Audio version

37

LIFE

Dec 2010/Jan 2011 www.esb.ie/em

BETTER BUY BUDGET HAVE A STRESS FREE CHRISTMAS…

It’s the thought that counts

BARRY MCCALL

PERSONAL FINANCE

Christmas is coming and so are all its attendant expenses.

DURING THE BOOM years most of us splurged unwisely on gifts of dubious value and paid for them for much of the following year through maxed out credit cards. Times have changed and so have attitudes. Among the most frequent requests to this column is the one looking for advice on managing Christmas on a budget. And the good news is that this is for once just as easily done as said.

The first thing to remember about Christmas is that most people appreciate getting a gift, regardless of what that gift is or how much it cost. Furthermore, they tend to appreciate a gift all the more if it is wrapped and presented with care.

One very cheap way to do this is by designing your own personalised gift tags and printing them out at home. Go to http://office.microsoft.com where you’ll find dozens of free design templates which you can download.

Next to the gifts themselves; the best way to scale back on spending without offending anyone is to set spending limits for each recipient. Say €10 for friends and €50 for family members. Then it’s a question of going out and putting a bit of thought into each present.

If you’re buying gifts for teenage girls or young women then Penney’s is one of the best places to start your search. The range of items they have for under €10 is simply astonishing and you’re almost sure to find something particularly suited to the person in question. And if you pop across to the menswear section you’ll be bowled over by some of the value on offer there for very practical gifts like slippers and so on.

For younger friends and family members the best place to start is the web. Smyths and most of the other retailers have very good websites which will not only enable you to compare prices but browse for the ideal gifts for the little ones in question from the comfort of your own home or office.

The same process applies to adult gift giving. Go online to the sites of catalogue retailers such as Littlewoods (www.littlewoods.ie ) and Argos (www.argos.ie) or department stores like Arnotts (www.arnotts.ie) to get prices and more importantly gift ideas.

Once you get the ideas you can do a bit more shopping around – either on the web or on foot if you have the time – before you do the buying itself. And don’t be afraid to put the emphasis on the practical – with people eating in a lot more now cookery books and kitchen aids make very welcome presents for many this year. The same goes for car care, personal grooming, homecare and DIY and many other areas besides.

And now comes the most important part; discipline. Before you leave the house with any money in your pocket make a list and stick to it.

Don’t be tempted to impulse buy – unless of course it’s for yourself; buy what you intended and if the shop doesn’t have what you are looking for go elsewhere or come back another day. Oh, and there’s another thing – if you really want to do Christmas on a budget don’t under any circumstances leave it until the last minute.

Alfa Romeo: Giulietta 1.6JTDM-2 105hp Lusso

DAVE WALSHE

MOTORING

I WORK WITH planners. Always covering the basics, doing the research and making sure the right decision is made or at least putting forward the arguments to allow the correct decision to be made. As a result I was left with a gaping mouth when one of our planners came up to me and said she ‘gets’ the Giulietta, the car I’d started raving about before I got to test it. She’d seen the Giulietta the previous day. That’s the Alfa effect.

It was ephemeral though as she went out and bought a Mini. Planners, eh? All head with fleeting heart! OK, budget was probably a factor but, and I’m in guessing territory here, readies aside I’d say the Giulietta would have won out. Even the name is a winner, first used in the ‘50s on an equally fetching workof- art car.

It’s spacious, has a practical boot and the room in the rear is fine, albeit with limited visibility. The Lusso spec is laden with goodies like cruise control, automated wipers and dimming mirrors, climate control, steering wheel controls, Bluetooth and, as my Dad would say, a ‘music-centre’. It’s as modern as it gets but this is an Alfa and they do things differently. One example - LE D lights. The Alfa has front LE D daytime running lights but it’s at the back where this baby shines. The rear LE D lights on the Giulietta are the best ever. They look like eyes with eyebrows and a swirl thrown in. Words don’t do them justice, which is why I’ve included them in the picture accompanying this review.

The Giulietta has amazing front, side and rear styling, plus Alpfa’s trademark hidden rear door handles. The simple interior is pure class with some of the switches copying those in the Alfa 8C Competizione, easily the best looking car made in the last few years (Bing it).

Complaints? I found the pedals were too close to me and I could only find a compromised seating position. My test drive model was diesel powered and while it was a good, efficient diesel with stop-start technology and good consumption, it was not the most powerful of engines. Anyway, petrol is like a drug to an Alfa. It needs it. When it has it, it’s happiest and when an Alfa is happy so is its driver. That is why I’d opt for a model with the groundbreaking 1.4 Multiair petrol engine producing 170hp for €5k extra. That’s a steep price penalty but it’ll still keep you in the B tax band. The base diesel price, plus the metallic paint, put the car on my test drive at €24,295.

The ride was harder than I expected with some of the speed bumps I usually encounter on my journey to work being a lot more jarring than usual. The road holding was fine with a modicum of understeer when pressed.

Alfa have worked very hard on producing a quality engineered car – and they have succeeded. They are very close to the Ford/VW/Toyota/Opel posse in this regard but miles ahead in the looks and desirability stakes. Oodles of style with substance. I love it.

Full details at www.alfaromeo.ie

This Christmas, let Santa be the only one in the red

SIMON DUNNE

ST PATRICK’S CREDIT UNION (ESB STAFF) LTD.

ALTHOUGH CHRISTMAS is a time of joy, it can put a lot of pressure on hard pressed parents trying to give their family a Yuletide to remember.

The temptation is to borrow beyond our means, from sources that charge very high interest, resulting in a sack full of debt in the year to come. But you don’t have to spend next year living with the Ghost of Christmas Past!

A loan from St Patrick’s Credit Union will ensure that Christmas will be an enjoyable and peaceful time for you and your family.

The reasons why are:

• Our One-Year loan has an interest rate of just 4.9% per annum.
• If you need to spread the repayments over a longer term, you can also topup your current Standard Loan, which has a rate of 6.5% per annum.
• You can make lump sum payments without incurring any penalty or charges.
• Flexible repayment terms.
• Fast and efficient application process.
• Free Loan Insurance Cover (for members under 70 years) which will clear your loan balance in full in the event of your death.

So beat the Christmas shopping rush and get a loan now from the Credit Union. You can apply online in the Member’s Area on our website www.stpatrickscu.ie or you can post in an application form.

Remember, if you do your shopping with cash it is easier to keep account of what you are spending.

However, if you decide to do the shopping with your Credit Card and are unable to clear the full balance when the payment date falls due, then get a loan from the Credit Union in the new year to clear it and avoid paying excessive interest.

St Patrick’s Credit Union Competition

Win an iPod nano!!

To be in with a chance of winning please answer the following question and text your answer to 087 9858238 in the following format “CUCOMP followed by your answer (i.e. a, b or c) and your name”

What is the difference in the interest rate between our One-Year Loan and our Standard Loan?

1. 0.6%
2. 1.6%
3. 2.6%

Important Only one entry per person, no mail entries acceptable, and the closing date is Monday January 31st.

Last issue’s winner

Last month’s winner was Emlyn Lang working in Erne Stations – congratulations Emlyn and your iPod nano is on the way to you.