I bought a ticket through the travel company Expedia for my mother to fly from Denver, Colorado, in the U.S., to visit me in Britain. She was due to fly on June 9. Unfortunately, my grandmother, for whom she is the primary carer, had a heart attack, so my mother was unable to make the journey.

The Government announced earlier this month that it is to sell its remaining stake in Royal Mail. The move, apart from raising much needed money, is aimed at enabling the postal giant to compete in what is a fiercely competitive market. We look at the best options for sending a parcel - whether it is popping into the post office or finding a cut-price courier. Stewart Wardrop, manager of The Royal Pigeon Racing Association, says: 'If there is a natural catastrophe or all the mail men go on strike, you can still rely on a homing pigeon to deliver.'

Journeys from Heathrow are the most expensive, with a train fare costing £21.50 to get into the city, which is between three and 14 times more expensive than other European cities. By comparison, the train from Paris Charles de Gaulle to central Paris will set you back ten euros (£7.20) and the trip from Rome Leonardo da Vinci to Rome city centre costs nine euros (£6.40).

South Africans are addicted to a mobile phone app that tells them the black out schedule for their neighbourhood so they know when they will next be plunged into darkness. Over the last couple of years South Africa has got itself a serious electricity problem. There simply isn't enough to go around.

With an avalanche of price rises from the 'big six' energy providers, now is the time to review your energy tariff and consider locking in to a best-buy fixed-rate tariff before energy companies pull them from the market.

Your holiday can cost £100 more just by spending on the credit or bank card you normally have in your wallet, research by consumer website Moneysavingexpert found. On May 1, it compared the cost of buying €1,000 holiday cash at the airport compared with using a cheap specialist credit card where you make five €100 cash withdrawals plus 20 transactions on debit and credit cards that tot up to €1,000. While €1,000 cost £830 with Travelex, it cost £100 less - £730 - with Halifax's Clarity Card.

Needlessly overpaying for gas and electricity, mortgage payments, home phone, broadband and car and home insurance costs can take its toll - adding up to tens, if not hundreds, of pounds every month. Overhauling your bills can potentially save you thousands of pounds, we deliver all the tools and tips you need in one place.

Tens of thousands of families now take their pets on holiday abroad, largely thanks to relaxed rules and pet passports. But many are unaware they are not covered if the animal falls ill, suffers injury or hurts someone while they are away. One in three pet insurance policies won't automatically pay out in these circumstances.

I am a pensioner living alone and using very little water, so I decided in March last year that a water meter would make sense. A Thames Water survey confirmed there would be no problem with connecting one, but months later I am still paying the fixed rate of £200 every six months. Miss A.L. You were told that switching to a meter should see your half-yearly bill drop to around £87, and the meter was supposed to be connected in April last year.