Free Sim card with £5 credit = free cinema tickets!

Yes its true, Orange are giving away a free sim card which already has £5 credit preloaded! Once you have the sim card it entitles you to all the other benefits that Orange offer such as 2 for 1 cinema tickets on a Wednesday, along with other benefits you can see on the site. You don't have to switch to Orange, you may be a customer who has a contract with another provider but it is handy to have the orange sim card with £5 - even if you use it on holiday or give it to a teenager for emergencies. Don't forget your phone will need to be unlocked if you are on certain networks to use the card. Apply here.

M&S sale started today

M&S is my favourite place for underwear and nightwear so I always get excited when the sale starts and if there is anything the children or I need now or in the very near future, this is when I buy.
When buying bra's I always buy 2 or 3 pairs of matching knickers, don't ask me why! So I have just been online and bought 2 bra's each with 2 pairs of matching knickers, 3 single pairs of knickers and a nightdress for £32.00. My only dissapointment was that I was unable to get any longsleeved and long legged pyjamas for my little boy for winter, but you can't win them all!
Bear in mind gift ideas, cardigans, jumpers, shirts, nightwear there are even beauty items in the sale, so get online and grab some bargains now and start that Xmas Gift box! www.marksandspencer.com

Hotel Rooms in Leeds for £10 per night

Fancy a trip to Yorkshire? you can now get 1,000 hotel rooms in Leeds for just £10 per night. As you can imagine, the hotels included in the offer are usually much more expensive than this! Some of the hotels in the offer include “42 The Calls” where celebrities such as Snow Patrol and The Libertines have chosen to stay whilst performing in Leeds. This riverside corn mill has been converted into a refreshingly different designer hotel in Leeds, located on the edge of the River Aire and just minutes from the city centre. Harvey Nichols and the Victoria Quarter are close to the hotel and the train station is 5 minutes away. Leeds and Bradford Airport is 9 miles (14.5 km) away. 42 The Calls shares its site with Brasserie Forty 4, an informal, fashionable and buzzing venue with 2 AA Rosettes. The hotel offers exceptional service and modern English interiors. Enjoy handmade beds with Egyptian-cotton linen, carefully selected paintings and drawings, and friendly touches such as homemade cookies and fudge. Rooms also have an interactive plasma TV and internet access.
Also taking part in this offer is the 17th century “Weetwood Hall” a beautiful building owned by the University of Leeds.
Booking at these special rates is via www.loveleedsmore.co.uk To find out some of the attractions that Leeds has to offer check out www.yorkshire.com

Premium Rate Denim at less than High Street Prices

My love of premium denim at New Look prices leads me to constantly search asos and yet again, its outlet section has come up trumps with 2 pairs of Superfine skinny jeans for only £35! you can buy them here. Beats all the sale tat that is now left online and instore - it may be 70% off but try getting your size!

Don't ever ring an 0845 or other premium rate number again

I have just used the website http://www.saynoto0870.com/ for the first time and can confirm that this a fantastic way to save on either your home phone bill or if you need to make a premium rate call from your mobile. How the website works is that you type in the number i.e. beginning with 0845, 0844 etc etc, click on the search button and it will give you one or more alternative local rate numbers for that company. I just had to call Directgov, regarding a Student Finance Application, the number on the website begain with 0845 and after typing that number into the saynoto0870 website, I was given a number beginning with 0141 which means on my home phone package, the call was then free instead of premium rate.

New ways to earn points for your Nectar Card and fun ways to spend them!

You can now earn Nectar points for shopping at Ebay! Don't forget you always need to enter the retailer via the Nectar website at www.nectar.com. I am honestly amazed that I will earn points for my ebay purchases!

With the new Harry Potter film out and lots of bored kids around during the summer holidays, you can use your points at any Vue Cinema along with 23 other fun days out, just click on the spend points tab on the website to see the full range of places to go or things to buy to use up your points.

S is for friend S and shopping savings (a lesson in how not to shop)

My dear friend S is probably waiting for this post and will be filled with dread when she sees it! S has lived a rather charmed financial life for a few years now, but all that could soon be about to change and she really needs to get things in order now to help secure a brighter financial future for her and her daughter.

Yesterday on our way home from school, she needed to pop into the co-op because she was starving, so me being me, I said make yourself a sandwich when you get in. She said she fancied a croissant or something.
When we got in there, my little one decided he wanted a Duck wrap and a Dr Who magazine and there was no way I was going to pay for that as I had chicken, ham, cheese, bread and bagels in the house. I told him that if he wanted those things he could give me the money back out of his pocket money when we got home and his little Booty came to £4.80.
Meanwhile S is walking around filling up a basket with far more than a couple of croissants! She pointed out that she had bought some snacks, a couple of bags of chipsticks, a couple of bags of quavers and some other stuff. She had already told me that she rarely buys crisps but when she does she likes an assortment. I told her it would be far cheaper to buy multi-packs but still she bought them all loose at probably 40 something pence per bag! As we got to the checkout I saw a pack of 12 Nik Naks for £1.00 and pointed these out to her, so she bought those aswell but still kept the others in the basket. From what I could see, she had also bought a pre-packed sandwich, about 3 different items from the Bakery section, I saw a carton of fresh juice and a physcologies magazine. As she approached the checkout, she asked for my loyalty card, as she doesn't have one, so I picked a leaflet up for her, but she said she has loads of them at home. Her little basket of shopping came to £36 which to me was astonishing! This week I had spent £56 on my weekly shop with Sainsburys online and she had only spent £20 less and had about 10 items if she was lucky!

So the lessons to be learned here are:-

Magazines - If you do have a magazine that you like to buy on a regular basis, then please look at the different subscription deals available, just type the name of the magazine into Google and they will all come up. With S's favourite Pschologies magazine you pay for 6 issues for 6 months by direct debit with www.isubscribe.co.uk you make a massive 69% saving on the cover price of £3.30, so each isssue works out at only £1.00! Plus you recieve a free designer make-up and wash bag set by Allegra Hicks, which would be great for Holiday. Magazine subscriptions also make fantastic gifts and at these crazy prices you won't be going far wrong for a birthday or Christmas pressie. Always tell friends and relatives what you would like to recieve as a gift, as often people are stuck for ideas and would welcome a suggestion from you. My birthday is right near Christmas, but I add things to my list all year and then give the list to my husband about a month beforehand so he can sort out who is buying what. This year I have already written down a jewellery box and some body cream that is £22 which you can only get from Harrods and came highly recommended via another blog, along with some Lime, Basil and Mandarin Cologne by Jo Malone which is £29. Don't forget that with the Sales on, this is a great time to start buying in advance for Xmas to ease the strain nearer the time. Look out for Handbags, purses, cashmere, Nightwear etc

Bakery - If you love the fresh bakery goods available at Supermarkets (and who doesn't?), try to pop in of an evening when items are reduced, buy in bulk and freeze them.

Pre-packed Sandwiches - Avoid them like the Plague! If S had bread indoors and ham or cheese it would have been cheaper to buy one tomato and a lettuce, add some seasoning and mayonnaise and there you have it, a sandwich no different to the one you have bought, but at lots less than the £2.50+ you probably paid in the shop. Even pots of sandwich fillers (although I prefer to make my own) and packets of chicken tikka, work out cheaper than buying a pre-packed sarni and you have enough for the next day awell. The co-op also had a deal on Tuna, 3 tins of John West for only £1.99, mix that with mayo, add some leaves and some cucumber for a tasty lunch. Use the other tins for a pasta dish using ingredients from your storecupboard and you have lunch and dinner sorted for less than £2!

Crisps - Avoid buying loose packets at all costs - this is a completely crazy area to waste money! A loose pack of crisps somewhere in the region of 40p! but at co-op 12 nik naks for £1 - or Walkers crisps in any big supermarket, 24 bags for approx £3.50 - I'll leave you to do the Maths! and if you like Quavers and Chipsticks it will still work out cheaper in the long run to buy two multipacks, even if you don't eat them on a regular basis, products like these do have a long shelf life.

Loyalty Cards - You must have one for every shop you may possibly go in. I don't use Boots very often as Savers is cheaper, but I still have a card which has £11 on it! I will use some of this up when Boots are giving away a make-up voucher which is usually £5 off certain brands.

Local Shops - Do support them, but in the right way. Chains like Co-op and Costcutter do have great deals so keep an eye out for what you need. I mentioned the Tuna and the Nik-Naks above so will be buying them locally and won't then need to order those items on my Sainsburys shop as they are both something I use on a regualar basis.

So if you popped into your local co-op and spent £36 per week, just think what that adds up to over a month and then over a year. Its no good being the kind of person who won't withdraw cash from the ATM at the Post Office because it charges you £1.75 if you are then gonna waste cash in other crazy ways. So if you are popping into the co-op or any other local store for a croissant or two, then just pick up the two croissants and head straight for the checkout. We all deserve a treat sometime!

My friend M, is another culprit. I am always seeing her coming out of the co-op clutching a bottle of squash and a loaf of bread.... what can you do? Doing one large weekly shop and buying enough bread and milk for the week will save loads. As I have mentioned many times before, freeze your bread, it defrosts so quickly, it eliminates waste, especially in the summer months when bread can go mildew quickly. Most supermarkets do 2 loaves for £2 and that would probably be enough for her family of 3 for the week. Semi and Skimmed milk can also be frozen, buy the 6 pint carton, decant half and freeze (allow 24 hours to defrost, less on hot days). Buy squash in 2 litre bottles, works out much cheaper and buy supermarkets own brands, they are no different. Saving money does take time and effort but once you get in the swing of it, it gives you a real thrill to have saved a couple of quid! Turn it into a hobby, keep that spending diary, check those bills to see what you have saved by taking showers instead of baths or by switching lights off when they shouldn't be on anyway! Do you know that a phone charger uses the same amount of electricity if the phone isn't attached? How many of you take the phone off and leave the charger sitting there, switched on at the wall? You will find loads of ways of saving money by looking through the archives of this blog, so come on - start saving!

Avoid Costly mobile phone bills when travelling abroad

Most of us avoid using our mobiles whilst abroad and if we do use them, we dread getting the bill upon our return. That is where sim4travel comes in. You can buy a sim card for £5.99 + £10.00 credit (total cost £15.99) to enable you to make and recieve calls whilst abroad. This is a great way to keep in touch and ideal for students maybe travelling abroad with friends for their first time. You can even recieve calls for free in over 27 countries including the EU. If you are running out of time to purchase online you can pick up a sim card in any phones4u outlet.

SIM4travel’s international SIM card won the award for the most innovative service in this years Industry awards. Their commitment to delivering cheaper overseas calls to their customers saw them beat off stiff competition from T-Mobile, Virgin mobile, Vodafone and BT Fusion.

There are three tariffs available, so just choose the one which suits you best and the sim4travel sim card can be used in over 120 countries. Some of the benefits include:-
Receive FREE calls in most major destinations
50% cheaper than the EU tariff
Calls in Europe only 25p/min
1 number every time you travel
Save money in 110+ countries
Top up direct from your phone

Don't leave home for your holiday without one!

If you buy one thing this week....

and you are a size 16, make it this fab Velvet by Graham and Spencer dress, reduced to an amazing £45! you can get it here.

Spend £25 and get £5 off at HQHair

I'm sure all you product junkies love HQhair.com with brands such as Dermalogica, Butter London and Frederic Fekkai, to name just a few! It really is beauty heaven, so I was thrilled to see that they are currently offering £5 off when you spend £25 or more by entering the code VOUCHER at checkout. Offer ends 31.07.09.

Fab free Dermologica skincare

For lovers of great skincare, checkout HQhair.com where you can buy 2 Dermologica items and get a free Climate Control worth £24.65! Use the offer code CLIMATE before 12th July.

How to find the best designer sales bargains

The insider’s luxury shopping destination, FashionConfidential.co.uk, launches new Bargain Hunter section to sit alongside the women’s section and recently launched Style Report.

Bargain Hunter, the go-to destination for all you need to know about sale shopping including the hottest sales buys from across the web, designer discounts, exclusive sample sale invitations and insider advice. Bargain Hunter takes the hassle out of designer discount shopping by putting all your need-to-know information and must-have products in one place which saves you loads of time going from website to website to bag a pair of Louboutins as the site has links that take you straight to the relevant website to make a purchase.

SHOPPING
This section features a main sale shop where users can shop an edited selection of the hottest sale pieces from over 30 online designer boutiques, including Net-A-Porter, Matches, Browns, Liberty, Feathers, Anya Hindmarch, my-wardrobe, Bernard and Europes finest; Maria Luisa (Paris), Biondini (Paris), Paleari (Milan), Societe Anonyme (Florence) and Paristexas (Copenhagen). Updated daily – users can shop by category, designer and price, making navigation quick and easy.

FEATURES
Sitting alongside the shop are regular shopping features including a weekly round-up of the ‘Top Ten Sale Steals’, ‘Designer Focus’s’ – kicking off with Christian Louboutin (with Marc Jacobs and Miu Miu to follow), seasonal trend features and ‘Editor’s Sale Picks’ updated each morning.

EVENTS
Bargain Hunter users are also invited to attend exclusive in-store events and sample sales which aren’t open to the public. Recent sales have included Chloé, Hermès, Jimmy Choo and Matthew Williamson.

INSIDER ADVICE
Informative listings include an insider’s guide to the best offers and discounts and a round up of the best online private sale sites. Plus you’ll find editorial features with advice on how to bag the best bargains and how to shop designer sales like a pro.

NEWSLETTER
A dedicated Bargain Hunter newsletter provides subscribers with access to exclusive information, sale previews and event invitations only available to members.

So if you are looking for a high end bargains under one roof, the link to the Bargain Hunter Section is here.

3 for 2 plus free delivery on schoolwear

I know the kids haven't even broken up for the summer holidays yet, therefore it seems a little early to start talking about School uniform for the start of the September term but when it comes to saving money "It is the early bird that catches the worm" and that is the reason why I have just got 2 pairs of school trousers and a pack of 3 shirts for only an amazing £10.18! Marks and Spencer currently have a 3 for 2 offer on schoolwear plus a free delivery code! enter code school09 at checkout for the free delivery. Now there is one less thing to worry about at the end of August!

Recessionista Tip:
1. I only ever buy short sleeve school shirts as during the cold winter months children wear jumpers or sweatshirts and blazers (depending on their individual uniform) and are topped off with a heavy or padded winter coat, and as most schools are quite warm inside, by purchasing just one style of shirt or blouse you are eliminating the need to buy both short and long sleeves, thus saving money.
2. Buy uniform and School shoes, early in the summer holidays as sizes often run out near to the start of term.
3. If you childs school uniform is specialised and bought from a school uniform shop, remember there can be a long lead time on orders - so again - get in early.
4. New Starters? Cash Flow problems? Ask the school if they run a second hand uniform shop, I run this for our local school and sell items from £1 to £3.50 per garment. Lots of items come in "as good as new" and even if you want your child to have one brand new set, the second hand uniform shop items can serve as a second set or spares.
5. Buy shirts and blouses, grey trousers, skirts and pinafores from Department stores rather than uniform shops as they will be much cheaper from the big stores.
6. Shopping early means you miss the rush where Clarks and other shoe shops are overcrowded with screaming kids and uptight parents who can't get their kids favourite style in the required size!

Free Vest top with Elle Magazine!

In this months UK Elle Magazine (August Edition) you get a free Paul & Joe Sister vest top! There is a choice of four colours, grey, white, cobalt blue and fuschia pink so you can match up with your existing wardrobe.