Looking at products, good and bad #thrifty #frugal
There are a lot of products at Aldi that I would recommend and some I wouldn’t. The cycling special buys this week includes the clothing and importantly the cycle lighting but the one product I don’t like is the 2 in 1 bike trailer and stroller. Please don’t put your child in one of those especially not around where I live in the Black Country. It would be far too dangerous. That might be a good product for use on the streets of Amsterdam but not Wolverhampton!
Watching for patterns and trends
It can be lucrative if you can spot patterns or trends. If you can be one of the first to sell the fidget spinner before they get discounted or recognise the latest fashion that is about to take off you can make a fortune. The same is true of any market and the stock market is no exception. Patterns and trends are computer analysed and traders talk about the ‘candles’ on their charts. I don’t often use charts but they can be useful sometimes. Alliance Pharma seems to be fairly static for long periods and then it’s share price will suddenly jump either downwards or upwards for example. That is a useful trend to know about.
Food and entertainment #thrifty
Eating out and buying takeaways can work out expensive with 20% VAT on top of the bill and the same applies to entertainment. I follow a gluten-free diet and so rarely eat anything out and even buying chips is complicated because they have to be cooked separately. When I do spend money, I always look for value. I went to a community night this week and had an evening of entertainment for the price of a 50p cup of tea! Look for value when you want food and entertainment.
Investment decisions for small investors #investments
Regular readers will know that I write about being thrifty on Thursdays with the exception of yesterday when I didn’t have time to write a post. In January we shop around less because we have less money to shop with. It is a frugal month for most people after the excesses of Christmas. I actually spent more on my credit card so have an unusually large bill next month. This month has been a month of making investment decisions.
Deciding when to buy and sell #investments
Deciding when to buy and sell on the stock market can be difficult. Some investors operate stop losses but those aren’t foolproof especially on AIM. Market makers often reduce the bid price by a few percent with the intention of triggering stop losses. It seems to be a common practice on the AIM.
A big pay squeeze coming? #finance
There have been lots of warnings this week of a pay squeeze coming that will affect the poorest in society most and maybe more benefit cuts too. The chancellor even hinted that the triple lock on pensions could be abolished.
Winning the lottery that is life #ramble
Yes, it’s Sunday morning again and so I allow you into the innermost sanctum of my mind and share my thoughts with you. I just checked my lottery numbers; Nah, I didn’t win. Life isn’t too bad as it is, though. If you want a chance of winning the lottery that is life, you have to get involved. I dragged myself along to Tesco yesterday and photographed a fundraising tin shake for Sam’s Dream. I enjoyed it, that’s winning life’s lottery.
Sam’s dream to walk
Interest rates and the markets #investments
Interest rates
I’m watching interest rates around the world. It seems the Federal Reserve will be the first to normalise interest rates. It could be as early as next month but many pundits are betting on December. That could be the trigger for other central banks to raise their rates too. It would certainly have an effect on the value of the US dollar as more money would be invested in the US as international investors look for better returns on their funds. That, in turn, would have a negative effect on other currencies including the GBP.
Gluten-free means higher prices #thrifty
I wanted some cornflakes last week and the Nestle ones weren’t on the usual shelf. I found them in the very short free-from section in Asda. They were of course much more expensive than the usual Asda ones. This made me annoyed enough to do some checks and found the Asda, Chosen by You, cornflakes listed in my food list as gluten- free. They are not gluten-free according to Asda who say they contain barley. Asda does their own gluten-free cornflakes that are a smaller box and work out even more expensive than the Nestle cornflakes. Confused? Me too. I went to Aldi for the soya milk to pour over them…
Searching online for bargains #thrifty
Searching online for bargains
You can find lots of bargains online but you don’t have to buy online. You can find the bargain and then go to the store to check out the quality or see what else is on offer. Searching online for bargains can save you pounds!
Price wars? #thrifty
Food and energy
Food and energy prices soared after the 2008 credit crunch and we are likely to see the same now the markets are in turmoil again. It’s is a good time to look at how you can save money on energy bills, food and travel costs. Remember when petrol and diesel prices soared and came close to 150 a litre? Price wars between filling stations have reduced prices but for how long?
Price war #thrifty
I’ve been checking out different supermarkets to see if the price war between them is making any difference. This week I went to Morrison’s and things don’t seem to to have changed very much. (more…)
Oil price and the global economy
Oil underpins the global economy and so a low oil price should be good for the global economy. However, the global economy is out of balance and being manipulated. The global economy should be a free market but it is no such thing. It is a network of trade deals, monopolies and cartels. (more…)
Hidden value #investments
Hidden value
This week the offer for Premier Foods by McCormick was withdrawn but the offer of 65p a share did show the hidden value in the company. It seems Nissin is still increasing its holding in the company and their joint venture seems a good deal for both parties. Premier’s share price still plummeted down to 42.5. This is still better than it was before the offer. (more…)
Gazing into the crystal ball #investments
All investors need a crystal ball right now. Will Britain leave the EU? Will interest rates change? Will the oil price go up or down? Will Trump be the next president of the United States? Will things get even worse in the Middle East? Will the global economy go back into recession? (more…)
Have we hit bottom? #investments
The FTSE 100 is up this morning but is still under 6000, a big drop from last year’s high of over 7000. Is this the bottom? I see no signs of the economy being managed any better and if share prices go lower we will see acquisitions. A few companies have already gone to overseas buyers. (more…)
Aldi heats up the supermarket wars #thrifty
The big supermarkets have been trying to fight back against the discounters and Aldi in particular, but now Aldi is fighting back with a revamped website and more offers in store. (more…)
Surviving the market turmoil #investments
The all share index on the London stock market is down nearly 4% this week, which is a lot for small private investors. There are some bargains to be had but falling markets have had a devastating effect on the value of portfolios in recent months. We have to think long term and consider buying. (more…)
January on a budget #thrifty
You can buy things with money, but it also has other uses. Money to some people is power and to others it’s security. They feel secure in the knowledge that they can afford to enjoy Christmas and still have some money in January. We all tend to feel a little more secure with money in the bank. (more…)
Predictions for 2016 #finance
We can never be sure what the future will hold, but I think this will be the year when inflation starts to creep up again. Competition in many areas such as the supermarkets was fierce in 2015. The oil companies had to compete too with a glut of oil and that is seeing producers with higher costs disappearing. The world economy has seen tight money and increasing competition. (more…)
A real recovery? #finance
The Federal reserve increased interest rates this week. So is this the first sign of a genuine global economic recovery? With a low oil price driving a recovery and stabilising inflation we could now have a chance for growth. (more…)
Signs of normality #thrifty
Interest rates
The Federal Reserve in the United States increased interest rates yesterday and the markets responded positively. It is the first sign that the world’s economies will get back to normal. People with mortgages including the buy to let slumlords have been having an easy time, but that could be coming to an end. It seems likely the Bank of England will increase rates in 2016 too. (more…)
Smart bombs or smart phones #finance
The British parliament voted this week to extend bombing to Syria and the FTSE 100 dropped two percentage points the next day. Coincidence? Not likely. We can invest in bombs and bullets or we can invest in building things that will benefit humanity. I would prefer to invest in research to cure cancer. (more…)
Easy Money #finance
I suppose most people like easy money, but some people make easy money as executives in an organisation that more or less run themselves. Then there are others that clean our hospitals and keep them clinically clean that need tax credits. They need a big increase in the minimum wage. (more…)