Tips to Minimise Your Cost of Living in North Somerset

What Do We Mean by the Cost of Living?

The cost of living, or the amount of money we need to cover every day expenses such as our food, electricity and fuel, has been driven up over the past 18 months by soaring inflation.

Currently sitting at 6.7%, inflation causes the price of everyday items to increase faster than the general populations wages. The prices of groceries, household bills and fuel all increase - sometimes dramatically, and make it more difficult for people to afford essential items. In jobs where driving is a necessity, such as homecare work, the increasing cost of fuel can massively affect people’s take home earnings.

Here Are a Few Money-Saving Tips From Right at Home North Somerset:

How can you save money when costs seem to increase almost weekly? Here are some tips to help:

Driving costs
Fuel prices have come down since their peak last year, however they’re still high enough to be making a real impact on the pocket of the average motorist.

For those whose job involves driving such as homecare workers, the cost of petrol and diesel is already a significant expense, and higher prices just add more strain to an already stretched budget. There are lots of ways to reduce fuel consumption, helping to reduce the amount of times you need to refuel and reducing the impact on your income.

To find your cheapest fuel stations in Weston, Clevedon, Portishead, or any other North Somerset location, you can use www.petrolprices.com

Declutter your car! If you keep things in your car that you don’t need to carry on a daily basis, take them out to reduce the weight of the car, and therefore reduce the amount of fuel it uses. If you have a roof rack then even if it’s empty, it could be increasing your fuel costs by 15%. Take it off to reduce the weight and also increase the aerodynamics of your vehicle which will, in turn, reduce the amount of fuel your car uses.

Drive efficiently. Driving smoothly, avoiding harsh acceleration or braking, and changing gears early can all increase your miles per gallon. Reading the road ahead, and avoiding excessive speed can also help to increase the amount of miles you can get from a tank of fuel.

Check your tyres. Tyres that are underinflated by 15psi can increase fuel consumption by up to 6%, as well as having safety implications as well. Regularly check your tyre pressure, either at a fuel station or by checking the tyre pressure monitor on your car (if you have one). Many modern cars will alert you if your tyre pressure drops, but it’s also good practice to ensure you’re regularly conducting your own vehicle checks.

Know when to use the air con. Most of us will be aware that using the air conditioning uses fuel, but there are times when it’s actually less costly to use it than it is to open the window. At lower speeds, opening the windows is the most cost effective option, whereas at higher speeds this can actually increase drag and use additional fuel so pressing the air con button is the most fuel efficient way to drive.

Take stock of your outgoings
Many of us will have outgoings that we consider necessary or can’t eliminate, but there may well still be a way to reduce their financial impact.

If you’re paying for multiple prescriptions per year, an NHS Payment Prescription Certificate could save you money by allowing you to pay once every 3 or 12 months, and includes all your prescriptions for that time period. According to the NHS website, if you need more than 3 prescriptions every 3 months, or 11 in 12 months, you could save money on the current price of £9.65 per item.

If you pay for a TV package, are you utilising everything it offers? If not, you might be able to change to a different package, drop channels you don’t watch or haggle a better price. The same can apply for your phone and broadband package - is the deal you’re signing up for as good as it appears? It can be easy for deals to sound good over the phone, but ensure you get it in writing before committing to anything to check that you’re actually getting what you need, and don’t be tempted to pay for a faster service than you need or can possibly get.

Double check that you’re getting the best deal on your mobile phone as well. If you’re not using the data, minutes and texts that you’re paying for then you could find a cheaper deal. It’s well worth spending some time looking at the current deals that are available, and then haggling with your current network with the view to leaving if they can’t offer a very similar price. Don’t be tempted to make a rash decision, get the figures and then evaluate whether or not what you’re being offered is actually a better deal.

Be smart about your food shop and cooking

Food prices have risen a huge amount with inflation, with average family food bills up around 15%.

It can help to plan your weekly meals if you aren’t already. This ensures that food waste is minimal, you can reduce the amount you spend on last minute lunches, and you can keep a healthy stock rotation in your cupboards as well.

Consider buying non branded alternatives to things you currently buy, or even switching supermarkets entirely. Even downshifting a few items on your weekly food shop can help to save money, and you even find that you prefer the new version!

If you can, batch cook and freeze meals for later. This allows you to reduce food waste and save money on cooking costs - reheating an already cooked meal will be considerably quicker than cooking from scratch. If you can’t, or don’t want to, cook your meals in advance, you can also make ‘grab bags’ to freeze. These consist of all the meat and veggies you’ll need for a warming recipe such as a stew, chopped and frozen ready to grab, defrost and cook! Slow cookers are a great option for saving energy, and mean you have a warm meal ready whenever you are.

If you regularly eat out, consider reducing the amount you do. Checking your bank statements to see how much you’re currently spending on eating out, food and drink can help you to assess whether you can make a cut back.

Monitor your energy usage at home
It’s no secret that energy bills have gone sky high over the last 12 months, and although the pressure is easing a little this year they can still make a huge dent in your income.

Heat the person, not the house. This can be a handy way to reduce the cost of heating bills. By layering up, using a blanket or even heated throw, and reducing the temperature on your central heating thermostat you can reduce the amount of heat needed and potentially reduce your bill as well.

Use a timer to avoid heating your home when you aren’t there, or to reduce the temperature of the house overnight. Submitting regular meter readings and reviewing your direct debit can ensure that you’re not overpaying, and only paying for what you’re using.

Consider having a water meter installed. Without a water meter, your bill is based on ‘rateable value’ rather than what you actually use and who wants to pay for more than they’re actually using?

Take advantage of rewards and discounts in North Somerset
Taking advantage of reward schemes and discounts can be a great way to save money on items and services that you would be buying anyway.

● Honey and Pouch are browser extensions (internet add ons) that work by finding coupons automatically and applying them at more than 21,000 retailers

● Top Cashback gains you a percentage of what you pay back as a reward when you shop via their site

● Airtime Rewards links to your bank account and automatically tracks your spending at over 100 retailers and gives you 1% to 10% cashback at them to redeem against your mobile phone bill

● Blue Light Card provides those in the NHS, emergency services, social care sector and armed forces with discounts online and in store. As a Right at Home CareGiver, you can sign up using your payslip

We understand that the Cost of Living crisis is having a significant impact on people across the country. Even though prices may be gradually starting to stabilise, they have still increased a huge amount and the pressure on people’s income is still enormous.

If you’re looking for a job that is well paid and flexible with great benefits, why not get in touch with us here at Right at Home North Somerset to find out more about our current Care Giver vacancies. We can offer both full time and part time positions, with evening and weekend work available as well.