Sustainability

In my 13+ years of veganism, I've often heard the myth that cooking vegan costs more – but in fact, meat-free meals can be much cheaper to make. I'm no professional chef, but I am a professional MoneySaver and cooking is a big passion of mine, so I'm going to show you some easy family dinner recipes including curry, burgers, and spag bol – with a tasty saving of up to 60% compared to the meat equivalent.

Jumpers are for life, not just for Christmas, but most of us only wear our most garish festive get-up for one or two days a year, then feel pressure to buy a new one the following year. That's neither MoneySaving nor good for the planet, so what can we do about it? I have a few ideas...

Most of us want to do our bit to help the planet, yet beauty products often come in packaging that isn't easily recycled. You might not know, however, that a few big brands will reward you with freebies or discounts for returning your empty containers.

If you're a runner, you probably fall into one of two camps – the 'shoes stack' camp, where you rack up multiple pairs, or the 'run in the same shoes until they disintegrate' camp. Either way, you'll be pleased to know you can trade in your stinky sneakers for £20 off a brand new pair. Not only will you save money, but your old shoes won't end up in landfill.

Beauty – is it in the eye of the beholder, or hand of the cardholder? As the cost of lotions and potions adds up, along with their environmental impact, I've put together 11 cheap and easy beauty tips and tricks so you can avoid spending more than you need. Some of these tips are a bit extreme so I know they might not be up everyone's street, but let's see how many of them you'll give a go...

You find a pair of jeans, they're in your size and they're cheap... just one problem – the colour’s all wrong. I had this recently with a pair of white jeans (I wanted black) in my size, reduced from £26 to £5 in the Dorothy Perkins sale. What was I to do?

Seasoned MoneySavers will know all about yellow sticker reductions – where supermarkets reduce short-dated food at the end of the day – and the times their local supermarket starts slashing prices… but did you know you can grab clearance foods outside the ‘big-four’ supermarkets?