Now you all know how much I harp on about ways to save money, but sometimes it can be hard to commit the time and effort the researching the best ways to do this.

But with the recent launch of Yahoo!7’s new site, Moneyhound, this just a got whole lot easier. The free web service allows you to compare market rates and product prices to find the best deals and save on you monthly bills.

This could range from home loans, to credit cards, bank accounts, and mobile phone and broadband plans, plus a whole host more.

And don’t worry; it’s a no-obligation service, so you don’t need to put in any of your personal details and end up spammed with adverts for the latest offers. But when you fetch a better deal, apply online, and it goes through directly to the supplier.

It’s a new service, so take it for a whirl, and let me know how you go. Were you successful in saving a buck or two? Find it all at www.Moneyhound.com.au

Having a spare couple of thousand dollars spare can be dangerous because people often mistakenly think it’s not enough to make a big difference.

Then they blow it.

Don’t make that mistake. Something as small as $1000 could change your life.

Here are my top five tips on how to manage a small investment.

1) Immediately park your cash in a high interest account. It could be a cash management fund at your bank or a high interest online account, but this a parking place for your money until you decide what to do with it. The worst mistake is to be pressured into making decisions on what to do straight away. Take your time, think about it and get some advice. There is absolutely no rush.

2) Often your best investment is paying off your debts. Credit cards, the mortgage and personal loans should all be paid down because with inflation so low and predictions of the RBA raising interest rates again, it isn't a time to have debts. Think about it. Why put spare cash in a savings account paying 6 per cent when you pay down outstanding credit card balances and SAVE the 18 per cent interest you’re being slugged

Before we start another round of tax reviews why not implement outstanding suggestions from the last one.

Ken Henry’s review of the tax system delivered in May last year was a fantastic piece of work with some great suggestions which have been largely ignored or any changes have been half baked..

Our top 3 Henry suggestions to be implemented would be;

. Increase tax free threshold to $25,000 and then a flat tax rate or reduce tax bands. The tax free threshold has been increased, now finish the job with flat tax or reduced tax bands.

. Reduce company tax to 25 per cent. The Government is reducing it to 28 per cent over the next couple of years but make a commitment now to cut to 25 per cent.

. provide a 40 per cent saving income discount on interest income. Capital Gains receive tax concessions by we’re all hit with our full marginal rate on interest returns. Why?

Most of us would like to think that we are capable of settling building disputes without any outside help. However, inevitably, the large sums of money involved in building will sometimes cause confrontation and there needs to be some further recourse than simply having an argument with the builder.

What do you do when a building dispute turns sour? Where do you turn to?

There are a number of avenues available around Australia if your building dispute turns sour. Keep in mind that professional building associations like the Master Builders Association or the Housing Industry Association offer free mediation services for people using their members.

NSW: Always use a licensed builder, then if you have any problems and cannot solve them by talking or writing you can lodge a complaint with the Building Services Corporation. They use inspectors who will inspect the work claimed to be defective and, if they believe the work is inadequate, they will issue a "rectification order" specifying what has to be fixed by the builder. The builder will be given a time limit to fix the problem.

The Corporation says that 85 per cent of the complaints it receives are settled. If the builder does not meet the requirements, there is additional protection through insurance. New house and extension work that requires council approval and costs more than $1000 must be insured up to a maximum of $100,000, so if the work is not completed within the specified time, you will be covered by insurance and the BSC would take action against the builder.