In Praise of NTL: I have been an NTL Customer for eight years, never had a problem. And I find them competitive compared to Sky. Great for the cricket. - Cricket Bats

Veterinary Costs:Just did a quick ring around enquiring about cost of annual vaccination booster for my dog as I suspected that the vet I had been using for several years was relatively expensive given its location in city suburbs. Yes - I was right! If I travel to a town approx 20 miles from city I will save €35 or 40 per cent of price quoted by city vet. How can vets justify this price differential? - Fiona McCarthy

Living for less: That is quite scary. There is a movement here in the Netherlands that supports consuminderen (consume less), which involves saving as much as you can, but sometimes it gets crazy like using the water you use to boil veg to do your (smelly) washing-up. It sounds like her partner supported her, though I can't imagine anybody managing that level of frugality on their own. - Aidan