If you are looking to save money on Valentine’s Day then why not be frugal with the following tip. You’ll save a fortune!

• Cook your partner a meal at home. Buy a few candles and make your favourite meal from scratch. You’ll save a fortune by paying supermarket prices for your restaurant meal!
• Invest in a few bath salts and have a romantic bubble bath together. This is incredibly cheap but one of the most relaxing and romantic things you can do together on February 14.
• Make presents for each other that demonstrate your love without spending a penny. As corny as it may sound, photo albums, mix CDs and other similar items are incredibly thoughtful without being expensive.
• Choose ecards over real cards or make your own. Valentine’s Day cards are very expensive if you buy them from stores so choose the cheap but no less expressive options instead.
• Borrow a DVD from a friend or rent one rather than going to the cinema. Dim the lights, invest in popcorn and away you go!
• If you want to go away but don’t want to pay Valentine’s Day prices then just delay your Valentine’s Day by 2 weeks. You’ll be able to book into a hotel or go on a break for half the price by delaying it for a few days.

Save your pennies!

If you have a quick scount around your home then I’m betting you can find numerous pennies laying around on windowsills, in old purses, in unwashed jeans, on the floor, down the sides of sofas etc… You get the picture! I have to say that my car is a magnet for loose change for some reason so you may want to look there too. Simply go around your home and pick up any loose change you have and then put it in a money jar. The best ones to use are the tin ones that you cannot open unless you actually use a can opener on it. You can put any coins you like in there over the course of a few weeks. I usually put all my 1p, 2p, 5p and 10p coins in a jar once a week. You’ll be surprised at how quickly it soon mounts up. When your jar is full count it out, bag it up and put it in the bank! You’ll start saving money without even realising it!

There are ways that you can still donate to charity without actually spending a penny though and now is the time to look into those ways and means. I’m always looking to contribute in some way, whether that is finding £1.50 for the Big Issue seller or throwing a few pence in a tin. However, I’ve been running an appeal for Greyhound Rescues for some time to help reduce their credit crunch funding deficit and many people are helping out. I collect used stamps and foreign coins because a couple of the Greyhound Rescue charities I support have arrangements to convert them into cash to help save these beautiful creatures. Stamps and unspent holiday coins are just two examples of free items that you can send on to various charities though. Here are some more:

• Mobile phones and ink cartridges can be recycled for cash to help raise money
• Old clothing that you no longer want or need can be sent on to various charities, whether via charity shops or direct appeals for help
• Toys that are no longer used can be sent to children’s charities
• Old pet equipment can be sent to animal rescues and charities for use
• Tins of food that you will never eat can be passed on to local shelters

Just be creative! There are loads of ways that you can help out charities in your time of need to aid their time of need in the credit crunch without spending one single penny! Why not? After all, there is always someone worse off that you and helping out will make you feel better as well.

The following tips will give you a firm foundation to work from and save money on your energy bills. Some may only shave a few pence off but every penny counts!

• Only charge appliances when you are on hand to switch off the power! How many of us have charged our mobile phones overnight? I certainly have but that will cost you more money in terms of your energy bills because your mobile, Nintendo DS, laptop or any other appliance you charge will continue to eat electric when the battery is full. Charge them when you are there so you can switch it off as soon as the battery is full!
• Switch the plug sockets off when you’re done. If you have boiled the kettle, used the toaster and switched off the computer, switch the socket off and unplug the appliance because leaving the socket live will cost you a few more pounds over the course of the year.
• Ban standby in your home! Never leave the TV or DVD player on standby as it takes energy to power it. It may be convenient but it can add a lot to your energy bills over time.
• Make the most of an open fire if you have one. Coal and wood to burn is much cheaper than relying on gas central heating so make the most of an open fire or burner if you have one. With Valentine’s Day coming up, an open fire and some candles can also be incredibly romantic! Bonus!

As long as you have an Internet connection and a computer, you can earn money from home to boost your income without putting in too much effort at all. There are several ways in which you can do that and here are a few ideas for you!

• Sort out your old stuff and put it on eBay, Amazon or other similar websites. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure so sort out any clothing, books, CDs, DVDs and other items that happen to be in good condition but you no longer want or need. You can earn a few pounds/dollars for your old stuff and boost your savings quites easily this way!
• Take a look at some of the survey sites and mystery shopping sites out there. They offer paid surveys, cashback and mystery shopping assignments that will help you to make a little extra money in the coming years. Although there ay not be that many assignments and surveys available today, you can relax and find the best ones in your spare snowed-in time!
• Get paid for Internet searches. Yes, there are companies that will do that! Search as you normally would and get paid!
• Finally, set up a blog. Blogging here at Today.com will give you $1 extra a day plus a few cents for traffic so set up a blog and get to writing! 

You can find a range of paid survey panels at the Finance Central blog that appears in the blogroll to the right, in addition to a link to a paid Internet searches site. Make money on your day off and enjoy!

Lemon juice appeared to be the best for cleaning stains off cutlery and cutting through grime on stove hobs. Vinegar is fantastic for cleaning windows and brings them up to a really nice shine but salt made the most difference in the kitchen. of course, it won’t actually kill bacteria or germs but it will cut through just about any stain going. I used it with a damp cloth in the outdoor sink and it fetch the stubborn dirt right up. I wouldn’t recommend using it on delicate surfaces though. Stick to metals and other surfaces that wouldn’t be damaged by it because it is quite abrasive. Using salt on staiins would definitely save you money though and make use of household goods!

I went through my fridge about 10 minutes ago and was astounded and appalled by the amount of food I had to throw out. My husband is terrible for buying food that we already have or opening a new packet when one is already open because he doesn’t look. When you’re trying to save money that is never a good thing, as it proved when I threw a dustbin bag full of food out. There were molding jacket potatoes (that cost £1), an out of date packet of ham that had 2 slices gone from it (£3), half a block of moldy cheese (£1.50), 4 yogurts (£1.50), olives (£2), soured milk (75p), Satsumas (£1) and a half used bottle of mayo (50p). All in all, i threw out food that we paid £10.25 for. That’s really bad and incredibly wasteful.

As a result of my horror, my frugal tip of the day is to start at home and use everything you possibly can. I could have added the ham and olives into a pasta bake and had the cheese on a sandwich for lunch. The milk could have been used on cereal and the yogurts eaten for breakfast or dessert. I’m going to plan meals from now on and monitor what is in the fridge. I’m also going to sort out a rotational system so all new food goes to the back and the old food remains at the front until it is eaten. I’m also going to make a resolution to throw food worth no more than £2 in the next 2 weeks and work downwards from there!

The moral of the story - save some of your budget by sorting out your refrigerator!

The question is do you have dormant bank accounts that you could access right now to help the household finances? Whether you know you have or have no clue as to whether you have or not, you can search for your accounts via mylostaccount.org.uk. It’s a free service that will search the entire records of institutions to locate dormant bank accounts for you.

To date, the highest amount claimed is £10,000. How you would not miss that mony is beyond me but apparently someone did. You can search online so it is worth a little effort. After all, even if you only find a few pounds it’s better than nothing! I have no idea as to whether other countries have these services but it really is well worth looking into if you ask me.

• Firstly, make a list. If you go shopping without one then you’re committing a cardinal sin against frugality! A list will have everything you need on it so if you stick to the maxim that you’ll save money if you only buy what is on that list then you’ll find your bill far more affordable at the end of the trip!
• Search for coupons online. If you routinely buy the same products, take a look around the Internet to see if there are money off coupons available for them. It might only save you a few pence but every little helps! Avoid buying items just because you have a coupon though because that will elevate your bill.
• Shop online. You can keep track of your budget by shopping online as you shop and save money on food that would have been spent on items that you do not need.
• Try discount supermarkets and own brands. Buying from cheaper stores or purchasing supermarket own labels rather than big brands will also save you a lot of money and yet you will still be able to get everything you need.
• Avoid offers. This may sound a little funny because offers are a good thing… and they are if you need the item that is on offer. If you do not need it then don’t buy it. Don’t let the pricetag tempt you! However, if you routinely use something that is on offer then stock up. Toilet rolls, toothpaste, sugar, coffee etc… all are items that keep for some time so stocking up when they are on offer will save you a lot of cash!

It has taken me quite some time to get this blog going as a result of a heavy workload. Still, we have to do what we can to keep a roof over our heads at the moment I guess! Hopefully this post, as long overdue as it is, will save you some money on your grceries. Saving money on food is something we can all do by snapping up bargains and avoiding traps so use the tips above as a quick guide to safeguarding your disposable income and living a frugal life!

I hate living where we live at the moment. I don’t like the house or the area but we rent it off a woman I used to work with so we can do pretty much what we want. Unlike with our previous landlord, we can have pets and decorate as we see fit. We also have one of the cheapest rents available around here so I’m not going anywhere until we buy our own home! However, to do that we need a decent deposit so that is what we are going to save money for this year and next… and why we need to achieve a frugal lifestyle to do so!

I’ve actually written a motto on a piece of paper and pinned it on the board in the kitchen. It reads:

Everything is good for something!

I truly believe that. After all, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure so unwanted items can be sold on Amazon or eBay, or even traded on Tradeyourstuff or Music Magpie. Any leftover food can be thrown together in some sort of dish, even if its a stew or broth to be frozen and eaten later. Every broken item can be used for parts, even if it is only nails or screws the ca be used for repairs later. Everything has some sort of use so waste is not an option. It can save money or make money.

Tomorrow we start with the tips and recipes!