13 ways to reduce living costs this month

Whether you turn the heating on rather than fixing draughts or you like to leave your TV on standby, you could be driving up the price of your bills. 

There's a variety of ways you can reduce your bills by making the smallest of changes.

Barratt Homes has put together a list of 13 tips that could help you reduce the money you spend so if you’ve been struggling to find ways that work for you, look no further.

13 tips to help you reduce your household bills this month

Wash clothes at a lower temperature

Buying washing tablets and fabric conditioner at supermarket prices could help too.

Use the eco setting when washing clothes

Washing at a lower temperature uses less energy but still cleans your clothes.

A washing machine (Canva)

Choose a shower instead of a bath

Unless you share your bathwater, having a quick shower instead of a bath could help you reduce your energy bill. Check how much you’re spending with a water meter.

If you have a gym membership, you could try showering at the gym. The same goes for if you have access to a shower at work.

Close windows and keep draughts out

Try to solve draughts by adding curtains or a draught excluder to a room instead of turning the heating on.

Windows with plants and ornaments on the windowsill (Canva)

Choose natural drying techniques

Hang clothes on hangers or a clothes airer to avoid using the tumble dryer.

Energy-efficient appliances

When the time comes to buy new appliances, opt for energy-efficient ones to help save money.

You can also buy a smaller fridge freezer, keep it out of direct sunlight to stop it working harder and defrost your freezer once a year to help with costs.

Unplug instead of using standby

Unpluging plugs from sockets reduces energy while keeping a TV on standby wastes it.

A TV remote next to a bowl of popcorn (Canva)

Use public transport

Working from home or commuting via public transport can save on bills such as fuel, insurance, MOT and tax.

Buy supermarket brands in shops

Swapping to supermarket brands can make a positive difference to your food bill.

Shop at charity shops

Spend less while helping a charity out at the same time.

Clothes hanging up (Canva)

Check your bills

Check what you currently pay and try to find cheaper deals where possible.

Alter lifestyle choices

Whether you opt to stop smoking, choose to do free sports rather than use the gym or stop subscriptions you don’t need, you could be saving money.

Sell things you don’t need

A declutter could give you some extra money in your pocket.