Bank bribe bonanza, 1.5% savings, free Ideal Home tix, Big Energy Switch ends, Kurt Geiger £9, Martin’s Xmas message, mobile memory hacks, baby freebies

New. Massive 1.5% easy-access savings from... Goldman Sachs

BOOM. The highest easy-access rate since Jan 2016, with FULL £85,000 per person UK savings protection

The savings market has finally woken up. Last week, US investment banking giant Goldman Sachs launched a UK online bank called Marcus - named after one of its founders in the 1800s, Marcus Goldman. As part of the launch it unveiled a new 1.5% easy-access account to huge fanfare, and lots have asked if it's any good. Put simply, it's a big fat YES as it's the top easy-access rate in more than two and a half years. Here's the lowdown...

New. Get 1.5% easy access, and add and withdraw cash at will. The Marcus Online Savings Account* pays 1.5% AER (incl a fixed bonus of 0.15% for 1yr) and you can save from £1+. It's a variable rate so it can go up or down at any point, but as you can easily withdraw cash, if a better deal pops along (eg, check in a year when the bonus expires), just close it and move your money.
- You get £85,000 per person UK savings protection. As Marcus is a UK bank - as with all accounts here - it is fully protected. Full info and more options in easy-access savings.

Earn 2.01% - if you lock cash away for 1yr. You can beat easy-access rates by locking away cash for a fixed term, but you won't benefit if rates rise. Charter Savings Bank pays 2.01% AER (min £1k) fixed for 1yr. If you can fix for 2yrs, Paragon Bank pays 2.26% AER (min £1k). You can get more fixing for up to 5yrs but the gain's not that much higher for such a long lock-in. Full help and options in fixed savings.

Get up to 5% on smaller sums. Here are more ways to spice up your savings:
- Earn 5% on regular savings. Save up to £300/mth if you have - or switch to - special bank accounts.
- Earn 5% on smaller savings. Some current accounts give 5% on up to £2,500, but with strict criteria.

Saving for a first home? Get a 25% savings boost from the state. See Help to Buy and Lifetime ISAs.

Get a 'free' or cheap will this autumn

Save ££s now and save loved ones more stress at a difficult time - now's the season for offers

There's no getting around it, death happens. So if you've children and/or assets such as a home or savings and people you want to look after when you're gone, it's vital to sort a will. And autumn is a good time - at this time of year all sorts of offers open up that let you get a 'free' or cheap will done professionally. Full info in Cheap and Free Wills, here's the lowdown:

October is 'Free Wills Month' for those aged 55+ in Eng, Wales & NI. During 'Free Wills Month' you can get a gold-standard, solicitor-drafted will. The scheme runs across Eng, Wa les & NI, yet don't dally - appointments go quick. It's 'free' for straightforward wills for single over-55s or couples doing 'mirror wills' (those that are nearly identical), where at least one is 55+. The scheme's run by charities in the hope you leave them something in your will, though you don't have to.

Get discounted or half-price wills. For residents in Eng & Wales, we've blagged £40-off codes from Farewill* for £50 single wills (norm £90) or £95 joint wills (norm £135), when you enter the code msesave40. You draft it online and a specialist checks it. It's free to update during year one, but Farewill charges a £10/yr fee after for unlimited updates - though you can cancel this.
Or get a half-price will from Which?* via this blagged link, wherever you live in the UK. Again, you draft it online and a specialist checks it, but you'll get a bit more than with Farewill as you can get it printed, professionally bound and stored for a year at no extra cost. Single wills are £84.50 (norm £169), joint wills £129.50 (norm £259), till Wed 31 Oct.

November is Will Aid month. Here, whatever your age and wherever you live, you get solicitor-drafted wills in return for a suggested (cheaper-than-normal) £95 charity donation for single basic wills, or £150 for a pair of basic 'mirror' wills. See Will Aid info.

Discounted DIY wills. If you've a straightforward will and are confident making a legal document, going solo online could save a packet. Full options in discounted DIY wills, where you can do it from £22.

Baby freebies galore - incl toys, clothes & 'sleeping boxes'

Make big savings on your little ones' costs if you've recently had - or are expecting - a new arrival

Late September and early October is the most common birth time - yes, nine months after Christmas and New Year (wink, wink). So if you're snuggled up with a new bundle or are expecting one soon, we've collected 50+ Baby/Toddler MoneySaving Tips to help keep costs down. Here are six for starters...

Tinder-style app - find parent-pals for free. No, it's not about nookie - it's about meeting mums and dads of similar-age kids for support and playdates. A free parent-meeter app matches you up. MSE Jenny loves it: "I met the loveliest mum with kids the same age, who lives 10 doors down. She's a lifesaver and we've shared many happy sleep-deprived playdates."