@ButYouGottaHaveASkillJeff
I've only got £3k sitting in a shitty instant access savings account. I'm trying to save for a flat deposit. Reading this thread I'm thinking of chucking it into Premium Bonds, worthwhile? I'm sure my grandma bought me Premium Bonds 30 plus years ago and as far as I'm aware I've never won. Should really check that!
If you're under 40, you should put your deposit savings in a LISA for the government top up.
With PBs you may or may not beat instant access, as you're effectively gambling the interest, but seeing as it's not very much - even with the best instant access and even if you managed to up your savings to £10k, you're talking about no more than £60 a year, so a couple of PB prizes a year and you're in the same ball park.
I haven't done so well this year, as I've won nothing for about 4 months on about £33k holding, but I have won £225 this year so about the same as instant access even if I don't win anything in December and in 2020 I won £1000 and a few smaller prizes, which worked out at 6% return and in 2019 I got about a 2% return (maths and statistics nerd so I have a spreadsheet!).
On the matter of whether or not you have PBs from your DGM, there's a tracing service on the NS&I website so if you fill in some details, which are probably only your name and DOB they can have a look for you.