Just for fun

Cars, competitions & compost – this week's MSE Forum highlights

Forum Executive

20 March 2026

This week MoneySavers have been pondering effort versus reward, whether it's drip-feeding a regular saver account or systematically entering competitions to maximise the chance of a prize. Read on for our latest selection from the MSE Forum.

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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.

Who should pay the bar bill for the hotel stay I got my mum and dad?

As a wedding anniversary present, I paid for my mum and dad to go on a spa break. When they got back, I asked my mum if everything had been OK. Mum said they'd had a great time - but she needed to pay the bar bill for their room. I told her not to worry, I'd cover it as part of the gift. When I called the hotel to settle up, the bill turned out to be £400! Should I ask my mum and dad to pay me back?

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

On our Old style MoneySaving board, Forumites share what they're cooking for dinner to inspire one another to come up with tasty meals that don't break the bank. This week Goldfinches told us about their dinner: "I made some roasties with the potatoes from my veg box as a treat and popped the wild garlic borek back into the oven for the last ten minutes to get it nicely crisped up again.

"I also made a salad with some lamb's lettuce from my veg box and ate the last of the purple sprouting broccoli and brussels sprouts.

"Had some stewed rhubarb and blackberries, which I'd hoicked out of the freezer, with yoghurt and almonds for pudding."

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 good win to report this week: EllasPa is off for a weekend in London with "a night in a hotel with dinner, rail tickets, escape room, attraction tickets and spending money".

Take a look at Competitions Time to browse the hundreds of competitions submitted by Forumites each week.

Your two cents

I was in a supermarket this week when a yellow sticker reduction caught my eye. But on closer examination, it wasn't such a great deal. We'd like to hear about any questionable bargains you've spotted whilst in the shops.

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