There’s a great way to grab an easy £100 by switching your bank account. If you've not banked with First Direct before simply transfer your current account to it and you'll see the cash appear in your account after the very first time your salary's paid in.

The catch is, you have to earn over £24,000 as you'll need to be depositing £1,500 a month. However, if you earn enough then the £100 is a big wack so anyone who has less than £1,250 in their account on average over a month will be quids-in with First Direct as the £100 bonus beats the interest earnable on any other account. Bank account tarts can even earn another £100 after six months as First Direct will give you the extra cash if you cancel your account with them between six months and a year of your salary first going in.

Full information on Top Bank Accounts is detailed in Martin's article.

Energy supplier npower has put up gas prices by an average of 17% and electricity prices by an average of almost 13%. But think again if you're considering switching supplier just yet.

A sharp rise in the price energy companies pay energy producers is the catalyst for the price hikes that will hit millions of consumers. And as those wholesale prices are up, the other big beasts of the energy world are likely to follow with price hikes of their own.

So switching now is a waste of time as all comparisons are false because it's not a level playing field. People should sit tight and wait until this latest tranche of rises passes.

Read Martin's article for further tips to find the Cheapest Gas & Electricity deal.

Bought something from Amazon in the last 30 days?

If you’ve bought something from Amazon over the past month and it’s since dropped in price you can claim back the difference. Visit your account at www.amazon.co.uk and look at each invoice from the last thirty days, then click on each item to view its current price. Compare this to the price paid and if there's a difference you can claim it back.

Take a look at the Amazon Cost Cutting Tips note to ensure you pay as little as possible when shopping there.

BOGOF (Buy One Get One Free) fast food

If you're a fan of McDonald's Big Macs, get your hands on a 2-4-1 voucher at www.mcdonalds.co.uk/offers before heading into the restaurant. Go with a friend, split the cost and eat for less.

Alternatively, if you prefer the nosh at Burger King, log on to www.burgerking.co.uk/evoucher and you'll find masses of 2-4-1 and money off coupons.

Even more discounted grub can be had by taking a peek at the Restaurant Voucher Bonanza note on MoneySavingExpert.com.

Cut the cost of petrol

Save hundreds of pounds a year on petrol by visting www.petrolprices.com. It’s a free website where you register, type in your postcode and it will then find the cheapest petrol station in your area to fill up.

The full Cut Your Petrol Costs article contains extra tips to save money on fuel.