MARTIN Lewis returns tonight with a bag full of money advice to help struggling Brits tackle debt during the cost of living crisis.
Ahead of the second episode of this current season of The Martin Lewis Money Show, the expert tweeted: “Just a reminder, tonight 8pm. It’s our 10th birthday.
“We catch up with some incredible uplifting successes from the decade. And I’ll run through key issues like dealing with debt, an urgent way some can boost their state pension by £1,000s, free wills and more.
Meanwhile, most people who are eligible to receive the Government’s £650 cost of living payment will receive the next instalment in November.
The second chunk worth £324 will land automatically in your bank account if you are eligible – so you don’t need to do anything to get the help. To get the second payment, you will need to have been in receipt of any of one of the eligible benefits, including pension credit, for any day in the period August 26 to September 25, 2022.
Read our cost of living live blog below for the latest updates…
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Advice for Brits struggling to make ends meet
There is help available, and advice for those who are having a tough time.
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Brits urged to check if they are owed holiday pay
Organisation IWORK is calling for Brits, especially temp workers, to make sure they are paid their holiday days they are owed. ]
All workers, even those who are on temporary or zero hour contracts can claim holiday pay. They are entitled to 5.6 weeks of holiday per year.
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Cheap ways to reduce draught in your home
Richard Neudegg, from U Switch, revealed to The Sun his top tips for saving money on warmth this winter.
“Warmth can be easily lost through gaps around windows, lofts and doors, meaning the heating is kept on for longer, increasing the size of your energy bill,” Richard explained.
Adhesive seal can cover windows, making there less draught coming from them, and it only costs only £2.85, for 10 metres.
Key hole covers are also a good way to stop hot air from escaping the home.
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Couple living in their car for months
The homeless couple were living in their Ford Mondeo carfor eight months after the council failed to give them a flat.
Aram Sarbir, 47, and his wife Shahla Qadir, 28, from Norwich, were offered a flat, but had to wait eight months before the council handed him the keys.
He said: “I cannot understand it. The council just need to take out a cupboard and an old sofa and do a bit of tidying up.
“I would gladly do the work myself if I could move in straight away – but that is not allowed. I just cannot see why it is taking so long. I am not happy about it.
“They said it would be one or two weeks – but it has been more than seven months.
“I keep saying to them, ‘Just let me in’, and I ask, ‘Is there some problem?’ They will not even let me bid for a different place as I have been given this one.”
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Food prices that are rising and dropping
Here is a list of the supermarket goods that are shooting up in price, and which is dropping.
While most items are increasing, there are a surprising handful of foods that are dropping in price.
Long lasting goods are rising in price rapidly, including pastas, breads, teas, and frozen goods.
However, it appears that mince meat, sugars, rice and orange juice are dropping in price.
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Cost of living help payments available from the Government
Here is a list of all the help available for Brits.
- £200 household support fund, which you can apply for on your local council’s website
- £400 energy grant, the discount for energy bills is being paid into bank accounts in instalments
- £650 cost of living payment, one half made in July and the second half in autumn
- £150 disability cost of living payment, automatically paid for those who are eligible
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Additional cost of living help and warm banks
Charities and organisations are offering warmth support for struggling Brits.
Warm banks are being set up across the UK to keep Brits out of the cold.
These public living rooms will be open for all to come and warm up in for no extra cost.
Bristol, London, Birmingham and Glasgow are just a handful of cities with warm bank plans for the winter.
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Norwegian woman offers cold weather advice
Lea Dzifa Seeberg shared some tips for Brits to help brave the cold this winter.
In Norway, temperatures can drop to a blisteringly cold -15 C.
Writing for MyLondon, Lea advises Brits opt for “wool jumpers and leggings” of around 50 per cent wool, and to wear plenty of layers.
She added that running warm water over your pressure points, such as wrists, can help you warm up, Lea wrote “you’re essentially heating up your blood the tiniest bit”.
Eating soup is also another great way to warm up, Lea informed her readers.
“Complex carbohydrates and root vegetables that take longer to digest make your body work harder, which also heats you up,” she wrote.
Primark’s affordable thermal layersCredit: Stewart Williams -
HSBC’s money saving tips for Brits
The bank has issued advice via its website to help customers make the most of their money during the cost of living crisis.
Customers are advised to regularly check their direct debit payments, to make sure they aren’t paying for unnecessary subscriptions.
To save money on fuel, HSBC tells customers to ensure tires are pumped with air, that cars aren’t carrying heavy loads and to change up gears early to keep the revs low.
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Staple cupboard food prices soars
Foods such as pastas, cooking oil, bread and tea have shot up by almost 65 per cent.
The Office of National Statistics revealed that supermarket goods have increased in price by 17 per cent.
Pasta prices hit 60 per cent, tea jumped up to 65 per cent and chips went up by 39 per cent.
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Which benefits must rise in line with inflation?
The following nine benefits are legally required to have their payments rise with the previous September’s rate of inflation each April:
Each of the above benefits are expected to rise by 10.1% from April 2023, though the government has yet to confirm that.
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How long will the food in your fridge last during blackouts?
Brits have been warned they could be facing planned blackouts this winter, as Europe is gripped by an energy crisis.
According to the Food Standards Agency, your fridge freezer will keep your food safe for up to four hours.
Since the blackouts should only last three hours, your food should be safe during these periods.
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Free debt advice
If you’re in debt there are plenty of services you can take advantage of and they offer free advice on how to manage debt.
Most of them can offer you free guidance and help in person, over the telephone or online.
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Martin Lewis reveals the cheapest time to do your washing
Speaking on the new series of his Money Show Live, Martin Lewis revealed the best time to do your washing is 10pm.
But it’s not the case for everyone.
According to Lewis, this tip only applies if “you have a time-of-use tariff, like ECO 7 or Eco 10.”
Most people currently pay the same amount for energy throughout the day and night, unless they are on an Economy 7 or 10 tariff.
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Food banks ‘saved my skin’, as prices soar
One Brit opens up about how food banks are vital for survival as prices surge.
A Londoner said “for a single bloke such as myself, it’s a helpline to get some food to survive”.
Gary, who lives in Kingston, saw his energy bills increase from £67 to £125 for his one bedroom flat, reported the Independent.
He told the publication that a box from a food bank lasts him two weeks and makes all the difference.
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How to save money while heating your home
Energy experts revealed the exact temperature that you should set your thermostat on this winter to save on energy bills and still feel warm.
The Energy Saving Trust recommends that you set your thermostat to the “lowest comfortable temperature” which would be between 18 and 21 degrees Celsius.
Turning down your temperature by just a degree can save you as much as £100 a year on your bill.
The more you cut down, the more you save.
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Full list of price changes in the last 12 months
- Vegetable oil: 65.2%
- Pasta: 59.9%
- Tea: 46%
- Chips: 38.7%
- Bread: 37.6%
- Biscuits: 34.4%
- Mixed frozen vegetables: 31.9%
- Milk: 29.4%
- Crisps: 23.7%
- Tomatoes: 19.3%
- Instant coffee: 18.8%
- Sausages: 18.3%
- Onions: 18%
- Apples: 17.2%
- Baked beans: 16.2%
- Potatoes: 13.2%
- Fish Fingers: 13.1%
- Tomato ketchup: 12.1%
- Breakfast cereal: 10.6%
- Cheese: 10.4%
- Chicken breast: 10.1%
- Ham: 9.9%
- Bananas: 7%
- Fruit squash: 6.7%
- Yoghurt: 6.6%
- Pizza: 3.2%
- Rice: -0.2%
- Granulated sugar: -0.3%
- Beef mince: -7.4%
- Fruit juice orange: -8.9%
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What items have decreased in price?
For four of the 30 items, the lowest prices fell on average during the same period.
The largest price decrease measured was for fruit orange juice with an 9% fall in price, followed by beef mince which saw an 7% decrease.
The price of granulated sugar also fell, but by just 0.3%.
Rice also decreased in price by an average of 0.2%.
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What budget food items have increased the most?
The latest ONS food data shows that the price of vegetable oil increase the most in the last year.
It has gone up by 80p on average in the last year, with one litre now costing around £2.58 – an increase of 65.2%.
Some supermarkets such as Tesco, Iceland and Morrisons started rationing vegetable oil earlier this year due to shortages sparked by the Ukraine and Russia conflict.
The price of chips has gone up by around 38.7% – up 27 pence to £1.37 for 1.5kg.
While four pints of milk will now set you back an average of £1.52.
Other essentials such as crisps, instant coffee, sausages and onions rose by around 20%.
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What will happen today?
10.15am: Outgoing PM’s favoured podium will then be wheeled out as she says farewell to the nation and sums up her short time in office with a Downing Street speech.
10.30am: Ms Truss visits the King to formally resign, followed by Rishi Sunak, who will invite him to form a new Government.
11am: Rishi Sunak will give his first speech to the nation outside the famous No10 door.
AFTERNOON: New PM and his top team will appoint his new Cabinet and start running the country.
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Price of budget food items on the rise
The price of budget food items has risen by 17% in the year to September, the Office for National Statistics said.
It comes as inflation is at a 40-year high, with prices up 10.1% in a year.
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Five payments could hit your bank account before Xmas
Millions of Brits may be eligible for up to five payments paid into their bank accounts BEFORE Xmas amid the soaring cost of living.
Firstly, the second half of the government’s cost of living payment, worth £324, will be sent from November 8, with everyone claiming Universal Credit, Child Tax Credits and other benefits being eligible.
Other help includes the pensioner cost of living payment, worth £300, the Warm Home Discount, worth £150, the household support fund, adding another £150, and the cold weather payment, valued at £75.
Together these payments add up to almost £1,000, which could prove to be a massive help as we enter a tough winter.
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Market officials call on Sunak to end ‘uncertainty’
Business leaders have asked the new Prime Minister to put a stop to “political and economic uncertainty”.
British Chambers of Commerce’s director general Shevaun Haviland said: “The political and economic uncertainty of the past few months has been hugely damaging to British business confidence and must now come to an end,” said
“The new prime minister must be a steady hand on the tiller to see the economy through the challenging conditions ahead.”
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Thousands could be missing out on up to £3,000 holiday pay
Thousands of temporary workers could be missing out on up to £3,000 holiday pay without realising.
Support group IWORK has revealed many might not be getting the pay they deserve as we run into an expensive winter.
According to the Office of National Statistics, there are 1.6million temporary workers in the UK.
Support organisation IWORK said many of them work through umbrella companies and employment agencies – and they’re not getting told about holiday pay.
This means they won’t know if or how to claim it.
The average annual temp worker salary is £26,000.
So if just 2% of temp workers are missing out on a £3,000 annual holiday pay entitlement based on that figure, it means a whopping £97million is going unclaimed nationwide.
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Martin Lewis reveals the cheapest time to do your washing
Speaking on the new series of his Money Show Live, Martin Lewis revealed the best time to do your washing is 10pm.
But it’s not the case for everyone.
According to Lewis, this tip only applies if “you have a time-of-use tariff, like ECO 7 or Eco 10.”
Most people currently pay the same amount for energy throughout the day and night, unless they are on an Economy 7 or 10 tariff
