These days it’s more important than ever to try as hard as you can to balance the household budget.
Getting money to come in to the family home is tough for many people which means it’s essential that the hard earned cash isn’t wasted on things that could, with a bit of thought, be saved.
It helps to start small, so we’ve made a short list of some things you might not have thought of that you can change very quickly, to start saving right away!
Fill the freezer
You’ll save twice doing this! Firstly, a full freezer has less air to chill so is actually cheaper to run, especially if the door is opened often and all of that lovely cold air escapes and needs to be re-cooled.
Fill it with fruit and vegetables which last for months or even years, are packed with vitamins and won’t go off sitting in your fruit bowl.
Reduce the thermostat
Don’t pay extra gas and electricity bills to heat water or your home above where it needs to be. Turn the room thermostat down a notch and reduce heat on radiator thermostats in rooms that aren’t often in use.
Most water heaters can be adjusted which makes heating cheaper and can help to prevent accidental scalding too.
Insulate
Warm pipes that are not insulated will be heating your loft and not your rooms! Get them lagged. Have wall and roof insulation checked for thickness and condition.
Replacing it will pay for itself after a few years and importantly will make your home more, well, homely. Professionals who specialise in cavity wall insulation removal such as Cavitech-UK will give all the advice you need.
Re-grow your own
Regrowing food scraps is really easy. Pop the bottom of a used bunch of celery or lettuce (the part you normally bin) into a glass of water for a few days will encourage new growth. Once sprouted, pop it in to a pot with soil and hey presto – nature’s very own two for the price of one deal!
Cancel subscriptions
Are you really using all those paid for apps and TV packages? If not, cancel them – often you’ll be offered a cheaper deal to stay which might tempt you.
There are hundreds of tricks you can do to save money and some can even be rewarding in more than financial ways alone. There’s a satisfaction in knowing you’ll be helping the planet. What’s more, if you wonder whether it’s worthwhile looking for savings, try this quick exercise…
Tot up some of the quick savings mentioned above, it can vary but the average home could save around £500 a year very easily.
Now look at your pay cheque. Divide the total you got paid by the number of hours worked.
How many hours do you need to work to earn £500? Do you really want to spend that time at work just so you can pay to heat your loft? No, us neither!