Miss Thrifty

So you want to win a car, huh? Well, Citroen is hosting a competition to win one of its new-fangled C5 models. You can enter for free online, by going to this page of Citroen’s website.

I’m no Jeremy Clarkson - you’ve seen what I drive - so here’s the official blurb:

The new C5 is as dynamic as it is distinctive and this is your chance to win the C5 2.0 HDi Exclusive Saloon. With half leather and heated front seats, alloy wheels, air conditioning, laminated side windows & an acoustic noise filtered cabin this prize will delight one lucky winner.

Here is a review and specs.

The winner’s car will be taxed for six months and - best of all, in my shallow opinion - you can choose your colour. The competition is open to UK residents and the closing date is 19 January 2009.

Well, I’m still suffering horribly with jetlag but at least I’m unpacked now. I hope to post more about our Thrifty Roadtrip over the coming days; right now I’m still trawling through my crammed RSS reader, and wondering how I’m ever going to edit 500+ photos down to a manageable number. Anyway, I’m delighted to report that we had a fabulous time, and really didn’t want to come home.

Heck, even the gas stations were scenic!

I asked my Frugal Grandma if she would provide holiday cover while I am away on my Thrifty Roadtrip this week. Frugal Grandma can do anything…

When someone gives you a bunch of carnations or chrysanthemums, take off the little 2″-3″ shoots and grow your own.

Wet the shoots’ bottoms, dip in root powder and plant in a small pot (several to a pot as they won’t all take).

Do not try to root any with a flower bud on them as plants do not like to make flower and root at the same time.

- Frugal Grandma

I asked my Frugal Grandma if she would provide holiday cover while I am away on my Thrifty Roadtrip this week. Frugal Grandma can do anything..

Frugal Dinner

This recipe is called Beef Collop; it was first made by my mother when she ran a small London cafe in the late 1940s. Meat was rationed at that time and my ma never liked to waste anything, so she invented this dish. It became so popular that she ended up having to buy meat especially for it.

If you have very little meat left from a roast, say 2 slices of beef (or lamb, pork or chicken), then do the following: (more…)

Trent, over at The Simple Dollar, has been reviewing his favourite posts from the past year. One of them, Wallet Hacking, caught my attention. It’s about tailoring the contents of your wallet to “minimise your spending and maximise your time”.

This idea stood out for me: (more…)

For one reason and another I’ve ended up with nine wooden chopping boards, which works out at four-and-a-half chopping boards per member of my household. I only went out and bought one of them (the first one) but I’m a kitchenware geek - and the people who buy me presents know the way to my heart.

I doubt I’ll ever need to buy another chopping board as long as I live, because all my boards are in tip-top condition. This is what I have learned: (more…)

This hair clipper set from Tesco is only £6.99. It comes with the different sized combs, so that you can select how short you want the hair to be, plus other accoutrements such as scissors and a comb. Not only is a good price - cheaper than a paid-for haircut! - but it saves money in the long run too. Once you have one of these sets, the need to visit the barber flies out the window.

I should add that I don’t cut my own hair with clippers. No no no. I do cut my husband’s hair with one of these sets, and I can honestly say that it is a terrific investment. It takes minutes, and it’s easy to do.

Once upon a time I used to send him out to my own preferred salon in Mayfair, at £55 a pop, to have his follicles tended to by a stylist called Rachel who “understood his hair”. Looking back, I can’t quite believe I insisted on this: not is £55 a very expensive men’s haircut, but my husband and grooming go together like a cat and water. He would have been happier with the clippers all along.

Anyway, this set can be ordered from Tesco’s website and I’d get in quick, as the line is about to be discontinued.

Our new composter arrived today. It looks like this:

We have put it out in the garden, behind the shed. You dump the peelings etc. in the top, and scoop out the resulting compost through the sliding hatch at the bottom. This is a family-sized bin and it’s massive: I think it will take us a year to fill it!

Not only is it eco-friendly, it only cost us £20.00 including delivery! Our county council (North Yorkshire) is subsidising the costs of all home composters purchased by residents.

We bought it from the website recyclenow.com; if you are reading this in the UK, enter your postcode into the site’s homepage to find out if you can get money off too. You can also enter a competition to win £100 of gardening vouchers.

Five composting tips: (more…)

UPDATE: If you are visiting from MSN Smart Spending, welcome to Miss Thrifty! My passion for fashion knows no bounds, but neither does my craving for saving…  Bargains ahoy! I update my blog daily with all the latest frugal tips and red hot discounts. Please have a look around; if you like what you see, subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for stopping by  - Miss T.

David at MoneyNing has posed a question for his readers: would you do something immoral to increase your wealth if you knew you wouldn’t get caught?

A friend of his regularly phones the customer service department of a certain company to complain, because she knows that she will get a 15 per cent discount coupon every time she does this.

He writes:

In many levels, I felt that it was wrong but couldn’t exactly point out to her at the time why I felt that way because she did get bad service.  Was it because of her motivation for the call or was it more because it’s not the first time she’s done this?

I know what he means. When you’re paying down debts or piling up nest eggs, it gives you a great buzz and it’s very tempting to get carried away…

I like to stretch the boundaries, but I’m really careful not to cross the line. This is because I have learned that when you grub around for money like that, other people usually suffer. Karma is a bitch, huh?

Here’s an example: (more…)

As a tightwad who has lived in both America and the UK (currently residing in the UK), I find it interesting to compare the two countries from a personal finance perspective. Although the USA enjoys a relatively low cost of living and should come up trumps on this front, my experience has been quite the opposite. In truth I’m in awe of my fellow PF bloggers on the other side of the pond, and I’m in awe of any US frugal freaks who manage to live as comfortably as they do.

This is not an America! Yah boo sucks! post. Nor is it a Russell Brand-ish plea to vote Obama “on behalf of the world”. (Naughty Russell!) These are my straight-up observations and my first-hand experiences, and I would be genuinely interested to hear what others have to make of them.

First up, why America is a great country in which to try and live very well, on very little: (more…)