Quids in! is a money guidance service for people living on tight budgets. We’re part of Clean Slate Training & Employment, a not-for-profit helping people on low incomes find ways to make their money go further.
Quids in! started as a magazine and has grown into practical money guidance. Today, we offer newsletters, guides, coaching and workshops. We’re here for people who don’t have savings to fall back on or investments to worry about. It’s for real people feeling the squeeze: some just about managing, others one pay cheque, benefit payment or surprise bill away from disaster.
Where Quids in! came from
Clean Slate was set up in 2006 by Jeff Mitchell, former Managing Director of The Big Issue. He had spent years working with people facing poverty, homelessness and money worries. He saw the same thing again and again: people did not need lectures. They needed clear information, practical support and someone in their corner.
That is what Clean Slate was created to do. It helps people get to grips with money, work and life online. Quids in! grew from that same mission.
“Quids in” British expression that when someone has made a good profit, secured a great bargain, or received more money than expected.
Why we started as a magazine
Quids in! began in 2008 as a money magazine for people on low incomes. Why a magazine? Because most money advice did not feel like it was written for people living on a tight budget.
Too much of it was too formal. Too full of jargon. Too far away from real life. It talked about savings, investments and pensions, while our readers were worrying about rent, bills, benefits, debt, food costs and keeping the lights on. So Quids in! did things differently.
The magazine mixed practical money tips with stories, interviews and advice people actually wanted to read. It was useful, friendly and straight-talking. Something that could land on the doormat, sit on the kitchen table and help people take the next step.
How Quids in! grew
The magazine is still part of what we do. But over time, Quids in! became more than a mag. Readers told us what they were struggling with. Partners told us what their tenants, clients and communities needed. And life kept getting tougher.
So we built more ways to help people take action: newsletters, guides, budgeting tools, one-to-one coaching, workshops and community learning. Same voice. Same mission. More ways to help.
What money guidance means
Money guidance is practical support to help people understand their money and decide what to do next. It is not regulated financial advice. We are not here to sell products, recommend investments or tell people what to do with a pension pot.
Most of our readers are more worried about the gas bill than the stock market, thanks very much. Money guidance is about real-life money decisions, like budgeting, benefits, bills, debt, banking, scams, online services and finding trusted help when specialist advice is needed.
It is about moving from “where do we even start?” to “right, here’s the next step.”
Read more about our money coaching programmes here.
How we help
Quids in! offers money guidance in a few different ways.
Useful money information: This starts with the Quids in! Readers Club, our free email newsletter now reaching more than 30,000 people. It is packed with useful money tips, updates and reminders. We also produce magazines, guides, budget planners and money-saving resources that cut the jargon and help people make their money go further.
Drop-ins and face-to-face support: In some areas, we run local drop-ins where people can speak to us in person. These are friendly, practical spaces to get help with money worries, forms, online services and finding the right next step. If someone needs more time, we can help them move into one-to-one money coaching.
One-to-one money coaching: We help over 1,000 people each year with deeper one-to-one money guidance. This usually happens over the phone or online. Sessions help people take stock, talk through money worries and build a practical plan.
Workshops and community learning: Our group sessions bring money and work skills into local spaces. This includes 3 Bs Money Skills, covering Budgeting, Banking and Being online, and 7 Signs, our approach to helping people think differently about work, job hunting and moving forward.
Why we do it
Too many people are left to work things out the hard way. Quids in! exists to make sure people are not left in the dark. We believe money help should be clear, practical and rooted in real life. We listen to people who know what it is like to live on a low income, because the best guidance starts with understanding what people are really up against. Our message is simple: It’s our money. Let’s get informed, take control and make it go further.
