More ways to save

And fifteen more ways to save....
51 Buy kitchenware from catering suppliers rather than department stores. It's markedly cheaper.
52 Make your own birthday cards. Much nicer anyway.
53 Make your own compost, using fruit and vegetable peel and scraps, tea bags and coffee grounds (but no proteins, like eggs), then you won't have to buy it from the garden centre.
54 Represent yourself in court a la Heather Mills, saving yourself thousands (a reported £600,000 in Mills' case) in legal fees. It's not as hard as it sounds, especially when house conveyancing (flats, however, are more fiddly).
55 Circulate the books you've read among your friends. That way, you declutter your house, and will get good tips on what's worth reading.
56 Freshen up your furniture. Instead of upgrading your tatty Ikea sofa for a 2008 model, invest instead in some slipcovers. A new look costs as little as £65 with Bemz (www.bemz.com), whose website allows you to drag and drop the colours and patterns onto different sofa styles to see how they'd look.
57 Hire CDs from your local library. Many of the back-catalogue CDs in HMV's "3 for £20" racks will be available to loan for pennies - and besides, do you really want those mid-70s Rolling Stones albums cluttering up your collection for more than a couple of weeks anyway?
58 Try music before you buy. Instead of forking out for an entire album on iTunes, listen to the 30-second preview snippets and only buy the tracks that appeal.
59 Always book rail travel in advance. Super Apex offer the lowest fares - substantially cheaper than returns bought on the day - but must be booked at least two weeks in advance. Visit www.networkrail.co.uk to book online.
60 Go clubbing. The smart way to a set of wheels, Zipcar (www.zipcar.co.uk) is a car-sharing club that's easy on your pocket: you won't pay extra for road tax, insurance, or central London's Congestion Charge, as they're all included in the hourly hire cost. You also get free parking in designated spaces and a £50 tank of petrol.
61 Find out how safe your savings are. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme covers the first £35,000 of savings you have in any financial institution, should it go bust, but this isn't as simple as it sounds. For full details, visit www.moneysavingexpert.com/safesavings.
62 Get that 60s mini out of the attic. Pull it right up and wear like a tube top with a below-the-knee skirt or cigarette trousers.
63 Mend and make fabulous. Save laddered tights to wear under trousers or with boots, revitalise tired T-shirts with coloured tie-dyeing, and replace broken handbags with your boyfriend's funky guitar-strap.
63 Ask for freebies. The smarter the department store, the more generous its beauty hall will be with free samples (for those who show enough interest in its products). Until the end of this month, Origins is giving a free treatment at its counters called 'Centre Peace' - a massage (back, neck, head, hand and arm) using de-stressing essential oils. Call 0800 731 4039 for your nearest salon.
64 Get a complimentary makeover. Bobbi Brown make-up counters offer free, hour-long tutorials, with no pressure to shop. Call 0870 034 2566 for details.
65 Go for a half-head of highlights. Do you really care how it looks at the back?