Just for fun

Side hustles, spend tracking & suitable gifts – this week's MSE Forum highlights

Forum Executive

25 September 2026

MoneySavers have been discussing how they keep track of their day to day spending. A recurring theme is how easy it is for takeaway coffees to make a serious dent in your budget. Maybe it's time for you to cut the cost of those cuppas too? Read on for more 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.

Is it fairer to split the cost of our villa per room rather than per person?

I went on a trip with my 17-year-old daughter, best friend and two of her family. The five of us stayed in a four-bedroom villa booked by my friend’s family. My daughter and I shared a room, while the other three each had their own. After the trip I was asked to pay 40% of the total villa cost (two-fifths) to cover me and my daughter. I thought the split would be based on the number of rooms, in which case I’d pay 25% (one-quarter) as we had one room. We shared food costs equally between the five of us, so that’s not in question. I don’t wish to cause tension with my friend, but I hadn’t budgeted for that level of expenditure.

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

Middlewife posted these before and after images of an overgrown corner of their garden. Now it's under control they're keen to hear some low maintenance planting suggestions.

Before and after images of overgrown garden corner

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

A special welcome to all the new compers who've taken up the hobby after reading this week's Money Tips email.

Congratulations to LagrangeL2 who is generously sharing some of their latest winnings (£150 of Coca-Cola) with a local multiple sclerosis charity.

Take a look at Competitions Time for the newest competitions to enter – and while you're there, help to shape the next set of updates to our comping community's look and feel. As MSE_Stephen puts it, "The plumbing work is mostly done, now we’re choosing the taps and tiles."

Your two cents

MSE's got a new tool to help you work out if you're owed compensation for a delayed flight, and to help you draft your claim letter. MSE_Laura_F would be pleased if you give it a spin and share your feedback.

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