A MARTIN Lewis fan has shared how she managed to shave hundreds off an essential household bill by using a nifty Martin Lewis hack.

The MoneySavingExpert (MSE) reader made the saving after seeing the advice in one of the website’s weekly newsletters.

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In an email last week, the money saving website listed its six steps to cut home insurance costs.

Just days later, reader Karen emailed back to share her massive saving.

The email read: “Our buildings & contents auto-renewal reminder came in with a 52% price rise – even my husband commented: ‘Wow, that’s some hike.’

“I double-checked your action steps, and 30 minutes later I had saved £286 on an exact like-for-like policy.

“Happy days. Thanks to you all at MSE.”

By following the guide, Karen managed to make the major saving on the often costly bill.

Making comparisons across multiple websites can often lead to finding a cheaper plan.

In Karen’s case, by looking at other comparison sites, she managed to save almost £300.

The previous week’s email also included the story of Fiona, who managed to save an enormous £423 after following the same help guide.

Fiona’s email said: “I received a renewal notice which shot up by a few hundred quid to £866 (for a standard four-bed).

“Your newsletter landed, I used your tips and which comparison websites to use, and 40 minutes later I found the exact same cover for £443.

“A huge saving of £423, woohoo. Thank you so much.”

Home insurance prices have had record heights for over a year now, with prices sitting at almost 30% higher than last year.

However, the stats imply we may have reached the peak, with average quotes dropping 1% over the past three months, according to Consumer Intelligence.

If you’ve not checked your home insurance in a while, it’s worth looking to see if you’re overpaying.

A SAVVY shopper has uncovered a surprisingly affordable dupe to one of the most iconic burgers in the world for just £1.79 at Aldi.

Her find sparked a flurry of interest among bargain hunters and burger lovers alike, who are going wild to try the “amazing” treat.

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Deborah Newman took to Facebook to share her surprising experience after watching a comparison television programme that revealed how two-thirds of participants struggled to differentiate between McDonald’s Big Mac and its supermarket counterparts.

She wrote: “Having watched a comparison TV programme, where 2/3 couldn’t tell these from a MD, I thought I’d try, not expecting to really be surprised, but wow, for £1.79 each, we thought them as good as the branded.”

Deborah who found her Big Mac dupe at the Aldi freezer section, also explained how she prepared her meal at home.

She said: “I used my air fryer, (I defrosted the item) the burgers took about 3 mins each side, the buns 1 min in the air fryer, the sauce was warmed in hot water in a cup.

“My husband added gherkins, but the sauce was delish, he said he didn’t need the added extras.”

Fellow shoppers rushed to the comments section under Deborah’s post, with one person writing: “Agreed! We tried these last week and rate them like 8/10 almost the same as McDonalds.”

Another added: “I watched that programme few months ago. Me and my daughter tried them and they were better than the true McDonald’s. For £1.79 can’t go wrong.”

A third replied: “The breakfast hash browns are really good as are the sausage McMuffin patties.”

The original Big Mac, a staple of McDonald’s menu since its introduction in 1968, is celebrated for its signature taste, featuring two beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions, all sandwiched between a three-part sesame seed bun.

Aldi’s version, dubbed the “Big Stack,” boasts a similar construction and flavor profile, making it an attractive option for those looking to satisfy their cravings without breaking the bank.

With its two juicy beef patties, creamy sauce, and fresh toppings, many are praising it as a worthy dupe compared to the £4.99 McDonald’s staple.

Shoppers are also rushing to Aldi to get their hands on bargain home accessories scanning for just pennies.

The set of three textured vases in cream costs a mere 49p and for that you get three different styles.

A shopper on the Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK Facebook group posted her find saying simply “49p Aldi!”

Other members immediately reacted. “This is what I was looking for,” cried one woman, who said she hadn’t been able to find them.

“I paid £1.99 last week,” said another. 

A third poster simply added “Wow!”

The vase set was originally on sale in Aldi’s middle aisle for £4.99 and available in neutral shades grey and beige, as well as cream, to suit all styles of decor.

WINTER sun seekers will soon have another destination to explore, as TUI adds Enfidha to its list of destinations taking off from London Stansted next year.

The picturesque hilltop town, which has views of both the Meditterranean sea and the Djebel Zaghouan mountain, can be reached in just over three hours from the UK.

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Thanks to its location, there is barely ever a cause to wear a coat in the region.

Autumn sees highs of 33C and even in mid-winter temperatures hit 18-19C.

Dubbed the “budget-friendly St Tropez”, Tunisia is an ideal spot for a pocket-friendly getaway, with the country known for its sandy beaches, clear waters, unique cuisine and being easy on the wallet – and Enfidha is certainly no exception.

Located in the north eastern part of the country, the quaint town is home to Enfidha is home to the Enfidha-Hammamet International Airport, which serves as a gateway for travellers visiting the region.

The town is home to traditional architecture, busy markets and local cuisine.

Couscous is a staple in Tunisia as is Brik, a crunchy, flaky, pastry dish served with savoury fillings.

Nearby beaches have also been praised by visitors, including Madfoun Beach, which is home to white sand and crystal-clear waters.

There aren’t many hotels in Enfidha but there are more options in neighbouring Hergla, where rooms at four-star hotels start from £43 per night.

Hergla is a 30-minute drive from Enfidha and is one of the smaller cities on the coastline.

Enfidha is also a good base for exploring other tourist hotspots in the area, including Sousse.

Sousse is a 45-minute drive from Enfidha, and it can also be reached on a local train service that takes just over an hour.

The once-popular tourist hotspot has plenty to keep visitors entertained like the Medina of Sousse, a busy market that’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In the winding narrow streets, holidaymakers can buy local souvenirs such as crafts, spices and textiles.

Other attractions in Sousse include its Ribat, an impressive fortress that dates back to the 8th century.

There’s also the Great Mosque of Sousse, Sousse Archaeological Museum and Dar Essid Museum.

Sousse has 13 beaches, many of which have white sand and crystal-clear waters like Boujaffar Beach.

Stretching for 10km, Boujaffar Beach is a family-friendly spot thanks to the ice cream vendors and beach shacks that line its shores.

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Also reachable from Enfidha is Port El-Kantaoui, a purpose-built tourist complex with a marina, golf courses, and a variety of shops, restaurants and bars.

For holidaymakers who are after a little bit more of the local culture, El Jem Amphitheatre is a 70-minute drive from Enfidha.

The El Jem Amphitheatre is one of the most impressive Roman ruins in Africa.

As the highest point in eastern Tunisia, Parc National Djebel Zaghouan is another day trip option from Enfidha.

Until TUI launches its flights from London Stansted to Enfidha, several other airlines currently operate flights to the Tunisian town.

Direct services already run from Bristol, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Belfast, Glasgow and Birmingham.

Return fares in December start from £41, with flights taking just over three hours.

Along with the likes of Egypt and Morocco, Tunisia was once one of the most popular winter sun destinations.

However, this changed in 2015 after 38 people, 30 of which were Brits, were killed following a terror attack at the beach resort of Sousse.

Travel to Tunisia was advised against by the UK government.

The ban was subsequently lifted in 2018, with flights and holiday packages resuming.

And while the Foreign Office deems the majority of beach resorts safe to visit, the return to Tunisia holidays has been slow.

In the last few months, a number of UK airlines, including both TUI and easyJet, have relaunched flights to Enfidha.

What else do I need to know about Tunisia?

The local currency is the Tunisian dinar (TND), with £10 equaling about 38 TND, while certain holiday resorts also accept dollars and euros.

Make sure to swap every dinar back before you leave because taking them outside of the country is forbidden.

Although Arabic is Tunisia’s official language, the majority of the staff in the holiday resorts will also speak English.

Tourist numbers plummeted after a terrorist attack in Tunisia in 2015, but now the UK government no longer warns against travel to the holiday resorts.

However, it still advises against travelling to locations near the Chaambi Mountains National Park, Dhehiba, and the Libyan and Algerian border.

The newest easyJet flights were launched earlier this year, from Glasgow to Enfidha in Tunisia.

If you want a package holiday, you can find cheap deals for that too with all-inclusives under £300.

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THOUSANDS of Sun readers flooded our Winter Fuel SOS helpline yesterday looking for help to hang on to the payment.

Our experts explained to pensioners that they could still be eligible to the allowance, worth £300, if they receive Pension Credit.

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The panel — including Baroness Ros Altmann and Sir Steve Webb — also offered advice on cutting energy bills.

One caller, a 73-year-old man on a state pension, told how he was worried he would narrowly miss out on qualifying for Pension Credit but has little spare income at the end of every month.

He said: “I voted for this Government and then they immediately turned round and did this without warning.

“I am really disappointed. I have worked all my life and paid into the system.”

Another worried caller said she already receives Pension Credit, but can only afford one shower a week as she is on a water meter.

Many readers were baffled about whether they are eligible for Pension Credit.

Our experts are working through all of our readers’ queries to try to find helpful solutions, such as how to apply for Pension Credit or secure better deals on bills.

If you called the helpline, which is now closed, you will get a call back within a week.

Neil, 80, from Balmullo, Fife, called the helpline yesterday. He said: “I am very grateful to The Sun for doing this.

“I don’t use the internet so it was really helpful to speak to someone on the phone and get help working out if I might qualify for Pension Credit.”

Ten million older people were affected when Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in July that only households in England and Wales that receive Pension Credit or certain means-tested benefits will be entitled to the Winter Fuel Payment.

Before this the allowance was available to everyone over the age of 66.

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Ratan Tata, who was one of India’s best known businesspeople and led his family conglomerate on a bold international expansion, has died aged 86.

An industrialist from an influential Zoroastrian Parsee clan, Tata wanted his family’s storied corporate group to wield clout beyond the nation it helped to build — but found its execution did not always match his grand vision.

Born in Mumbai (then Bombay) in 1937, Tata’s life spanned a period of enormous change for India — from winning independence from Britain in 1947 to becoming the world’s fifth-largest economy in 2022. 

Tata was “an uncommon leader whose immeasurable contributions have shaped not only the Tata Group but also the very fabric of our nation”, said Natarajan Chandrasekaran, current chair of the group holding company, in a statement.

Attending prestigious prep schools in Mumbai and graduating from New York state’s Cornell University in architecture studies, Tata first worked in Los Angeles, where he said he “fell in love and almost got married”. 

But the relationship disintegrated after he returned to Mumbai to spend time with his ailing grandmother — a stabilising presence in his childhood after his parents’ divorce — and the 1962 war between India and China deterred his would-be partner from joining him.

Tata worked on the steel shop floor of the family business, which was founded by his great-grandfather in 1868, before moving into management. In 1991, he took over as chair from his uncle, JRD Tata. His accession coincided with India’s economic opening to the world, and under his leadership the group ventured abroad.

It began by buying British tea maker Tetley Tea in 2000. By 2007, Tata had completed a takeover of Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus, which eventually cost $13bn and left it owning a clutch of UK factories. The timing, just before the global financial crisis, was disastrous. Tata later said the UK plants were “underinvested and overmanned”.

The group announced it wanted to divest in 2016 and this September closed its blast furnaces at the UK’s biggest steelworks in Port Talbot. Under a deal with the UK government, it plans to develop greener forms of steelmaking at the plant.  

In March 2008, Tata bought British carmaker Jaguar Land Rover from Ford for $2.3bn. In just two years, the Indian group founded under British colonial rule had become the UK’s biggest manufacturing employer. Critics who decried the deal as value-destructive were briefly silenced when JLR contributed strongly to Tata Motors profits three years later, but JLR has since had a chequered record. 

Tata’s pet projects included the Tata Nano, an ultra-cheap car marketed at Rs100,000, then worth $2,600, to help bring millions more middle-class Indians to the automotive market. But sales of the Nano were dismal and Tata Motors took years to recover from its costly failure. “I’m very depressed,” Tata said of the Nano’s flop.

More recently, as group chair emeritus, Tata enthusiastically supported the reacquisition of national carrier Air India, which was founded by JRD Tata but nationalised in 1953, in a deal that valued the struggling airline at $2.4bn. In a tweet welcoming Air India back into the family fold, Tata said his uncle “would have been overjoyed”.

Tata had cultivated a reputation for straight-dealing, and despite an enthusiasm for private aircraft and flashy sports cars, presented a modest lifestyle relative to the ostentatious spending of fellow Indian tycoons. He was revered in Mumbai as India Inc’s elder statesman, and praised for his humility.

In 2014, Britain awarded Tata an honorary knighthood for his contribution to relations with India, investment in the UK and philanthropy. But his genteel personal brand was damaged by a bitter dispute with Cyrus Mistry, his successor as group chair.

Mistry was a fellow member of the tight-knit business community of Parsees — descendants of Persian Zoroastrians who migrated to the subcontinent between the eighth and 10th centuries — but was abruptly ousted in a boardroom coup in 2016.

Mistry accused Tata of a catalogue of governance failures including having abused his position as chair of the Tata Trusts, a philanthropic trust that owns the majority stake in Tata Group holding company Tata Sons. Mistry claimed Tata had interfered in the running of Tata Sons, an allegation he denied.

In a drawn-out legal and media battle that sullied the group’s reputation, the family patriarch was ultimately the winner, vindicated by a Supreme Court ruling in 2021. Bad blood remained between the conjoined houses of Tata and Mistry — the latter still owns 18 per cent of Tata Sons — and Ratan Tata did not offer any public condolence when Mistry died in a car accident in 2022, aged 54.

An animal lover who famously ordered that stray dogs be allowed to lounge in the lobby of the Tata headquarters in Mumbai, Tata never married and had no children.

“If I had a family, I could not have spent as much of my time involved with the group. And, things would be very different, in terms of eating, sleeping, living for your job,” he told the FT just before his 2012 retirement as group chair.

While the overseas expansion he led was at times messy, it created what is now one of India’s most outward-looking and modern corporate forces.

Chandrasekaran, the group’s current chair and the first not related to the founder by family or marriage, had to “stop the bleeding” at its debt-laden companies. But Tata is now at the forefront of business in India across a range of sectors from electric vehicles to renewable energy.

Mukesh Ambani, head of the rival conglomerate Reliance Industries, said Tata’s death was “a big loss, not just to the Tata Group, but to every Indian”. “Ratan Tata was a visionary industrialist and a philanthropist, who always strove for society’s greater good,” Ambani said.

“I would hope that people would say that I was able to lead the group with dignity and that I tried to do the right thing,” Tata said in 2012 of his legacy. “You never succeed, having that said, because you always have upset somebody or another, but I think that’s what I would like to be remembered for.”

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Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

HPS Investment Partners is talking to potential buyers including BlackRock as the top leadership of the private credit firm looks towards a deal that could value the business at more than $10bn, according to people familiar with the process.

HPS, which had $117bn in assets under management as of June, is also exploring an initial public offering. It has been seen as one of the few freestanding options for large financial companies looking to add a substantial private credit manager.

BlackRock, the world’s largest money manager with $10.6tn in assets, has been openly seeking deals that would boost its presence in alternative investments including private equity, private credit and infrastructure. 

Chief executive Larry Fink has targeted that area for growth in part because it carries higher fees than the index products that have been BlackRock’s bread and butter. It closed the $12.5bn purchase of Global Infrastructure Partners earlier this month. BlackRock manages $85bn in private credit assets. 

One person familiar with the talks called it a “giant AUM land grab” by BlackRock in alternative assets.

The people said it was not clear whether a deal would result, adding that HPS, which was spun out of JPMorgan, has had conversations with other potential partners. HPS declined to comment. BlackRock said it does not comment on market rumours. News of the talks between HPS and BlackRock was reported earlier by Bloomberg.

The talks coincide with conversations inside HPS about its listing. It has held early meetings with would-be investors and had initially indicated it planned to float in late September. But recently the firm delayed those plans, telling investors it could list after November’s US presidential election.

The move was seen as an indication that HPS might pursue a sale instead, one potential investor said. HPS had previously held talks with CVC about a combination, according to people familiar with the matter.

A person familiar with the deal talks said participants have been hoping conversations with potential IPO investors would provide more clarity on the valuation of the private credit firm.

In recent months HPS has worked to expand its own operations beyond that core business, selling a stake in its business to Guardian Life Insurance. In return, the insurance company handed HPS nearly $30bn in assets to manage.

The company was founded as a division of JPMorgan by three Goldman Sachs alumni. They include current HPS CEO Scott Kapnick, a former head of investment banking at Goldman.

There have been a number of tie-ups between private credit specialists with either traditional asset managers or private equity firms as more companies turn to non-bank sources for their borrowing. PE groups view unlisted credit as a way of generating more stable returns than more cyclical buyout and real estate businesses.

TPG last year agreed to buy Angelo Gordon for $2.7bn. That followed Brookfield’s purchase of a majority stake in Oaktree in 2019 and Franklin Templeton’s and T Rowe Price’s respective acquisitions of Benefit Street Partners and Oak Hill Advisors.