Rachel Lacey's blog

I find it a little strange writing a piece that is pro-sexual discrimination. Perhaps even stranger writing one that defends the rights of insurance companies. But try as I might, I really cannot get my head around the European Court Ruling that will - from 21 December this year - prevent insurers from taking an applicant's sex into account when pricing insurance.

Which? recently published some research showing just how much we can end up paying for so-called ‘free’ banking. Spend two days in a row over your agreed overdraft limit and you could end up paying £75 a month (if you bank with Yorkshire/Clydesdale Bank, for example).

Fortunately for me I don't have to get too hung up on the rising cost of petrol. I do very little long distance driving so a tank lasts me a fair while. But that’s not to say I’m not feeling the pinch of the rising costs of driving. My real bugbear is the cost of parking.

Forgive what might appear to be a shameless plug, but I love Amazon.  With a family that love music and reading it  usually makes Christmas shopping really easy.

I've got a confession to make. Despite writing numerous stories on how much you can save by switching energy suppliers, when we moved house last year we stuck with our existing supplier, which once again I’m embarrassed to admit, hadn’t been reviewed in some time.

Everyone seems to assume that because I’m a parent of a young child, I’m hugely annoyed by the new coalition government’s decision to scrap child trust funds.  Naturally I’d have loved my son’s fund to get another £250 when he turns seven and it’s a shame any brothers and

There are some things that really get me shouting at my telly – Big Brother is the most regular one at the moment, but this morning it was the government’s plans to rescue our ailing housing market that really got me spluttering into my cornflakes.

It’s good to see that in the corridors of power people are finally starting to recognise that there is a real need to start educating people about money.

This week saw the publication of a report commissioned by the Treasury into this very subject. It has proposed the introduction of a national personal finance service that will be on hand to offer financial advice online, over the phone and even face to face with branches on the high street.

Whenever the phone rings and I get one of those pre-recorded messages I usually hang up straightaway, but over the weekend I received one that was such flagrant evidence of mis-selling I had to listen to it all the way through.

Today has been an absolute gift for headline writers and news reporters - World Markets Plunge, Recession Fears Spark Biggest Share Fall Since 9/11. They may as well be done with it and tell us the end of the world is nigh.