Ashley Park Financial Solutions: Ways to Save on Travel

In the modern age of commuter travel and migration from home towns, transport is an important part of our lives. It can however be an extremely expensive commodity. Ashley Park Financial Solutions have compiled a few top tips to help you get a great deal on your chosen mode of transport.

Train travel

You can save literally hundreds of pounds on train travel by booking in advance. If you know you have a trip coming up, aim to book exactly 12 weeks in advance. This is when the tickets go on sale for your date of travel. You should also split your journey and pay the cost of 2 singles, rather than one full return.

There are tons of companies online offering cheap rail travel when you book in advance. In particular, thetrainline.com offers great online discounts. Be aware though that there are many other canny travellers who will be looking for these discounts, so speed and planning are key!

You may also want to try split-ticketing. If, for example, you’re travelling from London to Newcastle, you could break your journey at Grantham and Leeds and get separate tickets for each part of the journey. You can potentially save hundreds of pounds with this method and it’s perfectly legal – just make sure the train actually stops at the stations you’re breaking the ticket at!

Car Travel

If you’re in the market for a new motor, you should strongly consider purchasing a nearly-new car, rather than a brand new one. Look at car’s that are around a year old, then head to the showroom and tell them you’re looking for a nearly-new car with most of the original warranty still intact. Be prepared to haggle on the price they give you. You can save thousands of pounds buying this way.

You can also save money by reviewing your driving habits. A few easy changes can make your fuel consumption much more efficient. Driving smoothly and changing gear when you reach 2500 revs per minute in a petrol car and 2000 in diesel. If you cut your motorway speed from 85mph to 70mph you can save almost a litre of petrol every 20 miles. Add that up over a year and it’s a saving of almost £100!

Bike Travel

Thanks to the Government’s Cycle to Work Scheme, you can now purchase a bicycle sans tax. Speak to the HR department at work to find out if your company has opted in. You can easily save around £100 on the price of a £250 bike. A more expensive bike can offer considerable savings. You also need to make sure that you purchase your bike from a store that is participating in the scheme. Click here for more information on that.

Hopefully you’ve got some great ideas for ways to save now and can start cutting your bills right away! You can follow us on Twitter for regular tips and updates.

If you’re struggling to cope with money worries, visit the Ashley Park Financial Solutions website for the full range of our services. 

How To Get A Cheap Holiday With A Unique Twist

Summer – us Brits love it! Well, we love it when we actually get to enjoy glorious sunshine on a beautiful summer’s day. With the warm weather fast approaching, AshleyPark Financial Solutions have decided to give you a few tips for ways to find a cheap holiday.

Over the last few years you could easily confuse our summer wardrobe with our winter one – big coats, wellies and umbrellas – the weather has certainly not been on our side.

Although the British tourist board fought valiantly to endorse holidaying on our own fair isle, the sun worshipers that we are headed for the nearest cheapest deal for a dose of sun, sea and sangria!

 However, what happens when funds are low and we can’t afford to get away to exotic destination?

Well, house swapping has been around for decades but, until recently, it was a niche market. The economic climate has changed all of that, forcing many families to reconsider their options in order to have a holiday without breaking the bank.

The scheme involves allowing a stranger to stay in your home for a weekend, week or fortnight and in return, you stay in their home during the same period. There is no cost involved – other than the plane tickets – and both parties agree in advance what will be included in the price. For example, you may negotiate to borrow each other's cars, but if you are uncomfortable with that arrangement, you simply have to specify what is excluded.

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, you might be wondering how you get started and no, you don't have to find random strangers yourself to swap homes with! There are several agencies who offer the service, the majority of which charge a membership to join. However, in many cases, the fee is just nominal and charities such as the National Childbirth Trust even have a house swap scheme, which has been running since 1976.

To register your home on the site, you need to take photos so any prospective guest will know exactly what your property looks like and where it is. If successful, you will need to be prepared to clear some of your personal belongings away temporarily, to make space for your guests' stuff when they arrive.

UK home insurers as a general rule are very supportive of the initiative, as it prevents properties being left unoccupied during the holiday season, but the majority will ask to be kept informed.

This could be a totally new holidaying experience for you – you could end up somewhere you ordinarily wouldn’t have chosen as a holiday destination and love it!

The best idea is to stick with affordable destinations if you’re desperate to get away – just make sure that you can really afford it.

If you have any money worries, please visit the Ashley Park Financial Solutions website for our full range of services. For regular updates, follow us on Twitter.