Making and Saving Money with a Computer

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After the car scrappage scheme, which benefited the motor industry and numerous people who could afford a new car why not a Windows Scrappage scheme for the even greater number of people who would benefit from double glazing but hitherto felt that, on balance, it would take years to recoup the high cost.  Well, there IS a petition to No 10 which is going well.  If you are interested please sign up at http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/windowscrappage/

I really do recommend that people sign up to get regular emails from the Money Savings Expert at http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/site/money-tips-email-faqs

You have quite a lot of protection whilst buying on line under the Distance Selling Regulations . See www.oft.gov.uk  Don't be too put off by the scary stories of web scams but be careful.  The most secure website addreses start with Https and show a gold padlock on the bottom line. But if you, click on the padlock and it doesn't give details it is just a fake icon - nothing more!
Did you realise that you have a little MORE protection under the Distant Selling Regulations (DSR)  In fact you can return anything within 7 days just because you don't want it, without incurring cost.  Recently Apple had to stop charging for collecting items because the charge was contrary to the DSR.

Be aware of the Duty regulations if you are importing things from outside the EU and the VAT regulations even within it. Duty and VAT are only charged if the total cost to you is over £18. If you are getting the goods as a gift this is raised to £36. Duty is charged at a (varying) percentage of the total cost to you but will not be collected if it amounts to less than £7.

Sept 08  Magazine PCPro asked their subscribers about their favourite online retailers.  These were the results :

On line retailers

If you have problems with purchases there are a number of other sites to help :

www.tradingstandards.gov.uk
www.consumerdirect.gov.uk
www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk
www.scotcourts.gov.uk
www.courtsni.gov.uk
www.courts.ie
www.legalservices.gov.uk
www.citizensadvice.org.uk
www.moneyclaim.gov.uk
www.ispa.org.uk
www.otelo.org.uk
www.arbitrators.org/cisas
www.consumercomplaints.org.uk
http://www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk/  Is a government site which enables you to find tradesmen in your area

Friday Ad Newsfeed http://www.friday-ad.co.uk/Class/120/ParentClass/5007/Category/7/Name/Computers/Web/rssFeeds.rss

SAVING MONEY ON COMPUTER and other PURCHASES

I always put a few words about an item such as External Hard Disk into a Google Search (for the UK) and see where it leads. Often it is to "comparison" sites such as www.pricerunner.co.uk, where the cheapest prices can be found.  It sometimes leads to sites such as Amazon, which is not just for books.  But it also might lead to auction sites such as Ebay.  There is even a site which shows very cheap items which are in their last few minutes of an auction such as http://www.lastminute-auction.com/uk/. Believe me, pounds can be save by searching around.

Look at the difference in Car Insurance on this list:

Car Insurance quotes on Go Compare

There is not a better site for advice on money saving than www.moneysavingsexpert.com  Sign up to it and save money.  I did,

To see my page on Computer Fairs  : Click here

Previous Bargains of the week (may no longer be current) included :

Buying a PC

The first thing to ask yourself is "What am I expecting to do with the PC?"    If you are an avid games player and hope to run the latest 3D programs with sound to match then you will need the fastest machine you can get.  And this doesn't just mean the processor, but also the cards which run the video (monitor) and sound as well.  If you just want to write letters and send emails (and search the 'net') you can manage with something that was manufactured ten years ago, though I wouldn't advise it.

First off, that hoary old question, should I buy one ready made or build one myself ?  Building your own PC is not out of the question for the DIY enthusiast, even if they do not have any knowledge of electronics.  Many of the parts fit together like Lego.  I am always amazed that pieces of computers made all over the world, in China, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, the United States etc all do fit together.  Even the screw holes are in the right places ! This is not just luck but as a result of the power of the original IBM PC.  If you didn't make your part to fit that standard you closed off to a multi million market.  And this has gone on to this day, throughout all its developments. The same goes for the software. There are also mysterious Expert Groups working away to try to lay down rules of standardisation, which are to everyone's advantage.  The EG in JPEG, MPEG etc stand for these Expert Groups. Unfortunately they do not seem to have affected the manufacturers of 'card' memory used in cameras which must now be up to 12 types.

So, Ready Built or DIY ?  The cost of ready built machines, even new ones, is now so low that I defy anyone to build their own and save money.  When you add the cost of the monitor, case, motherboard, sound card, graphics card, hard disk, memory, keyboard, modem, speakers, mouse, postage etc and add to that the cost of the main processor you would be very lucky to be able to build it cheaper.  Add to that the cost of the Operating System (Windows) and I can think of only one good reason to build your own and that is for the satisfaction of doing so (and telling people !). But, if it doesn't work, you can't take it back !  If you go to computer fairs these days you can pick up a good modern (second hand) system complete for around £250 with 3 months 'warranty'.  Brand new,  with 19" flat screen monitor, fast chip, big hard disk, XP or Vista and all the rest we are talking around £400 (either desktop or laptop). I recently worked out that if you add up all the extras supplied with a basic Dell the actual computer unit costs MINUS £16 ! So BUY, don't BUILD

For price comparisons on many items look at www.pricerunner.co.uk or www.kelkoo.co.uk  http://www.shopzilla.co.uk/ or Uswitch

If you are keen to upgrade have a look at site such as www.ebuyer.co.uk  Put the items in 'Cost order' to see the cheapest. Beware that some of these items might not work with an old machine and it is essential to look at the 'specification' of what they require in the way of computer speed, memory, hard disk space and which Windows. Often it can be something like 'Minimum 400Mhz (chip), 32Mb memory, 16Mb hard disk space and Windows 98SE'. So beware.

Memory
Because of mass production newer memory is often cheaper than the older type (another reason not to hang on to an old machine) But you must check that you have the right type for your PC. (www.crucial.com) The latest memory won't (physically) fit into old machines. How much memory do you need?  Windows XP demands a minimum of 128Mb but. these days I am recommending at least 512Mb.  This is due to the fact that one needs so many additional programs such as anti virus etc and they need to work at the same time as you are doing other things.  Also, if you have a cheaper machine it will inevitably be grabbing some memory just to worj the screen graphics.

Printers
You can get a good printer/scanner for £40 these days. It may cost you £50 the first time the ink runs out (after a month) but that is a fact.  Investigate running costs carefully.

If you only expect to print (lots of) black correspondence go for a cheap laser printer for around £50 (Samsung).

Ink
The hoary old question.  Should you buy 'clone' cartridges ?  Many printer companies don't allow such a thing and refills are the only alternative to new ones. The ink business is scandalous.  How they can sell you a plastic box with a little coloured water for £25, I don't know.  But, if they are selling printers for £30, I suppose they have to make their money up somehow. Just don't get caught. But it is difficult to find a new printer these days that is not onto that scam, so you may have no alternative. For ink I have often used www.choicestationery.co.uk and found them reliable and reasonable. If you use HP or Lexmark cartridges some companies will give you something off your empties, providing you haven't already refilled them.

Cheaper original HP cartridges www.phoenixdirect.co.uk or w2w.com (around a fiver off shop prices and free delivery and massive savings on clone cartridges)  Get 'em now before Epson takes every importer to court - oh yes, they are ! Or just try Ebay for immediate buys.

Even cheaper ink (69p for Canon) and blank CDs and DVD hsttp://www.ukdvdr.co.uk/shop/home.php

Batteries. Cameras, wireless mice and keyboards, MP3 players.  They all eat batteries. You need to get rechargeables with as high a mHh rating as possible. AAs should be at least 2000 mHa. Good prices, post paid from http://www.gadgetbatteries.co.uk/

Cables and Consumables This is where the big stores make some money. £15 for a USB cable that would cost a fifth of that at a fair or some cheap shops.  £30 a hundred for CDR's which would cost £10 via the net. Shop around.

Software
My favourite graphics manipulation program (Micrografx Picture Publisher) came off a magazine cover disk. Instead of paying nearly £££s for  Microsoft's Office suite you can get Open Office for nothing.  It is provided by Sun Microsystems which is almost as big a name as Microsoft. That said a basic MS Office suite can now be found at Ebuyer for under £60 or you can probably get by with an older one for a tenner off Ebay or. So look (and ask) around. For free Downloads see www.computeractive/downloads  and Here There is no way round paying for Windows - unless it comes with your machine but even for that prices vary a lot.  Linux, a different Operating System is free.  But my policy has always been 'stick with the mainstream'.  In the end it is less trouble.

DVD players,  CD or DVD Writers ?
It all depends on what you want to do.  I recommend a CD/DVD writer.  Prices have fallen dramatically and most new machines include them. Some are 'Dual Layer', which will write 9Gb on a dual layer DVD disk.

Monitors ?
15" used to be considered adequate but 17, 19 and 20" are nicer if you have room.  TFT (flat) screens have come down a lot especially with new machines.  Nice if you are cramped for space. You can now get a 19" widescreen for around £100. Screen prices vary quite a lot and, to some extent 'getting what you pay for' applies here. Most have lengthy on-site warranties these days so they must be pretty reliable. If you are strapped for cash there are loads of old monitors at boot sales or on Freecycle these days.   

Warranties
I never go for the extra warranty the commission-fired salesman offers me.  Rarely good value.  But, if you are housebound and are not into DIY computer fixing you may be wise to pay the fee.  It is, once again, a question of what suits the individual.

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Make Money from the net ?  

Who are you kidding ?  Well, I hear that thousands are giving up their full time jobs to buy and sell over the auctions site like www.ebay.co.uk. It is not difficult or especially fraught, despite the stories you hear.  If you give anyone a rotten deal on Ebay you can be sure you will get a blazing report from your customer(s). One of the problems is delivery, especially of the larger items. So, unless you are near to a large conurbations (London?) you might be better to stick to more easily posted items. Another problem is the skill of today's participants, who regularly wait until the last second to outbid you for something.  There is even last minute bidding software but, as someone said, if everyone gets automatic last minute bidding software and they compete you might finish up paying £50 for a Barbie Doll.

The latest craze on E-bay is called 'flipping'.  This where people buy and item which is 'all the rage' and sell it for much more. This can apply to concert tickets, art, fashion, even carrier bags ! For those people who are avid collectors or who 'need' to have the latest 'must have' item it seems that price is no object.

I am often amazed at the stuff that is being left at the local tip. A lot of it is to do with people's brief encounter with the world of exercise.  Tons of hardly used equipment, from rowing machines to weightlifting items and then there are all those golf clubs. Either people have gone for the latest name or have given up the game altogether.  But surely someone, somewhere, has just started to get the urge (however brief) and wants that stuff. Another great source is the ubiquitous Boot Sale. If you have an eye for a collector's item, from old camera equipment to Art Deco pottery, collectable toys or 78s there is a market out there.

If you don't want to get mercenary about all this but care about the landfill problem in this throw away society you might be interested in joining www.freecycle.org which has branches all over the world. The first offer I got was for horse manure.... "bring your own wellies"!

Any other way to make a bit of cash ?  I joined various sites such as Ask Jeeves and Amazon as an affiliate but have never received much.  Google adverts (Adsense) are a different matter though, and they really do pay if people click on their ads. See those on this site. But to make much headway there you have to have a website and one which will attract a lot of interest.  This site receives around 500 'page clicks' a day - it gets higher in the winter months.  From that number, 2 - 5% click on an advert. The amount paid per click depends on the advertiser but I am disappointed if my is less than $10 a day.  So, if you can work up a popular site, who knows ? Take a look at www.adsense.com.

Market Research.  Some organisations will pay you for answering question about products. Take a look at www.sarosresearch.com

And the net is remarkable for its worldwide spread. There is no way I could have sold 800 books on computing without it. Books have gone to the 'far corners'. And payment is easy via things like Paypal, which enables people to pay by card and enables YOU to transfer payments to and from your own bank.  To set up an account just go to www.paypal.com.

You may be able to sell a skill over the net.  After all, it doesn't matter where you are if you can transmit and receive your work over the net. This is particularly apt for people who do programming, design work, create websites or do accounting. But the list is endless.

So, how about it ?  Become a home worker. That is the trend. There is no ageism and you do not have to be physically fit as long as you can work one of these wonderful machines.

Another site which might help : http://www.income-in-laterlife.com Practical Internet and 'real world' ideas to help people in laterlife supplement their income. New

Extracted from Daily Telegraph 28th Sept 08 Are you paying too much Council Tax ?.

There are ways that you can cut your council tax bill - you may be paying too much because of an error in your valuation or you may be entitled to benefits.

Last week it emerged that residents of three streets in the Borders are to get council tax rebates after being wrongly banded since the early 1990s. Anyone who has lived on Primrose Bank, Marigold Drive and Aster Court in Galashiels since 1993 is entitled to some cash back. Help is at hand for homeowners who think they are paying too much, as you may challenge the valuation band on your property if you think it is too high.

Many people have successfully claimed against tax bills (including me!). In 2006-7 there were 27,130 appeals, of which 5,274 were considered by tribunals. Around one in eight of these were at least partly successful in reducing bills.

You should start by checking your property's banding, which you can do on the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) website at www.voa.gov.uk.

If you live in Scotland, then you should use the Scottish Assessors Association (SAA) site at www.saa.gov.uk.

Since Wales has had a nationwide revaluation for its council tax system more recently than England or Scotland, mistakes are less likely.

When you enter your street name and postcode, the site comes up with all the properties with this postcode. So you could input your neighbours' street numbers to see how their homes are graded. If similar properties in your road are in a lower band, then you may have grounds to appeal.

Bear in mind however, that if a close neighbour is in a band that is higher than yours, there is a risk your band could actually increase, so make sure you do plenty of research before submitting a claim.

You can make a claim online on the Valuation Office Agency or the Scottish Assessors Association websites.

Alternatively, you can contact your local VOA office, which you can find by telephoning 0845 602 1507. The 'contact us' section of the SAA website has telephone details of Assessors throughout Scotland.

If you have moved home within the last six months, there is an official process to go through, but you can still apply if you've been in your current property for longer than this. If they decide that your challenge is not valid, you will be sent an 'invalidity notice'.

You can appeal against the decision, provided you act within four weeks of the date you receive it. If you win your case, then your band should be lowered and you should receive a rebate back to the year in which you moved to the property. Even if you find you are in the correct band, there may still be other ways of reducing steep council tax bills.

COUNCIL TAX : ARE YOU ELIGIBLE FOR BENEFITS OR A REDUCTION OF UP TO 25 PER CENT?

Latest figures from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) show that nearly five million people currently take up council tax benefit, which is available to those on low incomes, such as pensioners.

However, between 2.27m and 2.95m people who are entitled to don't claim the benefit, and are missing out on combined savings worth between £1.3 billion and £1.8 billion a year.

You may qualify for council tax benefit if you pay council tax and your household income and savings and investments are £16,000 or below. The amount your bills will be reduced by depends on circumstances such as your age, the ages and size of your family.

If you have income or savings of over £16,000 you can't normally get council tax benefit, unless you're aged 60 or over and getting the 'guarantee credit' element of the pension credit.

If you share your home with one or more adults who cannot contribute towards the council tax, you might be able to get 'second adult rebate' but this person cannot be your spouse or partner.

The rebate for second adults on income support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or Pension Credit is 25 per cent off your bill. You may be able to get second adult rebate even if you don't normally get council tax benefit, but you can't get both.

Your income and savings will not affect second adult rebate, as it is based on the other person's circumstances. You can get a claim form for council tax benefit/second adult rebate from your local authority's Council Tax Benefit Office.

As well as council tax benefit, there are also council tax discounts available, which are not means-tested. Council tax is reduced by 25 per cent if you are living alone, or if you are living with anyone who is exempt from paying council tax, such as children under the age of 18 or students.

Those with severe mental impairment and some carers are also exempt. You will need to provide proof to support your claim for any of these reductions.

If you are disabled or someone that lives with you is disabled you may qualify for a reduction, but only if you can demonstrate that you are having to live in a larger property than you would otherwise have needed.

If your home is eligible, your bill will be reduced to that of a property in the next lower council tax band. Councils will only consider backdating an exemption if there is a good reason why you have not asked for it earlier and you can submit satisfactory proof of your entitlement.

Properties that are unoccupied may also be exempt. If for example, you are making structural alterations or repairs and aren't living there, you are exempt from paying council tax for up to 12 months.

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