Household bills & expenses: Crosslight’s money-saving tips

Written By Lorelei Freeman

Water

If there are more (or the same number of) bedrooms in your house than people, it’s probably cheaper to get a water meter: try the Consumer Council for Water’s online calculator to check.  

Consider applying for free water-saving gadgets to reduce your usage – Money Saving Expert keeps an updated list of the different water companies and what you can get from them. 

Apply to your water company to go onto a social tariff (reduced bills for those on a low income, or those who need to use a lot of water), with eligibility criteria differing from company to company. See a full list of criteria here. 

 

Energy-saving measures

Using less electricity, gas and water can bring your bills down: find lots of ideas at https://www.themoneycourse.org/money-tip/energy-saving-around-the-home  

Longer-term options include home improvements: check out https://www.gov.uk/improve-energy-efficiency (or call 0800 098 7950) for recommendations of ways to make your property cheaper to heat and keep warm.  

Council tax

It’s worth checking your council tax band as many houses are classified incorrectly – try Which’s guide for details on how the system works, and the challenge process.   

Insurance

As above, never just renew – always haggle! 

Consider using the same provider for multiple insurance policies, if appropriate – they may be able to offer a discount for this. 

Entertainment (TV, music, magazines and books) 

  • Consider swapping subscriptions on a monthly basis / as required to watch the programmes or series you want, rather than paying for more than one streaming service - Netflix, Now TV, Amazon Prime and Disney+ will allow you to cancel monthly subscriptions at any point with no exit fee.  A website / app such as Just Watch (free to use) allows you to check which services are showing which programmes and plan how to alternate.   

  • Check out free alternatives for both TV and music – you can watch All 4, ITVX and My 5  for free, as long as you’re not using them to watch live TV.  

    Check which channels are available through Freeview - if these are enough for you, it will probably be cheaper to purchase a Freeview box and connect that to a TV rather than paying for a monthly contract to a TV provider. 

    BBC Sounds and many commercial radio stations are also free to access, offering a wide range of genres and playlists, as well as podcasts, so you can choose whatever you’re in the mood for.  

  • The local library is the place to go for free access to newspapers, magazines and e-books, as well as to borrow good old-fashioned books too of course – you can often sign up online with your library card to access thousands of books from your home computer or tablet. 

 
Around the house 

Repair broken items, including electronics, rather than replacing them; not only is this better for the environment but also means that well-loved items can be given a second lease of life, and also saves money on a replacement. 

Check out community repair projects such as Men in Sheds or the Repair Café network, as a start for finding free or low-cost repair options, often carried out by volunteers.  

Lorelei Freeman
Next

Phone & internet: Crosslight’s money-saving tips