I cut down on my mobile bill by switching provider after 13 years! Also, I decided to cancel my tv subscription, go with freebies and get a cheaper internet. It saved me £720.

I also browse for best prices, shop around, make use of loyalty programs and cash back apps

Don’t expect to wander around in the winter wearing shorts and flip flops.  To achieve this you need to stop draughts but draughts are necessary ventilation.  Heat only the rooms you use and use TRVs (thermostatic radiator valves) to set each room at the necessary levels.  Do not prevent ventilation as you can create an unhealthy environment.  Wear slippers and jumper in the colder weather, like we used to do before central heating...

I opened a Monzo bank account and I love having pots to save for various things like holidays, hairdressers, dentist, car insurance etc. game changer for budgeting. 

When buying an expensive food item use an app like "trolley” to compare prices

Money saving sites and apps are great but bad timing mentioning Honey with the recent youtube reveals showing how scummy their practices are.

Do you use your library, or do you buy books for yourself or for your children and have a subscription for audio books or newspapers? You could visit your local library instead and save money. Joining and borrowing is free. Most libraries have e-books, e-audio books and e-magazines, and electronic daily newspapers to download to your phone or tablet, too. (If you haven't got a tablet, some libraries even let you borrow one)  Many libraries also offer free access to the Internet and access to subscription websites, including Ancestry, Find My Past, and Which? Often, there are free talks and social groups for adults and children, including lego clubs, knit and natter, story times, meet the author, reading groups and board games sessions. If you've not been in a library for a while you might be surprised at what's on offer. Your local council's website will list the opening times and what identification you need to join. I've used a library all my life and you might not be surprised to know I also work in one! 

Saving money is difficult. We have just moved into our first home so have spent a lot of money - like all of us, trying to get it perfect and it’s still not done! Budgeting by saving and scrimping where we can, buying things we need and not just things we want. Saving money regularly into savings accounts and supporting each other where we can. 

Making simple small changes that your whole family can do is easiest way to save money long term. For instance. We remove all plugs from sockets when not being used. This saves us approximately £40 over a year. 
I contacted my water authority as most of my children have now flown the nest and saved over £250 on my yearly bill as a low user. a water meter wasn’t possible so I got a sizeable reduction. 
turn your cooker off at the wall too when not in use. (Electric) I also have an indoor washing line at the top of my stairs so washing uses the heat from the home to dry overnight. Not expensive tumble drying. 
don’t be lulled into buying two for less bargains in the shops unless you know you will definitely use it. It’s a false economy. I used to do it a lot only to have the food go to waste. Buy only what you actually need. 


 

For me I would say heating at this time of year is very important. Turn your heating thermostat down a degree, if you are still warm enough turn it down another degree, keep going until you are not warm enough and then turn it back up one degree. Keep all room doors closed. Turn down thermostatic radiator valves in rooms that are not used. If you have a condensing boiler keep the flow temperature down as low as possible 50-60 degrees centigrade. When buying shopping check the prices of items online for your local supermarkets. There can be a considerable difference in price between them. If you drive to do your shopping make a list and if possible do a weekly supermarket shop, to save on fuel, better still if you have a bus pass use it, as it saves on fuel and ware and tare. 

Do a monthly budget, shop around, look for discounts, plan your money. Think about long term and short term