With UK household bills currently through the roof at around £1,500 per month, Britons today are certainly feeling the pinch.
However, there are a few very smart ways to save money that you may not have considered and could be sitting right under your nose. From looking at your TV subscriptions and selling items you no longer need, we propose a number of clever ways to save money around the house.
Looking at your TV subscriptions
With the rise of TV streaming channels such as Netflix, you may have noticed that the tech giants have slowly been upping their prices. It is not surprising that most UK households end up subscribing to not only Netflix but Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Disney for the kids, spending well over £50 per month. However, sometimes we stay subscribed just to watch the occasional show and do not cancel when we finish the season.
“There is certainly a saving to be hard here,” explains Dan Kettle, founder of price comparison, Proper Finance.
“We ran a survey that families who are using benefits or even payday loans are paying for all the main streaming services. When in fact, they could easily share a service or two with a loved one due to multiple accounts and maybe even cancel their £40 Sky package if they do not even use it.”
Being clever with your hot water
Hot water is expensive, with it costing Brits up to £400 per year. But there are ways to be clever with this. Simply using cold water for your washing has the same effect as warm or hot water. You should also consider using only the water you need in the kettle and not overboiling excess water.
Plus, whilst showers are far more cost efficient and energy efficient than baths, if you have small children under 5, why not consider bathing them together some nights to save money on water.
Selling items you don’t need
Whilst this might seem a little cliche, there is immense value in items that you no longer need around the house, including books, clothes and furniture. The things sitting in your loft, shed and back of your cupboards are all worth something and can very easily fetch a few hundred pounds and save on a lot of space and storage.
Switch to smart lights
Using smart light bulbs can save you £35 per year or more, depending on the size of your house. A simple LED smart bulb uses 25% to 30% less energy that a standard light and will continue to help you save year-on-year and it is a very quick exercise to change them around your house. Some other ways to save on lighting include just opening your blinds and using natural light in the spring and summer time!
Use home gyms
With the average cost of a gym membership at around £50 per month or £600 per year, you could be surprised at how much kit you could buy with even a fraction of that.
Checking Facebook marketplace for second hand machines and goods, or using Amazon or Temu, you could find some dumbbells, battle rope or chin up bars for a bargain.
