”Yeah, I’m not with BT anymore…”

Sunday 14th September, 2008 - £7,926.83 in debt…

I think I must have some kind of money-saving psychic ability. No sooner have I switched to 1899 for my UK calls, Martin Lewis’s newsletter tells me that BT is raising its prices by 1p a call. I know that might not sound like much, but it’s my money and I’m keeping hold of it.

The rise will come into effect on Tuesday (the 16th) and will apply to the connection charge - from 6p to 7p - so it’s 1p on every call you make through BT. This means that every call costs you at least 11p, as there’s a 4p minimum for the per-minute charge on top.

The call charge with 1899 is 4p or 5p for connection to a UK landline and that’s it. That’s a saving of at least half on every single UK call you make.

BT is always being accused of behaving like it still has a monopoly on UK customers, and this is another example. Even if you can’t be bothered to switch your line rental to a cheaper alternative, switching your calls to 1899 is so simple there’s no excuse for letting BT get away with it. Do it now.

 E.ON - Sly as a fox

Monday 1st September, 2008 - £7,977.79 in debt…

When I’ve finally paid off all my debts and I’m looking back at my “journey” (which is what I’d call it if I were an X Factor contestant), I’ll think of month 4 with great fondness. Not only was it the month in which I finally got below the £8k mark - it was the month in which these things happened:

Good times

1) This month’s biggest success story was being accepted for another home-based job, which can fill in the time when I’m not temping or freelancing: I’m going to be an internet researcher for AQA (Any Question Answered). I’ve now finished my training and will be starting the job properly once I’ve finished writing this blog post…

2) I collected a lovely range of loyalty cards: the Nectar Card, Tesco Clubcard, Boots Advantage Card and Co-op Membership Card. Aside from the Co-op one, these all enable me to collect points, which mean prizes. Hooray.

3) I used Money Saving Expert’s new credit scoring tool to find out whether there’s anything I should be doing to make sure my credit rating is as good as it can be by the time my debts are cleared. I learned that I should cancel each card as soon as I’ve paid it off, and that I shouldn’t move house. Fine by me.

4) Online shopping with Asda was an enormous success, but they’ve now stopped sending me ‘free delivery’ vouchers by email. I am shocked and appalled.

5) I’ve decided to go on a cheap holiday, probably in November. You might think this is a bad thing, considering my situation, but I’ve decided to put it in the ‘good times’ pile because it will improve my mental state, making me a happier and more efficient worker when I come back. Yes it will.

6) And I’ve signed up for free UK calls with 1899, a very cheap secondary phone supplier. I keep forgetting to dial the prefix number though - might have to have it tattooed on my hand, which will cost money.

Bad times

1) I went a bit crazy doing too much work. I would have had to stop myself if the work hadn’t dried up on its own.

2) After switching my gas and electricity to a capped tariff with E.ON, I discovered that either (a) the comparison service I used had provided me with the wrong information, or (b) E.ON had done something shifty and added a cancellation fee where there shouldn’t have been one.

3) I realised that Endsleigh have been taking me for a ride for the last 18 months or so, charging me for a Payment Protection Insurance policy I didn’t want. On the plus side, I complained to Endsleigh and they sorted it out straight away. I now have a cheque for £25 to play with.

So, with a grand total of six plus points and only three minuses, this has been one of my more successful months. I’ve also paid off £401.04 after interest - and that doesn’t include this month’s Barclaycard standing order, as my statement hasn’t arrived yet. I’m still perfectly on track for my goal of being debt free by the end of April 2010.

Now, how much quicker could I do this if I become the fastest researcher AQA has ever employed? There’s only one way to find out.

Telecoms, Devon Style

Sunday 31st August, 2008 - £7,977.79 in debt…

A couple of years ago, I signed up with 1899, a phone service that gave me free calls. A few months later, my phone started doing crazy things and making noises I wasn’t expecting - I cancelled the 1899 subscription and the noises went away. But now that my phone bill is creeping over £20 a month, I’m going to try again.

The problem with phone tariffs is that the cheapest ones give you free evening and weekend calls. Not a problem, you say? I should stop moaning and get on with my life? That’s easy for you to say. But I work day shifts and my boyfriend works night shifts, so we use the phone at all times of the day and night. We should get a tariff with unlimited calls… or use 1899.

1899 is a very cheap secondary phone service. To use it, you just sign up at www.1899.com and set up your payment method. You must already have a landline and pay your monthly line rental fee to BT or whoever - 1899 just charges you for your calls.

All calls to UK fixed lines are free after a 5p connection charge, so you can be on the phone for as long as you like, at any time. You use the service by dialling 1899 before the full number you want to call, so if a particular type of call is cheaper with your fixed line provider, you can just miss out the prefix number and dial as normal.

For instance, daytime calls to 0845 numbers cost 2p per minute with BT but 3.5p per minute with 1899. But most of my calls are to UK landlines: I currently get free weekend calls with BT, but the connection charge is 6p so I’ll be using 1899 for all my UK fixed line calls. That keeps things pretty simple.

So, 1899 gives me a quick and simple sign-up process, free calls day and night, and no registration, subscription or cancellation fees. And, so far, no surprising noises coming from my phone. Touch wood.