A few weeks ago, WalletPopper Sian Meades put together a series of very useful posts about selling goods on Etsy.

In a nutshell, Etsy is an online marketplace for all sorts of handmade items, based in the US. Once you're registered you can buy items - and you can also set yourself up as a seller.

You get a little online shop (a sort of virtual shop window) and you stock it with all the lovely things you've made.

Folksy is Etsy's UK equivalent. So is it worth staying British, and can you really make money selling there?...

Apparently, bananas are great for bringing up a shine on your shoes. Potatoes too.

It's just one tip in the Make do and mend booklet John Lewis started selling today.

I'm not convinced if I'm honest, and I might have to try it out on a cheap pair before I start going to town on my Choos with a King Edward. But, I am all for saving money on the little things.

So here's the thing: I've tried putting beer (and mayonnaise) on my hair, I've cleaned my windows with vinegar and I can sew buttons. But how can you tell which of these hints and tips are old wives' tales before you try them out? I don't want mushed up banana all over my favourite shoes if it isn't going to do any good. Shoe polish isn't that expensive.

So it's over to you! Tell us your best tips, the ones that you use all the time and they never fail to work. Don't keep them to yourself! And of course, if you've got any disaster stories after trying any hints and tips, tell us those as well! Because they're much more fun.

For the record, I suggest you NEVER put mayonnaise on your hair as a conditioner.

My 'outside space' consists of a roof terrace roughly the size of a thimble.

Despite that (and my near-total lack of gardening expertise) I've managed to grow quite a lot of my own produce this year.

Of course, I've had my fair share of failures, too (shaking fist at microscopic carrots).

Here, I'm going to pass on some 'grow your own' tips I've learnt. They should help you produce fruit and veg on a tight budget (and avoid my mistakes!).

In this recession-ravaged era, wartime frugality has become cool.

Making and mending has become all the rage, and apparently, the number of Singer and Brother sewing machines sold by Argos rose 50% last year.

Some of us just want to restock our own wardrobes on the cheap - others are planning to make and then sell on. So how can you make sure starting from scratch pays?

Here are five ways you can make clothes for less...

There's lots to think about when you're setting up your own Etsy shop. Hopefully, my shop will launch this week. But there's been more to consider than I realise.

So if you're thinking of launching your own shop, there's lots to consider. I've already looked at getting started, and how to package you items, but what about the photographs?

Launching an Etsy shop is exciting, but there's loads of stuff to get organised before you can even think about putting your shop out there for all to see. I'm setting up my jewellery shop on Etsy and it's due to go live in about a week. This series shows you what you should be thinking about when you set up your online store.

This post is all about packaging. Something that a lot of people don't put very much thought into. As long as everything gets there in one piece, that's the main thing, right? Not on Etsy. Packaging is something the sellers take as seriously as their crafts.

One good thing about this recession is that it's forcing me to look after my stuff better. I can't always afford to replace things when I break them, they wear out or something goes wrong - so I've taken to mending them instead.

In fact, I've gotten pretty creative in the last few months.

Here are my top three tips for making clothes, furniture and even laptops last longer...

If you're looking to save money, making things and getting crafty can often be the best way to start. Sometimes you'd love to get started on knitting and decorating, but there's a lot of information out there and it can be pretty daunting if you don't know where to look.

I've taken a look around at the best craft blogs, so you can get started on making your house a home.

If you've got a room in your house with a plain wall, but don't really want to put loads of pictures up, wallpapering can be an expensive option. Most of the time, wallpaper isn't actually that nice and if it is really pretty, it can sometimes cost into the hundreds just for one roll. So what's the other option? Supernice!

With the recession upon us, everyone is looking for extra ways to cut corners. In an attempt to generally buy less at the supermarket, I tried to find as many other uses for things I already had around the house as I could.

You'd be amazed at the things you can do with the most mundane of items. So before you go and buy some expensive cleaning products or splash out on posh beauty treatments, read on and see what you've got around the house that will do the trick just as well and for half the price.