The Bank of Scotland has a fantastic opportunity for first time buyers saving a deposit for their first home – doubled up savings.
The way this works is that savers who regularly deposit money into a Bank of Scotland savings account, up to a maximum amount saved of GBP5,000, will have the balance matched by the home builder Persimmon. The one proviso is that this only happens if the savings are used as a deposit on a new house.
A spokesman from the housebuilder saw it as making a real difference for first time buyers, though they would still need a considerable amount saved elsewhere in order to make the 25 percent minimum deposit most mortgage providers require. The Bank of Scotland are also in favour of the scheme as they want to help home buyers as much as they can.
The latest Tesco Finance report on green activity shows that 53 percent of homeowners were driven by the chance to save money when it came to assessing energy efficient improvements in their homes.
Rising fuel costs have also driven around 54 percent of respondents to change aspects of their home to make them more eco friendly said Tesco Finance. Money is not the only driver though as some 56 percent of people said their concerns regarding the environment had influenced their decisions to some extent.
With so many demands on consumers pockets now and seemingly getting worse by the day it is no surprise to see people seeking ways to save money said a Tesco Finance spokesperson. The fact that these changes can also help the environment is an additional benefit for everyone.
The Abbey National is aiming to help smokers kick the habit by encouraging them to save the money they would normally spend on cigarettes.
The typical 20 cigarettes a day smoker spends around GBP170 each month that could be used for many different and ultimately far better uses. Over the period of just a year a smoker who gives up and puts the money they would have spent into a monthly savings account such as the Abbey National Fixed Rate Monthly Saver would have a balance just 12 months later of almost GBP2,120.
An Abbey National spokesman urged smokers to think seriously about their options and consider the benefits of using a savings account to put money to one side. It can quickly build up into a tidy sum and the person becomes healthier into the bargain.
