Saving Money... Nipping ebay in the bud!

Hi everyone and hope you are enjoying teh fabulous weather out there - even if it's just a quick walk at lunch!

Today I thought I would focus on the amount of money we all spend on ebay, as it can become an addiction... but as usual, I hope to save you some cash on that hobby too!

Around 6 months ago I joined this site called BidNip and they bid for you, in the last few seconds of the auction. If you do not win the auction, there's no fee to pay!

How it works is that you pay for some credits in advance so you can 'snipe' an auction. They are incredibly cheap at a few pence per 'snipe' (only charged if you win) and have saved me at least £80 over 6 months as I buy lots of clothes / books / aromatherapy, items for my workplace and more on there.

You then tell BidNip the auction number (normally on the right side of the screen on the ebay page). Copy and paste that onto BidNip, tell them the maximum you are prepared to pay, Snipe the auction, and wait to see if you win because they will bid for you in increments until your set maximum is met!

So - no more of that last minute paying more than it's worth because you got heated up and *had* to have the item...

I normally set my 'snipe' to 8 seconds before auction end... so if you want to be in bed, or out on the town when that auction finishes, now you can - because BidNip will do the work for you even in your sleep!

Let me know how you get on!

Shabby Chic - Make your own pretty things!

Hi everyone, hope you have been enjoying the sunshine whilst it lasts!

Today my post will mainly be pictures of what I have been up to at home, mostly gardening and kitchen stuff. Before Easter I attempted to make some jelly eggs for my nieces but failed miserably (how DO the Americans do it!?), then on Easter Sunday I made some muffins, what I call Breakfast muffins as they're made with carrot and apple, with honey and cranberries for natural sweetness. I also sprinkle them with sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds for added goodness. See left for a pic of one next to my Bonne Mamman customised jars... I used normal white address labels and just added a nice font in Word, then inserted an image I liked from Google and print... far less than what the stores would charge you for jam jar labels, and, you can afford to make mistakes or change your mind!



These are my customised coffee jars as they keep things so fresh. Just be careful not to put the lids in the dishwasher as after a while they absorb moisture and there goes your airtight lid!



I have also been planting - the tall ones you can see in the pic are green beans (wow do they grow super fast - it was like Day Of The Triffids!) - also we have basil, small carrots and tomatoes growing. Let's see what happens! Have tried lettuce but failed - must try harder as they're supposed to be super easy! We want to be able to have our own edibles this Summer, and so far have not really spend much on them - as you can see lots of the pots are yogurt pots! Whilst I am experimenting, I'd rather do that, then spend more later when I know what's what...

I love all things Shabby Chic - the gingham print on the jam jar lids, aged French furniture, you name it, it's how I'd love my home to be. Of you like that style too, do join us on MSE on this thread packed with lovely ideas!

Shabby Chic Thread

More cashback sites - more pennies, more pounds!

I have found a couple more ways to make some extra cash, which you may like to also try and then we can share feedback on here or on my MSE thread:

A a brand new site called FatCheese which has recently launched and has several daily clicks (ie: free clicks that earn you money - see my cashback section on the right for more articles about how to make money this way).

Fatcheese link - daily cash clicking

Hopefully we can all make some extra cash on these, as 8 months to go until Christmas which wil allow lots of click payments to build up.

We Promise To:
http://www.wepromiseto.co.uk/r/795295

I have a dedicated cashback guide explaining the routine I follow, and the cashback sites I use - simply drop your e-mail on this article if you would like a copy, but remember that once you have received the guide you should delete your e-mail address from here in case any third parties get hold of it.

Fabulous Face Oil - Frugal Fabulousness at £0.30p

Hello everyone and I hope you are enjoying these precious few days off…!
This week I have been investigating essential oils. It has always been a subject of interest for me, but I haven’t dedicated more than a few passing minutes here and there to the subject.

However this week my copy of The Fragrant Pharmacy arrived and once I started to read, it really did inspire me. For one, making beauty and home products with essential oils contain no chemicals – so cleaner and purer washing up liquid, air freshners, moisturisers, face oils, kitchen spray and general products can be readily made in just a few minutes. Quicker in fact, than nipping to the shop to get the usual ready-made product – so not only will you save money, but you will also save time.

My first product a while back was a lotion and a lip balm, which if you check the Beauty Is Fridge Deep article you will see went very well. Since then I researched some more, and now that I have the book, I have also made beautiful face oils, a ‘manly’ lotion and also learnt about the amazing powers once you infuse the right oils with eachother, rather than using just one oil alone. This is called ‘synergy’ and combines several oils which in their own right are already strong, to make a super-mix of goodness, whether for well-being, mood, to fight illness or to create welcoming home.

My face oil especially for dry skin was made as follows, as per the base recipe in the Fragrant Pharmacy, with my personal variation of oils. The author recommends 30 drops of essential oil per 30ml of base oil:

Face oil for dry skin
Base - 30ml apricot oil
15 drops geranium oil
7 drops Roman Chamomile oil
6 drops Bulgarian rose oil
2 drops carrot oil

I mixed this in a 30ml brown mixing bottle from Holland and Barrett (£1.49) and will keep it in there to preserve it and take some as I need it. I then decanted some into a smaller clean empty 10ml bottle which used to have essential oil in it, and as it has an inbuilt dropper. I just massage 3 drops into my face before bed and 3 in the morning. I can honestly say it’s one of the most pampering and delicious treats, and already feel a difference in my skin after just 3 uses. Remember if you make any face oil, leave it overnight, and then use the next day, just to allow the oils to settle and infuse together.

If you research online how much these kinds of face oils normally cost, you will be pleased to see that making your own little bottle will cost sooooo much less.

The 30ml I made will make 3 x 10ml bottles. That 30ml overall cost me just £0.90 in ingredients. Meaning each homemade 10ml bottle costs around £0.30p. Now compare how much these tiny bottles are online! There’s a Clarins Lotus one that costs around £24 for 40ml – that’s £6.00 per 10ml instead of £0.30p. The highly regarded Aesop Fabulous Face Oil costs £30.00 for 25ml, an astounding £12.00 for 10ml! Remember also that to sell these commercially, the companies probably add preservatives and other ingredients which when you make fresh, you do not need to add. As such the one I custom made only really had 2 ingredients – base oil and aromatherapy oil, all in it has 5 types of item.

Making yours at home not only allows you to save vast amounts of money, it's incredibly fresh and will give your skin an amazing glow, and can be made in less than 45 seconds, one of the easiest beauty products to make yet one that the industry charges us so much for. Not only that but you will be able to customise the oil with your favourite scents and what is best for your own skin type. For example. dry skin benefits from Chamomile, lavender, carrot oil, jojoba, rose, geranium and so many more, so I chose exactly what I wanted to use and how much of each.

These will now become staples when I would like to give someone a thoughtful gift personalised to their skin and the scents I know they like. I would far prefer a gift that was thought-out and made by someone than a more expensive item that was bought off the shelf. It means that at least by trying to make your own, you can see what works, what you like, and what your family and friends like! Plus at these low costs, you can afford to experiment!

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Eggstra Special Easter... cheap, cheap!

Ok, so the title says it all... but seriously - how much should we really spend at Easter? Is it about expensive wrapping on chocolate eggs? Here are some ideas to get you inspired:

http://frugalliving.about.com/od/easter/Cheap_Easter_Ideas.htm?nl=1

Between Easter gifts, food, trips out and about, snacks, cards and more, suddenly the costs can seem like they came out of nowhere. Food-wise we may buy some gammon this week, soak it overnight with spices & sliced lemon/oranges, then cook it. That will do at least 2 main meals (say Sunday and Monday) and plus say 5 packed lunches, plus if we freeze some bite-sized pieces, a couple of homemade pizza toppings - all for £5 as our local store has an offer on right now. I had never considered the flexibility of a joint of gammon until I realized you could freeze it quite well. I use tupperwares and freeze small amounts of the baked gammon. Great for sandwiches, main meals like stir-fries, special fried rice, toppings on a pizza, soups and so much more. Experiment with lentils for a lovely soup... then see what you come up with in terms of other tasty meals!

Ideas for Ham

I love this time of year - the sun is shining, we feel better, clothes can get lighter, we get more fresh air and feel happier in general. But just today I was aware that April will be an expensive month for us so got inspired to find ideas for Easter and Spring savings - starting with food.

This inspired me to think of light, but inexpensive meals. Winter tends to be much cheaper as we all eat more starchy comfort foods overall, which are cheaper.

What are your favourite Spring/Summer meals that don't cost the earth?

Mine are:

- Greek salad - salad, feta cheese, juicy tomatoes and black olievs with a sprinkling of oregano and sometimes some added roast chicken

- Nicoise salad - tinned tuna, cooked green beans, boiled eggs, black olives, some anchovies and tomatoes

- Griddled aubergines and courgettes with a mint and yoghurt dressing, with a cous cous salad on the side.

- Mozarella salad - simple but lovely especially with big ripe tomatoes!

- Grilled chicken lemon salad - just make a salad as normal but make a zesty lemon dressing to go with it )I like to use the grated lemon zest in the dressing as well).

These can be served with light bites such as Ryvita with hoummus, or some yoghurt dip, as well as some fresh fruit for dessert. The colourfulness of the food is lovely plus the heat means that overall we eat less, great for the pounds on our hips and the pounds in our purses!

Also see www.moneysavingexpert.com for the latest restaurant vouchers, because if you are going out to eat, you can almost guarantee MSE will have a money off voucher of some sort. Why not consider changing the restaurant, to ensure you go to one that does have a deal on and can save you money?Wagamamma, Giraffe, Pizza Express and Ask are just some of the chains that have had excellent vouchers on offer.

Spring, Shares and Tasty Savings

Hello all!

Well Spring is finally appearing behind the clouds and we can see a shimmer of sun – makes a big difference to how we feel and… how we spend!

I was able to somehow achieve my 20 x NSD’s, although it was very hard! I can see that Spring will mean this target will be harder to achieve – I know that the warmth and the lull of meeting friends and family will generally cost more but I do love this season and am prepared to sacrifice more in Winter months.

My plan for this month is to carefully save any money from cashback sites and either put it away, or buy some shares. Scary but hopefully worth it, as the financial market in some way at the moment is on‘sale’ with great companies quite devalued. In time hopefully they’d come back up to their normal levels because they are household names. The ones that are at least well run are my aim, rather than any possible Woolworths out there… However, I know very little about it so will carefully look at some big chip names if I do go ahead with it. The way I see it is that if it is cash from cashback site earnings, at least it’s not *my* hard earned money I’d lose… seems to make it easier somehow!

Other things we have been up to – we took part in Earth Hour 2009 which was great fun and saved us an hours worth of consuming electricity or gas. It also allowed us just to enjoy silence and it’s surprising how much else you hear – all the neighbourhood sounds, birds and more.

In April we aim to:
- Stick to £120 for food shopping for both of us (March didn’t work that way!)
- I will try for 15 No Spend Days each month until October as it’s getting warmer…
- Enjoy more fresh fruit and veg – as local as possible so it travels less
- I plan to click even more on free Cashback clicking sites to ensure Xmas 2009 is still free in terms of all food & drink (see the Cashback section on the right menu for more info)
- Clean up the patio garden and start to enjoy it!

In terms of eating better, here's a new code for you, or to forward to your friends that gives a Free Graze box PLUS another box half price… this is worth £4.48. These guys ensure you get delicious snacks, at least 3 of your 5 a day, delivered via Royal Mail...

free box code: 7VBCHQFD
Enter the code at: www.graze.com

For April I would also like to eat healthily and really, really relax and enjoy the Easter Break…

Here's a nice Easter idea I came across:
Easter Eggs

Have a great weekend and drop in a message sharing your ideas for Spring and what you plan to get up to!

How to avoid overspending in Spring

What miserable weather all of a sudden! We all thought Spring had sprung, and now we see Autumn/Winter is back with a vengeance...

Well I guess this puts us slightly back into hibernation mode for a few days which can be a good thing, because I think it's the perfect time to plan your strategy for Spring.

Shops will soon be tempting us all with lovely new Spring clothes, goodies, food, picnic ideas, new futniture and so much more in the lead up to Summer. You may already be thinking of Holidays, gin and tonics, more white wine, lots of meals out and day trips. Or you may be worrying about finances and concerned that the school breaks will cost a fortune. So tiem to sit and plan ahead - is there anywhere money can be saved completely or at least some of it clawed back?

Here are some small ideas:

If school breaks are worrying you - can you see local attractions and events for free? Could you visit the beach rather than a centre of town? Or perhaps a country walk with a pub lunch for a treat rather than a big amusement park?

For kids clothing this summer what about checking out charity shops? Other parents will be discarding kids stuff from last year and no doubt some very good quality items will appear that have been used only a few times. You can also browse for yourself!

If you like your wine, perhaps buy in bulk to save money, or if you like G&T's buy enough to last a while rather than always buying individual tonic botttles.

For picnics, make your own food rather than buying ready made as it;s so much cheaper. Take your own tap water, or if you must buy bottled water at least buy an ethical bottled water or one that supports charity.

If you have friends that love eating meals out, how about using vouchers to get money off? www.moneysavingexpert.com have lots of vouchers weekly for Pizza Express, Wagamama and more - this can save you so much money and everyone will benefit.

What about food? Summertime is a great time to cut back on expensive read meats and enjoy fresh salads, aduki beans, fruit and even chilled soups. Good for the wallet and the diet too! It's harder to bulk cook in warmer months but much better for the diet overall. Remember to buy online so you can see the costs mounting up as you shop. This also avoids going to the supermarket and being tempted by all those instore deals.

Also foodwise, why not sling some basil seeds in some compost in a washed yoghurt pot - in a few days it will start to come up, just keep the soil damp and the pot on a sunny windowsill. You can plant as many as you like, so they flourish throughout Summer months for all those lovely salads.

And finally, how about making your own vanilla extract rather than spending a fortune everytime you need some?
Make your own vanilla extract

This is something I want to try as we do use a fair bit in making desserts and it's so handy to have around. It would make a great present for someone too, in a pretty jar.

I hope these ideas have inspired you in some way & welcome to all the new members - do suggest ideas of what you aim to do so save money this Spring/Summer!

PS: Don't forget 20:30 on Saturday is Earth Hour please join in & switch your lights, tv, computer etc just for one hour! Also on Saturday night the clocks go forward one hour...

Make money by reading e-mails & clicking

I hope you are all well and enjoyed the lovely weather this weekend. My time was spent outdoors enjoying the sunshine and then on Sunday relaxing...

I also spent time researching more ways to beat the credit crunch as well as updating the clicks guide that I send out to people (see 'Cashback' section on the right, the guide is now worth £4.70 per day - drop me a message with your e-mail address if you would like a copy of that guide).

So the site below is yet another new way to increase earnings and could give you an extra £50.00 + per year... there are banner clicks, payments to sign up to sites, bonuses, e-mail clicks and more that pay you a small amount each time.


Here is the link:

Sterling Mails


Sterling Mails is a British 'paid to click / read emails site. This site offers lots of different ways to make small amounts of money and these include:


Paid to Read Emails - you generally receive about ten emails per day.
All you have to do is click on the link provided and then keep the site open for the required amount of time (around 15 secs).
These generally pay 0.025 pence, which doesn't sound much, but they do all add up!

Paid to sign up - Now some of these are really quite lucrative.
These are the chances to be paid for signing up to various websites, and once you paste in your confirmation email text and press submit, you will be rewarded with anything up to £5!

Paid to click - there are a number of sites which you can click on on a daily basis. They are in the Sites section of Sterling's website. You don't have to actually do anything as long as you keep them open for the specified amount of time. You just do one at a time. They will also e-mail you these links.

It then credits your account automatically a few seconds after your window confirms it's been logged.

Referrals - If you can get friends and family interested in the site you can then also earn a percentage of their earnings too. This means that when your referrals get others to sign up, you will also earn from them too.


How do I get paid?
Payments are through PayPal and you only need to earn £3.00 before you can cash out.

According to feedback this does not take very long to reach with the amount of emails that they send for you to click on.



So you can probably earn roughly a nice extra per year plus any wins from bonuses and plus any referrals.

That could end up paying for some Christmas drinks & nibbles!


The link to sign up is here:

Sterling Mails


Drop me a line with any questions or come and say hello on the MSE Clicking thread...

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=609037

Make it count - Earth Hour 2009 - Join in!

Hi everyone and a special welcome to any new followers. This here blog is intended for money-saver extraordinaires - the ones that want every nook and cranny explored!

This week my aim is a bit more general - WWF are again doing Earth Hour this year. It's a simple thing but could be so powerful across the globe. From New York, to London, Sydney and many more - everyone that can take part hopefully will. Many landmarks will turn off their lights too.

Basically, you would agree to simply not use any electricity for one hour on 28th March 2009 at 20:30 in the evening.

Please join up and register to comit do switching off for one hour:
http://earthhour.wwf.org.uk/

We did it last year and we had lots of fun, just nice to enjoy the quiet really and go back to candles and feel peaceful.

I am also getting my employer to do it, as well as mentioning it to friends and family, plus anyone else who will listen such as you lovely folk and any MSER's that aren't aware...

Not only is it green it's moneysaving so I am hoping we will all do it on the 28th!

Healthy body, healthy mind - simplify and breathe!

Sorry it’s been a while, wow there’s been so much on and I have lots to tell you about.

The main focuses for me lately have been family, with a family member that has needed lots of support, health as you will see below and also in my aims of having a simpler life, some learning.

The main areas are:

Health
Well,one of the things I have done is cut my gym membership 4 months ago. This used to cost £30 a month, so I have saved £120 there. I did however buy a cross trainer which I am getting better at using and that cost £30, so technically I have now saved £90.

Could you cut back on the gym and exercise more cheaply? Or find a new gym that costs less? Get an exercise buddy that would run with you? If you are an early riser – can you jog before work? Or maybe it suits you better after work. Spring is coming now so the days are starting to get lighter, my mind is already so much happer.

Ok so that is that for what I have been doing for my ‘outside’ health mainly.

Then for my ‘inside’ health, I signed up to Graze that I kept hearing about and have already been waxing lyrical about this to anyone who will listen... With just a few clicks online, Graze have been posting ultra-healthy fresh snacks to my desk (You could also get it at home so you avoid temptation there too).
My snack boxes arrive twice a week and it means no more chocolate, crisps etc, instead they send me ready to eat fresh seasonal cut fruit, nuts, seeds, japanese crackers and loads more. It is a pretty big (each box will actually last me 2 days) and gives me 3 of my 5 a day (I did 'Design your own' but you can let them choose for you). So for £2.99 x 2 per week I know it will actually last me 4 days or so and I am less tempted by unhealthy food. I now get several of my 5 a day automatically... costing just over £1 a day, which I was already spending on bad stuff anyway!

If you need a helping hand getting healthier just go to www.graze.com enter the code JK4M7TC to get your first box for just £1.

I know not everyone will want to do this, but for me I know it will work far better than my so-called attempts at cutting back on bad snacks and buying fruit etc. Invariably I was eating a banana twice a week and that just wasn’t cutting it!

Learning
So this bit may not make sense, but, in my aim of simplifying my diet / health routine, I was also aware that my mind is also cluttered, I admit to being a bit of a worrier, plus I almost absorb other people’s moods whether positive or negative. So for a long time I have been trying to work out a way to also simplify my mind if that makes sense.

So I then learnt of a book called A New Earth: Create a Better Life which is massively recommended by Oprah and has sold 6 million copies. I was wary at first but figured I’d see some reviews – well, I went on Amazon and sure enough lots of high praise. I then bought in town for £5 as I couldn’t wait for Amazon to post it out….
It ranks 107 on the entire Amazon seller list, which is pretty impressive on it’s own. Anyway I am reading through that now, with the free podcasts on www.oprah.com which accompany each chapter, and wow is all I can say. It starts out quite philosophical but after chapter 1 definitely resonates with me. I feel calmer and definitely that no book I have read explained things in this way. At times like now such as the credit crunch, we are all feeling more negative and looking for a calmer life, it may be that you’d enjoy the book too. In fact. I’d love some comments from anyone who has read it as maybe we could have a discussion group on here?

He also has a book called The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment which ranks #91 on their listings and will definately be my next read.

Plus in addition to this I have now had 3 NSD days for the month, so only 17 days to go to reach my goal of 20 No Spend Days which is great.

I hope you have all had a good week and it’d be great to hear any comments you have – a special welcome to anyone new who has joined the blog, I hope you find articles of interest in the archives and would love to hear from you on any of the threads!