The clocks have gone back, the central heating is on and the nights are drawing in. With winter approaching, many of you will be scanning the holiday brochures trying to find a bit of winter sun to brighten up the next few months.

However, holidays aren’t cheap. A leading UK holiday company reported that the average cost of a holiday in 2009 was £2,092. So, if you want to escape the UK this winter, unsecured loans could be your answer.

Fund the cost of your holiday with unsecured loans

A similar survey from a rival holiday firm found that the average holiday spend in 2009 (including the vacation itself and all food, drink and spending) comes in at just under £3,000.

So, if you want to spread the cost of your winter break over a year or longer, unsecured loans could be the answer. You choose the amount you wish to borrow and the term of the loan in order that your monthly repayments are affordable. You are also likely to secure a lower interest rate than if you pay for your trip using a credit card.

Compare personal loans for your holiday

With so many unsecured loans available on the market, it is vital that you compare personal loans to make sure you are getting the best deal.

Factors to take into account when you compare personal loans for your holiday include:

• The interest rate you will pay (the Annual Percentage Rate or APR)
• The penalties for repaying the loan early
• Whether the lender will lend to you (for example, they may not accept self-employed applicants or those with a less-than-perfect credit history)

Use an online service to find the lowest loan rates.  Then, you can enjoy your winter holiday safe in the knowledge that you won’t be paying a fortune in interest.

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You shouldn’t consider getting a payday loan until after you’ve considered applying for a “bad credit” loan. Plus, as always, you should compare personal loans before signing any paperwork, as terms may vary. It is not easy to get cheap loans if you have bad credit, but even bad credit loans are less expensive in the long run than payday loans.

Bad credit loans are made for people who have a poor credit history for whatever reason. They are also for people who have been blacklisted or have County Court Judgments (CCJs). Bad credit loans may be secured or unsecured, depending on the amount you want to borrow and how bad your credit score is.

Many of the loan products offered to homeowners with bad credit are secured loans. What this means is the house is put up as collateral for the loan, and if you default, you can lose your house. Think things through carefully and make sure you know exactly what you’re getting into with a secured loan. If you have bad credit, is it really worth it to put your home on the line? Only you can answer that, and it should be an informed decision.

Keep in mind that bad credit loans carry higher interest rates than personal loans for people with better credit. However, they are still not as high as the fees on an extended payday loan would be (often the equivalent of over 1,000% interest).

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Are you looking for a secure, easy and convenient way of managing your money?

If so, prepaid cards could be the answer. With increasing number of Brits reluctant to take on personal debt, free prepaid credit cards offer an easy way to pay for goods and services without racking up thousands of pounds worth of expensive credit card debt.

Here are three ways that prepaid cards can help you:

Prepaid cards are a secure way of carrying money

Most people are nervous about carrying large sums of cash. Whether you are in the UK or on holiday overseas, holding a large cash sum can make you vulnerable to pickpockets of thieves.

A prepaid mastercard allows you to load up your card with cash and withdraw it as and when you need it.  And, if your card is lost or stolen, you can simply call the card provider to block the card.

Prepaid cards help you manage your finances

Prepaid cards only let you spend the money you have pre-loaded on to the card. This helps you manage your expenditure as it is impossible to overspend on the card.

Most free prepaid credit cards also have internet banking, meaning you can head online to check your spending at any time.

Prepaid cards can help you if you have a poor credit history

Prepaid cards can help you if you have a less than perfect credit history.

Firstly, it is easier to be approved for a prepaid card as there is no borrowing involved. You only spend the cash you have loaded on to your card so there is little risk to the lender.

In addition, managing your prepaid mastercard responsibly could help you to improve your credit rating if the card comes with a credit builder facility.

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Make sure that when you take steps to reduce your gas and electric consumption you don’t fall for common myths about achieving lower energy bills. Here are 3 of them:

1. When an appliance is switched off, it’s not drawing electricity.

This used to be true, but is no longer correct. Many of today’s appliances draw small amounts of power simply by being plugged in, with the plug socket switched to ‘on’. Some of them use as much plugged in as they do turned on. You have to unplug these devices or use a special turn-off device (like the LIME Energy Saving Plug) to keep them from drawing electricity when switched off.

2. Leaving lights, appliances, and computers on uses less energy than turning them off and on and helps them last longer.

This used to be true, but it’s not as accurate with today’s designs. The tiny power surge when some devices are turned on is significantly less than the energy used running the device when it isn’t needed. Plus, cycling appliances off and on does not reduce the lifetime of modern devices.

3. Washing dishes in the sink is more efficient than using the dishwasher.

This is actually true if you only have two or three things to wash. But, with a countertop full of dishes, you’ll save water and heat if you use the dishwasher instead.

Follow these tips, and remember to compare gas and electric to see that you’re getting the best rate for maximum savings on your energy bills.

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This month saw the launch of the first celebrity-endorsed prepaid card in the US. You may or may not have heard of the Kardashian sisters, three ‘it girls’ made famous by several reality TV shows and well-timed appearances at paparazzi happy hot spots. It may seem like a strange move for the sisters to enter the world of personal finance but they seem to have some business savvy or at least some sound advisors because they have built somewhat of a business empire over the past few years, including their own fashion label, branded perfume and a range of fitness DVDs.

Could this new venture lead to other celebrities trying their hands at launching personal finance products? Celebrities clearly have big followings that are quick enough to jump on a trend. The Kardashian Kard, for example, is targeted at teenagers with the idea of teaching younger people to budget their finances. This may seem a little hard to swallow if you have ever seen any of the sister’s shows because the Kardashian girls lead a somewhat affluent lifestyle. The thing is, regardless of this, you can bet that teenagers will be queuing to get their cards.

So will this take off and will we perhaps see celebrities in the UK try their hands at launching a prepaid card? Perhaps the Cheryl Cole Everyday Use card is just around the corner – who knows? However, with the right celebrity and the right offering it could certainly be an interesting prospect.

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In 2010, 30.1 million adults in the UK accessed the Internet every day or almost every day with 62 per cent of them using the internet to buy goods and services.

Broadband has become as common a utility in many homes as gas, electricity or your telephone.  So, you should treat it exactly the same, and make sure you are getting the best value for money.  Here are four factors to take into account when you compare broadband providers.

Speed

Broadband speeds vary from company to company.  The speed of your broadband refers to the throughput speed or the speed at which data is transferred from the internet to your computer.

If you plan to use the internet frequently, or you want to download large items such as music or films online, you should look for a broadband package with a higher speed.

Download limits

The best broadband packages have high download limits.  This refers to the amount of data that you can download from the internet in a given month.

Larger download limits tend to cost more on a monthly basis. However being limited to the amount of data you can download can restrict your web usage.

Location

Not all broadband providers supply services to all postcodes.  So, when you are searching for the best broadband, you need to research providers who offer broadband in your particular geographical area.  Use a website to compare broadband providers in your local region.

Broadband bundles

Many people now save money by using ‘broadband bundles’.  As well as buying the broadband that suits your speed and download requirements, you can also include your home telephone line and a subscription TV service into the package.

It is often cheaper to buy your phone, TV and broadband using a ‘bundle’ from a local supplier.

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Travel insurance is a good idea. If you only go on one holiday per year, then single trip insurance may be sufficient for your needs. But, if you travel more, particularly as a couple or family, then an annual policy may provide better coverage at a better price.

Here are some things to consider when you compare travel insurance:

• Coverage for emergency medical treatment, hospital care and your return to the UK
• Personal liability – cover if you or your property injures someone or someone’s property
• Cover for cancellation or having to cut short a trip
• Availability of 24/7 assistance by phone
• Limits on replacement cover for personal possessions, including documents and cash
• Cover should your airline go bankrupt during your trip (Hey, it happens!)

Free travel insurance is often available through your bank account or credit card, so it’s definitely worth checking through your documents to see if you already have some travel insurance cover. However, these policies are usually very “bare bones” and may only cover trip cancellation, and only under certain conditions.

Keep in mind that you may have to purchase certain kinds of cover at an extra cost. For example, cover for extreme winter sports is often extra, as is medical cover for some ski resorts due to their use of private clinics.

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While you can switch gas and electric suppliers as often as you want, if you are in a fixed-term contract, you may face termination fees for breaking out of the contract early so you may not be in a position to switch every month.

However, if you aren’t in a fixed-term contract, tariffs and offers change often among energy suppliers so you should compare gas and electric monthly to make sure you save money on your energy bills.

When you compare gas and electric, look beyond price before making your decision on a supplier. You should also consider the quality of service of each provider. This information is widely available online. Also look at a given provider’s price increase history. Though sometimes suppliers increase prices several times a year, in general if a price hike has recently taken place, it is unlikely another will follow in the immediate future.

When choosing your gas and electric supplier, consider that capped and fixed deals are often more expensive during the first year, but can offer long-term savings. Additionally, check out different payment methods, such as monthly direct debit, to cut energy bills even more. With monthly direct debit, payments are taken directly from your bank account on the same day every month and is balanced throughout the year. Usually (but not always) this method will give you the biggest discount.

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According to the UK government, “next generation access”, or NGA high speed broadband, is defined loosely as “in excess of 20 Mbps.” Right now, the average speed on UK networks is 4.1 Mbps, while theoretically, broadband over copper cables maxes out at 24 Mbps.

To get as many people as possible into the world of high speed broadband, the government recommends, among other things, using ADSL 2+ technology to increase capacity over the existing copper networks, and eventually replacing the copper lines with optical fibre.

Realistically, 20 Mbps should currently be considered as an ideal. Virgin Media’s optical fibre packages start at speeds of 10 Mbps, though Virgin does offer packages advertised at up to 50 Mbps. At this speed (50Mbps), you could download a music track in one second, or a HD movie in less than one hour. However, it’s only available on Virgin Media cabled streets.

The best broadband in your particular area may not reach such blazing speeds, but many people do just fine with ADSL broadband, so the best broadband for you will depend on many factors, including availability and price. Fortunately, you can compare broadband packages online to make sure you get the best speed for your money.

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Don’t pay more for your motor insurance than you have to! There are many things you can do to help make cheap car insurance a reality. Here are 3 ways to reduce your premiums:

1. Compare and switch.

It’s easy to compare car insurance premiums online and it only takes a few minutes. If you can get the same coverage for less with another provider, go back to your current provider and see if they’ll match the cheaper price. If they can’t come close to matching it, switch to a different provider.

2. Consider whether third party cover is right for you.

“Third party” cover is the minimum cover you need to drive legally. It’s not always the cheapest, but it’s worth finding out, particularly if your car is worth £1,000 or less, if you’re young (under 25), or if you live in a high risk area. But don’t automatically rule out fully comprehensive cover. Believe it or not, fully comprehensive cover may be the cheapest. If your car is fairly new and you have few or no claims, compare comprehensive cover.

3. If you’re in the market for a car, the model, engine size, and value affect your premium costs.

In general, younger drivers plus powerful (or expensive) cars equal huge premiums, while older drivers and/or more economical cars make for lower premiums. Adding an alarm or immobilizer can also reduce your premiums significantly.

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