Please let me know, especially if your children have already been involved in the first design stages.

The solution is a current cost meter which monitors how much electricity you are using and presents this in an easy to understand format. Your energy provider may provide one free of charge, or alternatively you can purchase one online (e.g. Amazon) for as little at £50.00.

Once setup you can enter your cost per Kwh (Kilowatt hour) and the device will calculate your daily usage including how much you are consuming during the day, evening and night.

The device can connect to your computer to create graphs and an analysis of your power usage. Alternatively an Internet Bridge will allow the data to be posted onto a website so you can monitor your energy usage anywhere and analyse the data in many different ways. See www.currentcost.com for further information.

These are available on line and range in price from £30-50 depending on functionality.

The 76-year-old K6 design was created by architect Giles Gilbert Scott for King George V’s silver jubilee in 1936. Produced up until 1968, almost 70,000 were manufactured for deployment across the UK.

As more of us our using our mobiles to make calls, the humble telephone box is likely to become a much rarer sight. The new BT phone boxes include a host of new features including Wi-Fi hotspots and credit card payments. But they are unlikely to become a design classic as the K6.

“It’s a timeless design recognized all over the world and is synonymous with Great Britain.

You have to have the right outdoor space or patio area for the box to look at home! But I would expect that B&Bs and many pubs are likely to take up the offer.”

says David Boyd, Director at PAD4U.

You can get your hands on one of these for as little £1,950 ex. VAT and delivery. If you would like to order a box you will need to visit the X2Connect web site. X2Connect manufacture the K6 boxes on behalf of BT and also the more modern glass telephone boxes. The web address is www.x2connect.com/shop/BT__Red_Phone_Boxes_.php.

However, if you want to make an actual phone call from the box you will need to use your mobile!

The housing market was enjoying a small revival in fortunes as the rush to avoid paying Stamp Duty took hold but figures from the British Bankers Association (BBA)  show mortgage approvals tailing off as the stamp duty holiday came to an end.  I was surprised that the Chancellor did not extend this holiday, or better still redefine the boundaries so that ordinary families buying the average house were not having to find extra funding to pay Stamp Duty at a time when the banks are demanding higher deposits?  The only change to Stamp Duty was an increase from 5% to 7% for properties valued in excess of 2m+.  But what about the millions of ordinary people looking to get on the housing ladder? The Government have setup a couple of schemes, including NewBuy, but these are focus on newly built homes rather than existing property stock and will only benefit few First Time Buyers.

Stamp Duty is considered by many economists to be an archaic and badly designed tax.  The boundaries are arbitrary and create skewing of house prices at those boundaries.  However, the Chancellor has decided whatever the negatives are, the tax is certainly less easy to manipulate than income for high earners.  The major loophole of buying property in corporate or off shore companies being firmly closed by the Chancellor.

Given that Stamp Duty is likely to be here with us for some time, what can First Time Buyers do?  The answer might be to seek out areas where family homes can be purchased under the existing £125,000 Stamp Duty threshold.  Levenshulme is just such an area and has a plethora of family homes under that Stamp Duty threshold.  Levenshulme also offers superb transport links, excellent school facilities and a thriving community.  First Time Buyers will need to seek out areas such as Levenshulme to avoid stamp duty and potential benefit from the growth and the investment that is being channeled into these areas.

PAD4U have been making continual improvements to our financial systems to ensure landlords receive their rent as quickly as possible.  These changes include increased number of rent runs per month, improved collection of rents via Direct Debits, and finally we can now offer same day payments to landlords (please note your bank will need to support fast BACS payments).

If you have any questions about our financial systems, please do not hesitate to contact Simon our accountant on 0161 257 2441.

David Boyd, Managing Director, PAD4U Estate and Letting Agents Manchester writes:

Inspire Levenshulme are running a number of FREE events from the 5th of March celebrating International Womens’s Day 8th March.

Places on the workshop are FREE but limited, please contact Inspire on 0161 850 5717 to reserve, but you can turn up on the day.

The week kicks off with a Belly Dancing taster session on the 5th of March at 12 noon.

For business ladies that lunch, Tuesday 6th March is Women’s Networking Lunch 13:30am-1:30pm.

Free film screening on “Potich” – 8th March 7-9pm—a feisty French wife takes on her husband’s business and triumphs age 15+ see http://potichemovie.com/.

Take advantage of the optional meal deal, panini or pizza, salad and wedges (my favourite) and hot drink, wine or beer for £7.50! Bargain!

The Woo Hoos are playing at Inspire on the Friday 9th March from 7:30pm. Bubble café will be open for drinks and snacks. The Woo Hoos are a female musical group whose emphasis is on fun and harmony.

Their music covers Pop, RnB, Jazz, Latin and Blues in a quirky way.

There are many more events happening during 5th-9th March, to find out more, pick up a leaflet at Inspire or visit online http://www.lev-inspire.co.uk for links.

David Boyd, Managing Director, PAD4U Estate and Letting Agents Manchester writes:

First time buyers have surged recently taking advantage of the Stamp Duty Holiday before it ends on the 31st March 2012. But there are other reasons why first time buyers feel now is the time to get on the property ladder.

According to HomeTrack, the property research company, the number of buyers registering with Estate Agents increased by 18%. Hometrack believe most of the rise is related to the stamp duty deadline, but there are other changes in the market making things easier for First Time Buyers.

Firstly there is an increased number of FTB (First Time Buyer) mortgages available to choose from in the market. Many FTB mortgages have more attractive loan to value ratios and more competitive interest rates than has recently been available (If you would like independent mortgage advice, PAD4U can help at no cost via our brokers) This is combined with a low interest rate environment, that if economists are to be believed is likely to last for some time as the global economy remains depressed.

First Time Buyers have also realized that the alternative of continually renting property has its downsides. Rents have been increasing of late, to the extent it can be cheaper to buy than rent. There is also no guarantee of long tenure resulting in the inconvenience of having to move more often than desired.

Whilst property prices are not rising and did drop dramatically during the credit crunch , they do now seem to have stabilized and this is proving attractive to First Time Buyers. “First Time Buyers aren’t necessarily looking to make huge returns from property, but what they do want is price stability, so they don’t fear getting into negative equity. Continued stable house prices will lead to further interest from First Time Buyers”, David Boyd, Managing Director at PAD4U.

Levenshulme offers many options for First Time Buyers. Property prices are below average UK house prices. There is a good mixture of terraced properties and apartments, ideal for First Time Buyers. (See page opposite for examples).

Levenshulme itself is benefiting from increased investment and interest in the area. Levenshulme transport links are excellent. Levenshulme train station is only one hop to Manchester Piccadilly and there are frequent bus services along the A6. New businesses such as Inspire and Trove, which have recently opened, demonstrates the area growth potential.

1. Use your Tag Passiton Card (Get one if you haven’t already £5)

The Tag PassItOn Card gets you big discounts in Levenshulme such as PAD4U, the Inspire Cafe, 1001 Antiques, APL Locksmiths, etc, etc.  It also works in Didsbury, Chorlton and City Centre, as well as other areas in Stockport and Manchester.  Simply visit the web site http://www.tagpassiton.com to start saving!

2. Buying could be cheaper than renting

Interest rates are at an historic low and most economist expect them to stay low for a number of years due to the difficulties in the euro zone.  There are also a number of competitive mortgage products appearing on the market.  You are likely to still require a sizable deposit, but if you do have funds, you monthly mortgage costs may be significantly cheaper than renting.  Speak to your local Independent Mortgage Advisor to assess what products are available to you.  Note of course that interest rates can rise.  Keep an eye on local property prices at www.facebook.com/pad4u or follow PAD4U_Agents on Twitter – we often post some of our most competitively priced properties here first, even before they get on Rightmove.

3. Insurance

Insurance costs are soaring, both for property and cars, so ensure you shop around.  Websites such as moneysupermarket.com and comparethemarket.com, will search many insurance companies to find you the best deal.  Comparethemarket.com has a free Meerkat giveaway also!  Make sure to check with directline.com as they do not put their deals on comparison sites.

4. Products

Groupon is already a well known site, but has suffered from bad press of late, you can still bag a bargain, just read the terms and conditions carefully.  HotUKDeals.com is a website for customers to share the best deals they have found on the web or in store.  Whether it be a washing machine or a games console, you can usually save money by following savvy customers who post deals on this site.

5. Ask!

Don’t be too polite to ask for a better price.  You’ll be amazed how often this succeeds!  It obviously isn’t going to work in McDonalds and it’s not appropriate in all circumstances, but you’ll be surprised where it can work.