MSE News: MoneySaving at its most extreme

Premier_2

Bin raiding??? :eek:

Sounds like theft as Sasha Hall discovered to her peril
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-13863164

(She eventually denied theft claiming she didn't actually take the goods, but knowing where it came from, she admitted handling stolen goods in what became known locally as 'wafflegate'. The count of theft was left on file. She got a 12 month conditional discharge)

...'They knocked at the door and said if I didn't open up they would use a battering ram,' she said. 'They handcuffed me and treated me like I was a hardened criminal and when we left they raided my house.'...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1355525/Theft-finding-Woman-took-thrown-Tesco-waffles-charged-stealing.html

Former_MSE_Andrea

Hi everyone

I've moved this from Old Style over to How much have you saved?

Andrea

steveg99

MSE_Andrea wrote: »

Hi everyone

I've moved this from Old Style over to How much have you saved?

Andrea

Andrea

Could please let me know how I can ask for this news article to be edited with regard to the tip suggesting that people "pretend" to be diabetic??

I've sent emails and everyone comes back saying "this is an automated response and we will probably just ignore your email, but thankyou!!"

Steve

katsu

steveg99 wrote: »

Andrea

Could please let me know how I can ask for this news article to be edited with regard to the tip suggesting that people "pretend" to be diabetic??

I've sent emails and everyone comes back saying "this is an automated response and we will probably just ignore your email, but thankyou!!"

Steve

I agree that it would be better to remove this part of the article. I would have expected better from MSE.

I suggest that people who feel it is inappropriate use the "broken links/changes to guides..." email in Andrea's signature (unless anyone can find anything more suitable) and report their concerns.

I've emailed MSE and also pointed the article out to Diabetes UK incase they'd like to ask for it to be changed. They can be contacted at info@diabetes.org.uk

redglass_2

Edinburghlass wrote: »

My goodness me, it does seems as if a lot of people have got their knickers in a twist. The article is entitled Extreme ways of saving money yet you don't pin point several ideas in the article such as picking fruit off the hedgerow, that is obviously acceptable to you all on this particular board?

Its a shame that users on this board think they are above glitches at the likes of Tesco, even Sainsburys have them too you know, Galaxy chocolate and Smirnoff Ice for instance, I'm certainly not one to turn up my nose at a bar of chocolate for 11p

Tesco and Asda and their price war was a god send to savvy shoppers, I'm stocked up with enough dishwasher tablets for the next 3 years and enough cat food for six months, unethical, no I don't think so.

Tesco is my nearest shop so I use it a lot, save the vouchers and recently tripled the vouchers to pay for a train ticket, I use Quidco or Topcashback for practically everything I buy online. £50 last week for applying for a PO credit card, unethical, nope. I check my insurances and utilities every year to switch for a cheaper option, bought a refurbished Kindle this week from the MSE email and today I downloaded my first free book, again unethical? I don't think so..

But your examples don't include fraud, EdinburghLass. You're using schemes that exist in the way that they are intended- would you think it was OK to hack into someone else's Topcashback account and grab their cashback just because you had the chance? I suspect not. As for Tesco's and Asda's price war, that's just capitalism, it's supposed to work that way and you're supposed to take advantage. The point is that these people were lying and cheating.

wouldbeqaulitymoneysaver wrote: »

One of my great discoveries: The Companies are NOT your friend. They don't give a flying swearword if you end up in oversize coffins because of your junk food addiction, if you are homeless because of soaring rents (give us the rents love you don't need a mortgage, or if you get shoddy service, take the money and run, Customer service COSTS for Christs sake!!! Good intellect = exploitation, humans are born selfish, we must not attribute unselfish motives and therefore those shoved onto margins are low contributing individuals mean we must not bear them with their associated costs burdens.
The State is not your friend, exploitation, data exploitation, chumming up to Big Business interests, democracy is thrawted. See Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine, No Logo, Frances Fox Piven Regulation of the poor also book on how Neo Liberalism PUNISHES the poor with insecurity economic that is (wonderful stuff!!) and then tell me you should not LEGALLY screw the swearwords with impunity and do whatever one can do save money in legit way possible.
We must not tax poor diddums corporations, we must not screw Big Business who engage in and have used Corporate Tax evasion for years, we are at mercy of right wing investors who dislike social justice.
Legally screw the barstards that's what I say. For those not understanding concept read books ( a little reading goes a LONG way in life IMHO) get ANGRY about us paying for Bankers !!!!lessness, get WISE to Corporate and Governments propaganda (see Chomsky Manufacturing of Consent for performance at UK Election time and Profit over people(more blood boiling to come) and then work out what we do to LIVE instead of merciless Corporate and Government exploitation.

I never thought big companies were my friend and nor does anyone in my family, so I never had any 'great discovery' to make, I can assure you. But I can tell you who the shrinkage costs are passed on to, and it ain't the shareholders. Corrupt practices in claiming on motor insurance are now inflating the cost of contributions to the point where many young people can't afford to insure a car at all. (Before you reply 'They shouldn't have one,' this is a rural area and if you haven't got a car life can be really difficult.) And if we're all in it together, all busily cheating wherever we can, then there's no difference between us and them, except that they are smarter and better equipped than the rest of us because they're winning the game. We can't moan or ask for justice if our own lives are completely corrupt, we don't have a leg to stand on! So while I resist consumerism as much as I possibly can, there have to be some things I won't do. I can't ask anyone else at all to deal with me straight if I spend my time scamming and screwing others for the sake of a free coca-cola and pretending this is striking a blow for humanity. I might as well be a banker and screw people properly.

CFC

Absolutely spot on Redglass. There's a huge difference and it's very disappointing to see MSE appearing to support in anyway the 'smash and grab, lie and cheat' end of looking after yourself and your wallet.

Edinburghlass you are selective - nobody is saying that having legitimate free or reduced stuff is wrong. Have you actually read the article as you seem to have entirely missed the point about which we are complaining. OS peeps don't want to be associated with cheating to save money. We all do it the hard and legitimate way!

wouldbequalitymoneysaver, we've all been round the block a few times and we are not wet behind the ears. We do know that companies are not our friends, and not always honest either.I am not responsible for what companies do, I'm just responsible for what I do. I, along with many others, was brought up by my mum not to lie cheat or steal and I ain't starting now just because MSE has a smarmy 'funny' smarta$$ article suggesting how to do it.
Frankly the world would be a far better place if more people stood up and said that lying, cheating and stealing is wrong.

Butti

The second sentence should include 'extreme' before moneysaving.

The article does seem to be about lying and fraud which is a step further on from moneysaving.

Having said that I always take my own coke and popcorn into the cinema as I can get the two for about £1.30 from the supermarket up the road. The refreshment prices in cinemas are farcical.


B

The_Thrilla

I suppose the journalists who used to work for the News of the Screws have to find work somewhere. The £50 wedding voucher incident probably never happened. I don't think it ought to be removed: that's called censorship. I have seen no evidence of a plethora of people round the hedgerows picking the blackberries, haws, elderflowers, etc. So far as I can see, where I live, the only person who does this is I.

Getting stuff for free from skips. Now that can be lucrative. My brother in law introduced me to this practice. He did up his kitchen with good quality timber he got from skips. My mountain bike came from a skip. A friend of mine found a book of dried flowers in a skip that yielded a hefty price at auction. I saw a bit of electrical equipment on a skip in a bin bag that looked interesting. I pulled it out and it was a MiniMoog. I played bass through it in the band I was playing in until the novelty wore off. I then sold it on ebay for over £400. I know someone who buys all the electric guitars and basses that turn up at the local dump, does them up and sells them. But I don't think this has anything much to do with the current recession. People have been doing this for years.

I was in the Westfield shopping centre in London yesterday, and I didn't see much evidence of a recession!

steveg99

katsu wrote: »

I agree that it would be better to remove this part of the article. I would have expected better from MSE.

I suggest that people who feel it is inappropriate use the "broken links/changes to guides..." email in Andrea's signature (unless anyone can find anything more suitable) and report their concerns.

I've emailed MSE and also pointed the article out to Diabetes UK incase they'd like to ask for it to be changed. They can be contacted at [EMAIL="info@diabetes.org.uk"]info@diabetes.org.uk[/EMAIL]

Thanks for the support and advice katsu.

I also emailed Diabetes UK after reading the article, they are true advocates for those they support and represent.

foreversummer

The worse thing I've ever read on MSE. Dishonesty and pretending you have a disease to save money is for the lowest of the low and has no place on this board. Very disappointing.

Forversummer