We Irish are generous at giving gifts for Christmas but with tightened purse strings, Tina Leonard has some savvy suggestions for frugal shopping Top Tips for Shopping Online Only buy from a recommended trader or if the trader is unknown, do a search first to see if there’s any negative chat online about them. All traders in the EU must provide their full contact details and information on

You may be losing hundreds of euro a year by failing to check if you’re availing of the best rates on offer for savings and loan products. Ruth Wildgust recommends getting up-to-date with the best available rates to make some seriously savvy savings in the January/February issue of Prudence, available now. But we've got some extras specially for Prudence.ie readers, like this simple savings account

You may be losing hundreds of euro a year by failing to check if you’re availing of the best rates on offer for savings and loan products. Ruth Wildgust recommends getting up-to-date with the best available rates to make some seriously savvy savings in the January/February issue of Prudence, available now. Check out Ruth's top websites for money saving advice and information below. Irishdeposits.ie

Glittering Goodies stockists Make Up Store: Available at Arnotts, Henry Street, Dublin 1, 01-8050400, www.arnotts.ie Soap and Glory: Available at Boots stores nationwide Tess Daly Beauty: Available at Marks & Spencer’s nationwide Barry M: Available at Boots stores nationwide Benefit: Available at BT2, Grafton Street, Dublin 2, 01-6056747, www.bt2.ie; Clerys, O’Connell Street, Dublin 1, 01-8786000, www.clerys.ie; Arnotts as before Essence: Available at selected chemists nationwide Illamasqua: Available at BT2, ASOS.com, Cultbeauty.com and

Every newborn bundle of joy is going to take a bundle of cash to raise through childhood. Ruth Wildgust has advice on the best ways to budget for your growing family in our most recent issue, on shelves now. But here are some more sobering facts on what it costs to educate your brood. Education costs Bank of Ireland Life has put together a breakdown of the

In Prudence's May/June 2010  issue (€2.95! In shops now!), we have a feature showcasing the purse-friendly sartorial style of four of Ireland's fashion bloggers. In the magazine, we take a sneak-peek into the wardrobes of the gals behind Blanaid, Becky Dazzler, StyleByNumbers and Whisty. But there's a lot more where that came from and the recent Irish Blog Awards Beauty and Fashion Bloggers shortlist is an

Ruth Wildgust's Taxing Times feature on page 67 of the May/June 2010 issue of Prudence is packed full of  savvy ways to save money by claiming your full entitlements. Here are a couple more suggestions for you to get your full tax credit allowances. Claiming your tax credits as a PAYE taxpayer You can claim your tax credits by phoning the Revenue Commissioners, logging on to PAYE

We showcased our first Recessionpreneurs feature in the January/February 2010 issue of Prudence, as well as on the website. Celebrating women who're defying the downturn and setting up businesses, it was such a success we did it again for the current issue, which is on sale now for €2.95. The feature is now on our website as a digital flipbook - have a look and let

In Prudence's March/April issue, we had a terrific feature written by personal finance expert Ruth Wildgust. But that wasn't all the advice she had for us. Read on for lots more great tips to help you stress-test your borrowing abilities. You can afford to buy a house if: you can continue to pay your existing essential expenses your monthly mortgage repayments are less than 40

In Prudence's current issue, we celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit of ten gutsy women who are defying the economic down-turn. Forging ahead, they've refused let the state of the nation hold them back and have begun enterprises in ceramics, fitness, fashion, cookery and much more. The full seven-page spread is in our January/February issue, on sale now for the very purse-friendly price of €2.95. We've decided to