Should I buy a chest freezer or an upright freezer?
A chest freezer is cheaper to buy and run and holds its temperature far longer in a power cut; an upright is the one you will actually find things in.
beginner30 min4 min read
Money & Practical
Budgeting, bills and buying decisions, described as processes you can follow. These guides explain method — how to work something out for yourself. They are not financial advice and recommend no specific products.
425 guides
Should I keep sinking funds in one pot or separate ones?
Separate pots make it obvious what the money is for; one pot goes further because the costs do not all land at once. How to get most of both.
beginner20 min3 min readSole agency or sole selling rights — what am I signing?
The four agency arrangements used in England and Wales, what each one actually obliges you to pay, and the specific clauses — tie-in, notice, ready willing and able — that decide the outcome.
beginner10 min5 min readWhat am I agreeing to if I act as a guarantor on a tenancy?
What a guarantee actually covers, the three clauses that decide how bad it can get, and how to limit it before you sign rather than argue about it afterwards.
intermediate11 min5 min readWhat are my rights on a zero hours contract?
Zero hours does not mean zero rights. What you definitely have, what depends on your status, and the one clause that has been unenforceable for years.
beginner12 min2 min readWhat are my rights when a service is done badly?
The standards a service must meet under the Consumer Rights Act, the remedies available when it does not, and how to put it to the trader so it gets fixed.
beginner40 min4 min readWhat energy bill support exists and how do I check if I qualify?
The main categories of help with energy costs in the UK, who each is aimed at, and the official places to check the current rules rather than relying on last winter's figures.
beginner40 min3 min readWhat is ground rent, and can my freeholder increase it?
A payment to the freeholder that buys you nothing in services. Why most new leases no longer have one, what makes an old one a problem, and what to do about an escalating clause.
intermediate10 min5 min readWhat is the difference between a direct debit and a standing order?
Who controls each payment type, how to cancel them, and which protection applies when something goes wrong.
beginner15 min2 min readWhat kind of survey should I get when buying a house?
The difference between a mortgage valuation and a survey, the survey levels available, and how to match the level to the age and condition of the property.
beginner40 min3 min readWhat paperwork should I keep about my house?
The file a buyer's solicitor will ask for years from now — certificates, guarantees, consents and service records — and why assembling it as you go costs nothing and reconstructing it costs a sale.
beginner1 hr4 min readWhat should I do in the first week in a new home?
The safety, practical and admin tasks worth doing before you start unpacking properly.
beginner3 hr2 min readWhat washing machine capacity do I actually need?
Capacity is quoted in kilograms of dry cotton, which is not how anyone loads a machine — so the useful question is what your bulkiest regular item is, not how many people live in the house.
beginner15 min4 min readHow do I cut household waste and save money at the same time?
The overlaps where reducing waste genuinely saves money, and the places where it does not.
beginner45 min2 min readHow do I reduce the cost of having children?
Where the money actually goes, what genuinely needs buying new, and the support that often goes unclaimed.
beginner45 min2 min readWhat do I need to rent a property in the UK?
The referencing checks letting agents run, the documents to have ready, and the options when you do not meet an affordability or credit requirement.
beginner1 hr4 min readWhat is opportunity cost, and how does it change everyday choices?
The cost of anything is the best thing you gave up to have it. Why that changes household decisions that look obviously worthwhile when considered alone.
beginner10 min3 min readAm I a lodger or a tenant, and what difference does it make?
Sharing living accommodation with your landlord usually makes you an excluded occupier with far fewer rights. What still protects you, what does not, and how the position differs in the four nations.
intermediate11 min5 min readCan I take time off work to look after someone who needs care?
An unpaid week a year for someone with a long-term care need — a relative, a household member, or anyone who reasonably relies on you. No evidence can be demanded, and it cannot be refused.
beginner9 min4 min readCan my landlord come round whenever they like?
You are entitled to live in your home without interference, including from the person who owns it. What notice a landlord must give, what a refusal actually means, and where routine visits shade into harassment.
beginner9 min4 min readHow do I check whether I am owed money?
Lost accounts, overpaid tax, unclaimed refunds and forgotten pensions — the places money commonly sits unclaimed.
beginner1 hr2 min readHow do I get broadband working in a new home without a gap?
The lead times that catch people out when moving, how to check what technology the new address can take, and the order that avoids weeks without a connection.
beginner40 min4 min readHow do I switch bank account?
What a switch actually moves, what it does not, and the checks to make before and after.
beginner45 min2 min readHow does LBTT and the Additional Dwelling Supplement work in Scotland?
Scotland's land tax, collected by Revenue Scotland, and the supplement that applies when you buy an additional home. The thirty-six-month windows that decide whether you pay it and whether you get it back.
intermediate11 min4 min read
Going deeper: ToolFoundry
Interactive calculators — quantities, conversions, costs and sizing — rather than prose.
ToolFoundry is in development — GuideHQ covers the practical answers in the meantime.