Martin Lewis MSE reveals clever product to stay warm in winter… it only costs £4 to buy and 17p a week to run

Martin Lewis’ Money Saving Expert has revealed a genius way to stay warm in the winter and it’ll only cost you £4 to buy and 17p a week to run.

The consumer champion’s website shared the clever suggestion along with other ways of “heating the human, not the home” in its latest newsletter.

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Many Brits across the nation are turning to cheaper alternatives to keep themselves snug this winter as energy bills skyrocket in the cost of living crisis.

One neat trick the Money Saving Expert (MSE) team have suggested in a bid to cut energy usage is to use a microwaveable wheat bag.

These bags, according to the website, can be picked up for just £4 and costs less than just 1p per hour, and 17 per week.

They can be bought from local drugstores such as Superdrug for just £3.99, or from e-stores such as Amazon and eBay.

Using microwaveable wheat bags are also a little cheaper than using a hot water bottle – which is many people’s first port of call.

According to MSE, the starting price of a hot water bottle comes in at £5.50 and costs 6p an hour and £84p a week.

If you’re willing to spend a bit more, there are other ways to avoid putting the heating on and save some cash in the process.

USB gloves and heated insoles can be used to heat up the hands on cold winter days and can be purchased for £10 online.

These wind up costing less than 1p an hour to use and 4p per week.

Reusable hand warmers also make the list and can be used simply by boiling water on the hob and heating up the items in the hot water.

They usually cost around £5 for a pair, cost less than 1p an hour to run, and £1.10 a week if using a gas hob, or £3.25 on an electric.

If you are looking to make an investment however, the most expensive item on the MSE list is a single electric blanket.

This nifty item plugs into the mains and will keep you toasty all night.

The starting price for an electric blanket comes in at £35 and costs just 2p an hour to run, and 98p a week.

And the heated blankets seemed to be a hit with money savers.

Writing in to the money saving experts, one cash-saver wrote: “I experienced the delight of an electric blanket for the first time. It saved me a lot on heating costs and there is nothing quite like getting into a toasty warm bed in a chilly room”.

Another said: “I swear by heated throws! I use mine all the time for whenever I’m sat down for any period of time. I rarely use my central heating, and find I can do without when I’m under one of these”.

Meanwhile, six hacks could help you save hundreds a year on your energy bills.

You can also get direct support via vouchers and cash grants.

Thousands of households have received help via the Household Support Fund, which is worth £842million.

The fund has been distributed among councils in England who are then allocating their own unique share.

That means what you are entitled to varies from area to area, although in most cases you can get help if you’re on benefits such a as Universal Credit or a low income.

You should contact your local authority to see what help is on offer.

You can find what area you fall under by using the Government’s council locator tool.

You might also be able to get a grant if you’re struggling with energy bills – sometimes they’re worth up to £1,500.

British Gas, E.ON, Octopus Energy and Scottish Power all run schemes.

If you’re not with any of these, you can always try contacting your provider to see if any help is available.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk