Soaring fuel, energy and food bills are upon us, but never fear! Take action now and limit your expenditure. Trimming the fat off of wasteful habits can really add up to savings of £100s!

50 tips for families on how to save money:

1. Get back to basics: Stop buying fast food or ready-made meals. They are neither cheap nor healthy. Making meals from scratch can be a lot easier than you think. There are loads of easy, healthy and inexpensive recipes to be found online. Visit So Feminine and Good to Know to help you get started. Have a look at Sarah Lockett’s Food and Family blog for more ideas.
2. Use homemade cleaning products: Why pay £3 for floor cleaner when you can pay 50p for lemon juice and still make your floor sparkle? Not only is making your own cleaning products a lot cheaper, they are also more environmentally-friendly and safer. The net is a fantastic place to find recipes for cheap, cheap, cheap home-cleaning products. Have a look at Cutting the Cost of Household Cleaners. Most of them will cost less than £2 to make!
3. Start packing your lunch: Did you know that the average worker spends about £5 per day on lunch which adds up to £25 each week? Keep going and you are at almost £1,250 each year. By the end of your career you would have spent over £47,500 just on buying lunch! For handy hints on packing your lunch and yummy food ideas see how you can make your lunch money go further.
4. Wait! You don’t need to go grocery shopping yet: Use all the food up in your pantry and cupboards before you go grocery shopping. Don’t go shopping until you’ve used up all those cans of beans, pulses and other goodies stocking the pantry. Get creative and try out some new recipes before shopping again this week. Visiting sites that are for vegans and vegetarians gives you loads of great ideas on how to use up all those beans and pulses that normally sit at the back of the cupboard. They make inexpensive and very healthy meals. Check out LoveFoodHateWaste for ideas on what to do with your leftovers.
5. Buy no-frills brands: Buy the store brand of food items like bread, butter, canned goods, teas and pulses. You’ll be amazed at how much this can save you. Our Sneaky Supermarket Tricks you Need to Know article will also give you more ideas on cutting your supermarket spend.
6. Write a menu plan before grocery shopping: This will prevent you from purchasing things that you don’t need. Most grocery store websites have lots of recipe ideas like Sainsbury’s. Gather up the ones you want to make for the week, purchase the listed ingredients and don’t buy any unnecessary extras. Make sure you take your list and tick off each item you place in the trolley.
7. Take advantage of all the rain: Why not grow as much of your own food as you can?  You don’t need a huge plot. Experts report you could grow enough vegetables to supply you all year round on just 4ft x 4ft (1.2m x 1.2m) for only £50. According to the Garden Organic, ‘If you bought the same amount of organic potatoes, onions, carrots and parsnips in a year, it would cost you around £1,700 from Sainsbury’s or a minimum of £1,227 from Asda – even more from organic vegetable specialists.’  Visit Crocus for great guides on getting started with your own vegetable garden. You’ll be amazed how little space you need, you can even buy the seeds online and have them shipped to you. There is also a great BBC book by Carol Klein called Grow Your Own Veg that is recommended by the RHS, which you can get for £7.70 on Amazon.
8. Go foraging: The summer is the perfect time to wander in the open countryside and pick up some meals for free. Learn how to make elderberry chutney, berry compote, fresh mushroom risotto and beer-marinated mussels in our article Live on the Wild Side.Richard Mabey’s book Food for Free, which has been around for over 20 years, is a great source of information.
9. Cut back on eating meat: You don’t have to become a vegetarian overnight but if you can cut back the meat to twice a week you can save yourself hundreds, especially if you grow your own veggies. Instead you can still get your daily amount of protein from eating eggs, lentils and beans, and oily fish like sardines.
10. Stop buying bottled water: Not only is it environmentally irresponsible, but tap water is actually cleaner! It goes more stringent filtering processes than bottled water since there are very few regulated standards that bottled water companies need to comply with. Remember that Dansani scandal where people were paying £1.50/litre for tap water?!
11. Snap your laundry tablets in half: This is like the directions on all shampoo bottles that advises us to wash our hair twice. No one ever does that and they still manage to have clean hair. You definitely don’t need to use both tablets, as is recommended on the box to get a clean load of laundry (unless you are washing mud-caked clothes). This simple trick will make your laundry detergent last twice as long.
12. Make homemade greeting cards and wrapping paper with your kids: Save loads on birthday and Christmas cards by making people personalised cards. It also gives you a fun way to spend some quality time with your children. There are lots of free greeting card templates you can find online. My Fun Cards offers thousands of birthday cards and templates that you can use to design your own cards. If you’re keen to make cards the old-fashioned way with pasted stickers and marker pens, places like Rebel-Rebel and Staples cover the basics. You can make your own for less than £1 per card which is much cheaper than any available at your local greeting card stores!
13. Cut up all those old greeting cards: Instead of throwing out greeting cards or letting them sit at the bottom of some drawer, why not use them as gift tags rather than purchasing any? This will save you cash, especially at Christmas time.
14. Buy all seasonal products after the holiday for the following year: Speaking of that expensive time of year, buy all new Christmas decorations right after Christmas in January. It will save you loads as store owners are sick of looking at Santa’s face too and just want to get rid of it all!
15. Stop always buying new: Save yourself hundreds by buying used things like bicycles or furniture at greatly reduced prices from sites like Ebay or Gumtree. If you are fast you can sometimes get these things for free from Gumtree as long as you are willing to pick it up yourself. A lot of the stuff is in great condition, you can see photos online before you pick it up, and hey, it’s free!
16. Refill – don’t buy new: Refill your printer cartridges rather than purchasing new ones, you’ll save yourself on average 60-70% on the cost of replacing a cartridge by simply refilling your old one. Visit Cartridge World for great rates. Inkcycle.co.uk will pay you for your empty cartridges, but it no longer collects Epson or Laser brands.
17. No more shampoo: Seriously, if you were to step into your bathroom now and venture into the dark scary recesses of your cupboards, how many unused and unfinished hair, cosmetic and skin products would you find lying back there? Have a clean-up, throw out all the old, used-up stuff and start using all that forgotten stuff. Why not use some of that old shampoo in your kids’ bath? Don’t buy any new shampoos, conditioners, make-up or lotions until you’ve used it all up.
18. Make your own make-up: Going homemade with toiletries such as face masks and exfoliators will save you an endless amount of cash. Instead of spending £5 on a face mask that is made with a scary list of items that you can’t pronounce, why not mash up a 20p banana and slather on? It makes for an amazing face mask and has just saved you a load. Both mayonnaise and beer make great hair conditioners, and a bit of vinegar mixed with water is a great cleansing shampoo. Exfoliating with used coffee grinds is great for the skin and should help diminish those cellulite dimples as caffeine is the active ingredient used in lots of those fancy cellulite creams. You are getting greater use out of your coffee and saving yourself up to £100 by giving that new cellulite cream a miss. Hop onto Health Recipes for all the beauty creams you’ll ever need.
19. Let a student cut your hair: Get your haircuts and especially your children’s haircuts at hairdressing colleges where students get to gain experience by cutting your hair. It’s not so scary, most have had hours of class time and there is a teacher with them at all times. Go with trusted hair salons like Vidal Sassoon and Toni & Guy – which offers free hair cuts and £20 for highlights. You need to book early and you must be comfortable with a student cutting your hair. Both salons only offer the services on specific dates and times so you need to book in advance. It is well worth the effort as most salons easily charge £100 for cuts and highlights.
20. Head west and hit those charity shops: Shop at charity shops in posh parts of town where you can sometimes find fantastic designer finds at an 80% discount. Set aside a Saturday morning where you hit all the great charity shops in Chelsea, Notting Hill and Kensington.
21. Shop online: If charity shops aren’t your thing you can still save loads by buying used designer clothes for the entire family at Fashion Exchange. Lots of new trends reflect the fashions of the past so for retro, vintage clothes and accessories go to eBay and start bidding. Scan the vintage clothes section or go to the women’s clothing section and search by period.
22. Throw a swap party: Have your friends and neighbours round for a swap party, which is where you all bring stuff you no longer want and swap with each other. This can be a great way to get some new clothes or used baby items for free!  Not to mention, a great way to get rid of all those old items you no longer wanted.
23. Don’t be shy – haggle! There are so many deals out there to be had if you just work up the courage to ask. Even in high street shops have great deals, start by asking what kind of discount you can get if you pay in cash or if you buy two rather than one. You will be amazed at how much you can save if you just ask. Use a price comparison site like Kelkoo to make sure you always get the best deal. Read Jasmine’s tips on how to just get out there and do it.
24. Shop at auctions: Police auctions sell everything from jewellery to cars to homes for really discounted prices. These are great places to find discounted prices. Read our article on Police Auctions for great tips.
25. Start re-gifting: Re-gifting is a great way to save money. If you got a gift that you don’t need or want, don’t take it out of the box and the next upcoming occasion you now have your gift without spending a thing.
26. Making homemade gift baskets is a great way to save money. You could make baskets of baked goodies or some of those homemade cleaning products or toiletries. If you go to a pound shop you can buy some cheap containers and then print out your own labels for them. If you have a cupboard full of these emergency gifts, it will save you from panicking and spending more than you wanted to.
27. Stop buying rubbish that you don’t need! Seriously, this one seems obvious but how many times do we buy things because they were on sale or were a BOGOF? Never buy anything just because it is on sale, only buy what you need, when you need it.
28. Get your movies from the library: Borrow movies from your local library rather than from the video store – they’re about half the price, or if you’re a film buff join LOVEFILM, they’re currently giving a free two week trial, and get films delivered to your door.
29. Borrow books from the library: While you’re at the library borrow some of those books rather than purchasing any for yourself or your kids. You’d be amazed at what you can find in libraries – all manner of how to books, chick lit, magazines, reference material. It’s all there to borrow for free.
30. Switch those bulbs: Changing all the lights in your house to the energy-saving kind will save you about £9 on your annual electricity bill and up to £100 over the bulb’s lifetime. Energy saving bulbs last up to 10 to 15 times and use about a quarter to a fifth of the electricity that ordinary light bulbs use. In less than a year the costs of the light bulbs will have been saved in your energy bill! Which? conducted a rigorous lifetime test of the newer-style eco-light bulbs, finding that General Electric, Osram and Ikea come out on top in terms of lifetime, and liability to dim as they age. At around £3 Wilkinsons is the best place to buy them.
31. Energy price rises mean more competition and room for great savings: In the UK, energy prices have steadily risen since 2003 with electricity prices increasing by 30% and gas prices increasing by 40%! There is a bright side, with such rising costs customers have started really shopping around for good deals. Creating a market where energy suppliers are desperate to retain customers by offering them bargains. Switching to a new gas and electricity supplier can save you as much as £100 per year, with an additional savings of £50-£60 annually if you set up a direct debit payment scheme. There are lots of energy price comparison sites you can use to compare deals. Head over to our independent switching comparison or try other sites such as USwitch, MoneySupermarket and The Energy Shop.
32. 1˚C can save you £30: If you were to turn down your thermostat by 1°C, you’d save yourself £30 annually! By drawing your curtains at dusk you will keep more heat in the room. Make sure not to block your radiators with any curtains or furniture. Follow these tips and you should barely notice the difference.
33. Don’t forget the boiler: By also turning down both your hot water boiler to 60 degrees centigrade or 140 degrees fahrenheit you’ll save an extra £10 annually.
34. Replace that old boiler now before winter: If your boiler is over 15 years old it is no longer efficient and draining loads of energy and cash. It can be expensive to purchase a new boiler, but the savings made with lower heating bills will see the cost recovered within 3-5 years. There are also government grants that will offer you money or will cover the cost of purchase and installation. After installing your high efficiency condensing boiler with heating controls you can expect to save between £190- 240 annually on your heating bills. Make sure to have the correct heating controls, and shave another 40% off your bills! Contact your local Energy Efficiency Advice Centre on 0800 512012 for more details on energy efficient boilers and for grant information. If you would like to compare the efficiency of different boilers visit www.boilers.org.uk. Consumer group Which? goes one step further and recommends you visit a home the company has previously worked on to avoid getting falsified references.
35. Use your timer: Even if you are not planning on replacing your boiler, always use a timer and turn your heater off 30 minutes before leaving home and programming it so that it switches back on 30 minutes before you return.
36. Buy your boiler a new jacket: By adding an insulation jacket to your hot water cylinder you will be preventing heat loss and therefore saving yourself £15-£20 annually. They are easy to fit yourself and should cost you about a tenner from most good DIY stores . Make sure to purchase a jacket that is at least 75mm thick. Visit Home Heating Guide for step-by-step instructions.
37. Switch off: Always remember to switch off all your appliances when you are no longer using them. Microwaves, TVs, videos, stereos, and computers, eat up loads of energy when they are left on standby. In fact 85% of the energy consumed by your DVD player is done when it is not actually in use.
38. Unplug too: The same principle applies with unplugging pieces of equipment once they have fully charged. Don’t leave your mobile charger, shavers or electric toothbrushes plugged in because they are still draining electricity unnecessarily. Overcharging electrical equipment also causes the battery trauma and it won’t last as long.
39. Energy efficient appliances save money: If you are purchasing any new appliances buying the energy-efficient one will save you loads. By replacing a 10 year-old fridge-freezer with a modern, energy efficient A-rated appliance you can save £45 a year. The government has put aside millions of pounds to help owner owners switch to A- rated energy efficient appliances. Some grants offer as much as £2,700 of free money to help you make the switch! With just a bit of research you can scoop up loads of free money to buy new appliances that will help save you money! Read through some of the offers.
40. Stop washing your dishes: Think you are saving water and energy by washing your dishes by hand? Think again, modern dishwashers use less energy and water than washing up by hand. Remember to only wash full loads of dishes, turn down that hot water temperature and skip the drying cycle. Leave the door ajar instead and let your dishes air dry.
41. Don’t forget about the loft: By insulating your loft you could save up to £200 off your annual heating bill. You can purchase the insulating foam at B&Q and install it yourself. However remember to use protective goggles and gloves. Buy the foam that is at least 270mm thick but this could be time consuming, a bit expensive and you need some know how. You may want to check out where you can find loads of resources for government grants that will cover the costs of you going greener.
42. Skip the dry cycle: Giving your tumbler a miss and drying your clothes indoors is a great way to save money. Use clothes rails rather than lying clothes over radiators as this prevents heat from circulating the room.
43. Shower more and bath less: Taking a shower consumes two-fifths of the water used for a bath however those power showers heads are a no-no as they can use as much water or sometimes more than a bath would!
44. Make sure that you have the lowest mortgage rate possible: Find yourself a ‘fees-free’ or ‘whole of market’ mortgage broker that can guide you through the process of finding you the best deal. You can also compare deals here. Remortgaging your home and securing the lowest mortgage rate is the most substantial money saving move. If you manage to cut 1% off from a £100,000 you’ll save £80 per month.
45. Get cheaper car insurance: Secure the cheapest car insurance that you can by visiting our car insurance comparison page to get a good cheap deal – we know, we’ve tried it. But don’t just try that – compare comparison services. See how comparethemarket.com lives up to our boards, as it has recently increased the amount of insurers it covers, and there are also many other comparison sights to try too. Kwik Fit is a great place to get car insurance. According to Consumer Intelligence, the best place to find car insurance in 2007 was Kwik Fit. If you buy Kwik Insurance online you get a !!kwikfitcarinsuranceonlinedisc!! discount plus a !!kwikfitcarinsurancefuturebillsdiscount!! discount at Kwik Fit centres.
46. Use direct debit: Set up direct debit to avoid paying late fees on your credit card and to avoid having your interest rate increase. Also transfer fees to 0% credit cards. Read about the best 0% credit cards for the best offers. The longest 0% deals on balance transfers are the Virgin card (!!virginccmonthsfreebalance!! months at 0%), the Barclaycard One Pulse balance transfer Visa (14 Months at 0%) and the Citibank Platinum Mastercard (13 months at 0).
47. Walk: If you can, start walking to work or walking the kids to school. If you have to drive don’t be in such a hurry. You’d get up to 35% better fuel efficiency by just driving a bit slower and not accelerating so quickly at green lights. Remember that the next time you are in a hurry.
48. Using cloth nappies will save you £740: If you are a new parent you will have quickly discovered that babies are expensive! While doing things the old-fashioned way may be a bit more time consuming, it will save you loads of cash. Over those two-and-half-years when your baby is wearing nappies the disposable nappies can cost over £920 while the cloth ones cost only £180. By using real nappies rather than disposables ones parents can save about £740!
49. Make your own baby food: When making those homemade meals for your family don’t forget to blend some of those fresh soft fruits for your own baby food purees. Once your baby has moved onto cooked meals you can just puree some of the unsalted version you’ve already made for the rest of the family. Saving you both time and money. Not to mention feeding your baby a lot healthier food than the preservatives found in jarred baby food.
50. Join a babysitting group: It really does take a village to raise kids. Start a friend’s day with your neighbours or friends’ children. Take turns on a weekly or fortnightly rotation on hosting a play date for the kids. They get to spend an evening at their friend’s house and you get a night off, not to mention saving yourself about £30 on babysitting fees. You’ll need to work out a system so that everyone takes equal turns in doing the babysitting.

Useful links

• Grow Your Own Veg
• Rebel-Rebel
• Inkcycle.co.uk
• eBay
• Kelkoo
• LOVEFILM
• Energyhelpline
• comparethemarket.com
• Kwik Fit
• Home Insulation Grants
• Customer Utility Services
• Grants available in Scotland and Northern UK