Clocks go back…
This weekend sees the clocks going back one hour, officially bringing us in to the winter time… many of us (including me) love this time of year with big woolly jumpers, the approach of Christmas time, open fires, snug slippers and lots of warm hearty food (dumplings being a particular favourite!). The downside however has to be the extra spend on all of our bills, and with the recent price increases by a number of the big energy suppliers we all need to be on our best ‘energy saving’ behaviour!
First things first – make sure you are on the right tariff – it is well reported that up to 24% of people have never switched their energy supplier and consequently are more than likely paying above the odds – check with your supplier that you are on the cheapest deal and make sure that you look around at the offers out there. Energy provision and cost varies depending on your usage and your area, if you want us to look into this for you, send a copy of your bill to concierge@incahoot.com and we’ll see what we can do! It is also a good idea to try and find a fixed tariff, meaning your bills won’t increase over a certain period of time and with recent rises we strongly recommend this option. If you don’t know how to switch, or find it all a bit daunting, check out our step by step guide to switching here!
Secondly – and I’m sure you have heard this all before, but get your insulation checked and / or replaced, this is crucial to keeping the heat inside your house and not trying to warm the whole neighbourhood! Double glazed windows, whilst being a large outgoing, in the long run will make the world of difference in your bills. Energy saving light bulbs are a must and can be purchased from virtually every electrical store / large supermarket. Not forgetting, as my darling father reminds me every time I go to his house and sit in the corner shivering, put another jumper on… and with some of this seasons gems (including my brand new banana jumper!) looking cool and being warm shouldn’t be a problem!
We are more than happy to help you with any of your energy related queries so please feel free to drop us a line.
Oh and in preparation for Halloween check out these scary energy related facts!
Incahoot Energy Week Infographic scary facts
Call Me Maybe…On the iPhone 5
How many songs can you think of relating to the telephone? Call Me by Blondie, perhaps? Just Called to Say I Love You by Stevie Wonder? This is what we’re challenging our followers with over on Twitter, in celebration of the launch of the new iPhone 5. Know of a few yourself? Send them to us!
So, the iPhone 5. Reportedly the ‘thinnest, fastest and lightest’ iPhone ever created. In case you haven’t already noticed, we’re stocking this highly sought-after piece of tech on our website, and offering £30 – £50 cashback on all purchases. Even better for people considering becoming an Incahoot member – we’re offering £50 cashback as an exclusive introductory offer! Our iPhone 5 deals range from £34 to £54 per month, depending on whether you need a 16GB, 32GB or 64GB model. For a handy look at how we compare to our competitors, take a look at our fancy new infographic above.
Here are some iPhone 5 specs to whet your appetite:
- A 4-inch Retina display: This lets you see more of everything while being the same width as the iPhone 4S (so it’s still easy to hold with one hand)
- Ultrafast wireless
- A6 chip: This equals longer battery life and better image performance
- An 8-megapixel iSight camera with a handy ‘panorama’ mode
- 1080p HD video recording
- Siri : Everyone’s favourite ‘intelligent assistant’ now understands more of your questions
- FaceTime video calling, a mode that uses the front-facing camera
- All-new Apple EarPods that promise better sound
- Over 700,000 apps on the App Store
- iOS 6 – ‘the world’s most advanced mobile OS’
- iCloud: This is built-into the iPhone 5, and providing instant access to everything you need, whether you’re on your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Mac or PC
Convinced? Nab your iPhone 5 here, and don’t forget to share a telephone or call themed song with us on Twitter!
Incahoot Goes Back to Uni at Birmingham’s Fresher’s Fair
Today the Incahoot team has been visiting Birmingham University to take part in their Fresher’s Fair.
Starting uni can be a pretty stressful time – many people are leaving home for the first time, may not be familiar with their surroundings and are about to embark on an incredibly important time in their life. Added to this we have the fact that students are expected to get a proper handle on their finances (remember those promises to Mum and Dad?), which isn’t easy to do at the best of times and certainly isn’t easy when everyone around you seems to be flashing the cash. Those who have been there and done that can vouch that it’s not fun having to live on cans of baked beans because you’re forking out too much a month on your phone bill or went too wild in Topshop!
So today we’re letting Birmingham’s new Freshers know that by using Incahoot PLUS they could give their wallet a break and potentially save up to £1,000 a year. We offer the kind of savings you can’t always find on the high-street, and across a wide variety of retailers too, including Sainsbury’s, Topshop (yes, really!), Comet, Boots and B&Q.
So, if you see us at the Fair today, come say hello and ask us for more info!
Honest John
Vote for Incahoot at The Good Web Guide Awards!
There was much excitement in the Incahoot offices this week, due to the fantastic news that we’re in the running to win Website of the Year at the Good Web Guide Website of the Year Awards!
Now in its fourth year, the awards champion online excellence in the search for websites that demonstrate innovation, passion and a commitment to harnessing the full power of the web.
We would love it if you could help us spread the word about Incahoot entering, as well as send a vote our way! You can do this by submitting your thoughts online here. It’ll only take a moment of your time, and would be very much appreciated by the team. And if you feel like tweeting or Facebooking the link to enter – even better!
We’ll be keeping our fingers crossed….
Honest John
The Time to Switch is Now
Experts have predicted that there’s only one way energy prices are going – and that’s up. This pronouncement comes after SSE made the shock announcement last week that prices for its domestic customers would rise by nine per cent in October, due to an increase in wholesale gas prices as well as rising costs of using the National Grid network. This will essentially impact on 5 million electricity customers and 3.4 million gas customers. As it is expected that other major energy suppliers will soon follow suit, it’s now more important than ever to get yourself on the right tariff, especially with the expensive winter months right around the corner.
Now, we know from research we’ve conducted in the past that Brits aren’t exactly keen on negotiating deals with suppliers. Fifty-five per cent of consumers we spoke to told us that not being able to reach the right person was a major barrier, and thirty-three per cent felt that suppliers overloaded them with jargon they didn’t understand. Our recent Stop Moaning campaign says that switching supplier doesn’t have to be difficult. Not only do we have great deals on energy but exclusive discounts on household essentials including Mobile Phone, Broadband, Home Phone and Mobile Broadband. As a result, we could save you a hefty £1,198 a year. And don’t forget with our energy you get Incahoot PLUS for free!
But if you’re still feeling unsure, check out our free Concierge Service. You simply send us a copy of the bills troubling your wallet the most, and we work out just how much money we could save you. We’ll then even help you make the switch! Give us a try – you really have nothing to lose.
We’re polling our followers over on Twitter about whether or not they’ve started thinking about switching; join the conversation and you could win yourself a free Incahoot PLUS upgrade!
Honest John
Stop Moaning and Win an Incahoot PLUS Card
On Saturday we announced the launch of our Stop Moaning campaign – a movement to silence unnecessary money concerns and instead show Brits how they can do something about it!
We found that more than half of Brits are concerned about the contents of their wallet, but they are nevertheless unprepared to make simple changes that could save them a hefty amount of money, such as switching energy suppliers. Factors such as too many tariffs to choose from and not understanding bills were top concerns.
We were intrigued about what we found out, so took to the streets to find out more. Take a look at the video above and let us know if any of the people we spoke to share any of your own concerns.
Remember that with our free Concierge Service members can save up to £1,168 a year by shopping around for the best deals on their household bills – which includes energy, mobile, home broadband and TV providers. People who are looking to switch providers simply need to send us a copy of their latest bill and we’ll work out just how much money you can save.
If you’re behind our Stop Moaning campaign and think people should complain less and act more, there are a couple of ways you can show your support. The first is adding our Twibbon or Fribbon to your Twitter or Facebook profiles; you can download them right here. The second is sending an e-card to your friends as a gentle Stop Moaning reminder!
And if you know a big moaner over on Twitter (we all know the kind!), tell us about them using our #StopMoaning hashtag. We’ve had amazing entries so far, and you and your moaning nominee could bag an Incahoot PLUS card!
Honest John
Incahoot Says Stop Moaning Britain!
We’ve been thinking a lot lately about the relationship between Britons and moaning – are we more inclined to moan about something than try to fix it? What are the top moans? Luckily we were able to question 2,000 members of Joe Public about just this, and can now share the results with you!
First off, more than half of Britons are worried about their finances, and they turn most frequently to their partners to discuss their money woes. But the sympathy stops there, with the majority of those with moaning partners admitting that despite all the worry, their other halves are still splashing out on ‘little luxuries’ (70 per cent).
However, our research also reveals that Brits are unprepared to make simple changes that could make all the difference in terms of saving money – such as switching energy suppliers. In fact, almost a quarter of people have never switched their energy provider, despite just over two fifths of cash strapped consumers saying their bills had increased ‘a lot’ in the past year. That, you have to admit, is pretty unbelievable.
Furthermore, only 16 per cent of Brits say they are happy with their energy supplier, and over half say bills are too expensive. Digging a little deeper we also found that 15 per cent of people think changing their energy supplier will cause too much hassle, and 11 per cent said that they find the switching process too confusing to attempt.
Other moans when asked about energy specifically included bills being too complicated to understand (18 per cent) and too many tariffs to choose from (34 per cent).
Now, as much as we’re sympathetic to those worrying about their finances, we believe that it can be easy for people to manage their outgoings and ensure that they are on the best value tariffs. By signing up to our free Concierge Service you can find out where exactly you’re spending too much money – and all you have to do is send us a copy of your latest bills (energy, Mobile Phones, Broadband). We then work out the potential savings for you – which could amount to a hefty £1,168 a year. You know what that means? More cash for those little luxuries!
So, stop moaning and give Incahoot a whirl. And if you think you know Britain’s biggest moaner, let us know about it over on Twitter using our #StopMoaning hashtag. You and your friend could win an Incahoot PLUS card and save even more money!
Honest John
Is Britain a Nation of Moaners?
Have you been enjoying our recent spate of gloriously sunny weather? You’d think, being as unaccustomed we are to a spot of prolonged sun, that we’d all leap at the chance to swap a frown for a smile. But I’m starting to think that that’s just not the British way.
Take the recent Olympics, for example. On the one hand it inspired a sense of patriotism and pride in our athletes, but on the other it resulted in a furious backlash on Twitter where rants of the day were directed towards the influx of foreign visitors, travel difficulties and the media giving too much air time to uninteresting sports.
In regards to the weather, negative sentiments expressed online include it not being the right kind of sunny weather (believe it or not!), the unsettling humidity, not knowing what to wear and the difficulty it has caused to a good night’s sleep. George Orwell comes to mind, a man who famously said that the English are ‘not happy unless they are miserable.’
What do readers think? Do we moan too much? Are we more inclined to complain about something rather than try to resolve it? Let us know over on Twitter and Facebook what your biggest moan has been about this summer, and you could win yourself an upgrade to Incahoot PLUS!
Honest John
Reduce Effects of US Drought with Incahoot PLUS
You may have heard that the United States is experiencing its worst drought for half a century as an unbearable heat wave continues to savage crops.
Approximately one sixth of the country’s expected corn crop has been destroyed over the last month, and as the US is the biggest producer of maize and soy beans in the world, that means we’re looking at wider global impact. America’s decrease in agricultural production has already affected the UK, with an increase in the cost of wheat, and prices rising by a third in London. Unfortunately, you can expect bakers to subsequently up the cost of their loaves to cover supply costs.
A chief economist at farming consultancy AgResource said of the situation, ‘The US drought means that global corn supplies will be critically tight for the next year. Livestock and milk-product prices will have to rise to cover the increased feed costs. Eventually, global consumers will have to pay the bill.’
But don’t worry, it’s not all doom and gloom. Membership with Incahoot PLUS grants you access to a whole range of offers not available to the general public – and that includes food! So if you’re looking to save some cash – up to £1,000 a year in fact – look no further. It also just so happens that over on Twitter we’re giving away Incahoot PLUS membership this week! All we’re asking for you to be in the running is that you head over to our YouTube page and let us know your thoughts on our Mobile Phone Olympics!
Honest John
Going for Gold, and Gold, and Gold
According to the official Olympic league table, Great Britain is now sitting pretty in third place, behind the USA (2nd) and China (1st). Over the last week we’ve clinched 22 gold, 13 silver and 13 bronze medals. This is a phenomenal achievement, and can only contribute to the nation’s sense of optimism and patriotism that was kicked off by Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony.
To celebrate Team GB, this week’s competition over on Twitter will see one lucky follower bag themselves an Acer Liquid E smartphone. All they (perhaps you?) have to do is let us know what their favourite moment of the Olympics has been so far. Was it Jessica Ennis being crowned heptathlon champion after an epic 800 metre race? Or perhaps Andy Murray triumphing over the mighty Roger Federer in just three sets? Then again, who can forget Bradley Wiggins coming first in the cycling time trial event, or Mo Farah carrying around a massive Wenlock mascot after beating the current world and Olympic record holder of the 10,000 metre title? We’ve been receiving some fantastic comments, so give us your two cents when you have a moment.
And it’s been Team GB’s sterling efforts that have inspired us to create our own special kind of Olympic Games. In what we’re pleased to say is a world first, we’ve launched the Incahoot Mobile Phone Olympics! Catch our videos of the event over on our YouTube channel, and let us know what you think!
Here’s to more gold wins this week.
Honest John
