Blenders, bills & birds of prey – this week's MSE Forum highlights

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A few of this week's top threads

We're always scouring for useful, interesting or cheering threads. A few that caught our eye this week:

• Show us your cheap 'n' cheerful homemade pet toys

• Someone drove right through the wall of our house. The driver's very sorry, but now my insurance premiums are through the roof

• I want to hide vegetables in my fussy four-year-old’s meals. Which budget-friendly blender will pulverise those veggies so well they’re indetectable?

• My parents’ leasehold has only 15 years left and we don’t have the money to extend it or buy the freehold – how can we help them?

• I love pickled onions and cucumbers but they can be expensive so I want to make my own– what’s the best vinegar to use?

Do you make toys for your pet?

• First-time buyer here. How do I give myself the best chance in this competitive market?

• What old-fashioned things have you kept that have recently become desirable?

• E.on hiked my monthly direct debit from £108 to £930

• Can you suggest some plants to prettify my front garden?

• I'm adopting two kittens. Is it best to buy pet insurance monthly or annually?

• Should I charge my grown-up son rent?

Meet one of our Ambassadors

Our volunteer Ambassadors are an indispensable part of the community. They help the Forum Team to keep things running smoothly, and each of them takes particular care of a select few boards. A few are Senior Ambassadors, who have a little extra responsibility.This week we're shining a light on Senior Ambassador I_Love_comps, who focuses on Old Style MoneySaving and, as you might be able to guess, Competitions Time.

Photo of the week

MSE Forumite Money_Grabber13579 enlisted the help of the Greenfingered MoneySaving board to identify a bird that had visited their garden. Do you know what it is? The answer can be found in the thread.

Please note: We love seeing your photos in the MSE Forum, but if you're uploading one, make sure it doesn't include any personally-identifiable information such as your face or address.

Money Moral Dilemma

Every week, the Money Tips email features a real-life Money Moral Dilemma (MMD for short). They're intended to encourage debate and, as such, they're usually among the most discussed threads each week.

You can find out what our MSE Forumites think and add your own two cents on the Money Moral Dilemma discussion thread. Remember the MSE Forum rules: keep it kind and keep it clean. Remember, there's a real person behind every Money Moral Dilemma.

Got a Money Moral Dilemma of your own? Email us at MMD@moneysavingexpert.com and it could be featured.

Latest comping wins

One of the most frequented boards, Competitions Time, is where compers come to find and share competitions. There are countless success stories, but here are just a few of the most recent: Heavier won a Buyagift family fun experience voucher, Bigboytyson won a stack of bracelets, Kildykat won a dual firepit barbecue and JADE251110 won weekend tickets to Vegan Life Live. Congrats, folks.

Want to peek at past weeks' MSE Forum highlights?

• Camembert, coffee & combined appliances – this week's MSE Forum highlights (13 May 2022)

• Selfies, stamps & sandwich makers – this week's MSE Forum highlights (6 May 2022)

• Sunscreen, spiders & golden pigs – this week's MSE Forum highlights (29 April 2022)

• Cocktails, carpets & cold lunch meat – this week's MSE Forum highlights (22 April 2022)

• Freebies, flasks & finger puppets – this week's MSE Forum highlights (15 April 2022)

• Hippos, robots & comfort cake – this week's MSE Forum highlights (8 April 2022)

• Tomatoes, teens & pregnant hens – this week's MSE Forum highlights (1 April 2022)

• Wombles, dogs & errant landlords – this week's MSE Forum highlights (25 March 2022)

• Cats, coupon fairies & noisy tables – this week's MSE Forum highlights (18 March 2022)

Your two cents

We'd like to know: how much have you made from referrals? If you've racked up reward money for telling your friends about your bank, gym, cab service, or anything else, let us know in the thread.

On another topic, have you looked into leaving your current energy contract, and have you been quoted a high exit fee? We're keen to hear from you if so. Take a look at the Energy board for an appropriate thread to contribute to, or start a thread of your own if there isn't one. You can find more tips for using the Energy board in the announcement post. Thank you.

If you're not a member yet, it's easy to register for the MSE Forum.