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I blogged about this very same subject this time last year as well, and the timing is important, so here we go again.

Dublin Bus have increased their fares again for 2009, by up to 10c per ticket for adults. For me, my bus fare will go from €1.70 to €1.80 - an increase in my travel costs for the year of €50. It’s not all that much in the greater scheme of things, but still, with all the other price rises we’re experiencing these days, it’ll all add up.

So, to avoid this Dublin Bus price rise, at least for a short time, go to Ticketmaster and buy up any remaining tickets that they still have available at the old prices. That I can see, all the tickets currently on sale for Dublin Bus on the Ticketmaster website are still available at the old prices. Get them while you can.

Not sure about Irish Rail prices, but the same thing might be the case for the train tickets that are on sale via Ticketmaster also.

I know I’m supposed to be on holidays at the moment, but here’s a quick tip if you’re reviewing your finances as we’re heading into the New Year, 2009.

If you have a credit card with Ulster Bank the advertised interest rate is 17.9% (or 15.9% on the Zinc card that I have had).

I rang this morning to close my account having paid off the balance and they immediately offered me their “staff only rate” of 7.5% - a full 10% less than their basic rate and 8% better than their Zinc rate - more than a 50% reduction straight off.

So, if you’ve an Ulster Bank credit card, and don’t always pay off the balance monthly, give them a ring straight away, tell them you’re closing your account because you’ve got a better deal elsewhere, and see if they offer you the same rate.

I guess a lot of service providers (financial and otherwise) will be similarly keen to keep our business in 2009. It’ll probably be worthwhile ringing all of them that you deal with in the coming weeks to see what they can do to keep your business.

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… C: wait… SD: wait…

In our second week of Top Tips for Irish Consumer, based on the searches people are doing in Google these days and arriving at ValueIreland.com, I thought I’d put together a series of Top Tips for anyone thinking of going to Newry to do their Christmas shopping.

What follows below are Frequently Asked Questions that people are asking Google about shopping in Newry.

We’re not advocating that you definitely shop in Newry, or that you follow your “patriotic duty” - that’s your own choice. If you think you’re going to get better value there than you will in your local supermarkets or stores, then by all means look after your pennies.

For further information, check out Boards.ie and AskAboutMoney.com.

Where should I do my shopping when I get to Newry?
The two primary locations of interest to Irish shoppers are the Buttercrane and The Quays shopping centres. They’re in the centre of the town, across the road from each other. For grocery shopping Newry has a Dunnes Stores and a Sainsburys. There is also a Marks & Spencers, but it’s grocery section is quite small.

Where else could I go instead of Newry?
If you’re heading north, you might want to find a Tesco Extra for the larger selection to get everything in one place. These are available in Banbridge and Enniskillen, with other Tesco stores in Ballymena, Belfast, Cookstown, Portadown, Lurgan, Craigavon and other locations.
If ASDA is more what you’re looking for, they’re in Enniskillen as well as Derry, Kilkeel, Strabane, Ballyclare, Belfast, Downpatrick and Cookstown.
If you can’t get into Sainsburys in Newry, you could check them out in Belfast, Ballymena, Coleraine, Craigavon and Derry.
Obviously there are many other brands and stores – this is a useful link to what’s available.

How far away is Newry?
I suppose it depends on where you’re coming from. According to the AA RoutePlanner, Newry is 116km and 1hr and 20mins from the M4/M50 junction. If you know how to get there, you’ve got just over 70 miles to go. Remember though, you’re not going to be the only person heading for Newry, so allow for a lot longer for getting stuck in traffic.

Do I need my passport to go to Newry?
Are you an EU national? Then no, you don’t need your passport to cross the border into Newry. If you’re from outside the EU, then technically yes, you’ll need your passport. If you have no other photographic identification it might be useful, but for travel purposes, it’s not necessary.

When should I go shopping in Newry?
You should get there as early as you can in the morning. Not only will you not get parking if you only get there around lunchtime, but chances are there’ll be nothing left on the shelves after the early birds get all the groceries.

Can I use my credit card in Newry?
Eh, yes! Credit cards can be used anywhere. You may not be able to use your Laser card though. Check if it has the Maestro logo on the back – that should increase your chances of it being accepted.

What currency can I use in Newry?
The currency in Newry is the British pound, but most stores will accept the Euro also. Be careful however what rate you’re offered. Anecdotal evidence suggest that the rate can vary from 85p to 95p for your €1.

What do groceries cost in Newry?
The best indication you can get before travelling north regarding what you might expect to pay is to check out the websites of the stores you’re planning to visit, so Tesco or Sainsbury or Asda will give you some idea.

Will I save money going to Newry?
That depends on what you’re buying I suppose. By all accounts in the media at the moment, you’ll save money buying most items up there at the moment. However, like everything else, it’s buyer beware. Make sure you know how much the items that you’re buying up there cost down south first – don’t just assume you’ll save money.

How much can I save by going to Newry?
This depends, obviously, on what you’re buying. Different reports suggest that you could save between 25% and 40% on your average weekly shop. However, given you’re travelling all that way, you’re likely to spend more. Just make sure you don’t get carried away and overbuy on groceries that might go off after bringing them home and not using them immediately.

Is there a Lidl or Aldi in Newry?
If you’re thinking of trying to save on the double, there are Lidl outlets in Northern Ireland, including one in Newry. Check the Store Locator on the Lidl site for locations. I can’t find information to say that there are Aldi outlets in Northern Ireland.

What is the customs allowance after shopping in Newry?
As Newry is technically part of another EU country, standard rules apply with regards to items that you’re bringing back into Ireland from the North. As long as the items brought in (groceries for example) are for your personal use, you’re pretty much okay to bring in whatever you want. According to the Revenue website, however, in the case of alcohol and tobacco products:

• they must be for your personal use
• you must retain your receipts as proof that you have paid duty and taxes
• you must personally accompany the goods on arrival.

They also define what constitutes personal use for these items:

• 800 - Cigarettes
• 10 litres - Spirits (whiskey, gin, vodka, etc.)
• 90 litres - Wine (of which only 60 litres can be sparkling)
• 110 litres - Beer

Should I buy petrol in Newry?
That depends. Is it cheaper than you can get down south? It’s generally accepted that the average price of a litre of petrol down south is about 100c at the moment. According to the AA (UK) site, the average price in Northern Ireland is about 95c – which is about 113c. So, fill up before you leave, and don’t fill up again until you get home again.

Can I return items to southern versions of northern shops?
I guess what people are trying to find out here is whether something bought in a Marks & Spencers in Newry can be returned or exchanged in a Marks & Spencers in Dublin for example. It is probably safer to assume that you won’t be able to do this. For a start, it’s possible that different ranges of items are on sale in Newry vs Dublin. You may be able to do it however, so at least ask the question when you’re buying something. Obviously, the best thing to do is to make sure you’re happy with the purchase before you buy it. If you need to return something becaues it’s actually broken, then you’re more likely going to have to go back to where you purchased the item as southern shops are unlikely to want the hassle.

Do I need shots before going shopping in Newry?
Okay, so I made this one up, but this is the only one I’ve made up. All the other questions above are actual questions asked in Google.

I was always intrigued by the comments of certain commentators to “shop around” when it came to buying petrol. Not that it matters much these days (sort of) given the large price decreases we’ve seen in the past 5-6 weeks, but I thought I’d consider it a little here.

I suppose my skepticism about shopping around for petrol is that it’s kind of hard to do when the red light flashing at you on the dashboard. But there are a few things that you can do to ensure that you take advantage of the cheapest petrol and diesel available.

1. Stay informed - Check out the AA Petrol Prices web page to see what the current average price of petrol and diesel in the country. That sets the benchmark price in your mind. Now you can gauge what’s cheap and what’s dear.

2. Use Petrol Price Comparison Websites – Check out Pumps.ie or BestGarages.ie to find out the reported petrol and diesel prices in your local area. If you use these sites to find out information, make sure you pay it back by providing updates of prices that you’re aware of – sharing the information around makes these sites as useful as possible to everyone.

3. Don’t drive to empty – If you’re driving past a petrol station that has cheap petrol or diesel, but you’re only half empty – go in and fill up. If you know it’s cheap, fill up and take advantage of the price. You might not be back that way again, or if you’re waiting for the red light, you might be too far away to make it back to fill up.
4. Don’t fill up just because you’re empty – If you’re a red light gauge bandit but you get caught short and you end up having to buy petrol at a price you know is too dear, you don’t need to fill your car there. Get a tenners worth and get yourself to somewhere you know is cheaper.

5. Don’t get caught out in the shops - Most garages selling petrol now have swanky new shops and snack food providers associated with them. And given that’s how petrol retailers make most of their money, the prices here can sometimes be over the odds. If you can, avoid buying things in these shops, and you’ll cut the overall cost of your visit to the petrol station.

Just a few short points for the weekend.

• ECB Bonus Money - Following our comments last week regarding what you could do with your ECB interest rate windfall, the Irish Times Business blog proposes that you should really be thinking about putting the extra cash against your mortgage and thereby reducing the term. Given an Irish Independent story on Friday that says the cost of lending on credit cards on personal loans will be increasing as banks scramble to keep making money, we’d actually suggest that you reduce higher cost borrowings first (such as credit cards and loans) before paying off the cheaper borrowing that is your mortgage.

• Clocked Cars - Earlier this week, the Irish Independent provided some coverage on the AA research that found that upwards of 10000 imported 2nd hand cars may have been clocked before being sold to Irish customers. We’ve covered car clocking here a few times before, and have criticised the National Consumer Agency policy of not prosecuting those caught doing so. Check out our Top Tips on how to check if the car you’re thinking of buying may be clocked. This subsequent Independent article indicates though that like everything else in the world, clocking cars is becoming more technically advanced – but most of our Top Tips will still help you identify other tell-tale signs that a car might be clocked.

• A Short Rant - Why do so few people have the courtesy to respond to phone and e-mail queries these days. If I were to stand in front of you to ask you the same question, would you still ignore me? I’m talking about sales inquiries to businesses, queries to customer service departments, calls and e-mails to work colleagues, contacts and acquaintances, or just general responses to e-mails, phone calls or written communications. I may just work to a different standard, but as much as possible, I respond to anything I get within the day, and if I can’t I will still respond saying I can’t respond, and confirming when I will. Is that so hard? Am I asking too much?

• Price of Petrol - I noticed this morning that petrol in Tesco in Clearwater in Finglas was 105.6c per litre. Just think – if the government hadn’t added 8c per litre to the cost of petrol in the budget, we’d now be back down below the €1 per litre for the first time in a few of years – April or May 2005. The NCA are investigating petrol prices at the moment because we’re told that Irish petrol prices are 20% higher than the rest of Europe. The budget increase of 8c at the moment represents 8% of the price, or nearly half of the 20%. Will the government appointed National Consumer Agency rightly associate most of the price difference reason to government taxation, or will we get some other reasons? Or will they shy away from criticising their masters?

• And Finally - No Frills Shouldn’t mean no standards? An interesting article from the Cork Southern Star newspaper detailing a range of issues with Ryanair.
  

Have a great weekend!

There was an article in the Irish Independent this morning entitled “Check out the firm before you sign up“. In it, the website Solocheck.ie was touted as a place where you can go to check up on a company before accepting any employment offers.

According to the article:

For about €6, you can check the status of a firm on www.solocheck.ie. The site will give you access to the latest financial accounts of any company you are thinking of joining, if they are listed on the site.

Yes, all good - the experts will definitely tell you that you should know all you can about companies you’re looking to for a job.

But ValueIreland.com tells you that you should save money wherever possible. So, for €2.50 you can get exactly the same documents from the Company Registration Office for Irish registered companies.

Okay, so it’s only €30 for every €100,000 borrowed on your mortgage. The average mortgage, according to RTE news this evening is €250,000 so that’s a saving of €75 based on todays reduction.

But, added to the recent previous further ECB rate reduction, you’re now €150 per month better off. And potentially you’re even better off following the changes to the mortgage interest rate relief in the Budget.

Lots of numbers, but the question is – what are you going to do with that extra money?

How’s your “rainy day” savings looking? Or are you planning a big Christmas and going to need a bit extra? Do you need to pay down other debts – credit cards, car loans, etc? Or could you overpay on your mortgage to reduce the term?

Whatever you do, don’t let this welcome extra money to be assimilated into your day to day spending. This money should be seen as a bonus, and should be treated differently to your “normal money” – make sure you get a decent longer term benefit from it.

There’s been a bit of coverage last week (here and here for example) where 79% of firms in a survey will be trying to avoid having a Christmas Party in order to save costs.

Given everything that’s going on in the world of finance at the moment, it’s hardly surprising that this is being considered by firms.

But the coverage in the papers is a bit severe:

Most firms playing Scrooge over Christmas parties this year

Scrooged: Mean bosses put the boot in

Many employers have had to take an Ebenezer Scrooge-style approach to Christmas spending this year and deny staff a night out.

Ebenezer Scrooge is alive and well in the workplace as Irish bosses blame the economic downturn and cancel their Christmas party

And not a tabloid quote in that juicy set from last week.

I appreciate that there are team bonding aspects to such Christmas nights out, but it’s likely that teams will organise their own nights out anyway without blowing big wads of cash on a big night out.

What are your thoughts? I know that if the choice was up to me, I’d much prefer a little extra cash each month during the year rather than getting a free night out at the end of the year.