Five Top Money Saving Tips to Help This Winter
The cost of living crisis is worsening for all households across the UK, especially as we approach cooler temperatures in the winter season. Unlike previous years, the costs of heating a household has skyrocketed, with many worried about how they are going to pay their bills.
This article will outline five very simple measures that can be taken to help to reduce or take away some of the burden of household energy bills.
- Take Advantage of the Tax-free Childcare Scheme
Parents have been urged to claim the benefits from the UK Government’s Tax-free Childcare Scheme. The scheme provides up to £2000 per child and up to £4000 for children with disabilities.
Parents can simply set up an online account on the UK Government’s website which could then help them to save a large sum of money over the year. This money can be claimed, in parts of £500, every three months towards childcare including nannies, after school clubs, nurseries and child-minders. For parents, the UK Government will put in £2 for every £8 that they contribute.
- Heating Alternatives
There are many ways in which you can heat your home, or the people within your household, without having to pay too much. For instance, simply reducing the boiler thermostat to 60 degrees can help to reduce energy costs while still heating radiators as efficiently as before. Another simple way is by using the ‘tactical curtains’ method. This refers to opening curtains during daylight to allow heat from the sunshine to come into a room, and then closing them as it gets dark at night as an insulation barrier.
Other cheaper ways to heat up the people in your household could include using hot water bottles, sleeping bags, electric blankets, heated USB gloves and electrical gilets.
- Make Use of the Cost of Living Payment From the Council
According to the Money Saving Expert, Martin Lewis, approximately 300,000 people who are entitled to a £150 council tax rebate have yet to claim the payment.
This cost of living payment is applicable to households within the council tax bands A to D and it is available to claim until the end of November. Those who have not yet claimed their payment should contact their local council. If you are meant to have received this payment, check your statements as it may have been paid into your account automatically by direct debit.
- Make Simple Changes to Current Household Appliances
There are many easy ways to save on household bills. Simple changes can be made around the house to help to save money this winter. It is important that you are consistent in implementing these changes in order to see some real savings.
For instance, many households do not set the temperatures on their fridges or freezer appliances correctly. Fridge temperatures should be set to five degrees and freezer temperatures should be set to -18 degrees. If either of these temperatures are set too low, then you may find yourself spending excessive amounts of money.
Furthermore, many washing machine cycles are automatically set to a 40 degree temperature. By switching this down to a 30 degree cycle, as well as reducing your household’s washing load by one per week, this will help you to save £34 a year. Additionally, microwave appliances and air fryers are much cheaper to run than conventional ovens so are much more appropriate when only cooking smaller amounts. During Christmas decorating twig christmas tree with cheaper materials.
- Get Tax Relief When Working From Home
Hybrid working appears to be part of many people’s weekly routines now, with part of the working week spent working from home.
It is important to remember that if you are in the UK, you can claim tax relief on your expenses and bills while working remotely and the HMRC has a dedicated service to help with these claims here. Furthermore, it is worth keeping track of your expenses and receipts from typical work-related expenses such as printing and post office trips so that your workplace can reimburse you.
