POLLY Arrowsmith claims she is Martin Lewis’ biggest fan and doesn’t care who hears it.
The Londoner has hung on the TV money expert’s every word for decades.
From haggling down household bills to bagging bargain holidays, Martin’s advice saved her £1,000 a year and given her money-saving superpowers.
She is such a devoted follower of the famous financial expert that she’s worked out he’s saved her the massive sum of £14,344 through his savvy tips, plus an additional £55k in pension contributions.
She’s also got over £11,000 in money back for friends and family.
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She reckons she’ll have an extra £55,000 in her pension pot, thanks to Martin's advice to increase her contributions over time.
Polly believes she's also help net £133,000 for other people.
“I love Martin. I’m in awe of him,” says the 55-year-old from London, who got to meet her hero a few years ago.
“If he acted like a star, I would have been starstruck, but he was so personable and down to earth. He practises what he preaches, even with millions in the bank.
“He could spend, spend, spend yet he is sensible with his money. He is like he appears on TV. He knows he’s good at what he does but is kind and caring – a thoroughly decent human being.”
Polly has been following Martin and lapping up his advice ever since he first started his Money Saving Expert website in 2003.
She has every TV show he’s made on series link, follows all his social media and reads his weekly newsletter as soon as it lands.
“I write in with my tips and contribute to his forums. I’m a yellow label queen so I like to share my finds. I’m hooked on bargain hunting,” she says.
My superpower is spotting yellow labels at ten paces and finding bargains on the internet
Polly Arrowsmith
“If I want to save money in a particular area, I check out Martin’s website – I reckon his advice has saved me at least £1k already this year.
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“I cut costs regularly by checking subscriptions and haggling for mobile and internet costs. I haggled my internet down by £400 this year and saved another £400 by cancelling subscriptions.”
Polly has also got over £10,000 in PPI compensation, thanks to Martin’s guidance. “I used his PPI templates for my family and friends and he also recommended a tracking site for PPI letters so I could keep track.
“My sister got £6,000 back and other friends took that total to over £10k back, plus an additional £1k in taxes on PPI.”
She’s also saved a small fortune on holidays with Martin’s advice.
“I cut costs on travel money, by using his currency change recommendations and getting pre-paid cards,” she says.
“On a holiday to Barbados, I saved £332 by buying currency in a bureau de change in King’s Cross, ordering in advance and picking up and organising a prepaid MasterCard so I could do fee-free withdrawals and payments on the card.
“I also learnt about car hire insurance waivers and got annual policies for the UK and worldwide – taking a hire car policy saved me £443.”
Inspired by Martin, Penny got flights in the BA sale at 50 per cent off and wangled an apartment at £140 per night, instead of £430, by going directly to the owner.
“Using consolidator sites, I also saved £1k on my car hire in Barbados and £220 on another holiday in Majorca,” she explains.
On top of all this, Polly has also got her council tax band changed under Martin’s guidance and now saves £360 every year, plus she’s topped up her future pension pot – which could net her over £50,000 more in retirement.
“His site alerted me to making voluntary NI contributions for state pensions,” she says.
“I was missing just over £5k in contributions that may have cost me up to £55k in future state pension benefits.”
Martin has even inspired Polly’s own work.
“I do a lot of cost of living tips. My superpower is spotting yellow labels at ten paces and finding bargains on the internet,” she says.
“I often get up to 80 per cent off things. I have learnt when sales start in online retailers and shops and I can predict when further discounts will happen – I always know when M&S will reduce Christmas cards to 5p.”
She thinks her money-saving hero is a lifesaver.
“Martin has inspired me to help people in debt. One person is being made bankrupt in the UK every four minutes and 23 seconds, and I know several people who have died by suicide over debt.”
