UK money news and cost-of-living help: bills and energy, tax and benefits, prices, banking and savings, and everyday ways to pay less.https://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/en-gbSun, 06 Sep 2026 07:30:01 GMTeditor@dailynewsblog.co.uk (Daily News Blog)editor@dailynewsblog.co.uk (Daily News Blog)Copyright 2026 Daily News Blog60https://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/images/dailynewsblog-logo.pnghttps://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/https://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/council-tax-bands-and-how-to-challenge/https://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/council-tax-bands-and-how-to-challenge/England's bands still rest on what your home was worth in 1991. A wrong band can cost you for years, but the grounds for challenging are narrower than people think.Sun, 06 Sep 2026 07:30:01 GMTDaily News BlogTax & Benefitshttps://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/personal-savings-allowance-explained/https://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/personal-savings-allowance-explained/Most basic-rate taxpayers can earn £1,000 of savings interest a year before any tax is due. Higher rates get less, and top earners get nothing, which changes the ISA calculation.Sat, 05 Sep 2026 07:30:02 GMTDaily News BlogBanking & Savingshttps://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/energy-standing-charges-explained/https://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/energy-standing-charges-explained/The standing charge is the fixed daily fee you pay before you have used a single unit of energy. It is small in isolation but it stacks up, and you cannot switch it off.Fri, 04 Sep 2026 07:30:01 GMTDaily News BlogBills & Energyhttps://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/marriage-allowance-tax-break-for-couples/https://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/marriage-allowance-tax-break-for-couples/If one of you earns under the Personal Allowance and the other is a basic-rate taxpayer, you can shift some allowance across and cut your tax by up to £252 a year.Thu, 03 Sep 2026 07:30:01 GMTDaily News BlogDeals & Money-Savinghttps://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/cpi-vs-rpi-inflation-explained/https://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/cpi-vs-rpi-inflation-explained/The UK still uses two main measures of inflation. Which one applies to you decides how fast your rail fare, your student loan or your index-linked pension moves.Wed, 02 Sep 2026 07:30:01 GMTDaily News BlogPrices & Inflationhttps://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/income-tax-personal-allowance-and-bands/https://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/income-tax-personal-allowance-and-bands/Most people pay income tax in slices, not all at one rate. Knowing where the bands sit, and that they are frozen, explains why more of us are being pulled into higher tax.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 07:30:01 GMTDaily News BlogTax & Benefitshttps://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/isas-cash-vs-stocks-and-shares/https://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/isas-cash-vs-stocks-and-shares/An ISA is a wrapper that shelters your savings or investments from tax. The £20,000 annual allowance is the same either way, but the two types suit very different jobs.Mon, 31 Aug 2026 07:30:01 GMTDaily News BlogBanking & Savingshttps://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/warm-home-discount-explained/https://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/warm-home-discount-explained/The Warm Home Discount is a one-off £150 taken off your electricity bill, not paid to you in cash, and for most people it now arrives automatically.Sun, 30 Aug 2026 12:10:33 GMTDaily News BlogBills & Energyhttps://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/easy-access-vs-fixed-savings/https://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/easy-access-vs-fixed-savings/The right savings account depends on whether you need to reach your cash at any moment or can lock it away for a higher, guaranteed rate.Fri, 28 Aug 2026 07:00:00 GMTDaily News BlogBanking & Savingshttps://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/how-uk-inflation-is-measured/https://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/how-uk-inflation-is-measured/Inflation is tracked by pricing a fixed basket of everyday goods and services each month, and the headline CPI figure shapes everything from benefits to interest rates.Thu, 27 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMTDaily News BlogPrices & Inflationhttps://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/universal-credit-what-you-can-claim/https://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/universal-credit-what-you-can-claim/Universal Credit tops up low incomes through a single monthly payment, and the taper rate decides how much you keep for every pound you earn from work.Wed, 26 Aug 2026 06:45:00 GMTDaily News BlogTax & Benefitshttps://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/broadband-mobile-mid-contract-price-rises/https://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/broadband-mobile-mid-contract-price-rises/Providers can raise prices partway through a deal, but new Ofcom rules mean any increase must now be spelled out in pounds and pence before you sign.Tue, 25 Aug 2026 07:30:00 GMTDaily News BlogBills & Energyhttps://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/supermarket-loyalty-prices-worth-it/https://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/supermarket-loyalty-prices-worth-it/Loyalty-only prices can offer genuine savings, but only if you compare them against other shops rather than the inflated non-member price beside them.Mon, 24 Aug 2026 13:00:00 GMTDaily News BlogDeals & Money-Savinghttps://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/energy-price-cap-explained/https://www.dailynewsblog.co.uk/energy-price-cap-explained/The cap limits what you pay per unit of gas and electricity, not your total bill, and Ofgem resets it every three months to track wholesale costs.Mon, 24 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMTDaily News BlogBills & Energy