When I announced to friends and family that I was going travelling to New Zealand, there were lots of comments of 'You're so lucky.' Well, I'd worked really hard to be able to afford to go, so there wasn't really any luck involved. And I know from experience that travelling isn't the walk in the park that many people seem to think it is.

Admittedly the image of swimming with dolphins and relaxing on faraway beaches doesn't exactly seem like hard work when everyone at home is braving dismal weather on the daily commute, but taking time out to travel is a different kind of challenge.

Struggling to believe me? Here are a few things they don't tell you about taking time out to travel.

Money is one of the most common causes of arguments between couples.

But the key to a good relationship, both with your money and with your partner, is no secret.

As long as you communicate openly and honestly, your chances of maintaining a happy relationship are good – no matter what your financial situation.

So read on for some top tips on keeping the peace.

When cash is tight, haggling to get a better deal from anyone from a retailer, to a travel agent or mobile phone company can help you to get considerably more for your money.

So we've come up with a haggling guide that should help you pay less for everything from holidays to clothes and household goods.

So read on to find out how to become an expert haggler.

John Terry has not had the best 2010 so far. The crisis began when a woman famous for being out and about in her underwear was said to have had an affair with him. Since then, the knives have been out, and every aspect of his life has been fair game.

He has been accused of trying to make a little extra cash from renting out his box, although there's no confirmation he has actually ever done this. He has been accused of having a roving eye, and now the papers are focusing on his mortgage, which grew dramatically last year.

John has paid quite a price for all of this. He has been stripped of his captaincy, and suffered a huge blow to his reputation, and potentially his earning capacity. Who knows what is going on with his personal life, but it doesn't look terribly comfortable.

But the question is whether he is unusual. Are these unfortunate-looking activities the sign of a man who is too flawed to be relied on to kick a ball about the park, or would we all struggle if the heat was turned up on our finances?

You have to hand it to "Lotto Lout" Michael Carroll - aka "Chavvy McChav-Chav" - after managing to squander no less than £9.3 million the former bin man has plucked up the affront to sign on for state benefits.

Eight years ago he turned up to collect his Lottery winnings with an electronic tag on his ankle, imposed after a few two many drunk and disorderly offences.

Since then, he has blown the lot on drugs, car demolition derbies at his home, ladies of the night and laughable jewellery.

So where did it all go wrong, and can we learn anything from his experiences?

It's not a commonly-known fact that people who fall behind on repayments of credit card or loan debts can have a charging order placed against their home, even though the original debt was not secured against it. It means if you don't pay up, your home could be at risk.

Shocking really. If you take out a loan secured against the value of your home. If you don't pay what is owed then the finance company can take you to court and order that your property be sold to repay the debt.

So most people would prefer not to go down the secured loan route and instead opt for credit cards or unsecured loans, at significantly higher interest rates, kidding themselves that at least if they hit a rough patch there will be no claim on their house. Wrong!

The latest internet scam has caught out millions of people across the world. It works by hijacking your computer using a Trojan virus, downloading pornographic images of young children to your computer, and then threatening to continue unless you pay for a code to beat the virus.

The virus is known as ransomware, because you have to pay the ransom in order to stop the attack.

The ransom itself isn't massive. Some victims are being asked to pay just £20. However, the traumatic experience of being attacked, having these images downloaded, and then being blackmailed, has been terrible for the millions of victims.

The scam is growing. So far the criminals are thought to have made £150 million from it, but that is expected to double, or even triple.

So what can you do?

Let's face it, we all like to kick back on our crystal-studded furniture and down an alcopop before settling down to watch something with Noel Edmonds in it. Well, if you happen to be Wayne Rooney or his charming bride Coleen you could live this dream every day of the year.

And thanks to a little legal difficulty Wayne and Coleen are having right now, we can all see it. The Rooneys are embroiled in a set of legal shenanigans regarding Wayne's former management company which claims Wayne is withholding £4.3 million he owes.

We have no idea about the rights and wrongs of the case, and frankly we don't care. What we care about is the fact that Wayne spends £16.50 to get his chest waxed, while Coleen plays about with diamonds "the size of chicken nuggets".

Anyone who has ever had any dealings with the tax office at HMRC knows just how irritating it is to be annoyed and patronised by people who believe the general public are essentially very stupid and clearly in the wrong, while the Revenue themselves are perfect in every way.

Recent fiascos over the wrong tax codes being sent out have proven just how wrong this is, and the latest twist is that yet more of the wrong codes have been distributed - these ones potentially forcing you to overpay £2,500 in tax.

So what has happened, and are you at risk?

Going into business with your partner has got to be the ultimate test for your relationship and your sanity. Long hours, short tempers and high-flying emotions - not the kind of work environment any relationship wants to be exposed to.

So, call me mad, but I'm planning to do just that. It's all very exciting, but also a bit scary too. While we hope it's going to be fun and rewarding, we're prepared for a lot of stress and hard work.

I believe we're a good team though and will work well together, but what should you consider before going into business with your other half?