Super saver Dee makes £1,400 more a year

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Published:
28 October 2009
Topic:
News,Money,Makeover,Savings

This week's makeover is Dee Buckingham, from Blackheath in London. She's in her 50s and works for Lewisham council, in an admin role. Dee lives on her own in a two-bedroom flat, where she's been for 35 years.

Dee BuckinghamDee's a savings legend, having carefully put money aside for years, but she contacted moneysupermarket.com because she was worried her money wasn't working as hard as it could.

Using only the tools on the moneysupermarket.com website, our researchers have found that Dee could save an incredible £1,400.29 a year - simply by moving some of her savings and switching a few suppliers.

Dee said: "I am surprised, I certainly wasn't expecting it to be that much!"

Most of the extra money comes from moving her ISA - so had Dee known this cash could be working so much harder? "I had thought about moving my ISA," she admitted.

"I knew it wasn't earning a lot of interest but I really didn't know where to put it. I'm decorating my house at the moment, so I think I'll spend my makeover money on a makeover for my bedroom."

Here's how Dee saved £1,400.

ISAs - £925

Although she hasn't used any of this year's allowance, Dee has £26,379 in a Barclays' cash ISA. She also had money invested in a stocks and shares ISA.

However, her cash ISA is paying just 0.1% so this is where she needs to focus, as her money could be working a lot harder.

If Dee shifted her cash ISA savings from the Barclays' account to Abbey's Direct ISA Issue 3, which is paying 3.00% gross, she'd make an extra £764.99 a year. The rate is lower on balances of less than £9,000- 2.00% - but obviously Dee benefits from the top rate because of the amount she has saved.

 

Also, Dee has yet to invest this year's ISA allowance, and her age means she benefits from the recent rule changes. She can invest £5,100 in a Cash Isa before the tax year ends on 5 April next year. If she saves the full amount, she could boost her annual return by an additional £160.

For more on the new ISA rules, read our article 'New ISA rules explained'.

Remember, if you're inspired by Dee to move your ISA savings, make sure you transfer the money. If you close your existing account first you will lose the tax-free status on your savings.

Remaining savings - £156

Dee saves hard. In addition to her ISAs, she has a number of investments and two savings accounts. She has £5,500 in an easy access account with Alliance & Leicester, paying a decent rate of 3.15% a year.

However, she also has £3,695 in a regular savings account with Barclays and is earning just 0.85% on that. Dee pays £80 a month into this account and could get much better elsewhere.

Norwich & Peterborough's Regular Saver is paying 5.00%. Dee wouldn't be able to move the entire balance from her Barclays account over as the maximum you can pay in is £250 per month. However, she could make use of it for the £80 she saves each month. She could then open a fixed rate bond to transfer the balance from the Barclays' account.

The leading rates are available on five-year deals - Yorkshire Building Society's five-year Fixed Rate Bond is paying 5.30%. However, penalty-free withdrawals aren't normally permitted with fixed rate accounts, so Dee may prefer a shorter term deal.

The AA's Internet two-year Fixed Rate Savings Account is paying 4.35% - a highly competitive rate given that the base rate is just 0.50%. If she moved her money here and then paid £80 a month into N&P's Regular Saver she'd earn an additional £155.72 interest over the next year.

Utilities - £226

Like millions of UK households, Dee could be paying less for her energy - and as winter draws in, now is definitely the time to switch.

She's paying British Gas around £30 a month, while her electricity costs an average of £43 a month with EDF Energy, totalling £876 a year.

If Dee moved to npower's new dual fuel Go Fix product, she'd pay just £650.49 a year, saving £225.51.

TV, Broadband & Phone - £130

Dee's forking out £471.84 a year to BT for her TV, broadband and phone. However, if she moved to a bundle deal with Sky she'd pay £342, saving her £129.84 over the year.

Car insurance - £64

Dee's travelling just 6,000 miles every 12 months and hasn't claimed in 11 years - so she's an excellent candidate for cheap car insurance.

She's paying Sheila's Wheels just £290 a year for her cover, but she could move to 1st Central and pay even less. That provider would charge her just £225.93, meaning total annual savings of £64.07.

Home insurance - £30

Dee's current home insurance is a contents-only policy with The AA. She pays just £77 a year, which protects her for up to £50,000-worth of possessions.

If she moved that policy to Saga, she'd pay just £45.26 a year, meaning total savings of £31.74.

Would you like the opportunity to see if we can make you any savings? Do you think you should be seeing better returns on your money? Why not ask us for a financial makeover by contacting makeover@moneysupermarket.com

Please note: Any rates or deals mentioned in this article were available at the time of writing.

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