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Winter money saving tips

26/10/2015

You may have noticed the days are beginning to get shorter and the cold weather is slowly creeping in. Winter is sneaking up on us, and we all need to make sure we keep warm and look after ourselves.

With help from some great parent bloggers, Cat and Helen, we have come up with some of the best winter money saving tips you can follow to make sure your winter is financially stress free!

Keeping warm at home


For many of us, the first time we really feel the touch of winter is when we start to get cold within our own home. I know many of us at financialadvice.co.uk have already flirted with the idea of putting our heating on, but the cost of heating your home can really add up over time.
If you are trying to stop yourself from reaching for that heating dial, why not follow some of these great tips:

• Check your energy tariff
Try to check what energy tariff you are on as soon as you want to start putting your heating on again. If you have never switched providers before, you could save hundreds of pounds a year on your bills. Check out price comparison websites, and make sure you take into consideration other providers than the “Big Six” (British Gas, EDF Energy EON, Npower Scottish Power and SSE) as you may be able to get better deals and discounts from smaller providers.

• Keep your oven open
A great tip shared was to leave your oven open after you have been cooking to warm your kitchen up. After cooking, turn your oven off as usual, but simply leave the door open so your kitchen can take advantage of the excess heat. You will not be using any extra energy, so it’s a win win!

• Invest in a good pair of slippers
This may sound too simple to be true, but a warm, fluffy pair of slippers can make you feel so much warmer than bare feet alone. Try it, and you might be surprised how much less you turn the heating on!

• Regularly bleed your radiators
Trapped air or gas in radiators will prevent them from heating fully. Bleeding your radiators is a simple and easy job and will ensure you get as much heat as you should, preventing you from turning up the radiators to higher than they need to be!


Out and about


So, we know we have the odd rainy, windy freezing day when all you want to do is curl up on the sofa in your PJ’s, but getting out and about in the winter can be a great experience. Think crisp, sunny mornings, thermos flask of warm hot chocolate or maybe even a mulled wine! There are so many things you can do in winter for little to no money, and don’t forget; when you are out of the house you are saving money on heating it!

• Go on a walk
So many people put off going for a walk when it gets a little colder. Wrap yourself and your kids up warm, grab some sandwiches and head for the great outdoors. When it gets cold enough to frost over or even snow, places you visit regularly can become a whole new landscape, and you may see things in a different way than you have before. Afterwards, you can treat everyone to a lovely hot chocolate to warm them up!

• Visit the Christmas markets
Christmas markets have really taken off in the last few years, and if you live in a large city or have one near you, you can almost guarantee that there will be some kind of Christmas market in it. Why not check out which one is nearest to you and make a day of it? Visit the stalls, taste the culinary delights and maybe pick up some Christmas presents in the process.

• Go and see the Christmas lights switch on
Most towns and cities will have a night they put aside to switch their Christmas decorations on, and encourage the crowds by inviting a celebrity to do the honour. This can be a really fun night for everyone, as there is usually entertainment for the kids, and sometimes live music and mulled wine for the parents.

There are plenty of ways to save money and keep everyone entertained through the winter and these are just a few suggestions. If you have any more great tips, let us know via Twitter @Financialuk and don’t forget, if you have any financial questions you need answering, ask us online, or give us a call on 0800 092 1245.
We would like to say a massive thank you to Cat and Helen who helped us come up with some of the tips in this article. Cat runs the blog Rock and Roll Pussycat, which offers great tips and reviews. Helen runs the blog Mummy to the Max which offers advice, competitions and reviews for families. Both blogs are great, we highly recommend them!


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