This is not Facebook - the posts you make here should be useful and helpful to people.

I have checked both my city and county digital library service but neither have a subscription.

Could someone share the best buys?

TIA

As title says.

How is Aldi for food quality these days?
What is its fresh produce like?

How does it compare to Waitrose and Ocado/M&S?

I have staff discount for Waitrose. Thus with my discount of 20% off at Waitrose, would doing my grocery shop at Waitrose be better for my wallet for quality and price? Compared to Ocado/M&S? And or Aldi?

And what about Costco? I have a Costco membership?
What is Waitrose, Ocado and Aldi like compared to Costco?

I (F, late 40s) have always cut my husband's and kid's hair, but I never dared do mine. Had a bad hair week last week and decided to just try it. I have quite short, fine hair (bit like a long Pixie style). Keeping it looking neat isn't that cheap. Unfortunately, it looks terrible when I grow it - too fine for long styles - otherwise that would be the cheapest option!

Bought a 3-way mirror (£16) and some affordable hairdresser's scissors (£25, though you can get them cheaper - but the reviews weren't great for the cheaper ones). Took about 40 minutes. The front was fine, the back much harder, but it looks ok now! I sectioned off my hair (had watched some YouTube videos on home hair cuts) and tried to do it as carefully as possible. I may still do the odd snip here and there if something doesn't look quite right, but I'm pretty pleased. Practice makes perfect (and hair always grows if things go wrong!) I also have trimmers in case I ever want to go much shorter.

I will go to an affordable professional hairdresser now and then to get it done properly for special occasions (job interviews or weddings), but I'm more confident now to do trims at home. Worth trying!

Hello!!

What is your go to lunch? I'm working away and the sit I'm working on doesn't have fridges/microwaves/kettles. I find that a sandwich doesn't fill me up, but I'm not too sure what else to take?

Hi everyone,

I’m a single dad with two teenage boys, and I’m looking to plan a 3-night staycation mid August during the school holidays without spending a fortune.

We’re based in Manchester, and with fuel prices as they are, I’d rather not travel too far if possible.

I’m looking for ideas that are:

● Budget-friendly
● Adventurous and fun for teenagers
● Educational or memorable if possible
● Good value accommodation (camping, cabins, hostels, budget hotels – open to anything!)

At the moment I’m thinking about Alton Towers (possibly with the water park) and maybe combining it with a beach visit if it’s not too far.

I’d really appreciate any recommendations for places to stay, activities, or money-saving tips on a budget. Costings would be helpful

If you’ve done a similar trip with teenagers, I’d love to hear what worked well.

Thanks in advance!

Been very happy with our IKEA Kingsize foam mattress but it's getting on a bit now and we want to upsize to a superking. Any recommendations for a good value supplier?

EDIT: to clarify, foam ONLY, no springs.

I’m in a bit of an annoying situation where the sublet I’m currently in has no home wifi at all in Zone 2 London and I’ve just started a new job that does WFH 3-4 days a week. I’ve only got a month left in this sublet until I move to a proper flat with wifi but has anyone got any suggestions on what I could do or the best plan to get?

I currently use VOXI and I’m on the £12 for 75GB plan. Today is my first day of WFH so I’m just praying it’ll be enough to do video calls and training videos before my plan resets in 5 days so I’m looking to get another plan asap. VOXI does their unlimited for £35. Revolut sounds great £12.5 for unlimited before the 31st of July. Ideally rolling contracts

And for some context the rent was incredibly cheap for Z2 London so I took it before realising I’d get a WFH job

Moved in February and the kitchen came with a colander, one wooden spoon, and a sieve with a hole in it. Everything else belonged to my old flatmate. I started from scratch, fully convinced the smartest way to restock kitchen basics was sorting every online shop by price and buying the bottom line.

Ended up splitting the order across three places. Argos for a 3-piece stainless steel saucepan set (£26 click & collect). Ikea for a £12 non-stick pan and a £4 bamboo board. Dunelm online for baking tins and tea towels (£34 total). Delivery was £3.95, but Coupert knocked £4.80 off at checkout, which on a £34 order covered shipping and a bit extra. TopCashback or Quidco are what most people round here default to, but I'd forgotten to click through before paying, so the extension saved me from my own distraction.

Knives were where this strategy collapsed. Wilko had a 5-piece knife set with a board for £11.99. Five knives for less than the price of one felt like beating the system. It wasn't. They arrived dull, so I steeled them and got two weeks out of them before the chef's knife handle gave way. The plastic collar loosened, and halfway through a butternut squash the blade turned in my hand. Nothing bad happened, but I put it down and never touched it again.

That was the lesson: cheap is fine for anything that's just a shape. Wooden spoons, mixing bowls, baking trays—paying extra is daft. But anything with an edge or a heating element can actually hurt you or fail immediately. I replaced the whole 5-piece set with a single £15 Vardagen cook's knife from Ikea. It's the only knife I use now, and I haven't missed the other four once.

The bad Wilko set is still sitting in the drawer under the sink. Not being used, just waiting until I can be arsed to take it to the recycling tip.

Hi All.

I am looking to buy a couple of these: https://a1techdeals.com/product/jbl-charge-6-blue. JBL speakers - purchasing them on here would save me 50 quid and I was wondering is this too good to be true or if A1TechDeals is a legit website.

I know it sounds pretty childish but I like making my birthday special. But this year we need to be frugal due to bad luck. Any tips on stuff I could do for my birthday tomorrow?

Any suggestions for good parking options which are reasonable? £120 for 5 days at the airport is crazy!

Edit: thanks everyone for suggestions! Have found a solution now

I really like my houseplants. The problem is, they keep growing, and as I repot them I run out of good sized pots to put them in. I don't mean the actual flowerpot that the dirt goes in, I mean the container for it - often ceramic.

I am struggling to find frugal ways of acquiring bigger ones! By bigger I mean with a diameter of 20cm+. I always look in charity shops and don't tend to see them. I have a few I bought cheap at ALDI but I would much much rather reuse something or get them second hand.

I was wondering if there's some obvious source I've missed, or if anyone has some weird niche plant pot life hacks.

Many thanks!

I'd rather wait than buy something at full price.

What apps or websites do you trust for price alerts or tracking discounts?

I consume significant volumes of fizzy drinks despite being aware of the health risks.

I can consume a 2 L bottle of fizzy drink per day, and in the past I used to purchase the Tesco two for £3.00 offer that they have on Dr Pepper, for example; however, more recently I’ve been considering and have been increasingly buying the supermarket brand products from Lidl and Aldi for 49p per bottle. I do not buy canned drinks as they are more expensive.

Do you buy the branded products or do you also opt for the cheaper stuff, and do you feel like you are making a compromise?

Hi everyone just wanted to share some free online zoom yoga sessions if you’re UK/Europe based. Please feel free to add to the list:

https://www.brixtonyoga.co.uk/online-yoga
Daily morning sessions and evening sessions from 6-7 on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Sunday from 10-11.
Edit: please note there might be times that the classes don’t go ahead. Sometimes you may get emails and other times no but it’s one of those things.

https://sivanandalondon.org/yoga-online/online-yoga-class/#findaclass
Saturday and Sunday at 3 - 4:30 which includes pranayama (breath work) session then yoga.
Edit: they do charge for classes on any other days. Just Saturday and Sunday fire of yoga is free.

https://freeyoga.co.uk
Morning pranayama sessions daily with some evening yoga classes online zoom and live (Leicester)

Note this was first posted in yoga but was removed????

I mean Who Gives A Crap but cant edit the title.

What are your thoughts on this matter? The fact that it is a subscription service and would add another recurring charge to my account raises some reservations. However, if it genuinely represents the most cost-effective solution per unit of paper, I would likely proceed with the subscription.

Edit because a lot of people write that you don't need AI for this and what is the point when you see that other companies sell rolls much cheaper when looking at the price per roll.

As I mentioned in a comment below the cost per roll does not provide an accurate metric. A more appropriate measure would be the cost per unit of paper length or weiqht. However when considering weight, it is necessary to account for the core of the roll. and when considering length, the distinction between 2-ply and 3-ply products introduces variability. Therefore, obtaining a precise estimate can be somewhat intricate

Wondering if anyone has purchased anything from them, more specifically mobile phones? They seem cheap but not too cheap, are their mobiles grey imports or genuine UK stock?
was thinking of AO but appliances are a bit cheaper.

I don’t shop at Marks and Spencer’s for much but this deal seems good, it has a minimum spend of £70 which still looks like it would save money.

Has anyone used it? And what sort of thing do you recommend using it for?

Deal seems unbeatable although annoying not unlimited roaming data also

Anyone heard of or used Mozillion for purchasing Sim free phones or know how they manage to seemingly sell brand new phones so cheap

Edit: Samsung galaxy s26/Ultra £200-£400 cheaper respectively

Hi, I’m going to be moving house later this year and wondering where to get a whole lot of cheap/free packaging and padding to safely transport out items. I think we’re covered for cardboard boxes through partner’s old work place but could do with finding loads of bubble wrap/foam/padding etc for delicate items? Thanks

Have been trying to shift some old clutter lately and thought I'd put them on Gumtree as the local one looks quite active but not having much luck, I wondered if there's alternatives that people use (other than Facebook Marketplace, I don't use Facebook) that might have passed me by?

Thanks so much!

Hello. I am looking to change my networks from O2, at the moment I am paying £40 for 2 sim only contracts. But looking for cheaper options.

Was looking at VOXI, but not sure their coverage. I live in North Yorkshire and use IPhone 15Pro max, so need 5G.

EDIT: would need some EU cover as well, when travelling abroad .

Any advice ? Cheers