Facing Up To Facts

sams247

Well a kind person bought me the Nigella Express cook book and as we all know Dear Nigella is not known for salads and cottage cheese! And the macaroni cheese is wonderful! I have just negotiated a deal with Virgin and got £1.75 discount....... a month! So thats...... ummm.....5p a day

RAS

Chevalier has a really good list of links nicked wholesale good way to get vouchers for presents etc. Some people here reckon that they can get £50 per month for clicks, surveys etc in vouchers mainly.

Also get onto the freebies forum here, http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.html?f=37 sometimes more useful for pressies but also samples of stuff that make life more interesting.

Chev wrote:

Here are some survey sites, which will increase your income a little. Hope they help.

Good luck
chev

www.lightspeedpanel.com - this is a survey site, where you get points which turn into vouchers (you choose). May not help with the cash flow, but the vouchers could be saved towards birthday/xmas or given as presents.

www.ciao.co.uk - survey site that gives money. A bit fits and starts ie no surveys for a couple of weeks, then three or four the same day.

www.yougov.com - again paid surveys. However takes a while to get to the minimum payout level

www.mytns.com - again this is a survey site, but it pays you in points that convert into Nectar points at Sainsbury’s.

www.pigsback.co.uk - this is a points site, ie they give you points for buying things via their site. BUT you also get points for signing up for news letters (some of which are even interesting!), and also for clicking on adverts with pink borders. I have spent NOTHING with them but got a £10 voucher through this week (only been registered since January). There is also a thread in the freebies section, of www.moneysavingexpert.com which gives you all the daily answers to the competitions so you can have a better chance of winning on them.

www.mutualpoints.com - another points for clicks site. You can also buy things via their site and get points too. For a long time, I just clicked the links in the emails they send you, and that gets you 5 points. At 3000 points you get £20 I think. You can do searches via their site and that gets you points too.

www.quidco.com - this is a cash back site, so very good, for checking if any potential new insurers (ie if you have checked your contents insurance say and found a new provider), are offering cash back. Eg Lloyds was offering £120 cashback on new policies at one point (the offers do change). You can also get small amounts of cash again for doing searches via their site. You can earn 52p a day by doing this. Every little helps.

www.greasypalm.co.uk - another cash back site, where you can do searches and get small amounts of money. But it all adds up. I think you can get about 50p a day on there for nothing. Minimum payout is £20 I think, but you can sign up to survey sites via there, and get extra money that way for nothing.

And check mystery shopping, here http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/....html?t=454437 - but this does count as income for tax and benefit purposes. Could fund the occasional film, meal or night out however.

RAS

Re cooking

I recommend an oldie -

Jocasta Innes, The paupers cookbook, although some things are now more fashionable and a lot more expensive.

Also Elizabeth West - the Hovel Cookbook - really close to the bone that one if you can find it.

Do you have a local butcher (real one)? They will often give away things like chicken carcasses that they have taken the breast and legs off. Fine for stock, soup, curry, fricasses or pies. the last lot I had came with wings, so a little contribution to a barbie.

Do you have any outdoor space? Avoid expensive plants but you could get masess of salad from one packet of seed, or beg a few beans and get enough for a couple of portions a week out of a large plant pot?

tealady

Hello and welcome. Two things 1) you have a Virgin package and a phone bill is the 2nd a mobile? 2) Start a spending diary, its amazing how the odd mag, bought lunch and CD add up.

Mozette

Just wanted to say all the best. Hope 2008 works out well for both of you.
Best wishes.

Oh and p.s., Definitely do a spending diary!

sams247

a spending diary is a good idea, thank you. My partner doesn't eat meat and I dont eat red meat but am a dab hand at veggie eats. Thank you for all the money making and saving ideas, I dont think I have time to go to work now......... We have a courtyard garden but may bravely attempt grow bags (with very clear instructions!). We have a mobile, yes, the rule is ebay must pay for the pay as you go, or no top up. I think I spend the most on food actually, food and getting to our work. The train is expensive but essential to get to London. I may look into car share for petrol, someone said there is a good car share site.

churchrat

congrats on the partnership:beer:
one thing I find really helpful is to only use cash for EVERYTHING! I get out all we have to spend at the beginning of each month and once its gone its gone. it was very difficult at first and its amazing how much potato you can eat when thats all there is, but got the hang of it now. we put each weeks money into different envelopes and only open them at the right time. I think I'm getting a bit toooo pre-occupied about it and have been known to start a major row over a mistakenly opened envelope:eek: but OH knows it for his own good:rotfl:
goodluck!!

sams247

Well, so far I have made £4.85 on my £1 a day challenge, so nearly making it! And as for the diet/healthy eating plan......... does standing in the kitchen eating three spoons of Nestle's milk whilst waiting for breakfast count??

On the cash for everything - I think this is an excellent idea, but pay certain things by standing order, I found that when I said I'd pay by cash I never found the cash and fell behind in payments, there was always something else to pay for.