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Peter Covering the Mortgage – ways to pay when every penny countsMortgage repayments can make you worry like an insomniac polar bear who is also very worried. This article is about showing you how a bit of nimble financial footwork can win you some space ahead of the crowd, help you keep up your mortgage repayments with (literally) room to spare. One of the problems in a recession is that everyone is dispensing with things they don’t absolutely need. The cake has got smaller and we’re all fighting to defend the size of our slice: if you can’t do that by boosting your income, then you have to do it by cutting costs.  The cake has got smaller: time to defend your slice But hold on just a cotton-pickin’ moment. Who said you can’t boost your income? There are tools at our fingertips which surivors of previous recessions and austerities never had. If you want to defend the size of your slice, make some extra cash and get cheaper, better accommodation when you’re travelling, then grab a wooden spoon courtesy of Crashpadder.com, and read on. In the Olden Dayes, Before We Had The Internet, it wasn’t really possible to rent out your spare room to business travellers or tourists without a lot of energetic needle-in-haystack searching and telephone calls. It never occurred to most of us to make a bit of extra cash by hosting people: What? That’s what hotels do isn’t it? How would I find them? How would they find me? It’s preposterous. Not any more. The thing is, it’s just so dashed easy to become a Crashpadder; and once you’ve given it a go, you can do as much or as little of it as you like. Whether you’re making £400 a month, or £40 a month, it usually just takes a few clicks, and then maybe 10 minutes to make up the bed. By the same token, if you’re on your travels – for business or pleasure – remember that you can find a cheap, comfy Crashpad at considerably better value than a hotel or B&B, whether that’s in London, New York, Sydney or Cape Town. Earn more; spend less; meet new people. Winner. So whether you’re trying to keep the wolf from the door, keep mortgage repayments going, don’t want to stop going out, or don’t want to scrap that skiing holiday in February, get on the case with Crashpadder and make sure it’s the hotel managers – not you – paying for the recession. Read the rest of Covering the Mortgage – ways to pay when every penny counts »
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Josie David & Goliath – Pt 1: Crashpadder vs. The world’s largest hotel chains David & Goliath At Crashpadder we see our main competition as big, impersonal, overpriced hotel chains. We feel pretty passionately that what we offer is not only better in terms of what you have to spend but also in terms of the experience you have. Unfortunately, we don’t think hotels feel quite as strongly as we do. In fact we’ve got a bit of a David and Goliath thing going on (hope you enjoy that animated gif as much as me). We’re pretty sure in this time of grass roots versus megabuck we’re not the only ones who feel like we’re taking on a big old giant… take a look at our series of David & Goliath posts to see three choice examples. 1) Crashpadder vs. The world’s largest hotel chains: “Miles Quest, spokesman for the British Hospitality Association, says homestay websites are still so niche that they do not offer a great threat to hotels or guesthouses. He says the licensed hospitality industry offers more service and more extensive facilities, which make rooms more expensive.” So, the likes of Travelodge, Premier Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Best Western – aren’t exactly quaking in their boots. But perhaps they should be. Hotel.com reported that the average price for a 3* hotel room in London stands at £86 (and £117 for a 4*) – while a short let Crashpadder room in London will set you back just £35 on average. Then there are all those extras that hotels love to sting you for: - Wifi charges The verdict? We get that there’s a place for hotels, they’re straight-forward to book and easy to hide yourself away in – so if the company is paying they’re a good accommodation option. However, we’re convinced that short stay apartments and homestays are better in most ways, so only time will tell. Have you seen all three instalments of this epic series? 1) Crashpadder vs. The world’s largest hotel chains 2) Staycations vs. Cheap international flights 3) Local knowledge vs. Lonely Planet guides Or alternatively tell us about your favourite David & Goliath type stand-off below… Read the rest of David & Goliath – Pt 1: Crashpadder vs. The world’s largest hotel chains »
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Josie The great sandwich allegory!We like to look at the comparison between over-priced impersonal hotels and friendly short let homestays in terms of a sandwich allegory. So we thought we’d share it with you:  An hotel.  A Crashpad. In the great sandwich allegory an hotel is a pre-packed supermarket sandwich; a bit tasteless, bland and over-priced – but gets the job done. A Crashpad is a homemade sandwich; every single one is different and while it may require a little more effort ultimately it’s better value for money and more satisfying. Sure you get the idea – for those with time to spare the same can be said of salads! Anyone else hungry? |
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