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MoneyHub is committed to finding the latest information for consumers. Our News Feed contains easy to digest snippets for those looking to educate themselves.

MoneyHub experts say:

Whilst the upmost care has been taken with aggregating our News Feed, we always urge consumers to do their research when buying products or using our advice. 

News Feed

Shopping basket of food

Getting more from your food basket comparison

A comparison of online shopping baskets revealed a surprising result: food prices in major retail chains have dropped to levels seen a year ago. For instance, a shopping cart at Rimi costs less now than in the past 11 months; last year, it was over €70, and now it’s under €63. Barbora’s cart is also €6 cheaper than last September. Data is collected on the 10th of each month. Prisma still hasn’t returned to its previous year’s prices and currently offers a cart that’s €5 more expensive. Selver’s prices are €2 higher than 11 months ago. Rimi is experimenting with its pricing. Throughout the year, Prisma has offered the most stable and affordable prices. Barbora’s food prices rose until this April and then decreased. Rimi’s prices have fluctuated as they search for the right pricing strategy. Selver consistently has the highest prices. Regardless of the general price level of the retail chain, all have returned to last autumn’s price level. Bread products have been the most stable in price across all chains.

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Pictures of housing

Estonian property market sees 33% drop in transactions

Estonian property market sees 33% drop in transactions YoY; No Immediate Revival Expected Despite ECB Holding Off Rate Hikes Despite the European Central Bank (ECB) pausing interest rate increases, experts foresee no quick recovery for Estonia’s flagging housing market. Since last autumn, the ECB has raised rates ten times to counter inflation. This has discouraged new lending and affected existing loan holders, states Risto Vähi, an analyst at Uus Maa. Year-on-year data reveals one-third fewer property transactions, confirms Vähi. Mihkel Eliste of Arco Vara has observed a declining trend since the spring-summer period of 2022. He notes the apartment market is roughly at 2015-2016 levels. For high-end housing, the market in some areas has regressed to 2013 or 2014 conditions. Both Eliste and Vähi concur that an easing of interest rates will not spur a fast drop in credit costs or stimulate the housing market. Furthermore, the liquidity for residences priced above €250,000 has weakened, while the secondary market for apartments remains competitive. Vähi remains cautiously optimistic that rate hikes have plateaued but does not anticipate a significant decline anytime soon.

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person calculating their household bills

How to save money on household utility bills

Winter is soon upon us, and many families around the country will begin to be concerned about how high energy bills will be and the cost of living through winter. Household costs like electricity, gas, water, broadband, car insurance and mobile phones consume most of our household budgets. Rather than wait for the onset of another winter where prices will inevitably rise – now is the time to take stock and consider how we could save before winter arrives again. By following these simple tips, you can save money and energy too! Switching energy providers is more straightforward than you think. The simplest way to examine and compare alternative suppliers’ contracts and prices are to view which deal will suit your home’s energy consumption using Comparison websites like Võrdle to assess all the Estonian energy suppliers.

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loan originators

What is a loan originator?

Within P2P investing, investors would have noticed the term loan originator on the peer-to-peer investing platform. But what roles do loan originators play?

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Picture of coins next to a model house

6 ways you can shave years off your mortgage

Mortgages are your biggest monthly outgoing. It would significantly boost your lifestyle if you did not have to pay this each month. There are ways to reduce your mortgage length; here are seven tips. This may sound obvious, but making additional payments can save you more in the long term. Every extra pound you add can reduce the interest you will pay and the mortgage’s length. Making additional payments depends on your personal circumstances. Can you afford to do this? With the current cost of living crisis, finances are walloped by the present economic situation, and many feel that paying extra is not an option. Many lenders permit a certain amount of fixed payments annually, then apply an overpayment penalty. If so, ensure you continue to put money aside but in a savings account so that when you can make a lump sum, it is there to pay off your mortgage sooner.

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The MoneyHub guide to booking holidays

The MoneyHub guide to booking holidays​

Holidays should be fun-filled and memorable whether on your own, with a loved one or with family. Sadly, it doesn’t always work out that way. The internet is swarming with tales of dodgy hotels, crammed tours with other tourists, flight delays and over-priced car rentals. When this happens, your holiday excitement is ruined in minutes. With summer just passed, many of us are considering our next holiday. This MoneyHub guide covers every stage of your holiday so that you can book and travel with the knowledge that you have the best deal. The most reliable way to navigate the tangled network of routes and airlines and routes is to use a travel comparison website or airline aggregator like Skyscanner to find the cheapest option. Skyscanner also lists countries and their COVID restrictions depending on where you are permitted to fly to and from your original destination.

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How to manage your personal debt [14 strategies]

How to manage your personal debt [14 strategies] If you use credit wisely, you could avoid risking more debt. Now it’s time to get credit smart and manage your personal debt. Like or loathe it, credit is part of our lives and is often associated with unmanageable debt. Credit reports and credit scores act as […]

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Family saying no

8 reasons why you should NOT lend money to friends & family

Loans between family members or friends can result in an entirely unexpected set of problems. Consider why you should not lend money to friends and family and some tips to help you with damage control if you do agree to loan money. Loans to family and friends are open-ended. The parties don’t reach an agreement on a repayment timeline and don’t include interest on the loan. Lenders don’t know when their money will be returned, and borrowers don’t know when to repay the loans. This leaves both parties in limbo and doesn’t set any expectations. The uncertainty can lead to stress as the borrower may worry that the lender expects payment, and the lender worries about when he or she will be repaid. When I loaned money to a family member, it delayed my decision to buy a house.

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Man lending his friend money

Alternatives to borrowing money that doesn’t include your friends and family

It can be tempting to ask friends or relatives to lend you money, yet many of us hate borrowing money from friends and family. You need to carefully consider whether you can afford to repay the loan and can cope with what might happen if you can’t. Borrowing from a family member can provide emergency money and help you avoid forms of borrowing with very high interest rates, like loans and overdrafts If both parties are confident it will not harm a relationship with a family member if you don’t repay, this is a good option as it usually is interest-free. If you’re borrowing from a friend, be aware that if you don’t repay, this could end the friendship.

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Man in therapy pondering the damage debt does to his relationships

How debt damages your personal relationship(s)

Debt can cause an unbelievable amount of pressure on relationships, causing disputes, quarrels and frustration from either partner. In a debt-ridden environment, staying strong as a couple can be challenging. Either or both partners can become cold and withdrawn from each other, leading to repeated arguments on how the debt was accumulated in the first place. Moreover, trust within a relationship can be damaged or, worse, broken. How does debt become a problem in relationships? Couples get into debt for several reasons. The most common is a significant life event, like getting married, illness or having a child. Changes in circumstances can have a considerable impact on a couple’s finances, and adjusting can be financially challenging.

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Picture of gym equipment

Comparing gyms in Estonia

Finding a fitness or health club that will meet all your personal targets and help you stay motivated requires asking some key questions, and being realistic and upfront about your goals. But how do you find the right gym? What should you be looking for? Price? Equipment? Location? Finding the ideal gym to aid you in reaching goals is challenging, so here is an overview of a list of gyms to help you get started. Myfitness Myfitness is Estonia’s biggest sport and fitness club chain, allowing customers to use their 13 different centres in Tallinn simultaneously, with a further five located around Estonia—(Three in Tartu, one each in Viljandi and Narva). Myfitness is very popular among locals because it offers a variety of classes (Cardio, Strength, Body and mind and children) combined with well-equipped gyms with dedicated personal trainers. It has something for everyone!

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How to compare short-term loans online

With families struggling to make ends meet and access to traditional forms of credit drying up. More and more of us are turning to short-term loan lenders to help in times of financial crisis.  If you’re considering taking out a short-term loan, it’s essential to know what you’re applying for and if you are getting the best deal for your finances. Understanding how to compare short-term loans online is the best way to make the right choice. To ensure that you take out the right short-term loan, you must compare which loan against others suits you best. To help you, MoneyHub aims to list all short-term loan companies must list their loans on loan comparison websites. However, how do you compare short-term loans online? MoneyHub has written a detailed guide on comparing short-term loans online as an alternative for loans and credit.

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forex trading

5 tips for choosing a forex broker

5 tips for choosing a forex broker 5 tips for choosing a forex broker If your considering becoming a day a trader in the foreign exchange market, you will find numerous online forex brokers are vying for your business. Visit any financial news website, and you’ll be inundated with many internet adverts from these brokers. […]

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fine wine being poured into a glass

Fine wine, fine profits?

Fine wine is one of the most talked-about alternative investments. Yet Is fine wine investing an opportunity for retail investors or the preserve of a few expert specialists?

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debt consolidation

What is debt consolidation?

If you have many different debts and are worried about repaying them all each month, then a debt consolidation loan is for you. Debt consolidation consolidates your existing debt into a more manageable monthly payment.

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Average purchase milk price fell in Estonia in 2023

25/01/24 News .. In 2023, Estonian farmers sold 859,600 tonnes of milk for nearly €375 million, reports Statistics Estonia. The average price was €436.73 per tonne, a 5.8% decrease from the previous year.

Estonian milk

Eesti Energia's third-quarter profit is up 55 per cent

02/11/23 News .. The Eesti Energia Group reported third quarter sales of €408 million, with 66 percent coming from outside Estonia. Their normalised net profit for the quarter stood at €39 million, a 55 percent increase from the previous year.

fossil fuels

October in Estonian supermarkets: Meat getting more expensive

02/11/23 News .. In Estonian shops, although food prices have slightly reduced, the decrease is primarily minimal, and the majority of products have become more costly over the years. Last month, no meat product experienced a price decline, and both rye and white bread saw a 20% price increase year-on-year.

Shopping basket of food

Eesti Gaas will increase prices starting 1st December

01/11/23 .. Starting 1st December, the cost of Eesti Gaas’ household flexible package will rise by 27 percent, equating to 75 pence per cubic metre.

gas company

Selver: Shoppers in Estonia only buying most necessities

01/11/23 .. In Estonia, consumers focus on purchasing essential items and leaning towards discounted products. At the same time, the sales of manufactured goods appear subdued for the foreseeable future, noted Selver’s business accounting director, Kristjan Anderson, on Tuesday.

shopping trolley in super market

Consumer prices witnessed a 5 per cent increase in October year-on-year.

31/10/23 .. Estonian consumer prices increased by 5 per cent in October compared with the same month last year, according to a flash estimate from Statistics Estonia.

price rises

Fossil fuel could rise by nearly 40 cents in 2027

30/10/23 .. The German research institute projects a potential increase of approximately 40 pence per litre in fossil fuel prices by 2027 due to the ETS’s expansion into transport. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Climate forecasts a more modest rise of up to 10 per cent.

fossil fuels

Estonia's third-quarter GDP is down 2.5 per cent

30/10/23 .. According to an initial evaluation by Statistics Estonia, Estonia’s GDP saw a 2.5 per cent reduction in the third quarter of 2023 compared to the same quarter in 2022.

GDP down

The Estonian housing market has declined by one-third, reverting to levels seen a decade ago.

28/10/23 .. Year-on-year, Estonian housing market transactions have decreased by a third. Even with the halt in interest rate increases, property analysts are sceptical about a market resurgence. They suggest the apartment market is reminiscent of 2015-2016, while certain regional single-family home markets hark back to levels seen in 2013 or 2014.

Pictures of housing

Telia plans 95 per cent coverage for the 5G network by the end of 2024

27/10/23 .. Telia aims to extend its 5G network to encompass 95 per cent of Estonia’s populace by the close of the upcoming year, as reported by Postimees. At present, they have achieved coverage for about 75 per cent.

5G mobile network