AS awful April hits and households face record bill increases, The Sun’s Squeeze Team has your back with more must-read money advice.
In Day Two of our three-day series, we are looking at how you could save up to £3,000 in just ONE DAY.
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We looked at all the things we do every day and found ways to eke out the pennies.
Today’s tips could save an average home £2,945 a YEAR – and all could be done in the space of 14 hours.
So get saving! Just focus on one thing at a time . . .
Let the LED in
SWITCHING to LED lights will make a real difference to energy costs.
The Squeeze Team’s Tashema Jackson, consumer expert at the Energy Helpline, said: “In a typical home, using LED bulbs will cost you around £60 a year, based on two hours’ use a day for 45 bulbs.
“The same cost for a home with halogen bulbs works out at around £280.
“Taking into account the higher outlay for LED bulbs, you can save £175 a year.”
YEARLY SAVING: £175
Don’t let savings go down the plughole
KEEPING your shower time to just four minutes could save a typical household £65 a year on their energy bills, according to the Energy Saving Trust, and add up to extra water savings for those with a meter.
If a family of four replace their inefficient shower head with a water-efficient one (costing from £20), they could also save around £35 on their gas bills and about £45 off their water bills, if they have a water meter, each year.
That’s a total saving of around £80.
YEARLY SAVING: £145
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Cook up some savings
COOKING typically accounts for about 14 per cent of electricity used in homes. The oven costs the most to run, followed by the hob.
Appliances such as microwaves, slow cookers and air fryers use less energy.
Switching off the oven and cooking on the hob or microwave instead could save £114 over the course of the year.
YEARLY SAVING: £114
Do a weather check
TWEAK your heating to suit the temperature outside.
The tried and tested tip of turning your thermostat down by one degree is even more important now bills are going through the roof.
Tashema said: “In the past that might have saved an average household £100 a year, but now that will be nearer £150.”
YEARLY SAVING: £150
Put a cheaper wash on
SWITCHING your wash to 30 degrees, rather than 60 degrees, will save about £32 a year for a family that does four laundry loads a week, according to Tashema.
She said: “Make extra savings by always ensuring that your machine has a full load.”
Opt for a cheap detergent to really clean up. In a test last year, Which? found that a family doing four washes a week could save £27 a year by switching from the most expensive detergent to the consumer expert’s cheapest best buy – Aldi’s Almat washing powder.
YEARLY SAVING: £59
Ensure the washing (not you) is hung out to dry
TUMBLE dryers are one of the most expensive items we use in terms of electricity consumption.
Tashema said: “If you refrained from using your tumble dryer for a year, rather than using it twice a week, it would on average save you around £75.”
YEARLY SAVING: £75
Drive down savings
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IF you are heading out in the car, watch your speed. Driving at higher speeds means that you will guzzle more fuel.
The Department for Transport found that driving at 80 miles per hour used a quarter more fuel than sticking to 70mph, and that cruising at 60mph used five per cent more than keeping to 50mph.
Use an app such as Petrolprices.com to find the cheapest fuel.
YEARLY SAVING: £100
Don’t drink – or nibble away at – the profits
IF you buy a £3 sandwich meal deal for lunch five days a week, 45 weeks of the year, cut it down to two days, saving £405.
Assuming you spend half your savings on making your lunch at home on the other three days, you can still save £200.
Put an extra £470 into the family coffers by swerving the coffee shop.
Glugging just three £3 coffees a week will add up over the year.
YEARLY SAVING: £670
Waste not
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AN average family of four can save £60 a month simply by reducing the amount of food they throw away, according to the website Love Food, Hate Waste.
Batch cook enough for two meals and freeze half for another day.
The Squeeze Team’s Naomi Willis, co-founder of the money-saving website Skintdad.co.uk, added: “Only buy what you need. Make a list and stick to it. Not meal planning is the biggest mistake you can make.
“Try to get what you need in one shop, so that another supermarket trip isn’t necessary.”
YEARLY SAVING: £720
Do your homework
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GO through your bank statements to look for any unexpected transactions, such as subscriptions you no longer use.
While you are at it, look at your direct debits and note down the dates when contracts for things such as phones and broadband will end, so you will be in a good position to shop around for savings.
Research by Compare The Market found that one in five people are paying for subscriptions they no longer use, wasting an average of £265 per year.
YEARLY SAVINGS: £265
Shop smarter
BEFORE you start shopping online set up a cashback account and get paid when you buy from High Street favourites.
You can also earn cash when you sign up for financial services such as new home and car insurance.
TopCashback reckons that its members earn, on average, £300 a year.
YEARLY SAVING: £300
Pull the plug
WHETHER you use your tech for work or play, leaving your devices on standby guzzles electricity, adding even more to eye-watering bills.
The worst offenders are games consoles, so brave the kids’ bedrooms to make sure they are unplugged.
YEARLY SAVING: £40
Flick the switch on your expensive TV package
IF you are paying £10.99 for a standard Netflix package, for example, switching to a £6.99 basic subscription will save £4 a month, or £48 a year.
Or, ditching Netflix entirely and relying on Freeview for your TV will save £83.88 annually.
Remember, you can switch your subscription on and off, so even trying it for a few months will help you to save.
YEARLY SAVING: £132
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