There used to be someone who promised people 9p for 4p. I don't know that anybody ever got it, but our present government has the ability of giving us 4p for 9p or more!

Latest tips

Piggy banks.
The miserly interest rates make this worthwhile. Give each person in the house a piggy bank of some sort. Then each person chooses a denomination of coin - this means that even the kids can join in. So perhaps Dad chooses the £2 coin, and mum the £1, etc. Then that individual puts all the coins of that denomination into their piggy bank. The piggy banks can either be left until they are full, or it can be agreed to empty them at certain holdays or birthdays etc. This is a good way to get kids into the habit of saving. You'll be amazed at how much you can save. I once lived in a country where the interest rates are as low as ours are now, and I saved the highest denomination coin in a little box. When the box was full I was amazed to find I had more than enough to buy a very good stereo system and some new CDs.

De-clutter and get paid for it
Open up an E-bay account and a Paypal account. Then go around your house and gather all the stuff that you haven't' used or don't want. Then put it on E-bay. Get paid through Paypal and from now on use your Paypal account to fund your online purchases - nearly everyone accepts Paypal now. The result will be more space, a better organised house, and a few new purchases. I'm currently doing this with my books, and E-bay have a marvellous deal just now that things entered for £0.99 do not have a listing fee - so if you don't sell it you have nothing to pay. What has amazed me is the price people are willing to pay for some of my tatty old books!

www.oscaruk.co.uk
This web site lists discounts on just about everything for those over 50. You can choose the category and the area. There is a huge amount of information. So if you are going to buy something, try something or do something, this is a good place to check if you can get an age-related discount.

Smelly wet dog

Rainy day cure for dog odor.  Next time your dog comes in from the rain, simply wipe down the animal
with Bounce or any dryer sheet, instantly making your dog smell springtime fresh. from Gina

Burns

Colgate toothpaste makes an excellent salve for burns. from Gina

Ham shanks and lamb shanks

Back to Granny's old favourites for making soups etc. as they are so cheap.

Compost bins
Get a discount on compost bins and advice on their use from Waste Aware Scotland

Comparison websites
On the whole these websites are useful, but do be aware that many of them might not list the best deals at the top of the page. This is because they may be obliged to put their advertisers products first, so do scroll down to make sure. Also for some things, car insurance, for example the website may be next to useless if you have lived abroad. I lived abroad, and had no no-claims bonus for this country, so all the personal information I entered was useless, however I didn't know this till I gave one of the insurers a piece of my mind when he quoted double what the comparison site quoted. Then the insurer took time to explain what was going on.

Lentil salad. This can be served hot, warm or cold. It's cheap, easy to make and nutritiuos too!