Some freebies

Free samples can really help stretch the average budget, as long as you use them sensibly.

Obviously manufacturers and retailers offer free samples in the hope that you'll like the product sufficiently to then carry on paying for it. This can be a bit of a double-edged sword for the frugal, because if you really like the product but it's something you don't normally buy, then it can be tempting to start getting it regularly.

The freebies I like most tend to be "consumables" such as perfume, lip balm, laundry products, or food samples (healthy ones!)

I can only think of a few times when I've switched brands because of a freebie, the immediate one that comes to mind being my Wilkinson Sword razor. I have extremely sensitive skin AND I'm prone to ingrowing hair follicles, so having a decent razor is essential to me.

Anyway, here's a couple of free sample offers I've just sent for:
Moxie Sanitary Towels - click the "Cosmopolitan Mag Promo" link and enter COSMO1 as the code.
Free sample of Ghost's new perfume "Sweetheart" - I'm not convinced mine went through as it just returned to the same page...
Free sample of Coffee-Mate's Latte Creations - looks yummy, although perhaps a bit fattening!

Tips for freebies: use an email address that you don't mind getting spam through. I use the same one for prize draws.

Cheaper petrol - the calculator

Yesterday I talked about working out the cheapest option for petrol, even when the least expensive petrol station is some miles away.

I sat down and did some calculations to try to come up with a formula that could be applied in multiple situations. Here it is.

Petrol price lowest = L
Petrol price nearest = N
Distance difference = D
Fuel efficiency = mpl
Tank capacity = T
Cost of tank nearest = N*T = CTN
Cost of tank cheapest = L*T = CTL
Price per mile = N/mpl = ppm

IF CTN-CTL > ppm*(D*2), then it's more efficient to drive to the cheaper station.
IF CTN-CTL < ppm*(D*2), then it's more efficient to fill up at the nearer station.

Obviously that looks horribly complicated and not exactly quick or intuitive to work out, so I created an Excel calculator that will work it all out for you, and you can download it from here :http://depositfiles.com/files/36xs2tajx

Enjoy :)

Today's Tip - cheaper petrol

I managed to fill my car up yesterday for a better price than I've had since December last year, thanks to a 5p-off-per-litre voucher that I got in Morrisons a few weeks ago.

I usually shop Morrisons anyway since their pricing is definitely better than anyone else (unless you go to Netto or Lidl - but because of the amount of fresh veg and fruit I eat, this isn't an option since their selections are very disappointing in that area.)

The best ways to get cheaper petrol:
1. Join petrolprices.com (you only need give an email, and I think I've only heard from them once since joining two years ago) and search for the best prices. You can make up to 20 searches per day, based on any postcode you input. I usually put in my home and work postcodes and look for stations where I can fill up on the way to or from. Because if you're only saving 0.5p per litre, but you drive more than 3 miles out of your way, you've just lost money. (This is quite a complicated calculation and I'll try to add my method later.)
2. Don't drive when you don't need to. Sounds obvious, but I know waaaay too many people who get in the car to go somewhere less than 10 mins' walk, even when they've nothing to carry.
3. Load your vehicle evenly and make sure your tyres are inflated to the correct psi.
4. Look out for offers such as "Spend £50 and get 4p off per litre" but watch for which supermarkets it is. If the supermarket itself or its petrol is not competetive, then you could end up losing money twice - once by paying more for shopping, and again on petrol if you could have got it cheaper even with the discount. I have been caught like this by Sainsburys before.
5. When you have got a voucher, wait until your tank is low - like below a quarter - before you fill up.

And today's looking like a NSD, hooray...

Holiday target completed!

YAY, I've filled up the holiday fund! Whoopee!

I'm now going to divert the overtime and tester pay into the credit card, until that's paid off.

So current strategy:
All overtime pay + tester pay + £250 of admin pay goes to the credit card bill
All "creating" pay + any bits and bobs goes on the MP3 player fund.

I'm so tired today I could just go back to bed right now. I mean the overtime is great but it's starting to get really exhausting. It's so dark when I get up at 5.30, and then it's dark when I go home from work. And I haven't got time to concentrate on making anything. I'm going to try to finish at my normal time today.

Payday

Ended up with £304.49 in OT this month, so my holiday fund is nearly full, yippee!

Need to start getting quite a lot whacked off the credit card, because I'll need to pay for the flights and villa on my credit card, so that if anything happens between now and then, it'll be protected. What with companies going bust all over the place, it's all a bit worrying.

We are currently looking at a really stunning villa in Kefalonia, waiting on further details from the owners.