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You could set up a high interest savings account and at the beginning of every month divide your income into one account for bills like Internet, phone, electric, mortgage etc, one for food & the £500 into savings. If you need to dip in you can but obviously the idea is that you try really hard not to.
Then visit money saving expert mortgage overpayment calculator, put your details in & see how many years £500 a month takes off your mortgage. It's a really good incentive.
First direct, nationwide (cashback on nationwide accounts at the moment on topcashback) & HSBC do 6% interest savings accounts if you switch to them.
wreck we've had that happen to us too.
snuggly I would just bung everything in for risotto and stir every few hours. I love my sc for meat joints. The aldi beef joint is £6ish and so tender. You can do suet puddings in them too, a huge treacle pudding is about a £1 with aldi ingredients but so filling in the winter.
I cook ready made pies in ours too, the pastry goes crispy in them as well as conventional oven. Or you can batch cook dry pulses in them like kidney beans, freeze in portions. Much cheaper for things like butter beans than buying ready cooked.
£2.05 on ibuprofen, paracetamol and ranitidine tablets.
Recieved a £5 M&S voucher for signing up for a cc with them through moneysaving expert.