Money-Saving Tips for Families

With energy prices, food prices and petrol prices all soaring we all need some new ideas to save those pennies where we can. Here are some great suggestions from Mumbler’s which are easy to put into practice!

WEEKLY SHOP

• Bulk out family meals with extra veggies.
• Only do a shop once a week, no popping in for one item.
• Create a weekly meal plan and only buy the ingredients you need for the week. Allow yourself a couple of luxuries. This has made a huge difference for us. Knowing I have ingredients for 14 meals and a list on the fridge which I can cross off makes the never-ending “Mum what is for tea?” shout much easier to bear.
• Buy own-brand items rather than big brands.
• Buy larger packets of things such as rice and pasta. Yes it is more expensive to start with but the price per 100g is normally much lower.
• Bulk cook and freeze meals such as Spag Bol – saves time and energy!
• Try a local refill shop for things like pasta, rice, herbs and spices. They are often cheaper than buying new packages and better for the environment. Some of the refillable cleaning products have great reviews too!
• Switch from Face Wipes to a Face sponge.
• Buy own-brand nappies and baby wipes.
• Switch to shampoo bars rather than bottles, just as good a clean but with less packaging and they last way longer. We have just switched to a shower gel bar, it’s only been a week but it doesn’t seem to have got smaller at all yet!

ENERGY

• Wear more layers at home, buy some slippers and only boost the heating when you are cold. My OH laughs daily at me fully clothed and then in my dressing gown!
• Have the heating set on timers so it only comes on when you are actually in.
• Switch your provider every time your contract ends, we have saved loads over the years and there are so many good comparison sites available to use now. Mobile, Home Phone, Broadband, Electricity & Gas, Home & Car Insurance etc.
• Challenge current providers to reduce the bill, we got Sky down by £15 a month just by calling and switching to a new deal.
• If it’s dry outside hang your washing out. It may not dry completely but it gives it a good start meaning the tumble dryer or radiators need to be on for less time.
• Try a dehumidifier or electric drying rack for drying the washing. After a great question in the Wharfedale & Craven Mumbler chat group, and lots of research, we opted for a dehumidifier. According to the reviews, it costs 7p an hour to run (this was October 2022) and it really has been a game changer. I pop on a wash an hour before I go to bed, give it an extra spin cycle then pop the clothes on the rack. “Tent” the clothes with a towel (If you have washed one) or a double bed fitted sheet and leave overnight. The clothes are completely dry in the morning and there is no damp musty smell at all. It’s actually scary how much water is extracted and to think that would have just been floating around our house as moisture if the clothes had been on the radiator.
• Make the switch to energy-efficient lightbulbs and try to teach the kids to turn off the lights when they leave a room  I know it’s a battle we are ALL fighting at the moment!
• If you are at the gym, swimming lesson or sports facility take a shower there. Not only saves your water bills but energy bills too.
• Turn off TV’s and computer monitors at the power switch rather than with the remote to put them on standby.
• If you are still working from home look into what expenses you can claim back, it might not be much but every little helps.
• Only boil the water you need to use for your drink or food preparation. If there is any water left over put it in a thermos and use it to make your next drink or use it in a hot water bottle and turn off the heating!
• I know it’s the topic of lots of conversations recently but we have also switched to an Air Fryer for cooking our meals. We have not had it long enough to notice a difference in our bills as yet but the speed at which it cooks a meal surely must mean it is using less electricity! The food is lovely when air fried too! I will update in a few months once I can see a difference.

PETROL

• Keep an eye out for the cheapest local station. They change prices all the time!
• If you can walk, walk – or scoot or cycle! Saves on parking charges too.
• Have a look at local bus routes and see if you can make use of the service.