Just for fun

Choosing a walking holiday, crochet & council tax – this week's MSE Forum highlights

Forum Executive

6 March 2026

If you're not going to be able to make it to the shops for a week or two, is it worth buying long-life milk or is it better to stick a bottle of normal milk in the freezer? For the answers to this and other vital MoneySaving questions, read on for some of the week's MSE Forum talking points.

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A few of this week's top threads

These are some of the Forum discussions that caught our eye this week:

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.

Should I ask friends to pay for a meal when I might have said it was my treat?

I recently went to a few pubs with some old friends, then to our favourite Indian restaurant. I had a great time but have little recollection of getting home [pls be Drinkaware]. I assumed we'd split the food bill, but I've found the receipt and I paid it all. I'd have no problem asking for their share, but I'm not sure if, in my merry state, I said the meal was on me! Do I ask them and risk looking a numpty if I said I'd pay? Or say nothing and risk having treated them without them being able to remember?

See what our MSE Forumites had to say and add your own thoughts on the Money Moral Dilemma discussion thread. Do please stick to the MSE Forum rules: keep it kind and keep it clean. Remember, there's a real person behind every dilemma.

Photo of the week

Do you have a 'secret crochet-er' in your town or village? On our Crafting board, Coxy11 shared this picture of the spring-themed postbox topper that they had created and installed on a local postbox under cover of darkness.

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.

Latest comping wins

Congratulations to bondieboy who this week won £500 of decorating vouchers and £500 cash.

Take a peek at Competitions Time for this week's crop of potential prizes.

Your two cents

In this week's Forum poll, we're asking about service charges. Many eateries opt to add an optional service charge to your bill rather than rely on customers leaving tips. Since it's optional, you can ask to have it removed if you want, perhaps because the food was bad or the service was poor. Have you ever requested that it be taken off the final bill?

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