Baby boomers are keeping inflation high, apparently

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What to read right now…

The average UK salary is now £35,000 a year.

Baby boomers are the ones keeping inflation high, apparently.

Mid-contract price rises on sim-only contracts could see some people pay up to £120 more than they expected. Which makes this a good time to surface this guide to cheap sim cards again – it’s for travel but useful generally too.

Meanwhile, how much it costs to park your car could now depend on its make and model.

And here’s something a little different: Ramit Sethi on how to live a “rich life” – or how to spend money when you have enough.

The deal that’s a steal…

Are you a budding photographer or know someone who is?

Clifton Cameras* are currently offering up to £540 off Nikon cameras, lenses, kits and binoculars.

Quite a lot of the savings are on higher end gear for professional photographers, which means you’ll still end up paying a lot of money.

But if you’re after a new camera anyway, why not save some money?

The offer is valid until 15 January 2024, which may well mean more bargains in the Christmas/New Year sales.

And an actual freebie…

Lancôme has launched a product testing panel, which gives you free beauty products to test if you meet the criteria.

It’s in the same format as a lot of other product testing panels, which means you’ll have to fill in a lot of forms and get involved in their community.

It’s pretty time consuming stuff, but given how much Lancôme products cost it may just be worth your time.

If you only do one thing…

If you have a smart meter installed, it might be worth checking whether you can sign up for the Demand Flexibility Service (DFS).

The scheme from the National Grid will reward you if you can reduce your peak-hour energy consumption during the winter season.

It was introduced during the 2022/2023 winter season, and is back again for the 2023/2024 winter season.

How the scheme works will depend on which provider you have.

Some offer a straightforward cash reward for example while others will enter you into a prize draw.