Your QuickQuid family found a creative way to save money on your grocery bill. Start a food club. Sometimes it “pays” to be creative with your most basic expense in life.  Follow the  advice on how to start your own club and save some money.

• Spread the word –  Ask family, friends, and neighbors about joining.  Start with a group of at least five families and add more if necessary.
• Compare Lists – Sit down and compare shopping lists.  Everyone drinks milk, but everyone may not drink fat free milk.  Also, make sure to track how much your items normally cost.   That way you can find better savings in the future.
• Responsibility – The leader of the club should designate roles to all the club’s members.  Such as shopping, delivery, and clean up.  According to Mint.com, “Once the food is purchased, the group will have to decide where it will be stored … split up [and] delivered.  If there are perishable items like fruit or meat, the group may decide pick up has to be right after the shopping spree.”
• Smile – Your food club should not be a chore.  Arrange gatherings and share recipes.  The more fun everyone has saving money and making friends, the longer your club (and money) will last.

Although food is the most basic necessity in life, it doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money.

Money.  It should be considered an emotion. One word that makes every person react differently.  The powerful emotion of money takes on greater meaning once you are in a serious relationship.  To help you out, your QuickQuid family has found some great tips from Mint.com to help you and your significant other have the “money talk.”

• Start with your mistakes – My father would always say, “If you point a finger at someone, there are always three fingers pointing back at you.”  Make sure your spouse understands that you are not perfect.  Mint.com says, “If you can take your fair share of the blame and ask for help working on your weaknesses, you’ll have a much easier time pointing out the things your [partner] needs to do better.”
• Focus on the “why,” not the “why not”- New car? Retiring early?  College tuition?  Those are specific goals and reasons WHY you are having this tough conversation.  Stop talking about what you can’t do because you’re saving money, focus on what you are going to do.
• Don’t let other topics creep in – Stay on topic.  Mint.com says, “Comments about your lavish nights out on the town might reveal hatred for one particular friend…  Those feelings should be put aside.”

Talking about money with your partner should never be a bad thing, although it often is.  Having the “money talk” will not only help you out financially, but also have a positive impact on your relationship.  Remember, your QuickQuid family is looking out for you.

Image: Flickr User

The easiest way to ruin a vacation is to over spend.  Your vacation may end, but your debt will follow you home. A vacation is supposed to be about relaxing, and your friends at QuickQuid discovered some great ways to save money while traveling from GetRichSlowly.org.  Take a look below to read some of our favorite advice.

• 20% Rule – Budget 20% more than you think the trip will cost.  You never know where that extra money will end up, like impulse spending (everyone loves a souvenir), or unexpected needs (Tylenol for a headache).
• Be Prepared – Do some research about your vacation location.  Some places have additional taxes and fees that can really hit your budget.
• Create a Savings Goal – Set a limit on your spending.  If you come home below your goal, put that extra money towards credit card bills, or into a savings account.

Want more tips?  Take a look at this post from GetRichSlowly and share with friends and family.  We know that everyone loves to travel, but everyone really loves to save money.  QuickQuid is here to help!

Image: Flickr User

Tax Season is never easy.  Sometimes it feels as if the answer to one tax question creates another question.  Once your taxes are finally finished, it always seems like you have less money, and even less patience.

On Tuesday, July 20, the British government created the Office for Tax Simplification.  Let’s repeat those two key words, “tax” and “simplification.” While announcing the new office, Chancellor George Osborne, said that the current Tax Code “is a spaghetti bowl of reliefs and exemptions and allowances …”  Chancellor Osborne’s goal to untangle this “spaghetti” will likely help you during Tax Season.  A simple Tax Code can equal more money, and more smiles.

When it comes to your money, it is nice to have others help out.  At QuickQuid, we may not be doing your taxes, but we are always here to help pay those unsuspected bills with an online payday loan (even on the same day! §).

London, England – The Office of Fair Trading report published June 2010 stated payday loans can be cheaper than unarranged overdrafts.¹

According to the OFT, “Customers of payday loans often take them out in preference to unarranged overdrafts which can be more expensive.”² Unarranged overdrafts can be very expensive for Britons in a bind, and the BBC estimates British banks generate £2.6 billion a year from unauthorised overdraft fees.³

A uSwitch report published in June 2010 revealed that approximately 1 in 3 banking customers had overdrawn their accounts.  In addition, 2 million customers experienced unauthorised overdrafts at least 4 times a year, which cost an average of £70 per occurrence.⁴

A short-term loan from QuickQuid provides Britons a much better alternative.  For example, a £100 unauthorised overdraft taken for 15 days would cost £50 or more at most High Street banks.  In contrast, a £100 QuickQuid payday loan borrowed over 15 days would cost only £18.75.

“QuickQuid customers are savvy internet shoppers who understand that our short-term loans are cheaper compared to unarranged overdrafts,” says Alex King, Managing Director of QuickQuid.  “Our customers value our service and the cost savings we generate for them.”

To echo Mr. King’s comments, several QuickQuid customers voiced their appreciation in June 2010:

“I was able to get the cash I needed for only a small fee instead of over a hundred in overdraft charges!” – Lucy M.

“…when I went £28 overdrawn for 6 days they [the bank] charged me £105 and failed to inform me,” said QuickQuid customer Graham E., who vented his frustration with the lack of notification from his bank.  Graham went on to voice his satisfaction with QuickQuid, “QuickQuid dispatched the loan amount in the same day, saving me hundreds of pounds in banks fees and overall costing around £30 – £40 to borrow the money. If QuickQuid were not so quick to help and reasonably priced I would still be sinking in bank fees today.”

“QuickQuid hasn’t just saved me money, it’s given me more freedom too.  Without the worry of overdrafts and missing payments on bills to incur charges. The company is a blessing, really.” – Kate S.

QuickQuid has generated significant cost savings for Britons since 2007 after having issued more than 500,000 payday loans.  It is encouraging that the OFT recognises the cost savings the payday loan industry provides to Britons temporarily short on cash.

You can find out more at www.QuickQuid.co.uk.  Also, you can contact Andrew LaPointe at 0808 101 7453 or email media@quickquid.co.uk.

¹ “Review of high-cost credit”, Office of Fair Trading, June 2010, p.19, section 2.12
² “Review of high-cost credit”, Office of Fair Trading, June 2010, p.19, section 2.11
³ “Banks win Supreme Court Case on overdraft charges”, BBC, 25 November 2009 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8376906.stm
⁴ “Do banks profit from your overdraft”, 17 June 2010, http://www.talktalk.co.uk/money/features/bank-account-overdrafts.html

People sometimes say, “third time’s a charm!” Well for you, it can be! If you applied for a payday loan from QuickQuid 3 times already, the next time you apply for a loan you will be able to save 10% on your finance charges with our Preferred Member Programme!

If your cooker breaks down or you can’t keep up with your monthly bills, there’s no need to worry. You can always take out a fast cash advance with QuickQuid. If you’re just one of those unlucky people to whom emergencies always happen, your bad-luck streak may be ending soon.

As a regularly unlucky person, you may have taken to believing in superstitions. One of these superstitions being that 13 is an unlucky number. But your luck is about to change! The 13th time you take out a payday loan with QuickQuid, you can get 20% off of your finance charges! What could be luckier than that?

So stop fretting about all of your expenses and start relaxing a little because QuickQuid can put an end to your bad-luck!

When you’re in need of a payday loan, you probably need it as fast as possible. But what if you have a quick question? Calling us is a fast solution but what if you don’t have a land line and don’t want to add even more minutes to your mobile phone bill? Just talk to us online instead!

You’ve realized that going to cash advance shops is a strain on your daily schedule. There are too many lines and it just takes too much time. So you’ve decided that your best option is to get a payday loan online from QuickQuid. So if you’re already getting your fast cash loan online, why not ask your questions online as well? Just click on our Live Chat button and you’ll instantly be connected with someone who will help you with any of your needs!

London, England – According to the BBC, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) report dated 15 June 2010 recognises the value provided by payday lenders.  The short-term lending “…markets work reasonably well in that they service borrowers not catered for by mainstream lenders,” says the OFT.

“The recognition of the important service we provide is very encouraging,” says Alex King, Managing Director of QuickQuid, one of Britain’s leading short-term lenders.  “In essence, the OFT acknowledges that lenders like QuickQuid provide an important and fair service for Britons in need of short-term lending solutions.”

One of the recurring proposals brought up by payday opponents to supposedly protect consumers is a rate cap.  According to The Guardian, the OFT report was clear that a rate cap would likely have the opposite effect.  Consumers will have dramatically less options as some lenders might exit the market, leading to reduced competition and higher fees for consumers who rely on payday loans for emergency situations.

As the short-term lending industry stands today, it is working reasonably well; consumers can quickly and easily access the money they need for urgent and unexpected expenses.  According to the BBC, the OFT says that payday loans meet a need for people who could not otherwise borrow cash from more traditional sources.

For more information, contact Andrew LaPointe at 0808 101 7453 or media@quickquid.co.uk.

A new QuickQuid TV commercial, “Wally & Purse: The Domestic Duo Make Ends Meet,” featuring talking wallet and purse puppets launched 21 June 2010. The QuickQuid commercial, part of a series of adverts, star interviews and bloopers, highlights QuickQuid’s quick and easy payday loan services as a convenient, immediate solution to short-term financial needs for credit-crunched consumers.

The QuickQuid TV commercial is filmed from the point-of-view of a savvy purse and cash-strapped wallet. This clever take lets viewers imagine what a purse or wallet may think about their owners’ financial situations. In the QuickQuid commercial, the purse puppet highlights QuickQuid’s quick and easy service, and advises the wallet on what to do when hit with too many immediate expenses.

Consumers that view QuickQuid on TV are offered a 25% off promo code that can be applied to the initial finance charge of their first payday loan from QuickQuid. Applicants with the special QuickQuid TV promo code can enter the code at https://www.quickquid.co.uk/quid before applying to receive the 25 percent discount.

The QuickQuid commercial airs on several national and local channels including UK Dave, SkySportsNews, Channel 5, ITV, Living, Bravo, Virgin1, Watch, Movies4Men and CBS Reality.

QuickQuid aired its first QuickQuid TV commercial May 2009, which created a strong television presence to complement its internet marketing initiatives.

If you’d like to view QuickQuid on TV or are interested in learning more about the QuickQuid TV commercial and QuickQuid TV promo code, visit the QuickQuid media center. Viewers of the QuickQuid TV commercial can find out the special QuickQuid TV promo code, which qualifies approved applicants for 25% off their initial finance charge. To redeem the discount, visit https://www.quickquid.co.uk/quid and enter the QuickQuid TV promo code before applying.

Question about QuickQuid cash advances? Call our friendly Application Support team at 0800 635 0327 to get all of your queries answered.

Visit QuickQuid.co.uk today to get cash in your wallet or purse today!