Terror.

Chief weapon in our country's armoury is a clear, resealable plastic bag no larger than 20cm x 20cm approx in which to place all carry-on-board liquids, which must be in containers no larger than 100ml.

According to the Department For Transport:

'Remember that 'Liquids' includes:

All drinks, including water, soup, syrups
Creams, lotions, oils, perfumes, mascara etc
Sprays and pressurized containers including shaving foam and spray deodorants
Pastes, including toothpastes
Gels, including hair and shower gel
Blah, etc

While, taking soup on a plane is a niche pastime these days, we all really ought to be taking water with us to ward off dehydration. And this is where we confront the 'Great airport water con'. If you arrive with a bottle of water, you are forced to either drink it all before passing through security or throw it away. After security, you may then buy a new bottle of water from the imaginatively priced airside shops. This is an outrageous rip-off. But it doesn't have to be.

Simply take an empty bottle with you - there no anti-terror law about that - and fill it up with water from the fountain or the loos on the other side of the security checks. Easy.

Related

Must read: Official rules on hand baggage and liquids.

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Free art: toilet paper origami

The temptation to compose a hilarious April Fool's missive today is one I'm not about to fall prey to. Flicking through the papers this morning it's almost impossible to tell whether some of the stories are genuine news or made up jokes so let's not add to the misery.

Instead, here's something that on the face of it is rather silly but equally fascinating: toilet paper origami, or toilegami.

If you have ever wondered how those hotels manage to create free form art out of the last sheet of bog roll this site is a perfect way to spend a lunch hour. Check out:

The Origami Resource Center toilet paper section

There are loads of links to useful books and videos on the subject.

I particularly like the line: 'Stephen Gill spent 3 years photographing the folded toilet papers in hotels from various countries.'

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Richard Browning