Broadband Packages: Selecting the Right Deal

Achieving the best broadband deals is all about researching the market and finding the right package to suit your needs. The internet provider service market is wide open at the moment meaning more competition for your custom.

And because the competition is greater, you stand a chance of getting a better deal. The best way to see how service providers stack up pricewise is to compare broadband and phone deals online.

Image by Irish Typepad, used under Creative Commons licence.

The first step

Hitting the internet to weigh up your phone and broadband options will be your first port of call, but don’t forget to research those high street deals. Packages today are extensive digital television channels, mobile phones and broadband can all enter the contract. The major providers should be able to meet your needs whether you’re looking for a one-off service such as internet only or a multi-services contract. Decide first what you actually require from your provider and then begin to look at different prices and companies using a comparison website.

What sort of user are you?

If you’re only interested in getting online then you should be able to find some very low-cost deals. How much you use in terms of downloading will make a difference to price and if you want high-speed broadband you may have to pay a little more. If you’re not quite sure and just wish to try out browsing and surfing the web occasionally then go for an entry-level package. This shouldn’t incur a high monthly charge and although there will be limits on how much you can download you can always upgrade at a later date.

How big is your family?

The more people in your home using the Net, the higher your download limits should be. If you have more than two people in the home whoare intending to use computers or tablets then the unlimited download option will be the best bet. Unlimited packages are also great for streaming films to your smart television and are a cost-effective choice for those who play online games. Remember that if you’re going for an unlimited package this can include free landline calls and if mobile is part of the deal you should be able to put together a good inclusive minutes call plan.

What else should you consider?

Where you live will make a difference to your choice of internet service providers and the packages on offer. If you live in town or in a city centre you’ll have the widest range of providers available, but if you live in rural areas your options may be limited. It may also be the case that you won’t be able to obtain the latest high-speed broadband if you live in a remote area. But if you don’t use the internet often and are simply browsing the web you probably won’t need the fastest connections around and prices should actually be lower for a basic broadband package.

At the moment the internet service provider market is immense and it pays to shop around. Don’t rush in - take your time and research companies to find one that can meet your needs and always calculate the entire price you’ll pay over the contract length.

Disclosure - this post is produced in collaboration with Broadband Choices, 

The ultimate 80's night thanks to The O2!

Eh up!

Over the last few weeks we've been trying to plan a night out for a group of parents at the school. A way for us all to get to know each other better and have some fun without the kids, while it sounds like bliss it's not been easy to get this far with most of us unable to decide on when would be best for us all, trust me. That can be a problem when there's a large group to organise

80's flasher - Photo Credit - Derek Key
Creative commons license (CC BY 2.0)

Where we live has some fantastic transport links to the rest of the country, so we've decided to take the party out to the city that never sleeps, London. With it's vast array of restaurants, seedy back streets in Soho, some amazing places to party and the blessing (or regret depending on how you see it) that is the night buses for the inevitable chance of missing the last tube back to your homeward bound station. To me, it's one of the most vibrant and weird cities in the world with more to offer than most towns throughout the UK.

We've got everything planned out so far, we've booked an entire floor of a fancy restaurant and getting from place to place is all sorted. However we are missing one thing. where would we go after the restaurant? We'll need somewhere to party that night, after all. It's useless to spoil yourself in town without making it a fantastic night to remember. Me and my friend K have been racking our brains on this as we couldn't work out that best to do, When the radio station we were listening to decicded to blast 80's classics out one after another. In a true light bulb moment we decided to turn it from a school parents party to an 80's night, just without the spandex, Frankie Says relax T-Shirts and Shell suits. While funky and retro I'd prefer not to be spontaneously combustible from merely walking down the road thanks.

Now we did have one other problem to sort here, how we could make the evening a proper 80s bash? We went online and searched suitable venues and called many of them to find the were last years events. To be fair, the odds on finding a bar or club with an 80's theme near our restaurant without travelling miles out became a struggle until I heard a whisper from a friend about a special guest who was coming to The O2 around the same time we were in the City.  That was it, with much squeeing and swooning from both ladies and gents we're getting our hands on some Culture Club Tickets this week to see them at The O2. I really wanted to tweet the fabulous Boy George and ask him if we could all sneak in with him, but I'm sure he's recently unfollowed me on twitter - Sad but true, Come back lovely!!And the cherry on the top is Alison Moyet supporting too! It'll be fantastic, two amazing groups to tick off my bucket list.

If you were to join us on this amazing night out what would you wear and how loud would you be?
Paul!

Disclosure:
This post is published in collaboration with The O2

What would you say to your 15 year old self about money?

Morning all
Today I'm going to talk to my 15 year old self, it's needed to be fair as I was stupid back then, while I'm happy how my life's panned out so far I'll admit that openly but looking back at when I landed my first job I should have done so many things differently.

Meet me. A fresh faced (hahah) 15 year old at school in 1998-9, back in the days when prepaid phones were in their infancy and made today's megaphones look tiny in comparison, life was pretty easy and the worst we had to worry about was getting back and forth from school and getting accepted to college if our grades were ok. But over the course of that fateful year I was given a valuable life lesson by my old man, "if you want something, go out an earn it!" Looking back now it was a subtle kick up the behind, despite the fact I'd already landed myself a weekend job.

The work was good if you ignore the odd child that liked to puke you really could call it being paid to play. All the team were fantastic, even the somewhat misunderstood owner. 7 days later the fateful day came I had been longing for, my first wage slip with cash nestled inside it. Happiness was soon to become the accounts department lady's visit on a Friday and here's where I stop the story to talk to 15 year old me as it's here where things get stupid, seriously stupid!

PAUL, STOP RIGHT THERE!

Money is good, cool, and awesome to spend but darker times are coming. and within a few weeks of being 16 you'll be spending £40-60 a week on credit for your two phones, wasting money on anything you can and not keeping any money back for essentials like travel, clothes, course books or emergencies, trust me there are quite a few to come. Forget the rainy day saving think saving for survival here.

Please leave college early and get walking around the town and sign up for a decent savings account, research what would be beneficial for you and understand the differences of spending and saving money and what the benefits with your new account can give you while saving for that rainy day come zombie apocalypse.
I say this to you now as things will get worse and shortly after your 19'th birthday you'll be made homeless and you'll need every penny you can get your hands on. But I promise your future landlords are lovely, but for the love of spaghetti cat tidy your room the weekend you go away with the eastern region millennium volunteers, you filthy pig!

I'll leave my message to me with emphasis on doing better with money with a spoiler and some advice for 15 year old me. Life gets tough but becomes awesome - the three kids in my top bar are yours!
And the advice is - Don't go in the hay-barn with a certain lady - you'll get a new nickname from your friends otherwise!
All the best! - Me.

If you could go back to your 15 year old self what would you say to you? Let us know in the comments.
Paul

Discloslure - this post was created by me in collaboration with Santander

Getting the most from your camera

Hi everyone.

I admit my camera really needs more love and use but whenever I experiment with the settings and options the images can really come out poor, making a camera phone from 2003 look like a professional shot. Now in many cases it's my own fault as I've not paid attention to what the camera has shown me on the screen or worse, taken it without paying attention and fluffing the entire shot up. Some of my sports day photos were notoriously poor this time and frustrating when I looked at some of the photos and they don’t look quite like I had envisioned at the time!
It only takes a fraction of a second for a perfect photo into a perfect fail. And this is where Photobox come to the rescue.

Photobox have teamed up with Sheffield-based freelance photographer Charlie Barker to offer her top tips for taking the perfect photos will useful advice and help to make the most out of both your camera and phone no matter the occasion or camera itself.
And for the more adventurous they also gave me this set of 10 tips to share with you, some of these are more complicated but can transform a photo instantly.

And the tip's don't stop there, especially as I love you all so much, I had a chat with some amazing bloggers and friends asking them to give me top secret tips on how they take the perfect photo - Thanks ladies :)


Andrea from All you need is love and Cake says, "For me not being a great photographer, the photos I like the best are totally natural ones of my little one having fun. Quite often taken on my phone, they are so much better than 'perfect' posed photos"

Carolin from Mummy Alarm adds, "Take a lot of photos, there's bound to be one that stands out when you go through them."

Maggy from Red Ted Art offers  "Take lots of shots in one go, so at least one shot is good. Try and take shots when people don't realise - more natural and avoids cheesy grin. Check background- does moving one step hide an ugly bin? Or a piece of road. Basic editing like cropping and brightening photos can do wonders. Avoid flash if you can."

 Aly From Bug Bird Bee continues "I use flash near enough all the time during the day now.I think it's important to look at different angles when taking photos.Try to get behind a subject or by the side rather than face on.Get higher or lower too can create different perspectives especially with kids.I take test shots when I arrive somewhere (the bonus of digital eh?) before I start taking actual photos.
I do use Hipstamatic app a lot but I have been using HDR on my phone too.Oh if it's a dreary day black and white never fail"

Anya from Older single mum mentions "Use HDR if it's available on your camera or phone" and PinkOddy stops the press at the last moment with "Take pictures from different angles"

Now while many of these tips are similar it shows how in some cases taking a great shot can differ from moving a few inches to the side, your mood, and even the options a camera or phone has built into it can all make huge differences to how a photo looks.

If you've got any tips you'd like to share with us, please drop them in a comment below. 

Now get out there and get snap happy!

Disclaimer - This guide was sent to me and created by Phototbox.