This week I’ve got ways for you to save on Spotify, Uber Eats, Fire TV Sticks and at Habitat. Plus a possible £250 tax break if you’re married, £10 off craft beer and how to watch live Nascar racing for free.
If you’re new to either premium music service then you can now claim a three month free trial. Previous subscribers might also be able to get three months for the price of one. Here’s how to get them and other music streaming deals.
Furniture store Habitat is running a 25% off everything promotion from today until Monday. Seeing as it’s a Bank Holiday on Monday there’s a chance we’ll see more promotions over the weekend. I’ll share any I hear about on Friday’s Deals of the Week on Instagram
First time users of online bottle shop Honest Brew can get £10 off an order of craft beer, and there’s a similar deal at Beer52. Here’s how to get your discount.
If you’re getting fed up with box set after box set, then my latest rundown of some of the cheap and free films, TV shows, theatre productions and music sets you can watch from home over the next seven days.
This week it includes the return of live Nascar motor racing (for free!), Gillian Anderson and Vanessa Kirby in classic theatre, Radio 1’s virtual festival, how to “visit” the Grand Canyon and more.
If you’re in need of a streaming stick to make your dumb TV into a smart TV, then there’s currently £15 off Amazon’s Fire Stick. It’s been price matched elsewhere too if you want to avoid buying from Amazon itself.
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This week I’m looking at ways to cut your food spend.
My money makeover continues! Here are more ways you can get clever with your spending to boost your savings by at least £1,000.
We probably don’t prioritise our food spending as it feels smaller than many of our bills – but add together the spend at the supermarket, takeaways and eating out and it’ll be one of your biggest expenses.
But that also means it can be one of the biggest ways to save money.
Here’s how you can save at the supermarket, why cutting just one takeaway can make a huge difference, and just how much money a packed lunch is worth to you over a year.
For subtitles, press play and then hit the CC button at the bottom of the video (you might need to tap the video or hover your mouse over it) and you’ll be able to get auto-generated subtitles.
For a transcript you’ll need to click through to YouTube. Then hit the three dots under the video to access all the subtitles at once. Remember they have been auto-generated by YouTube so there might be the odd word where it thinks I’ve said something else.
If you find this useful, please click to watch this video over on YouTube and then click the “thumbs up” icon as it helps the video appear higher up in YouTube’s search results.
If you want to take some of the effort out of managing your money then it’s worth thinking about the ways you can automate your finances.
Tricks include moving money between multiple accounts, making sure you don’t forget payments, boosting your savings pot, switching energy and earning cash when you spend.
SUBSCRIBE & LISTEN TO OTHER EPISODES OF CASH CHATS (it’s free!):
How to find performances from the likes of Bowie, Beyonce and Billie Eilish to enjoy from the comfort of your own home.
Festival season would normally be kicking off about now (mid-May), but all of them have been cancelled (or will probably be) for this summer, along with any other live music concerts.
And it’ll be a long time – potentially 2021 – before we get to attend any gigs or concerts again. I saw classic Britpop band Supergrass a few weeks before lockdown came in, so at least I managed to get a gig fix in this year.
Yes, there could be innovations that allow us to experience some kinds of live music while social distancing (there’s been a drive-in concert in Denmark), but these aren’t going to widespread.
So what’s the alternative? Overall, the best place for us to get the live music experience is probably going to be in our homes.
There have been a number of live performances on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. They’re largely musician in their bedrooms gently belting out low-key acoustic numbers. Which are fine. But I much prefer something closer to a proper live show.
So I’ve been dipping into archive shows online and watching classic concerts on my TV.
Where to find free concerts & replays online
There are so many concerts out there you just need to get searching on one of the following platforms.
I’ve compiled a list of 50 performances which I think are worth watching. I’ve tried to cater to lots of different genres and tastes (including artists I know are popular but not really to my taste) so there’s hopefully something for everyone.
For the last five years or so, I’ve had my own mini-festivals at home using concerts broadcast on BBC iPlayersuch as Glastonbury and the 6 Music Festival.
These have been great, but tend to disappear after 30 days leaving a limited selection outside the summer.
BBC4 does tend to broadcast the odd classic concerts through the year so it’s always worth a look to see what’s available. The BBC has promised to show loads of classic Glastonbury shows at the end of June in lieu of the proper festival.
YouTube
During lockdown many artists (or their estates) have been releasing performances on their own YouTube channels, including Radiohead and Prince.
And this discovery has led me down a few online rabbit holes. There are thousands of archive performances uploaded to the internet – and since lockdown began I’ve spent hour after hour watching all sorts of classic performances.
I’ve been able to catch some of my favourite bands, plus watch artists in their prime with shows from the 60s, 70s and 80s. A limited release Prince show last week was the highlight.
Watching a classic Prince concert on YouTube at home during Lockdown
Gigs on paid for streaming services
There are also a number of concert films on Amazon Prime, Netflix and Sky Arts (available on NOW TV and Sky TV).
Netflix has the smallest selection but they are newer shows from the likes of Beyonce and Taylor Swift.
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime has concert films from mainly older acts. It’s harder to filter searches here to just live performances so it’s trial and error whether you’ll get a gig or a documentary.
Here’s a search for the word “live”in the music genre for titles included for free with a Prime membership.
Sky Arts / Now TV
The biggest selection is via Sky Arts, but again most of the performers are from the 90s and earlier, even if the performances themselves are more recent.
The cheapest way to get this channel is to ditch your Sky or Virgin subscription and instead get a monthly pass from Now TV.
How to watch the concerts at home
Obviously you can watch all these streaming services on your computer or via an app on your phone or tablet. But the best way to watch is going to be on your biggest screen with the best sound – which probably means your TV.
Most smart TVs, set-top boxes, games consoles and even newer DVD/Blu-Ray players will have a YouTube app making it really easy to stream on your telly. Whether you have the Netflix, Amazon Prime or NOW TV apps is hit and miss depending on your device.
If you don’t have any of these you can buy a smart stick to plug into a spare HDMI slot. Whichever device you use you’ll obviously need decent broadband.
Some of the videos will have adverts. Most of the time an advert is only “pre-roll” which means it’s at the start of a video.
However, sometimes it could appear mid-way through, and even on multiple occasions. If this bothers you there is the option to take out a 30-day free trial of YouTube Premium, which will allow ad-free viewing.
Deciding what to watch
Obviously my list will have some gaps, possibly your favourites, so I’ve got a few tips to help you find more.
Filter your searches
On YouTube select the filer tab and you will be able to just see videos over 20 minutes long on your search results.
Check the quality
I found quite a few concert videos listed which are just recordings from the mosh pit via a mobile phone. It’s not always clear this is the case until you watch them, so check them before you get excited about what you’re going to watch.
Finding out which songs are played
Sometimes you might only know a band’s early stuff, or perhaps you don’t want to sit through a three-hour concert (Hello Bruce Springsteen and Led Zeppelin!).
Well if you’re lucky, a handful of the videos on YouTube will not only list the songs played but also provide the times so you can skip ahead.
If not you can use the website Setlist.fm to see what songs are played on a particular gig. Armed with this you can pick one gig over another, or fast forward between songs.
Curating your own festival
if you’ve ever enjoyed the pub chat with friends to decide your “Fantasy Festival” lineup then you have the chance to curate your ultimate day of bands – and actually watch them!
YouTube has a playlist feature where the next video will autoplay. I’ve used this to compile a list of those I want to watch, and put them in the order I want them to play.
If you want to take it a little further I also found this website that will allow you to generate your own festival poster based on the bands you’d want to see.
My fantasy festival line-up with gigs I can watch online for free
Is it legal to watch these videos?
If you’re streaming on iPlayer, Netflix, Amazon Prime or NOW TV then everything is absolutely above board. It’s less clear cut on YouTube.
Most of the concerts you find there aren’t official uploads by the artists, labels or events. Instead someone has just posted a copy they don’t have the rights to.
However, YouTube does have some clever licencing software and most copyright holders can demand videos are removed.
On that basis, try as much as possible to only watch those videos which at least have an acknowledgement of copyright and licensing.
This should mean the artists will get some payment. But if you want to make sure artists are properly remunerated then you can always choose to subsequently buy an album for any of the gigs you watch.
You could also argue that if a video has been left on there for years that the copyright holders aren’t overly worried.
50 live concerts you can watch online
To get you started I’ve looked through all the platforms to find a selection of bands and artists from The Rolling Stones to Taylor Swift to The XX all available to watch right now.
This week I’ve got a free HD movie rental AND a free Xbox game for you. Plus news of a massive petrol price drop and more supermarket food boxes for those of you shielding.
This is an exclusive offer I’ve negotiated for you. Take out a free two-month trial of Tastecard, and also get a Rakuten movie rental (worth £4.50).
You need to sign up for your free trial by Monday. The e-voucher to use at Rakuten will be emailed to you on Monday and it’ll be valid until the end of May.
I think the food boxes with essential supplies are a great option for anyone sheltering. M&S has revamped its range, while there’s a new one from Asda and an expanded range at Morrisons. Here’s what you can get from each one, and how much they cost.
So it’s going to be until July at the earliest that entertainment venues open (and maybe next year for things like gigs) so here’s my latest rundown of some of the cheap and free films, TV shows, theatre productions and music sets you can watch from home over the next seven days.
This week it includes how to enjoy a substitute Eurovision, watch the stage version of Cats, roam one of Mexico City’s top museums, stream a classic Prince concert and more.
More supermarkets are offering pre-packed food boxes. Here’s what you’ll get.
A few supermarkets are offering pre-prepared boxes to make shopping easier and faster during social distancing.
These are perfect for anyone sheltering and can’t leave the house – though you don’t get to choose what you get.
Aldi Food Box
The latest supermarket to offer a box of essentials is Aldi. It costs £23.99 including delivery (calculated at roughly £20 worth of food). Contents can vary but here’s what to expect.
There’s a meat-eaters box and a vegetarian box. The actual contents will vary on each order – it’s all down to what’s in store. However you will get a mix of food and household essentials such as loo roll, bread and milk. A box costs £35.
Morrisons says both boxes will typically have
Canned baked beans, soup and pasta sauce
Milk
Dairy products such as butter and cheese
Bread
Rice and pasta
Vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots and onions
Essential household items
In addition, the meat box will have meat products, such as sausage, bacon and cooked meat, and fresh meat such as chicken or beef. While the vegetarian box will also have “Vegetarian proteins”.
Family Meat Box (£45)
There’s also now a Family meat box, which is pretty much all meat – so ideal for a BBQ or a roast dinner. It costs £45 and includes the following or similar.
1 x 6 pack The Best Traditionally Cured Unsmoked Back Bacon (200g)
1 x 750g Beef Roasting Joint
1 x 1kg pack Chicken Breast Fillets
1 x 4 pack The Best Scotch Beef Quarter Pounders (454g)
1 x 25 pack British Beef Meatballs (645g)
1 x 6 pack The Best Thick Pork Sausages (400g)
1 x 500g pack 12% Fat British Minced Beef
1 x 500g pack British Pork Loin Steaks
1 x Twin pack Sirloin Steaks (400g)
You’ll also receive two of the following sauces in your box: Peppercorn Sauce (200g), Diane Sauce (200g) or Chicken Gravy (300g).
Other boxes
You can also get a fish box, Ramadan box, Eid food box, Gluten free box, BBQ food box, a best meat box and a British food box. More on these here.
Marks and Spencers Food Boxes
M&S have changed their food box offering. Rather than a single essentials box, you can pick between meat, fruit, veg and wheat free. Prices vary from £15 to £45. Delivery is £4.99 on top unless you spend over £50.
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This part of the £1,000 money makeover is looking at your housing bills.
So that’s Council Tax for everyone, then either rent or mortgage payments.
The savings on this one are probably smaller than the other videos so far but they can still make a difference in your quest to save one thousand pounds (unless you have a mortgage in which case you could be looking at thousands of pounds saved!)
For subtitles, press play and then hit the CC button at the bottom of the video (you might need to tap the video or hover your mouse over it) and you’ll be able to get auto-generated subtitles.
For a transcript you’ll need to click through to YouTube. Then hit the three dots under the video to access all the subtitles at once. Remember they have been auto-generated by YouTube so there might be the odd word where it thinks I’ve said something else.
If you find this useful, please click to watch this video over on YouTube and then click the “thumbs up” icon as it helps the video appear higher up in YouTube’s search results.
