It’s going to be an exciting year, we can feel it. January is a time of positive change and new beginnings, a time when the air blows cold and crisp with the hope of blossoming possibility.
Although it took its time wiping the sleep from its eyes, the New Year really took off upon the announcement of an upcoming general election, overshadowing the commonplace office chatter of New Year’s resolutions. And while joining a spinning class does sound tempting, let’s be honest, the only physical activity many of us will be engaging in this early in the New Year is exercising our right to vote.
Despite many New Year's resolutions fizzling out almost as soon as we'd returned to work, social media bore witness to many taking the plunge and giving Veganuary a real go. But judging by all the meat and dairy filling up the bonkers.ie fridge, it didn't quite take off here. Sorry Twitter!
And as January comes to a close, we're particularly excited for our upcoming National Consumer Awards at the end of February, and with entries now closed for submission, it's full steam ahead!
In case you've been busy and missed out on any personal finance news, here are some of the biggest stories that happened in the worlds of energy, broadband, banking, and more!
Without further ado, your January newsletter!
As December was relatively mild, it was only a matter of time before temperatures dropped. And as the nights got measurably colder at the beginning of January we decided to investigate how to mitigate the impact this would have on your heating bills. Have a read of these six ways to heat your home for less this winter.
January was a busy month for Electric Ireland who launched its Brighter Energy programme, along with a brand new Green electricity tariff for climate-conscious consumers.
As well as introducing the above renewable tariff, Electric Ireland is also offering new customers cashback of up to €250 when they switch gas and electricity - see here for everything you need to know.
Great offers were abounding in January for those looking to stream, chat and browse as Virgin Media announced discounts across a number of its tripleplay bundles - not to mention some enticing offers across its broadband only plans.
The deals kept on coming as January rolled on with Vodafone attempting to reel in sports and film fans by offering Sky Sports or Sky Cinema for only €1 a month - tempted yet? We certainly are!
January also brought with it the revelation that Ireland is one of the most expensive countries in Europe for broadband, or, perhaps, maybe not so much of a revelation after all? But who’s the cheapest? Read the full details here.
With smartphones becoming increasingly expensive, more and more people are looking to SIM-only plans instead. That’s why at the start of this month we undertook a deep-dive looking at the best SIM-only deals currently on offer.
In mortgage news, Ulster Bank was working fastidiously to increase competition in the market as it announced a new fixed-rate of just 2.20%, now the lowest rate available in Ireland.
For those in the process of saving for a new home, we know how hard it can be, but there are some straightforward ways to help get your mortgage deposit together, take these six, for example.
January is by far the busiest month for those renewing their health insurance, yet many consumers are potentially missing out on hundreds of euros in savings by failing to switch.
And with a number of different plans set to increase in price, consumers were urged to shop around this month in order to avoid paying more. You can check out some of the plans that are set to increase here.
This month we also set our sights on whether or not it’s worthwhile to invest in gadget insurance for your tech belongings such as your mobile phone or smart watch, for example. Here are eight things you should consider before purchasing cover.
We’re on a mission to help you adjust your 2020 vision this New Year to help you save even more money by switching suppliers - so check out these seven ways bonkers can save you money on your bills.
New Year, new episode! We're delighted to start January off with a new instalment of our personal finance and consumer affairs podcast which dedicates a little more time to make complicated issues more accessible.
This month we sat down with co-founder of moneycube.ie. Ralph Benson, to talk through the ins and outs of planning for your retirement. Enjoy listening!
We brought the Christmas spirit into the New Year continuing our stint of giveaways with 15 lucky customers winning a bonkers.ie KeepCup across our social media channels.
Make sure and keep an eye on our social media channels in the coming weeks as ell be giving away two tickets to a big gig that you won't want to miss out on.
Submissions are now closed for the bonkers.ie National Consumer Awards 2020 and we're delighted to say it's shaping up to be a great evening in February at the Mansion House.
Since their inception, the Awards have always been about celebrating companies that provide exceptional value and service to customers in Ireland, and this year is no exception!
Get in touch
We hope you enjoyed your January bulletin. If there are any topics you'd like us to cover on our blog, just tweet us @bonkers_ie with your suggestions.
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