This week's top reads

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If Wallet Wins were a game show, reader Anni would be our next contestant. Faced with a 12% health insurance hike, Anni didn't just pay up, she picked up the phone to her health fund. By negotiating (extremely politely, from what I can tell), she dragged her premium back down to her 2025 price and is set to save over $900 in the next year. Time for the rest of us to get on the phone.

I usually try to toe the company line (well, most of the time), but this year’s chocolate bar award winner has pushed me over the edge: Turkish Delight.

Say WHAT?!? 🫨

Whoever voted for a treat that tastes like gnawing on your great-aunt’s rose-scented bathroom soap has a lot to answer for.

Roses (my fav), has restored my faith in the awards, taking out best chocolate box for the second year in a row. Of course, there are Turkish Delight landmines scattered all through there so to all those gelatinous fiends, send me your address and I’ll send them your way.

In the words of the Creator of Charlie Brown and Snoopy: "All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." — Charles M. Schulz

We look at how the viral ‘withdrawal and recontribution’ super strategy works and the risks to consider before trying it.

Every dollar counts at the bowser. Here are the free fuel-tracking tools and discount programs that can help you save.

Got some old tech gathering dust? It's likely worth more than you think. Programs like Apple Trade In let you swap eligible devices for credit towards new products or accessories. For instance, an iPhone 12 could fetch up to $200, while an older iPhone 8 might still net $70. While Apple recently topped Canstar’s customer satisfaction ratings for trade-ins (they even send you a prepaid kit with a box and return label if you ask), other tech giants play in this space. Samsung, Telstra, and JB Hi-Fi offer similar programs. Check out the list here.

Skyrocketing petrol prices have us scrambling for the petrol comparison apps, but no amount of shopping around will save you from the cost of a big road trip. Our Consumer Editor’s dad, Allan, was all set for his annual road trip from Queensland to South Australia, until he realised the diesel bill alone would hit $5K. The solution? He booked flights instead, saving $4,230, although he has had to trade the comforting solitude of the road for more time with the relatives.

There are over 60 different Tindalls with money waiting for them at ASIC, with one owed close to $10K of the eyewatering $2.7 billion in lost funds. Sadly, none of the entries were for me, but it’s a good reminder to do a check at the government’s Moneysmart website. You’re looking for the ‘Unclaimed Money Search’ page and you can scan the records for free. If you find a match, you simply claim it back from the original bank or ASIC. Best of all, there’s no time limit to claim, and since 2013, you can even earn interest on your lost cash.