Another tip pointed out by MoneySavingExpert.com…

Amazon operate a rather strange refund policy - if you buy something and then find that they have reduced the price within 30 days then you are entitled to contact them and ask for a refund of the difference so you basically pay the new lower price.

This is obviously a good time of year to be finding this out as a lot of people would make purchases in December prior to Christmas only to now see the goods in the inevitable January Sale.

Martin Lewis is a clever man - and I’m glad he is on our side rather than on the side of big business.

If you don’t know him, he runs a website called Money Saving Expert which offers up loads of helpful hints and tips on how to try and save money on things like mortgages, loans, credit cards and practically every other outlay from utility bills to buying gifts.

I’ve been a subscriber to his weekly e-mail for a little while now, but to be honest while his views have definitely changed the way I think about money and debt, I’ve never really followed through and acted on very much of his advice other than trying to reclaim bank charges.

I always thought loyalty was a good thing, but in today’s world it would appear that I’m wrong.

There are some areas in which being loyal doesn’t affect anyone else - so although the divorce rate seems to always be on the up as people seek happiness from a succession of partners rather than choosing one for life, sticking with the one partner yourself doesn’t actually have any negative effect on your life and could do quite the opposite in fact.

In other areas though trying to be loyal is the worst thing that you can do however.

I’m not planning a revolution, or any revelations - but I have been thinking a bit about resolutions and the title was just begging to be written!

It’s around this time of year that people tend to eat and drink too much over the festive period and then announce some really drastic new regime for the new year which they will never stick to for any great period of time.

The obvious ones are to give up smoking, or cut down on eating or drinking but some people take it to extremes and vow to do all sorts of things.