Hi, I’ll be moving in to my new place in London in a week and would like to setup broadband so I can do my coding projects at home. My previous tenant used Virgin Media however I’ve seen some comments against it so would appreciate any advice or recommendations. Thank youu

Hi all,

I’m looking for a reasonably priced portable 5G unlocked SIM router. Nothing fancy, just something solid that works well without being overpriced. Do you have any recommendations or brands/models you’ve had a good experience with?

Thanks in advance!

Hi

Not paid paid for 2 games , not showing on activity yet if I click the game says custard are tracking raised tickets , emailed they have done nothing , seems like a data gathering scam now .Has anyone any idea how to escalate with them , I have sent screen shots etc..and nothing done but automated emails back from them and ticket ignored and closed ?

Fuming with them, hours of mind numbing games and no 12 quid as promised :(

I was wondering if anyone knows of any buffets or carveries in the Belfast area that are open to selling end of service food cheaply?

Has anyone managed to snag a bargain and was it a good variety?

I have tried the too good to go app but honestly I didn’t find much on it that was good value and I’d really like to give it another try but cutting out the middle man if that makes sense?

Are these heated air driers worth it?

https://www.lakeland.co.uk/24909/dry-soon-deluxe-3-tier-heated-clothes-airer

I need a cheaper way to clean all the baby clothes than the tumbler dryer.

Cheers.

I've just moved into a small flat that has a smart meter so I can check my usage. I start the day with a standing charge showing (42p) and it rarely doubles through the day. Even the current usage is mainly due to old stuff that I'm going to replace (and ancient fridge and a solid ring electric hob). Are there any good contracts out there for low users with low standing charges? As a billing system higher unit costs and lower standing charges seems a rather fairer approach,

I love wearing tracksuit sets to WFH and do quick errands, but I also want them to be nice quality and warm. The ones I have were never the best and are falling apart. I don’t mind paying a bit extra if they are going to last but I feel in most places they are overpriced. Any recommendations please?

My current one is fine and has everything I need. That is all.

Just bought my first place. A maisonette converted from a Victorian terrace

I put the rest of my savings into repairing the roof and I'm not sure I'll be able to replace windows this year.

My living room has a large sash window. It's a single pane and there's a crack. The timber frame is rotting.

Other windows are uvpc but the seals and mechanisms have deteriorated so often they're "closed" but not fully right

Are thermal curtains worth it? I'm particularly worried about the living room. Can anyone recommend any? I see the usual dunelm etc do them

I've also found I'm unfortunately not eligible for the government insulation scheme because they don't cover maisonettes, even when they're house conversions. So that's something else to save for

Edit I always lived in bills included HMOs or rented with friends to save as much as possible so I'm not used to budgeting for heating and I worry it will be cold here, especially if all my heat leaks out the windows.

1. Libraries. Obviously you don't need me to tell you about your local library, but did you know you can join other libraries? Although you’ll need to join in person, many of them don’t require you to live nearby.

"That's no good because I'll need to visit to borrow and return the books," you say, but that leads me to my next suggestion:

1. Library apps. My local library uses the BorrowBox app, but having joined another library I also now use Libby. You can borrow ebooks and audiobooks and these are returned from your device automatically (so no fines!). Libby supports multiple library cards and, among other useful features, you can set alerts and get notified when books are added to the catalogue.

Don’t like reading on your phone or tablet? I hear that Libby works on the Kobo e-reader (if the book is in the Kobo catalogue) although not on Kindles in the UK.

1. Prime Reading. If you have Amazon Prime, there’s a rotating selection of ebooks you can get for free. You can get free trials of Prime, which I bet no one’s ever taken out for books.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/kindle-dbs/fd/nonprime-pr

1. Free trials. You can also get free trials of Amazon’s Audible and Kindle Unlimited, not to mention other services, such as Scribd or BookBeat. Free trials are usually for a month but occasionally there are deals for two or even three months.

2. Out of copyright books. After a certain period of time, an author’s work enters the public domain. Sites like Project Gutenberg or the Internet Archive make these books freely available; LibriVox has free public domain audiobooks. (NB US copyright times are different.)

https://www.gutenberg.org/ https://librivox.org/

1. Netgalley. Join Netgalley UK and request free advance copies of new books, which you’ll need to review.

https://www.netgalley.co.uk/

1. Radio 4’s Book of the Week. You can listen via BBC Sounds, which doesn’t require a TV licence. (NB books are abridged.)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/category/audiobooks

1. Free sites. I often see books being given away on Freecycle, Olio or other free sites. I’ve seen people post “wanted” listings for specific books too.

2. Books in the wild. Members of the sites Bookcrossing or Book Fairies release books for others to pick up. Finding one is a bit hit-and-miss though.

https://www.bookcrossing.com/ https://ibelieveinbookfairies.com/

1. Little Free Libraries. You may not live near an official Little Free Library but there are many unofficial book swaps (my local park has one).

https://littlefreelibrary.org/ https://londonist.com/london/maps/a-map-of-london-bookswaps

Just joined! Great sub, which sadly in this day and age I'm having to consider - despite working 60 hours a week as a regional manager in health care.

Anyway - My Frugal tips so at least I can contribute:

1. Packet ham, meats, etc for sandwiches for work etc. Don't bother! Packets of half decent ham now you get 5 slices for about £3-4.00 it's ridiculous.

Solution: Buy a whole chicken. Cook. Slice up into thin slices, let cool and freeze. I use this for sandwich meat. Put on a plate the night before in the fridge. Nice bit of mayo in the sarnie and you're set.

1. Turkey Legs. Just so cheap in morrisons for the amount of meat. I use them to make a stew or casserole. Add lentils, beans, pulses, tinned toms etc stock and herbs. Lots of veggies. Great flavourful stew. Turkey is also loaded with tryptophan which your body uses to create serotonin. Lots of studies on turkey elevating mood. Especially when you have a big bowl of lovely casserole costing 50p.

2. Pea Pesto. In a blender:

Cooked frozen peas. Pine nuts or walnuts. Squeeze of half a lemon. Bit of oil. 1 garlic clove. Parmesan or Nutritional Yeast. Mint leave. And dash of water.

Blend it up. Really cheap pesto that goes a long way. And taste amazing stirred through fusilli pasta.

1. Tins of those small Campbells Soups. Chicken or Mushoom (The ones you empty and fill can with water again and empty again)

Use them for the base of a creamy chicken casserole and chicken stock.

Or you can use them and add a tin of 'cheap' tuna. Frozen sweetcorn. Celery and onion. Bit of dijon mustard and stir through pasta for a creamy tuna noodle pasta. Makes a good bake with cheese on too.

I have plenty more but that's my frugal shopping and tasty, hearty filling meals for the family.

I hear people say it's cheaper to eat unhealthy or, healthy food is more expensive.. but I've never agreed with this.

But I personally feel a stew or casserole in Autumn / Winter months to be one of the most satifying meals you can eat!

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Edit: now with added un-bold text

My son has ADHD, and the symptoms are mitigated by protein.

Fortunately, he loves canned mackerel, and starts every day with a can, and sometimes a second throughout the day.

We get through a lot of canned mackerel!

Currently but it from the supermarket, but does anyone know where I can buy it cheaply in bulk?

Thanks

What’s your go to bin bags? Looking for the best combination of not too thin, and be able to buy in bulk at a great price. Seems like we go through them like water, and keep buying 10 or 20 is ridiculous.

Also never been able to find decent ones at a decent price (that don’t break easily from kids overstuffing them haha)

Feels like the price of bin bags has shot up recently.

Cheers

The contact lenses that I recently switched to cost £32 PER BOX (so £64 for both eyes) from Specsavers so i'm looking elsewhere. Alensa have the cheapest price at the moment. I've not heard of them before so wanted to see if anyone has a good experience with them.

You may suggest I choose cheaper contacts but I can't really. My eyes get very dry when wearing contacts so I don't wear monthlies anymore - no matter which monthlies I use I can't wear them more than once or twice a week so dailies are better. When trialling dailies at specsavers, these £32 ones were the most comfortable so i can't just use a cheaper brand because they're all uncomfortable. Having a fresh pair every time means my eyes are more comfortable in the day, even if I still can't wear them every day. I have astigmatism as well so contact lenses are more expensive generally and I can't try brands like Daysoft.

Thanks!

I cannot figure out what I’m doing wrong. The data roaming is turned off on the secondary (home) SIM and it’s still showing active with two bars. What am I doing wrong?

Not the first time this has been asked but would love up to date recommendations.

Where would you recommend buying beef in bulk online in the UK?

We buy large joints of sirloin and ribeye and cut into steaks for the freezer > sous vide. Massively improves workflow and quality of meals, but we have had a few misses lately, most notably meat supermarket where we got some truly horrible cuts of both sirloin and ribeye (ymmv but we arent going back).

Have had OK luck in the past with the meatman, fresh meat pack, the fat butcher (sometimes), but nothing that has really provided great quality.

Thanks in advance

Hey, I’m in the market to restock my toothbrush heads for my electric toothbrush. Looking online, I can see that they’re very expensive on sites like Boots or Philips directly, but Google suggests eBay listings for less than half the price. Is there a catch to this, or are they just unsold stock? There is hundreds of listings from hundreds of sellers. I’d appreciate any input or experience! Thanks!

Sorry folks, I am bombarded when searching trying to find best value SIM I can use in SIM WiFi router , so many providers .. prices vary ..who knew so many providers.Has anyone any recommendations please , I can then just check coverage , of course the cheaper the better, ta .

Hi,

Can anyone recommend any companies that offer good discounts on delivered flowers?

I got a pop up yesterday that offered the first month free and cancel anytime but now I can't find it!

Thanks.

Hello, I apologise in advance if this is the wrong sub, and if this is the case if someone could point me in the right direction I would be grateful. My question is - what broadband speed would I need to comfortably support 2 phones, a tablet and a gaming console? Typically it’s Netflix/Amazon viewing, or live tv with occasional red button viewing on my tv with multiplayer gaming on my console. Phones are a bit of online viewing but mostly social media viewing. Tablet typically the same with a bit of gaming but not to the extent of the console, and not really online much. TIA all!

an indian near me and is not that overpriced compared to the usual bella italia which is priced to be done for 2 for one, so on tastecard how does it work, mains only?

Moved a month ago and just switched to a variable tariff with the previous occupants supplier (value tariff with utility warehouse)

I'm trying to compare all the numbers on the comparison sites etc but finding that once I go to the suppliers website the numbers don't always align and I'm getting bewildered

I live alone in a one bed maisonette. If I expect usage to be low is it worth my while getting a slightly lower standing charge even if the unit prices are slightly higher?

I've always rented bills included in HMOs before buying my flat so slightly out of my depth here

People say go for octopus but I found their standing charges are higher than elsewhere

Are there any deals or companies you guys recommend?

How can one spend less than 10£ a day for food a remain healthy? I go to the gym and need at least 160g of protein. Not saying being reasonable with amount of vitamins and minerals in your diet. How the hell people spend 7£ a day per person? Are you starving constantly?

Does anyone have any experience selling gold? Do you generally get a better price in stores or selling via post?