Working, scrimping, plus Win an IPad and IPod Nano!

Are you a scrimper? Read on to enter the competition

Working, commuting and scrimping tips

Last month, I worked inhouse for two days a week for a local publisher on a casual basis. Unusually I was a design assistant in the marketing department. It was a welcome change from wordy editorial work. Nowadays I work in Word and NoteTab, so I miss the InDesign layout element of my pre-maternity job as an inhouse magazine subeditor. There I was whizzing around London, meeting famous people, getting beauty freebies and browsing shops up and down Oxford Street. It was an expensive lifestyle for sure, despite the freebies. However, I used to run a Londoncheapskate website back then!

Commuting was such a bane, though, despite the fact that I lived in zone 3. Last month I cycled to the publisher’s office and it was lovely because I crossed central Cambridge and pedalled past old colleges. Cycling is such as cheap way to go from A to B and if your employer is running a bike scheme, you can save money on the bike's purchase. The company I worked for even loaned bikes.

But now I’m back home, indexing and pitching for features. In my spare time I work on an ebook, which I’m designing in Quark. I got my version of Quark from a computer magazine, so it is legal and was very cheap! But what about the competition, you might ask, enough of your yadda yadda....

Well, this competition is run by  MyFamilyClub.co.uk, which is offering one lucky reader the chance to win the latest Apple iPad3 and iPod Nano. Just visit www.myfamilyclub.co.uk/topmoneysavingtips and provide a money-saving tip. 


MyFamilyClub.co.uk has already polled 6,000 of UK parents and asked them to share their greatest money-saving tips. Here are their top 10 tips:

1. Shop around – find the best deal before you buy.

2. Budget, budget, budget – stay within your means.

3. Buy (and sell) secondhand – on sites like eBay, use charity shops and take advantage of hand-me-downs!

4. Before you buy… always ask yourself, “Can I live without it?”

5. Plan the family’s weekly meals – cook more than you need and freeze extra portions for another day.

6. Shop for groceries online – or draw up a list before you get to the store and don’t deviate!

7. Buy in bulk – stock up on offers, deals and bargains for those items you use regularly.

8. Never pay full price – always lookout for a relevant voucher or discount code online, cut out coupons and use cashback sites.

9. Buy value brands – from school uniform to nappies, you could save a fortune.

10. Open a savings account – pay into it as regularly as you can.

The competition closes on 31 May. Good luck!