The easiest way to save money on your energy bill

We’re sure you could come up with a hundred more exciting ways to fill your precious spare time than finding a cheaper deal for your gas and electricity. But believe us when we say this is one of the easiest ways to save a lot of money.

The average household in Britain could save around £200 a year by swapping to a cheaper deal, according to the regulator Ofgem.

Financial planning when you're pregnant

Bringing a new life into the world can be one of the most rewarding and exciting things you can do - but it’s an expensive business, writes James Yelland from The Money Charity.

It costs an average of £22.95 a day to raise a child from birth to 18. 

So if you’re planning on starting a family, or have a child on the way, we’ve compiled the key things to start thinking about that should help baby-proof your finances.

How to save money when holidaying with kids

The cheapest way to holiday with kids is not to. How true is that?

When you factor in the extortionate UV swimsuits, the entire pharmacy section of Boots, and enough snacks to feed a small country - not to mention the family suite required by the hotel (if it was up to you, you'd just squash em all in..) and the 2/3/4 extra seats on the plane, and your itemised holiday bill ends up looking as a long as a first-time mum’s hospital bag packing list.

Financial to-do list for stay-at-home mums

Haters love to hate. And there’s nothing parent-bashers love more than hating on us mums and our ‘back to work’ choices.

Return full-time and we’re criticised for abandoning our kids. Quit the workforce and we’re doing a disservice to the generations of women that led the way.

A warning about Government childcare schemes

When anyone we know has a childcare cost question, they turn to Jonni - his job is an employee reward and benefits specialist, he's been advising companies how to set up childcare voucher benefits for years and... he's always chatting to friends like us at the pub about how to make best use of them! ("OK," he laughs, "so I might not be your drinking buddy of choice for that reason but everyone needs a semi useful friend don’t they?")

We do! Jonni's the childcare cost guru - so we were so grateful that he's written a few words on one of the biggest mistakes he made (and we shouldn't) with Childcare Vouchers or the new Tax-Free Childcare scheme (confused by the lingo? Click here for our guide to childcare costs).

Best cash Junior ISAs

If you're anything like us, sorting out kids' savings accounts might have been on your to-do list since, er, the kids' birth. 

Junior ISAs (JISAs) are tax-free savings accounts which under-18s can save or invest up to £4,368 in this tax year. We've written a totally jargon-free guide to Junior ISAs here. But once you've read that and decided to open an account, which one is the most generous? Here's our guide.

The allowance: this year you can put up to £4,368 in a junior ISA. This post is just about cash JISAs - you can also invest some or all of the allowance in a stocks and shares JISA and there's more info in our guide here.

What is a junior ISA and how do I get one?

I hate jargon. I mean I really, really hate jargon. It makes my blood boil. 

Unfortunately, in the world of money and finance, it’s as common as a Gap sale (does anyone ever pay full price for anything in that shop anymore?!)

One of my biggest bugbears is the term ISA, a phrase you’ve probably heard bandied about.

If you’ve ever looked into saving for your kids, you might have come across a junior ISA or JISA (don’t even get me started!!).

ISAs and junior ISAs are often hyped as the must-have financial product.  But the truth is, a lot of people don’t have a clue what they are so don’t have one for themselves or their kids – which means missing out on some pretty handy perks.

So, here’s a very basic explanation.