7 ways to beat the Cost of Living Hikes

All we hear about these days is the cost of living crisis, with inflation hitting historic highs and energy prices going through the roof and even grocery prices increasing. This is all squeezing people’s pockets and we are all looking at different ways to help reduce our outgoings. In this guide we will give you 7 ways to beat the cost of living crisis.

1. Ditch unused or unnecessary Subscriptions.

Although often hidden in our month to month expenses, we all have multiple subscriptions to things like TV packages, Broadband, phone, gyms, hobby clubs, wine clubs, magazines and even apps that take a few pound each month but we rarely remember to use them. Take a careful look at all of these and see which ones you really don’t need. Do you really need all the sports channels or the premium gym membership? You’d be amazed how much you can save by simply downgrading or cancelling your subscriptions

2. Use the sales

Retailers know that we are struggling and they are all working hard to provide various ways to help but even outside of that there are always seasonal sales, plan ahead and make sure that you take advantage of them. Be careful, though and keep an eye on the items you want as not all sales are as good as they claim. Make sure you are getting a real bargain. Keep an eye out for end of line sales as well, as these really do have great savings. When looking to make any new purchase it pays to shop around, Google the name and make of the product and reassure yourself that you really are getting a good deal.

3. Buy own brands

There are some items whereby buying the branded item simply cannot be compromised on (for me that is a hard and fast rule on baked beans and chocolate), but for more and more daily items, shop own brands are very good quality and they can be considerably cheaper. Don’t be afraid to shop in budget stores as well, you’ll be surprised at how good the quality is.

4. Energy saving

Reduce the energy you are using. Simple actions like; turning appliances off completely rather than leaving them on standby, changing your bulbs to LEDs, avoid leaving devices on charge past their full point as this still draws power and will affect the lifetime of your battery, installing draft excluders so your home retains the heat more, taking shorter showers, turning the heating down by just 1 degree and air drying clothes rather than using the tumble drier and running wash cycles at a lower temperature will all add up and make a big difference to your energy bills.

5. Save water

There is plenty that can be done to save water. Install a water butt to capture rainwater to water your garden with. Only use your washing machine and dishwasher when you have full load, take a shorter showers rather than a bath, use a water saving shower head and fix that leaking tap. Saving water is actually pretty easy and will help the planet and your wallet!

6. Conserve fuel

We all love our cars but fuel prices have gone mad! By driving a little slower, accelerating more gently and braking more conservatively and ensuring your tyres are at the right pressure. All of these measures will give you better fuel economy and reduce your car running costs.

7. Packed lunches

We all need lunch to get us through the day, but how many of us pop to the shops or the canteen to buy food each day? It can be a lot cheaper, with a little preparation, to make a packed lunch. You’d be surprised how much you could save per week, just by making your own lunches.

For more great money saving and spinning tips, take a look at this page from Thisismoney.co.uk. There are loads of great tips to help you beat the cost of living hikes.