How to Save Money on Your Household Bills?

How to Save Money on Your Household Bills?

Recent years have seen household bills and the cost of living shoot up and for many families, it can be hard to keep up. If you’re one of the homeowners who are starting to feel the pinch, it can be a god idea to review your household bills. You may be tied to a contract with some but is there opportunity to cut the cost of your bills? Read our top tips on the most common household bills and how to reduce the cost of each.

Use Less Water

This may seem totally obvious but the UK water board charges you for the water you use. Where possible, you should try to use as little water as possible. Consider having a shower rather than a bath and don’t keep the tap running whilst doing the dishes or brushing your teeth. If you have a dishwasher, you should only use it when the dishwasher is full and more often than not, you would actually use less water if you washed them by hand instead.

Turn Your Thermostat Down

Your thermostat is used to sense the warmth of the room and switches the central heating off when the temperature is reached. Usually, a temperature of 18-21°C can be the most comfortable in a UK home. But, by turning down your thermostat by 1 degree you could save around 10% on your energy bill. Take some time to find a temperature that’s right for your household without wasting energy.

Refinance Your Car

Cars are now part of many driver’s household bills, and the majority of UK drivers rely on finance or credit to fund their car. If you’re struggling with your current car finance payments, you could see if you could refinance the deal to a cheaper one. Find the best car finance companies to help you replace your current loan with a new loan but with better terms.

This could be smaller monthly payments or a lower interest rate which helps to save you money in the long run. This is a good idea if you are more than halfway through your current agreement and interest rates have dropped or your credit score has increased since you first took out the loan.

Get Rid of Streaming Services

We are truly spoilt for choice when it comes to what we can watch on the TV. However, there are more streaming services than ever to choose from. How many of us are guilty of signing up for a free trial but never cancelling it? Now is a great time to review what you’re currently pay for and get rid of the ones you do not need.

You should also check out what the streaming service offers as you may be paying for more than you need to. For example, if you can’t live without your Netflix account, why not switch to their standard package with adverts instead of paying full whack?

Use Supermarket Mobile Apps

More UK supermarkets are adopting a mobile app to give rewards to customers when they shop and scan. By scanning a digital card at the checkout, you can use your app to collect points or get money off your shopping’s. Some supermarkets also use this type of reward scheme to give shoppers a reward when they spend so much within the month.

Some of these rewards schemes can also be used when refuelling your car too so you can save when you fill up. Budgeting and meal planning for your weekly food shop is one of the best financial habits you should get into to help reduce how much you’re spending on food.

Haggle Your Broadband

Around 96% of UK homes and premises have access to broadband but it’s no secret that broadband is expensive. If you feel you’re being over-charged, you should take a look at your current contract and see what you get for your money. Superfast broadband may be a necessity if you work from home or have many devices connected at once, but simple speed test can show you how much broadband you actually use.

If you feel like you could downgrade your package to a lower speed, you could save yourself money. Alternatively, many consumers swear by contacting their current provider and asking them for a better deal when you say you’re broadband is too expensive. Usually, these companies will do what they can to keep you as a customer.

Reduce Your Phone Bill

If you’re currently tied into a mobile phone contract, it can be hard to cancel until your agreement ends. However, we recommend setting a reminder for when your contract end date is due and hunting around for some cheap SIM-only deals. There are many online sites to help you quickly compare mobile phone deals and find the best one for your situation and budget.