In some circumstances you could save 50% on the bills just by doing a few simple things. Whatever you use the extra money for, whether it be booking that holiday you've wanted for a while or paying off those credit cards, extra cash always comes in handy. I've actually done a lot of these things myself too so I know how effective they can be.
Electricity & Gas
Obviously a great way to start is by getting your house properly insulated. But lots of people are struggling for disposable income now so paying large amounts of money to have your walls pumped with foam and loft filled with insulation isn't always an option.
Prices between suppliers and tarriffs could vary by as much as £500 annually. Trawling through bills and energy use is a boring and tedious task, as I know because I've just done it all. Some people may be on a high rate without even realising! I thought my bills were quite low but looking around on the net I found a few comparison sites that comparen prices between suppliers impartially. The one I used was http://www.simplyswitch.com/energy/ I am now saving 23% on my energyg bills and I thought they were cheap already. Not only that but I'm also earning about 750 AirMiles per year because of the supplier I chose (SouthernElectric). A few other supplier also offer insentives.
Changing suppliers is a great way to start, but most prices do go up over time. So it is recommended that you check every 6 months or so to see if you could be getting a better deal elsewhere. You can also save money by paying by Direct Debit and having your Gas & Electric from the same suppliers. Also, remember that many suppliers send you estimated bills of your usage. Make sure you keep the readings up to date. You can do this either online or on the phone just by reading the numbers from your meter and telling your supplier. This means you wont be paying too much, or more importantly too little. As I found myself with a £400 electricity bill earlier this year as it had been estimated too low for 12 months so they wanted the outstanding amount in one go.
Next steps....
Now you know you have the cheapest electricity and gas, start thinking about using less. Here's a few ways to do it. It may seem awkward or hard to get used to at first, but in a while it becomes second nature;
- Make sure your curtains are lined - this can be done by buying lining from a fabric shop for as little as £10 and will stop all that valuable heat being lost through your windows. Close them as soon as it becomes dark and enjoy the warmth
- Don't have the heating on if you don't need it. Lots of people have thermostats set too high and set to come on when they're not even in the house. Make sure it's off when you're out and only turn it on when you're cold. Once your house has reached temperature, turn it off. It should be set to around 68 Degrees Farenheit (20 degrees Celsius).
- Lots of people walk around the house in shorts and a t-shirt. You will find that if you wear some socks, comfy trousers and a nice snuggly jumper you can set the temperature much lower.
- Replace your lightbulbs with energy saving ones. Estimated saving is £24 per year and they last around 6 years in some cases so that's a big saving. Especially considering that lots of places are giving them away for free now. B & Q in the UK are currently giving away 2 free energy saving bulbs to each customer.
- If there's a room that you don't use very often such as a spare room or second bathroom, then turn off the raditors in that room and keep the door closed. Also, try to only heat the rooms you're using. This can be done if you have a multi-room thermostat, but if you don't then just turn the radiators down, or even off in those rooms. Estimated saving is upto £40 annually.
- Ready for a new boiler? Get a Band A Condensing boiler. Estimated saving £73 per year.
- According to EnergyWatch. If you unplug unused appliances at night you could save upto £40 a year. This shouldn't just be done at night though. If you're not in a room then unplug everything in it (within reason). You will save a fortune, trust me I've done it. If something is plugged in but switched off, it will still use energy.
- If you have a boiler that heats water as you use it, then wash your hands with the cold water tap instead of hot.
- Kettles use huge amounts of energy! The more water that's in it the more energy it uses, so just put in the water that you need.
Saving on your Broadband
With a huge number of internet users now having Broadband, it is an expense that has an effect on many people. Searching for the best deal to suit you could save you money and get you better internet!
Things to consider;
- True cost – multiply the cost per month by length of contract to iron out any initial deal periods
- Usage levels – if you download films and TV an uncapped deal may be worthwhile
- Equipment and connection – will you have to pay for a modem setup and connection?
What do you want from your broadband. Some companies offer packages that give you landline calls, broadband and Digital TV all included. These offers are very good if you use all 4 as it will likely work out cheaper than using 3 different suppliers.
A quick tip is something that I did with my Broadband with AOL. If you call them and say you're thinking of terminating your contract with them because of the cost (obviously only after mandatory contract has expired) then they will likely put you through to their retentions department who will try and keep you. They will sometimes offer you a cheaper deal. I got mine down from £15.99 per month to £9.99 per month for the same package. They're more likely to do this if you've been a customer for a while.
Here's some deals that I feel are currently the best for the different options;
Broadband Only
O2 Broadband - Standard (O2 customers only) - Upto 8mb connection speed, 12 month contract, unlimited download limit, Free connection, Free wireless router.
£90 per year (£7.50 per month)
PlusNet - Broadband Your Way Option 1 - Upto 8MB connection speed, 12 Month contract, 2gb download limit (additional GB's can be bought for 75p each per month at time of purchase), Free connection & wireless router.
£126.87 per year (£9.99 per month)
O2 Broadband - Standard (non O2 customers) - Upto 8MB connection speed, 12 month contract, unlimited download limit, Free connection & Free wireless router.
£150 per year (£12.50 per month)
Broadband and Phone
Virgin Media - Broadband M & Phone - Upto 2MB download speed, 12 Month contract, Unlimited Downloads (however does have a 'fair usage policy' where if you excessively use the internet then your speed may be cut so only suitable for medium level users and not heavy downloaders), Free weekend calls to landlines. £84 for first year plus £132 line rental with Virgin.
Total cost including all setup etc £216 for first year, £15.50 per month. I have just swicthed to this saving on average £60 per year in comparison to BT and AOL.
NB. Goes upto £20 per month all inclusive after first 12 month but is only 12 month contract.
Broadband, Phone and Digital TV
VirginMedia - 3 for £19 - Broadband M +TV M + Talk Weekends - Upto 2MB download speed, 12 Month contract, Unlimited downloads (again fair usage policy applies). Free weekend calls to landlines, Digital TV package channel list available here > http://allyours.virginmedia.com/html/sorter/channels_sizel.htmlTotal first year cost including Virgin line rental £360 or £30 per month.
Compared to similar package with BT which costs approx £458.76 for first year. NB.. BT package includes Setanta Sports.
In conclusion, Virgin does seem to be the 'Mother of all Broadband'.
Mobile Phone Bills
When buying a new contract mobile phone, many of us would go for the most minutes and texts possible thinking we were going to the best deal. However, research has shown that many users only use around 50% of their allocation, and that by going on a price plan that fits them better, they could be saving up to £10 per month, and much more over the length of their contract. What I'm saying is choose a price plan realistically.
If you're buying a new mobile phone, I believe you're much better off going into a store which sells all different network's phones such as Phones4U. They can compare all the different networks and find one to fit you. Also try using a mobile phone comparison site such as http://www.omio.com/ to find the right deal for you. Set how much you want to spend and see what you can get for it, you may be surprised at some good deals.
If you go into a mobile phone shop, make sure you know a few different deals, the people in them after all are salespeople. Many of them work on commission and so want to sell to you and are often willing to negotiate to get that sale. When I went for a new mobile phone I ended up with a top of the range phone, a great price plan, a Free bluetooth headset, free case and £75 in my pocket.
You'll probably find that the salespeople can vary rarely alter the price plans or call charges but you can get many free extras. The tip is, let them think they've got a sale. The show some hesitation, then make them think you're having second thoughts and see what they will offer.
I hope you've enjoyed this post and I really hope it helps to save you loads of money. If you try any of the things in the post then please comment and let me know, it's always nice to know all your hard work and research hasn't gone unnoticed.
There will be a few more posts in the Pennies Make Pounds series so be sure to follow my blog so you don't miss out on great ways to save money on your travel, your motoring, your financial services and above all the final in the series Pennies Make Pounds: Essential Tips and Tricks which will be full of useful, quirky advice to save money in your everyday life.
Thanks for reading.
+Information and prices, approximately correct at the time of posting. All information is offered as a guide only. Readers should always shop around and personally check the terms and conditions of any contract they sign. I cannot be held responsible for any loss, whether financial or otherwise as a result of this post.
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