The finance guru gave a festive warning

Sure, there’s the presents, there’s the spending time with your family and the big TV specials but let’s be honest there’s one part of Christmas Day that most of us are most excited about: the food, obviously.

The roasties, the meat, the trimmings, the pigs in blankets, all of it. And it’s a lot of work too, there’s no denying that.

So, with them being plenty of Brits go-to gadget in the kitchen, you might be considering whacking on the air fryer to save some time with your feast.

However, Martin Lewis issued a warning to anyone planning on using theirs for a quicker Christmas dinner. Yep, the UK favourite himself.

The finance guru gave a festive warning (ITV)

During a previous appearance on This Morning, the 52-year-old said: “If that’s being done for energy reasons, I would be somewhat sceptical whether that is a good idea.

“If it’s being done for taste, I don’t want to get involved. I mean, the benefit of an oven is when you’re cooking a lot for a lot of people, and you can fill all the racks and have it on consistently.

“Air fryers are good for small things that cook quickly.

“If you’re gonna have to use your air fryer 15 different times for different items generally on energy usage, you’d be better off to use an oven. So it’s an interesting thought.”

And if you are wanting an alternative, Lewis suggested: “A microwave I believe, from memory, gives you consistent heat whereas an oven is warming up to full temperature and then topping it up so it isn’t running at full power the whole time.

You might want to re-think (Getty Stock Image)

“But if you’re doing a jacket potato for 10 minutes it’s going to be far cheaper [in the microwave] than doing a single jacket potato in an oven and keeping it on for an hour and a half.

“However if you were doing a full roast dinner and you were cooking many of them, that is where it’s probably cheaper than putting five or six jacket potatoes in a microwave because each additional object you put in a microwave, you need to keep it on longer because a microwave just heats the individual object.

“General equation is, find the wattage of an item, then work out how many kilowatts or what fraction of a kilowatt it’s using, then multiply that by 34p per hour of use.”

He explained: “If you had a 1000W microwave and you put it on for 10 minutes, one KWH for a sixth of an hour, a sixth of 34p is about 6p, shall we say?

“So it’s 6p turning the microwave on for that amount of time. So yes, it’s a very useful equation.”Featured Image Credit: ITV/Getty stock

Topics: Christmas, Martin Lewis

Jess Battison

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Published 11:50 18 Dec 2024 GMT

Martin Lewis has revealed the secret way to win every game of Monopoly this Christmas

Your go-to-guide to family dominance

Michael Slavin

According to Martin Lewis, there are actual strategies to winning at Monopoly this Christmas – and he’s revealed them on his brand-new show.

Monopoly at Christmas feels like an aggressively British pastime, because what better tradition is there to have over the festive period than one that will make you and your entire family hate each other with a white-hot fury?

Personally, my strategy for winning had always simply been to be so annoying in how I played that others gave up and I declared myself the winner by default.

That is not, however, Martin Lewis’ preferred strategy.

Don’t worry, Martin Lewis hasn’t been trapped Tron style in a game of Monopoly (ITV)

Unsurprisingly, the money boffin instead goes about Monopoly with a methodical approach that would have Sean Dyche crying out ‘woke nonsense’.

Jokes aside, the strategy he recommends to win every time is in actual fact based on sound financial principles when you break down the objective of the game: end up with the most money while taking everyone else’s.

Appearing on his newest ITV documentary, Martin Lewis: How to Win at Board Games, he has a whole section dedicated to how to win at Monopoly.

Within this, he introduces the financial principles of ‘return on investment’ to the game.

Lewis at first states the obvious. When you first start out, the most expensive properties are the ones that will make you the most money.

Don’t worry, that’s not the secret strategy.

He plays and wins a game of Monopoly in the show (ITV)

He also states, however, that early on, you should be trying to buy as many properties as possible in a relatively gung-ho approach.

He added though that, by thinking about properties return on investment, i.e. how much they get you vs how much they’re worth, that’s how you win.

Indeed, rather than the dark blue and green properties from the end of the board, the second-cheapest are actually the ones that will fuel you to victory.

Lewis claims that, based on ROI and factoring in hotels and houses being added, the light blue properties of Pentonville Road, Euston Road, and The Angel Islington are the three best properties for ROI.

This is followed by the brown Whitechapel Road, the dark blue of Mayfair, and the three orange properties.

Another strategy that he believes is vital is to pick up properties of various different colours.

This is due to the fact that, in Monopoly, you can only start building houses and hotels in sets.

The best monopoly properties based on ROI (ITV)

By keeping one of various sets, you have leverage over other players and prevent them from building.

The financial journalist also went on to state that, when buying houses, three is the ‘sweetspot’.

He said: “When you buy one house, the return on investment is 26 per cent.

“With two houses, it’s 56 per cent.

“With three, it’s 110 per cent – that’s a massive jump between two and three.”

There you go, if you want to become the ultimate capitalist and see the light leave your family’s eyes after they realise that six hours of their life spent playing monopoly with you was a waste, here’s your go-to guide to domination.Featured Image Credit: ITV

Topics: Monopoly, Martin Lewis, Christmas, Property, TV and Film, TV, ITV

Michael Slavin

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Published 13:32 11 Dec 2024 GMT

Martin Lewis shares ‘secret way’ people can start shopping at Costco UK if they don’t normally qualify

The money-saving expert has shared some advice for shoppers

Danni King

Martin Lewis has shared the hidden way in which people can gain access to shop at Costco stores in the UK, even if they don’t usually qualify to be a member.

The popular retailer, which has 29 stores across the UK, offers its members and their partners lower prices for buying in bulk, but it can be difficult to gain access sometimes.

Only certain professions can apply for in-store membership, which is priced from £26.40 per year, including business owners, government workers, bankers or police.

Martin Lewis has shared some advice with shoppers. (ITV)

However, even if you don’t fall into one of the many categories stated, you could still start saving with Costco.

Money Saving Expert (MSE) founder Martin shared advice with shoppers, revealing there are some membership options that exist, but Costco doesn’t tend to advertise them.

The MSE website states: “AA, RAC and National Trust members are eligible to join at certain locations.”

The retailer does not advertise these membership options, but the financial gurus at MSE checked with UK Costco stores to see if the speculation was true.

While it doesn’t seem to extend to every Costco branch in the UK, they were informed that AA, RAC and National Trust members could qualify to shop at stores in Birmingham, Sheffield and Cardiff.

However, there’s a catch.

You can only shop at the location you joined at. Martin advised calling before making your first trip, just to double check the rules in place at your local Costco.

The experts at MSE have also shared some advice for those heading to Costco to do a big shop, as it can be tempting to quickly overspend thanks to the various offers and discounts.

Costco UK stores can be difficult to gain access to. (Getty)

The experts claim it can be sensible to make a shopping list and stick to it as you navigate your trip to Costco, branding it the ‘number one rule’.

Otherwise, the discounts and huge range of products could mean ‘you’ll pop in for bog roll and come out with a canoe, a 6ft teddy bear and a crate of 30 Danish pastries.’

They also advise being slightly sceptical of deals, adding: “Just because something graces Costco’s shelves, it doesn’t automatically make it a good deal. Always do your own research first and check if you can get it cheaper elsewhere.”

Compare unit prices as you go or download the Trolley.co.uk app to compare while out and about. Costco can often be cheaper for branded goods, but other supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl might come out cheaper for own-brands.Featured Image Credit: ITV/John Keeble/Getty Images

Topics: Martin Lewis, Shopping

Danni King

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Updated 16:37 10 Dec 2024 GMTPublished 16:38 10 Dec 2024 GMT

Martin Lewis’ MSE sends December warning to millions of Co-op customers

You’ve got a few weeks or you’ll lose out

Tom Earnshaw

Martin Lewis’ Money Saving Expert (MSE) team has issued a December warning to millions of Co-op customers who have shopped there using the convenience store’s membership card.

Like Tesco Clubcard, Lidl Plus, Sainsbury’s Nectar card, and Morrisons More, Co-op delved in to the realm of giving customers proper deals on food, drink, and other items for sale.

And they are proper deals, according to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which last month found that 92 percent of loyalty-priced items are real discounts with ‘genuine savings’.

Listen up if you’re a Co-op member (Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)

These loyalty cards are also good for giving you some money back, with many of them giving you points that you can swap for real money discounts off of your shops.

Well, one loyalty card that used to do this and no longer does is the Co-op Membership.

Despite this, Martin Lewis’s lot over at MSE headquarters have said that a tonne of money is not being claimed – and time is running out.

You’re running out of time (Peter Dazeley/Getty Images)

Co-op membership

The MSE team have issued to every Co-op loyalty scheme member – and it is one that you only have weeks left to take advantage of.

Up until early 2024, anyone with a Co-op Membership who scanned their card used to get two pence in rewards for every £1 spent on Co-op branded goods or services.

You could save up your cash and spend it however you liked.

But in January, the 2p per £1 cash back scheme was ended and replaced by Co-op ‘Member Prices’.

With Co-op ‘Member Prices’, members pay ‘less across the board’ and get ‘personalised offers every week’, the supermarket’s website says, which is similar to discounts offered for scanning a Nectar card at Sainsbury’s.

Martin Lewis conducted his experiment on X (ITV)

MSE warning to Co-op members

With five million Co-op members, according to MSE, the scheme was used by a good chunk of the British population.

Well, if you still have cash on your Co-op card, time is running out.

“Check now if you have any cash left on your rewards balance, as any unused amounts will expire on Tuesday, 31 December,” the MSE website states.

You’ve got until New Year’s Eve to scan and spend anything left on your account otherwise the amount will disappear forever.

If you don’t want to spend it, or only have a little bit you’re not too bothered about, you can choose to donate to help local community projects.

This is done through your online Co-op account or using the Co-op app.

MSE says: “Co-op no longer lets you earn rewards for charity directly – instead you can choose a local cause to get a share of the Co-op’s profits (again, you can do this through your online account or the Co-op app).”Featured Image Credit: ITV / Peter Dazeley / Getty Images

Topics: Martin Lewis, Money, Food And Drink, Alcohol, UK News, Shopping

Tom Earnshaw

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Updated 08:04 16 Dec 2024 GMTPublished 11:52 21 Dec 2023 GMT

Martin Lewis offers warning to air fryer users ahead of Christmas Day

Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis has issued a warning to all air fryer users over Christmas.

Anish Vij

The UK’s favourite finance guru is at it again by issuing a warning to air fryer users ahead of Christmas Day.

From air fryer Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes to fast vegetables and party-ready canapés, the device will be used up and down the country on Christmas.

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And Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis – who has said in the past that air fryers are much cheaper to run than conventional ovens – says he is now ‘somewhat sceptical’ of energy consumption during the festive period.

In an appearance on ITV’s This Morning, the 51-year-old said: “I heard you on the show mentioning someone was gonna cook a Christmas dinner in an air fryer.

“Is that right?

“If that’s being done for energy reasons, I would be somewhat sceptical whether that is a good idea.

“If it’s being done for taste, I don’t want to get involved.

“I mean, the benefit of an oven is when you’re cooking a lot for a lot of people, and you can fill all the racks and have it on consistently.

ITV

“Air fryers are good for small things that cook quickly.

“If you’re gonna have to use your air fryer 15 different times for different items generally on energy usage, you’d be better off to use an oven.

“So it’s an interesting thought.”

For an alternative, Martin suggested: “A microwave I believe, from memory, gives you consistent heat whereas an oven is warming up to full temperature and then topping it up so it isn’t running at full power the whole time.

“But if you’re doing a jacket potato for 10 minutes it’s going to be far cheaper [in the microwave] than doing a single jacket potato in an oven and keeping it on for an hour and a half.

“However if you were doing a full roast dinner and you were cooking many of them, that is where it’s probably cheaper than putting five or six jacket potatoes in a microwave because each additional object you put in a microwave, you need to keep it on longer because a microwave just heats the individual object.

“General equation is, find the wattage of an item, then work out how many kilowatts or what fraction of a kilowatt it’s using, then multiply that by 34p per hour of use.”

Getty Stock Images

He explained: “If you had a 1000W microwave and you put it on for 10 minutes, one KWH for a sixth of an hour, a sixth of 34p is about 6p, shall we say?

“So it’s 6p turning the microwave on for that amount of time.

“So yes, it’s a very useful equation.”