Do household bills always catch you on the hop? It’s easy just to think of them as a fact of life, something that you can’t do anything about, but you can! With just a little thought and some forward planning you’ll be amazed at the savings you can make and the best part is that you don’t have to go without to make it happen.
We’re looking at ways we can decrease our bills for a few reasons. Firstly, we’re planning and paying for our wedding that’s looming. Secondly, we’ve decided to go traveling, so we need to save as much as possible – but more on that soon. Thirdly, bills are such a boring thing to spend money on. Why spend more if you don’t have to!? Here are five ways to start saving money now:
Utilize your freezer
You’ve got a sizable freezer compartment integral to your fridge, don’t just use it for a few chips and a packet of frozen peas. Your freezer works most efficiently when it’s full, so keep it that way. Most items of food that are about to go out of date can be frozen and used at a later date.
Make sure you’ve always got a stock of freezer bags and freeze all your leftovers, from too much mash to chopped fruit for smoothies. There’s no reason ever to buy meat full price, just swing by the supermarket at the end of the day and pick up reduced bargains to freeze. Diced chicken breast and mince are always handy to have in the freezer for a rainy day.
Get the best deal on your energy consumption
Energy is expensive and likely to get more so. Reduce your gas and electric bills by shopping around for the best prices. 45% of people don’t ever recall switching their energy supplier; so many people could be paying more for their energy than they need to! It’s best to make sure you’re not one of these people.
Cultivate a money-saving mindset
Get into the habit of turning things off. Do you really need all those lights on? Are you using energy-efficient LED bulbs? Do you leave stuff plugged in all night when you don’t need to? All those little red charger lights are costing you money so make sure you unplug them when they’re not being used.
We’ve all got used to using water as if it was free, but it’s not, so turn off those taps and take showers rather than baths. Russian children go to school in temperatures of minus fifty, as soon as it drops below zero here we all rush to turn the heating up. Time to stop being such a softy, don’t reach for that dial, put a woolly on instead, it’s far healthier.
Invest in a wood burner
If you’re fortunate enough to own your own home and have a working fireplace, consider saving for a wood-burning stove. They not only look stylish, but they are also an economic and eco-friendly way to heat your home.
Insulate
Spending a little money now can save you an awful lot of money in the future. You may think that you can save money by not insulating your home but you’re wrong, you’ll soon recoup your expenditure and it’ll save you money year on year.
Look out for sales of insulation material and get that loft insulated, otherwise, your expensive heating is just going straight through the roof. Blinds may look stylish but they’re no good in winter, invest in some heavy-lined curtains and you’ll be amazed at the difference.