Guide To Reducing Your Monthly Bills
With Halloween out of the way, our next focus is Christmas and the New Year both of which often come at an expense which is likely to be unwelcomed by the rising costs around us in households across the UK. Families have already been impacted by the rising costs, with some reporting that their energy bills have more than doubled in the last month with further increases yet to come as we head into the depths of winter. With that in mind, we’re taking a closer look at some of the ways you can reduce your energy bills around the home to ease the pressure.
- Turn Lights & Appliances Off Standby
Without stating the obvious, so much money is lost each year simply by leaving the lights on in rooms when we're not in them and leaving our favourite electricals on standby even when they’re not going to be in use for a few hours. So, the next time you walk out of a room, make the conscious effort to flick the light switch on your way out and, instead of leaving the toaster and kettle switched on at the wall, switch it off once you’ve finished. The same goes for your TV, radio or any other product that has a ‘standby’ mode. Through doing so, you could reduce energy bills by up to £100 a year by saving standby power. You can thank us later!
- Save Money On The Laundry
Did you know that putting the washing on at certain times throughout the day can help you save money and reduce energy bills? Whilst peak hours may differ per season, it’s much cheaper to put a washing load on during the day compared to between 4pm to 8m when many of us return home from work. The same applies to the temperature at which you wash your clothes. Cooler washes are much better for your pocket not to mention that they are also far more environmentally friendly and often better for your clothing items themselves, helping to prevent colours from bleeding and certain materials from shrinking.
- Speed Up Your Shower (Not Bath)
There’s nothing like taking a hot bath to warm you up in the winter, but they could be costing you an additional £28 on your water bill per month. So, to reduce water bills in your home, consider replacing bath time with a shower lasting no longer than 4 minutes for optimum savings. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to spend less time in the shower but considering not turning on the water until you’re ready to jump in and switching it off as you lather up your shampoo or body wash can make a difference.
- Look For Deals On Food & Drink
The weekly food shop is the bane of many of our lives requiring both time and patience when it comes to getting the best bargains on the shelves. Whilst supermarkets offer different deals at different times, signing up for a store loyalty card scheme can help to save you ££ during every shop. If you want to be even savvier with your shopping budget, then have a look online prior to your trip in-store and build your shopping list around the offers available. That way, you know exactly what items you can bag a bargain on without having to change your weekly meal plan at the drop of a hat.
If you don’t have the time to shop in-store, consider getting your shopping delivered. Whilst it will cost you a small fee to get your shopping delivered, there are cheaper delivery slots available if you place your order far enough in advance though it might cost you an extra hour out of bed.
- Evaluate Your Subscriptions
We’ve all been in that situation where we’ve subscribed to a streaming service or similar having seen their latest releases and wanting to watch the next big film or series and using it once. If that sounds like you, it may be time to evaluate your subscriptions and exactly how much they’re costing you vs the use you get out of them. Cancelling even just one subscription could save you over £100 per year depending on the streaming service, going towards household bills that you may not be able to reduce as effectively.
Reduce Energy Bills Today
As many of us prepare to reduce energy bills this winter following the significant rise in the cost of living in recent months, these tips will help to ensure you and your family are on track to receive lower monthly bills. Be sure to let us know which hack you try and how much it saved you!
Whilst we can’t help you reduce water bills or save money on energy, at Fast Loan UK we can look to help with short term loans to cover unexpected financial bills when your savings are low. To see if you’re eligible today, please click apply now and fill out our short application form. If you need any more assistance with your finances, please visit Money Helper for further information.