First and foremost, this was Amnesia's idea, so blame/give credit to him

Right, the idea is to make this a broad church for anything money related since we've got a lot of shared knowledge here, so ideally it'll contain:

General advice requested and given - earnings and pension schemes, tax credits, credit cards etc (all where possible of course )

Tips and updated advice on what to look out for with the above

Articles for debate since we're now living in the 'age of austerity'...

So as a good starting point, and one I'm sure many of you are familiar with, here's a link to TV's Martin Lewis' site:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/

Just hover over the links at the top for financial advice and offers, switching utilities, good deals on consumer items etc

...

And as if by magic, here's BT giving you something to think about money-wise:

Telecoms giant BT has said it will increase call charges by 10% and its monthly line rental by 50p from the beginning of October.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-10676934

Always bet on black.

I've just had my water bill. Somehow I've used over 7 tonnes this year which is painfully expensive, so I've come up with some tips for saving:

Pee in the sink so you don't have to flush.
Don't waste condensation; lick the window. You'll quench your thirst and clean the fly dirts off at the same time.
Hold off from having a dump until you get to work.
To save on pet treats and washing up, let the dog lick your plates clean. A cat is good too.
When it's raining hard be sure to leverage the full potential of the free water by "showering" your family in the garden, and why not shampoo the cat and the car at the same time.
Urine makes an excellent soak for your white wash. Let it ferment for a day or two first to release the ammonia.
Only drink beer; on the black market it's cheaper than tap water and you'll be happy 'till the day you die.

You could always try the stolen brick in the cistern to cut down water use, and wash up once a day.

Shower together less water is used and much more fun.

I'm not metered - want to run a pipe from mine???

I thought a filled and sealed pop bottle was the preferred option.

Though won't it float and interfere with the flushing mechanism?

I've had a 1litre bottle in my cistern since I moved in. It's filled so it sinks.

As to washing up, I do it once a week if I'm being good. I usually just use the same plate and cutlery over and over, unless I have guests

I do the same. I use the same mug all week before washing up. I cant decide whether it is being frugal or a slob.

I think it's called being "a bachelor"

To be fair while I was off work recently me and blokey used the same mugs all day for our teas and coffees. I thought I was being sensible but if the slob theory works for you guys that's fine

Big fan of using the same mug all day. Saves space in the dishwasher, for one thing, and it's generally less hassle.

week > day

I thought it was just me. My mug should be white on the inside but somethimes it is near black. When I finally break out the scourer I almost have to put my sunnies on.

+1, I've got a white Starbucks mug, I drink black tea and rarely wash it up...It gets quite black to the extent I can write in the tea residue...