Money saving tips
Food-saving tips and resources
Food-saving tips and resources
- Take advantage of supermarket loyalty schemes like Tesco Clubcard and Sainsbury’s Nectar card.
- Buy from food-sharing apps such as Too Good To Go and Olio which provide free or discounted foods.
- Check out your local fruit and veg stall; sometimes they offer cheaper deals on fresh produce.
- Take a walk down your reduced items supermarket aisle to purchase discounted foods.
Reduce food waste by knowing the difference between ‘best-before’ and ‘use by date’. To put it simply:
- Best-before = still edible but may not be at its best quality
- Use by date = use this product by this date to ensure you are consuming a safe product
- Sell by date = instructions for stores so they know when they should remove the product off the shelf
Food stops
- Old Lodge Lane Baptist Church provides a community Food Stop where you can access a purpose-built ‘social supermarket’ space each Friday morning (9am-12pm). Read more about their work and how you can access their Food Stop here. Be sure to check their current capacity by contacting them on 020 8668 6260 or office@ollbc.org.uk before visiting.
- St Francis Food Stop offers a community Food Stop providing a food sharing membership scheme where for £3.50 a week you can buy approximately £20 worth of food, toiletries and household essentials. Read more about their work and how to access their Food Stop here and confirm their available slots by contacting them on 020 8657 7864 or at stfrancisselsdon@gmail.com.
- Contact Jane, our Welfare and Debt Advice Officer, on 020 8633 8767 or 07384 255 630 or email janew@ccha.biz if you would like to be referred to or receive more information about food banks.
Energy saving tips
Energy saving tips
- Switch to LED light bulbs which are cheaper to run.
- Turn your thermostat down - even one degree lower can cut your heating bill by 10%.
- Not all appliances are created equally. For example, you can charge your mobile phone for an hour for less than a penny, but your tumble dryer uses over a pound for an hour of drying time. Microwave or air frying cooking can help use less energy.
- Reduce the amount of draft coming into your property with draft excluders - you can even make these at home.
- Turn radiators off in rooms you are not using.
Rising energy prices
- See if you can register for your energy company’s Priority Services Register (PSR). It’s a free and voluntary system used to ensure the correct support is given to its most vulnerable customers, e.g., those with younger children, older pexrsons, carers, or those with disabilities.
- If you pay for your gas and electricity by Direct Debit and you are on a Standard Tariff, this useful calculator on the Martin Lewis Money Saving Expert website can help ‘predict’ the possible increases to your payments and check that you are not paying more than you should be.
- If you’re struggling to pay your bills, your energy company must work with you to come up with an affordable solution or repayment plan. If you have not had any luck on the phone, you should raise a complaint with the company or use this free Resolver tool online.
- Many energy companies have Hardship Funds for clients struggling to pay their bills or those with fuel debt. Contact your company to see which grants or funds they offer. You can also apply to British Gas’ fund, regardless of your supplier.
- Those on pre-payment meters should be able to access emergency credit and most companies also offer ‘friendly credit’. Friendly credit means you can't be cut off during certain times. Call your energy provider for more information.
Cheaper water bills
If you are on a low income or classed as vulnerable, there are schemes you can apply to that can reduce your water bills. Thames Water has 2 schemes:
- WaterHelp, which cuts bills by 50% for those on a low income.
- Watersure Cap, which ‘caps’ bills for larger families or those with higher-than-normal usage e.g., due to disability.
To discuss your options, get more information, or ask Thames Water to send you a form, call the Extra Care Services team on 0800 009 3652 from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Cheaper broadband/internet
Those on Universal Credit or similar benefits can access special social tariffs that can help reduce your monthly broadband to as little as £12 per month. The qualifying benefits vary for different internet providers, but it’s worth contacting your provider to see if you qualify.