Canny Squirrel

Are Supermarket Basics as good as brand named products?

2008-10-19T22:36:00.006+01:00

Well, what a couple of weeks it's been. The markets have remained in turmoil - one day up dramatically and the next day crashing back down again.

People are starting to get worried about the implications and fall out of what's been happening this year. Unemployment is up and we are all more concerned about the future.

Supermarkets are changing their focus - When Britain is booming they bring out their expensive, high quality products such as Tescos "The Finest Range", or Morrison's "The Best" and charge a premium!

Look at any supermarket today and you will see the focus has changed - to The UK's Biggest discounter or Deal of the Week etc etc.

But the question is - Supermarket basic ranges are much much less expensive than brand names, but are they just as good quality?

Sainsbury has recently been voted Britain's cheapest supermarket - which is quite surprising really. Sainsbury has historically portrayed itself as a high quality, higher priced retailer.

Times are changing though and Sainsbury have brought out their blue and white packaged basics range - quality at cheap prices.

Last time I was in I bought some vegetables, grapes and tea bags to try them out.

The highlight was the teabags - 31p for 80 Tea Bags - Fairtrade!!!

Two immediate questions - 31p for 80 teabags - they must be awful!
31p for 80 teabags - how can they be fairtrade?

The teabags were absolutely fine - served them up to loads of people and everyone said they were great - before I told them the price.

Have you tried any Supermarket basic products - let us know your reviews!!

Give them a try and save cash!!

Recycle your old Mobile for Boots Points

2008-10-14T14:53:00.005+01:00

Here at Canny Squirrel we have looked before at how fantastic a loyalty scheme Boots Advantage is.

Boots have now launched a scheme that allows you to recycle your mobile phone and also get Advantage points added.

Click here to see how much your phone is worth

I just tried my old Sony Ericsson - must be about 4 years old but worth £8.33 in points!

Give it a go and see how much yours is worth.

How much are your bills going up by?

2008-09-16T20:14:00.003+01:00

Today the Bank of England announced that inflation is up at 4.7%. We can question whether this is a true reflection of the cost of goods or not, but the most important factor is by how much YOUR bills are increasing by.

The BBC have developed a simple calculator that will help you work out how much your bills are going up by.

Gas, Oil and electricity are the main factors affecting the increase, so if you haven't checked your prices, check them here today:

Click on the title top access the calculator.

Car Boot Sale thoughts

2008-09-15T21:24:00.003+01:00

Have you been to a car boot sale before?
Having moved house, I decided that it was time to get rid of all the bits and pieces that build up over the years. I suppose there were a few options - (1) sell on ebay (2) sell on Gumtree and (3) Car Boot sale.

A Car bootery seemed the best option due to the volume of stuff to sell.

After doing a bit of research into the various car boot sales around, we decided to go to the biggest one - on a Saturday morning in Kinross.

After packing everything up on the Friday night into boxes and deciding on rough prices, the car was packed and ready for off.

We were told to get there about 8am as the boot sale opened at 9am. That would give us time to get the stand set up.

We arrived about 7.45am - and the place was packed! We were shocked thinking that we were early. We checked in with the office and were given a pitch to set up our stall.

Just as we got out of the car we were surrounded by people asking if we had CD's. Before we knew it they were in our boxes, flicking through CD's looking for a bargain.

They turned out to be Ebay traders looking for the most popular CDs.

As the morning went on trade was brisk, with a number of our higher value items selling quickly. A bacon roll and a plastic cup of tea, set us up for the second half of the morning. 8am until 1pm was quite a long time to remain focused, remain standing and remain profitable!!

Sore Feet and reduced trade about 12.30pm signalled the end of our boot sale experience.

We made over £300 from bits and pieces that would have been sent to landfill or kept for years on end in the back of a cupboard.

Would we do it again? Absolutely!

Have a look round your house and see what you have that's surplus to requirements and then book your car boot pitch.

Our Key Learns:

(1) Research the actual boot sales in your area - which one suits your booty?
(2) Plan ahead and arrive early
(3) Watch out for Traders - don't sell anything until your ready, and make sure that keep an eye out for chancers!
(4) Take a cash float with you
(5) Take a supply of plastic bags
(6) Browse other stalls to make sure your not selling your items too cheap
(7) Make sure you stop for tea!
(8) Make sure you give any items you have left to a Charity shop.
(9) Enjoy!

A bad day on the markets!

2008-09-15T21:00:00.002+01:00

What a difficult time we are going through worldwide. Today we saw Lehman Brothers go bankrupt and Meryl Lynch being taken over by Bank of America.

Stockmarkets around the world plummeted with Financial stocks suffering particularly badly.

The word on the street is that it's not over yet. There's still more to come, so we need to be even more canny with our money and thriftyness.

I went searching for a funny youtube clip for Canny Squirrel to lighten the mood of the day.

Have a look at this one!!

Kath Kelly's next 5 ideas to save money!

2008-09-14T22:10:00.004+01:00

(6) Rather than shopping in Charity Shops, consider shopping at Church Jumble Sales - not so many shoppers and better deals.

(7) Give people gifts such as second hand books or homemade chocolates that you know they will like. You will be relying on other peoples good will.

(8) Make the most of free food, including mince pies and wine at Christmas events, buffets at art and book launches, free samples at farmers' markets and deli counters.

(9) Visit department beauty counters for free make-overs and to try perfumes. The assistants will often give you lots of free samples. You can also get free haircuts, manicures or facials by being a trainee's model at a beauty college or salon.

(10) Join your local library to avoid paying for books, DVDs and a range of magazines - you can order books, especially new hardbacks for as little as 60p.

Well that's Kath's tips, if you have any of your own please leave a comment. We love getting comments here at Canny Squirrel - so just click the comments button and leave us your tips.

Canny Squirrel

How she lived a year on just £1 a day

2008-09-14T21:51:00.003+01:00

Have you heard the name Kath Kelly?

Kath bet her friends that she could live on just £1 per day for a year. This would really encourage her to come up with some ingenious ways to save money and survive the credit crunch in the process!!

Kath has now written a book which is available at Amazon - but here's a wee taster of the ideas she came up with to help save money:

(1) Collect as many coupons, leaflets and free papers for vouchers. They often have 2 for 1 meal offers, free cinema showings and free entry to many events.

(2) Look in shop windows and on noticeboards for "free to collector" goods. We have also looked at Gumtree in the past at www.cannysquirrel.com - they also have a free to a good home section.

(3) Never ignore Market Researchers! They often have freebies to give away and questionnaires to complete. Often these questionnaires can result in you being sent shampoo, alcohol samples, etc etc.

(4) Go shopping at the end of the day to benefit from end of day reductions in delis and shops. Look for dented tins and also 2 for 1 offers. Also learn how to "stretch food" - eg Buy a chicken, roast it today, use the spare meat in a risotto and then use the bones to make soup the next day!

(5) Leave notes instead of using your mobile phone and also use the internet at the library.

Another 5 tips coming tomorrow........

Have you heard about Big Wardrobe.com

2008-09-14T21:41:00.003+01:00

Just came across this, this weekend and it looks like it's worthy of a mention on Canny Squirrel!

A new website called www.bigwardrobe.com - here's what it's all about:

The free, ethical, stylish way to recycle your wardrobe
Bigwardrobe.com is the new and exciting way to swap things you don't wear for things you will, OR turn your unwanted clothes back into cash. It's really simple. Add some clothes you don't wear anymore to Bigwardrobe.com and soon you will start receiving offers (swaps, cash or a combination of both) from other members. Join now – it's 100% free!

How good is that!!

Visit it here at www.bigwardrobe.com - It has Ladies, Gents and Kid's clothes!

What to do if you booked with XL

2008-09-14T21:05:00.005+01:00

What to do if you booked with XL:

If you have booked a holiday and haven't flown yet - don't go to the airport as your holiday no longer exists. You do need to take action to try to recover your payment.

If you booked an XL holiday, or a flight with Freedom Flights, you should get your money back by claiming a refund from Atol. Your travel agent should be able to help.
For more information call the CAA helpline on 0870 5900927 or go to www.atol.org.uk.

If you only booked a flight, flight bookings aren't covered by Atol, therefore you will need to try to recover the payment via your credit card company. Your credit Card company provide guarantees incase of such events, but only if you spent over £100 on the ticket.

You must have paid by either VISA credit or Mastercard to be eligible for this guarantee.

If you paid by Visa Debit Card you need to contact your local bank. They will contact the company any try to get a the funds back - but there's no guarantees that they will be able to do this.

If you paid by Maestro or any other debit card, you have unfortunately lost your money.

Most insurance policies don't protect agains flight airlines going bust. However check your policy as some still do. Post Office is one and has been advertising in the papers this weekend.

Good Luck!

Let us know how you get on by adding a comment

Canny Christmas

2008-09-06T10:23:00.002+01:00

It's scary.....that's the shops starting to build their Christmas displays! From today it's 109 days til Santa comes!

You know what that means - added expense!!!

Here's a few tips to help you avoid putting Christmas on your Credit Card!

(1) Start now - get a Jam Jar or a bowl and add all your spare change in every night. Anything from 50p downwards stick in the jar. You will be amazed at how quickly the change adds up. Before you head off shopping get some bank bags, count the change and exchange it at the bank for notes.

(2) Stop now - for the next 70 working days don't have a posh coffee on your way to work. - That would be over £140 saved. Instead add an extra £2.00 to your Jar every night.

(3) Start now - Do you usually buy lots of presents at one shop. Buy one the shop's gift cards - you know the ones you can give as presents. Every time you get paid - go to the shop and add some extra cash onto the gift card. This will then help pay for your shopping spree at that shop. Boots would be a good example. This would allow you to save up cash, benefit from their link save deals, collect Boots Advantage points, and have flexibility when you buy - they often have 10 times the number of points events in the lead up to Christmas!

(4) Make a list of all the people you need to buy for and start chipping away over the next couple of months. This will help spread the cost.

(5) Think about your skills, can you make some presents this year. Homemade presents always go down a treat! Especially homemade sweets!!!

(6)If you use a credit card that provides vouchers - eg Tesco or M&S - why not keep the vouchers you get all year and use them for the Christmas Dinner shop or for gifts.

(7) If you send a lot of Christmas cards, start buying stamps now - again spread the cost!

(8) Consider purchasing a live Turkey that you can look after for next year's dinner! - Do you have space in your back garden?....err maybe that's taking it a bit far!

Anyway - as the scouts say - Be Prepared!!!

Conserve money and energy this Autumn

2008-09-06T09:58:00.002+01:00

As the days get darker and colder, the first thought is often to get the heating ramped up and turn on all the lights!

Now I'm not suggesting for one minute that to conserve money and energy you go through the winter in the dark, being frozen cold!

But think about this:

Around about 30 years ago, President Carter in the USA, asked his country to turn down the thermostat and "put on a sweater." He wasn’t making a fashion statement; he was encouraging Americans to conserve energy during the 1979 Oil Crisis.

Alliance to Save Energy claims a one-degree thermostat reduction can save 3 percent on your heating bill.

(2) Turn off unnecessary lights. You know the feeling - you walk from room to room switching on lights that then remain on for hours. Only the part of the house that you're in should have the lights on!

(3) Change all your bulbs to energy saving bulbs. There are some great deals out there where you can get them for about 40p. Sainsbury are often giving them away freee to shoppers.

(4) Go around the house everynight and switch off all your electric goods. How often have you left your mobile phone charger switched on for days on end. Not good for your pocket or the environment!

(5) Have an autumn cleanout and sell your excess goods on www.gumtree.com or ebay!
Make some money to help with your Christmas Present list!

These tips won't just help your pocket - but just think how they'll help the environment!

The Salary Calculator

2008-09-05T23:29:00.002+01:00

This is a useful little website to help you understand your take home pay.

If you have a new job, or have recently been promoted, you can plug in your new remuneration details and the calculator will give you your take home pay amount.

You can also work it backwards and see exactly what Salary you need to keep you in your current or future lifestyle!!

Have a look and a play about with the numbers and see what a difference a few hours overtime could do for you!

Save Money with your weekly shopping - automatically!

2008-09-04T17:32:00.004+01:00

This is one of the best things I have come across in a while.

My Supermarket - allows you to shop online at your usual store.

The clever website then compares each product in your basket against the other leading supermarkets to see if they have any cheaper deals on any of the products you have bought.

The system then allows you to switch the deal.

It also has a health checker where it checks your products and recommends healthier ones of the same type, with lower fat or calories.

You then complete your order and the supermarket of your choice then sends out your weeks shopping complete with all the best deals. It's amazing!!!! Saves you visiting 4 supermarkets to get the best deals.

Check out the demonstration.

One customer saved £50.00 on her weeks shopping - That's £600 a year!!!!!

Give it a go today.

Ditch the bleach and expensive cleaning sprays!

2008-09-04T16:44:00.004+01:00

How nice do these Ecover and similarly sympathetically branded cleaning products look on the supermarket shelf.

We really should do out bit for the environment....but it's all so much more expensive!

Ditch the expensive potions today and simply buy a tub of Bicarbonate of Soda, a Lemon and some Vinegar! You should get all that for about £1.00.

You can use Bicarbonate of Soda for surfaces, sinks, basins and floors and toilets.
You can use the lemon to clean the Microwave and the vinegar for you mirrors and windows.

Pop the lemon in a blow of water and turn the microwave on for a short burst. The lemon scent and water will loosen all the dirt and grime from inside the oven.

Remember in the olden days(!!) Some Vinegar and water along with a weekend paper to clean your windows and they came up sparkling!

1 x pot of Bicarbonate of Soda per month = 38p against 1 x large bottle of Ecover Multisurface (£2.00p) saves you £1.62p x 12 = £19.44 a year.

1 Lemon at 29p against Microwave cleaning cream £1.39 - another £12.00 per year.

1 Bottle of Vinegar against Mr Muscle window cleaner 49p against £1.99 - another £18.00 per year

That's almost £50.00 a year in your pocket. Thrifty and Green at the same time.

Just how thrifty can you get....yuck!

2008-09-03T23:29:00.002+01:00

Cheap Holiday Destinations to escape the EURO!!!

2008-09-03T22:30:00.003+01:00

So where will it be for your October holidays?

Over the last year the value of the Euro has increased dramatically with you now getting about 122 Euros for £100.

This is making it more and more expensive to visit Europe, and pay for goods and services in the Euro Zone.

Now's the time to start thinking about alternative destinations:

Let us know of any good value countries you have visited by adding a comment.

Here's a few to get you thinking:

Budapest - Excellent hotels, coffee shops, and history with cheap flights!

Croatia - An attractive island-hopping option is the sun drenched Dalmatian coast of Croatia.

Although Dalmatia has been steadily gaining in popularity in recent years, it's still possible to take advantage of the pound-stretching Kuna and enjoy the warm peach architecture and the Italian influenced cuisine for less.
Istanbul is one of the world's best kept secrets.

How about Istanbul?

For sightseers the Hagia Sophia church, Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace rival the Colloseum and the Pantheon in terms of impressiveness.

One of the best ways to get around is by ferry which costs less than a pound and offers panoramic views of the city to be enjoyed while sipping Turkish black tea onboard.

The modern part of town offers sophisticated nightlife and quality restaurants, where paying with Turkish Lira you'll struggle to spend the equivalent of a ten pounds for a meal.

Afterwards you might even want to even try smoking a hookah pipe like the locals do, commonly called 'hubbly-bubbly'.

Morocco

Morocco is about as far away from Europe as you can get for a 3 1/2 hour flight, and with charter flights flying direct to Marrakech prices are very competitive.

If Barcelona has Las Ramblas, Marrakech has Djemaa el Fna, the famous square where all manner of street performers entertain onlookers, which is surrounded by a maze of shopping markets - don't forget to haggle!

If the crowds get too much, retire to one of the city's lush riads or indulge in world class beauty treatments at a sliver of the cost in the UK.

Crave the beach? The coastal resort of Essaouira is only a day trip away.

Bulgaria rather than Nice!

The Cote D'Azur is renowned for ritzy glamour, but at a cost - get beachside opulence at a fraction of the price at Varna, known as the Bulgarian Riviera and the country's summer capital.

Millions of savvy sun seekers head to the region each year, where popular beachside resorts like Golden Sands and Sunny Beach provide exactly what their names suggest.

As a major shopping and nightlife hub take advantage of the Bulgarian Lev which will be phased out in favour of the Euro by 2010.

Another plus is not having to deal with notoriously prickly French service; however expect some culture clash as in Bulgaria a nod of the head means no and a shake means yes!

Finally Tunisia

Just a 3 hour flight from the UK, and with cheap package deals being widely available, its little wonder that Tunisia has become an increasingly popular holiday destination.

While it offers a taste of North African exoticism with desert landscapes and colourful markets in easy reach of Mediterranean beaches, it is also one of the more liberal Islamic countries and alcohol is widely available.

It's safe to expect hot weather all year round (high summer is perhaps too hot for some) and popular beach resorts offering water sports and reputable golf courses.

Visit Sky Travel at wwwtravel.sky.com for more information and also cheap deals.

A Film, cup of tea and a biscuit! Count me in!!

2008-09-03T22:09:00.005+01:00

Here we have a couple of deals from Vue Cinema.

What night do you usually go the the cinema - Thursday - Sunday perhaps?

If you do, you are paying over the odds.

First canny tip is to go on a Tuesday evening - That's CHEAP TUESDAY!!

Instead of paying £6.75 you only pay £4.00 ish and you get a voucher for £1.00 off your next visit. This means the film next Tuesday will be pretty much half price!!

Also if you are an OAP you will get a special deal ever Wednesday at 11.30am.

You will get a screening, a tea and a biscuit for £3.00.

Finally if you plan to go for a meal before hand Vue now have a new restaurant booking service.
Book your meal online by simply completing the search fields for the date, time and number of people who will be dining. Our expert search will recommend selected restaurants within a close radius to your chosen Vue cinema.

Check back soon for exclusive deals and offers at selected restaurants including half price dining or eating out under £15.

Will you ever dump the car?

2008-09-03T22:01:00.004+01:00

Our latest poll has ended. The question posed was

How much higher will the price of fuel have to rise before you dump the car?

The results:

It's almost at my Max 4 (11%)

I can cope for a few more increases 8 (22%)

I will never dump the car 15 (41%)

I'm already on my bike 9 (25%)

What do you make of that then - leave a message and let us know your thoughts!

Ps. photo taken from http://www.ski-epic.com/amsterdam_bicycles/

Time for £30 worth of deals at Burger King

2008-09-03T21:57:00.000+01:00

Burger King are offering you a superb 12 voucher booklet, just by filling in a few details. All that you have to do is visit the Burger King website, click on 'Download £30 of Vouchers Now', fill in your details, and the next window that appears will ask you to print out your voucher booklet.

Here are a few examples from the voucher booklet:

Two vouchers for Buy one Whopper and get one free', Two vouchers for 'Free fries and drink when you buy an Adult burger', 'Free regular drink and regular hash browns with any breakfast butty purchased' and 'Buy one Angus Burger and get another one free'.

This is easy peasy to do and will save you stacks!

Print it out today.

www.Burgerking.co.uk

It's time to Switch and Fix your Energy Prices!

2008-09-03T19:22:00.003+01:00

Over the last week, many of the top energy providers have increased their rates by about 30%!!!

It's now very much a level playing field and makes it easier to compare and swap around.

Click on the links at the side for Uswitch and also Money Supermarket to get the best deals available. This comparison only takes a minute, but could save you hundreds of pounds over the year.

Money Supermarket will give you £30.00 cashback and U switch will also give you a voucher for 12 bottles of wine. These offers are available simply by clicking on the links on the left hand side of this page!

For extra thrifty rates remember:
(1) Pay by Direct Debit
(2) Always check your meter reading and update the company for every bill
(3) Pay swiftly to qualify for discounts
(4) Avoid electricity pay as you go meters - much more expensive!!
(5) Do they offer an Internet only based rate - usually slightly cheaper!

Win £20.00 of Itunes Vouchers by 16th August

2008-07-14T22:39:00.005+01:00

To help spread the Canny Squirrel word we are running a prize draw between 14th July and 16th August. For every money saving tip or idea you come up with, you will be entered into a prize draw for £20.00 of Itunes vouchers. The draw will take place on 16th August with vouchers being posted to the winning recipient within 2 weeks of the closing date. Canny Squirrel's decision is final!!

Add your tip on to this message or email us at Cannysquirrel@aol.com

Check back to pick up some canny money saving ideas!

What's your Credit Score?

2008-07-14T22:36:00.003+01:00

Did you see the One Show tonight on BBC 1

The majority of us have never ever checked our credit score and credit file.

In these days where credit is difficult to obtain, it is more important than ever to ensure your credit file is accurate and up to date.

Check your credit report now for free with CreditExpert, the credit monitoring service from Experian.

For example, you may have separated from a partner who has since run up debts but, because you have still got a joint account, his or her payment behaviour could be affecting you. You won't see their credit data on your report but you will find a note of any financial association.

Or you may have shopped around for the best offer, without realising you're your enquiries have been registered as multiple applications. These should show as quotation searches. If they are down as applications, lenders could think you are desperate for money, have over-extended yourself or even that a fraud is being planned.

You could even discover applications and credit accounts in your name that you did not ask for. In that case, your identity may have been used fraudulently.

The easy way to check your credit report is to log onto CreditExpert, the credit monitoring and identity protection service from Experian. Click here for a free, 30-day trial, which will allow you to see your credit report as often as you like.

If you find anything you disagree with or would like to clarify the circumstances surrounding an entry, CreditExpert will help you to put the record straight.

I have just checked my credit report and it's easy peasy. Let us know how you get on!

Is car sharing for you?

2008-07-13T22:10:00.005+01:00

You wake up in the morning, pop some bread into the toaster for breakfast, then it's off into the car to drive to work.

You get into the car, tune the radio to your favourite station, turn the volume up full blast and you are on your way. You set the temperature to 23 degrees - nice and cosy, before remembering that you have a package to collect at the post office. A quick detour before work to collect the packet and you arrive at work just on time.

After a busy day, you decide to complete one last item from your "to do " list then it's off to the supermarket to collect some provisions for your dinner.

Ultimate flexibility, but maximum cost - You are using the car everyday, lots of wear and tear to the engine, higher depreciation due to higher mileage and also increasing fuel bills!

Is now the time to think about car sharing? Could you do it?

Car sharing websites are the new dating websites of 2008. They are springing up all over promising to match you with the ideal car sharer!

Here's what National Car Scheme has to say about car sharing:

"Lift sharing", "ride-sharing", "car-sharing" or "carpooling" -it doesn't matter what you call it, it boils down to the same thing - two or more people sharing a car to get from A to B rather than driving alone. The benefits are numerous both for yourself, your family, your community and the environment. You save money on running costs, you save time looking for parking spaces and you help to save the planet by reducing your carbon footprint.

If everyone who drives on their own to work every day were to catch a lift with someone just once a week, the commuting car journeys would reduce by 20%! And both parties would save money!

Car sharing is becoming increasingly popular as the benefits are acknowledged, and many communities and employers are introducing car sharing schemes. But car sharing is often given last billing when it comes to environmental transport because there are so many misunderstandings associated with it - just see our FAQs to get the clear picture.

Save money. Save time. Save the planet. Register now with National CarShare. It's FREE! Visit them here for more information

You can also visit Carshare.com who offer similar services

See there other links for more information

Save money on petrol

Let us know if you car share - how you arranged it and how you are getting on with your new passenger.

Save £547.50 per year!

2008-07-07T18:15:00.003+01:00

Just take a minute to stop and think how much you spend each year on bottled water!

Lets say that you buy 1 bottle of water each day from a motorway service station. You could easily end up paying almost £600 a year for bottled water. This doesn't include bigger bottles for the house and your water rates!

Your granny would be turning in her grave at the thought of (1) the waste of money and (2) the waste of plastic

Why not dump your bottle today and purchase a reusable water bottle. I have done a bit of research and there's a reusable bottle, complete with a built in filter available at the Guardian's online shop. Click here to check it out

Have a look at Think Outside the Bottle.org
It's the simple things that make all the difference both to your pocket and to the environment. Buy a bottle now!

Dinner for 2 for £10 at Marks and Spencer

2008-07-07T17:59:00.003+01:00

Marks and Spencer were in the news last week for their results and share price but the store was packed when I was in this weekend.

M&S are trying to attract customers who are feeling the credit crunch pinch, but who love to dine out on good food.

Their option - Dine with M&S for 2 people and only pay £10.00 including wine!

I can't see any details on their website - maybe I just missed it. You can however view the advert here:

M&S - £10 Dine In fo..
Watch the ad...

So stay in tonight, have a main course and desert with a bottle of wine and save about £40 instead of going out!!

PS. The lemon mousse looked fab!