Wouldn’t it be nice to have a few extra pounds in your purse at the end of each month? Now wouldn’t it be even nicer if this could happen without having to cut out our well-earned treats and luxuries and without having to sign up for overtime at work? As crazy as it sounds, something as simple as reassessing your monthly bills can be well worth the effort.
Even though it may be simple however, it’s surprising how many of us neglect the chance to save some easy money. So just how easy is it? Let’s consider a few of the easiest ways to save money on the most common household bill, energy.
Energy switching
The reason we’re looking at energy is because it is probably the highest regular household bill that most families will face.
So how can we cut down this mammoth bill?
I know that it’s not the most exciting type of shopping there is but shopping around for the best deal on your energy can sometimes be just as thrilling if you find a great deal.
These days there are loads of comparison sites out there that can help you to find the best current available deals on both gas and electricity, with sites like uSwitch still being one of the most popular. Due to so much publicity about energy companies ripping off their customers, some energy companies seem to be getting a bit fairer with some of the deals they have on offer, finally! For example, when we were shopping around for a better energy deal recently we ended up with a choice between two or three similarly priced deals. After comparing them all we opted for the EDF Blue Price Promise. It was a fixed deal that I’ll admit was slightly higher priced than one of the others on offer but it did include a clause where they would allow you to switch without penalty during the fixed period if you found a better deal elsewhere. The deal even goes as far as to alert you if you could save more than £1 a week on another tariff, even if it comes from another company. So we thought that that was the best option for us at the time.
Cashback on energy deals and bills
As well as making sure you are on the right tariff for you, cashback is another great way to save those important pounds. With the EDF deal we also managed to get a cashback deal from one of the most popular cash back websites around, making the deal even more attractive. In the past we’ve even managed to bag £100 worth of shopping vouchers – needless to say I was over the moon 🙂 – when using a comparison site to switch our energy supplier. But it’s not just one off cashback deals that are available nowadays. There are also ways to get regular cashback. The Santandar 1|2|3 Current Account for example offers a regular 3% monthly cashback amount on some household bills, which could add to the savings already made by shopping around. So when you combine cashback offers with switching to the best deal around, there are some big savings to be made.
Thinking about energy efficiency
I am sure all you parents out there can relate to the fact that having little ones around the house can make a big difference to your energy bills.
The laundry alone is a never ending mountain we have to tackle every day. I’m not sure about your house but in mine it is a minimum of two washes a day. This in turn means that on those cold and wet days (which Lancashire is so wonderfully abundant in) it is two loads to be hung out and dried on the radiators, argh! Obviously in the summer we can save money on our energy by hanging the washing outside which is a lovely treat to the bank balance.
Also, we all know how much children love a good bubble bath. And as much as it is lovely to make them squeaky clean before bedtime, it isn’t great to have to use so much hot water every day. But instead of cutting down on their baths or switching them to showers (not that I haven’t tried it is just that they weren’t willing to cooperate on that one), I try to claw some of the money back by cutting down on my own shower time – apart from when I’ve had a bad day of course and then it’s a hot bubble bath and a glass of wine for me. 😉
So after looking at just two areas where having a family really bumps up the amount of energy we have to use, it just goes to show how important it is that we are on the best tariff available and that we are making the most of any cashback deals around.
I am sure you will agree that there are simply loads of money saving tips when it comes to energy but rather than me delve in to all of them, let me ask you a question instead.
What are your favourite money saving tips on energy?
Wow, I’m envious of the different options you have to save energy in the UK! In the US no matter where you live there’s usually just one gas provider, one electricity provider, etc. We try to keep our energy bills down by unplugging appliances when not in use and getting rid of as many electric gadgets as possible :-). We have our heat programmed to decrease at night to save energy. I agree the laundry is crazy with a little one in the house!
Hi Dee 🙂 It sounds like you’ve mastered how to keep your energy bills down even if you can’t shop around. I wish there was a way round the laundry with kids but so far I think the only other option would be to not do it at all lol I don’t think that would go down too well!
I just bought an AC that is high energy efficiency ratio, my old AC was an old model. I’m also planning to replace our old refrigerator, I found out that you need to change your 10-15 year old refrigerator because it will definitely increase your electricity bill.
That’s a great tip clarisse, it makes sense that old models are likely to be less energy efficient. Definitely something to keep in mind 🙂