Stoozing, sublets & summer sips – 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:

• Watch and discuss Martin Lewis's Q&A with chancellor Rishi Sunak about the Government's cost of living support

• A developer wants to demolish our semi-detached house. If we refuse to sell, can they knock down the house next door and leave our home intact?

• I found forgotten wine at the back of the cupboard. It isn’t off but it tastes a bit musty. How can I disguise the taste and turn it into a quaffable summer drink?

• Is it worth stumping up for one of those DNA ancestry tests?

• With energy prices the way they are, is anyone else planning ahead for winter?

Got any ideas for turning musty old wine into a refreshing summer beverage?

• We’ve just received a surprise £8k invoice from a local builder… for work done on our home 13 years ago

• Got any holiday suggestions for a family of five with a three year old with special needs?

• Please help me decode the confusing wording of my lease so I can understand how much of the loft I own

• Cheap versus expensive porridge – what's the difference, really? 

• My tenant of seven years gave notice and left the property, but I’ve now discovered he’d been subletting to nine other people, and they all refuse to leave

Meet one of our Ambassadors

Simply put, we would not be able to keep the MSE Forum running smoothly without the assistance of our volunteer Ambassadors. They're experienced, knowledgeable members of the community, and each of them takes particular care of a select few boards. Among them are several Senior Ambassadors, who help with supporting the rest of the volunteers when needed.This week we're introducing you to Senior Ambassador Misslayed, who focuses on Marriage, Relationships & Families, Site Feedback and Competitions Time.

If 'stoozing' is a new word for you, be sure to read MSE's Stoozing – make free cash guide.

You can view a list of all our Ambassadors on the dedicated Site Feedback thread.

Photo of the week

The Greenfingered MoneySaving board continues to yield plant ID requests. These two left us stumped, but MSE Forumites were able to solve the mystery. You can read Day of the Triffids by maggiesoup and Another "is this a weed?" thread by droopsnoot to find out what these leafy protrusions are.

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.

Success of the week

We spotted Joannetringham's highly encouraging post on the Reclaiming Mortgage Fees, Council Tax, etc board, detailing a massive £4,557.22 payout from getting their council band reassessed.Use MSE's Council tax bands guide to see if your home is in the correct band, and if you could reclaim anything on your council tax.

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 is a picture of one of the most recent: a pair of books won by redfox5.

Want to peek at past weeks' MSE Forum highlights?

• Blenders, bills & birds of prey – this week's MSE Forum highlights (20 May 2022)

• 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

With summer party season approaching, we'd like to hear your festival hacks. Jump into the thread and share your suggestions for saving money, time and effort when booking and attending festivals.

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