While I’ve always loved a money-saving challenge, the cost of living crisis has pushed me to go a step further and try some money saving tips I’d never considered before. Over the last few weeks I’ve been testing some of the most popular savings swaps to see which ones actually work, so which ones would I recommend?
Although I’ve always managed to keep my energy bills quite low, the cost of living crisis has led me to reconsider my habits to see if I can save even more.
Following the October price cap rise, energy bills are around twice what they were this time last year which means many people are being forced to make changes – or pay twice as much.
In July, I wrote about how people could make significant savings by swapping their oven for a slow cooker so I decided to give it a go myself.
Not only do I think this has saved me up to £25 a month – it’s hard to say exactly how much as I made other changes at the same time – it’s a change I will stick to even if energy prices significantly fall again.
READ MORE: I tested an electric clothes dryer in order to save money on energy
Another game changer when it comes to saving money without feeling like you are suffering for your savings is an electric throw.
At the beginning of winter, I vowed not to put the central heating on at all, but I’ve got to admit I changed my mind once the temperature dropped below zero degrees celsius in Bristol.
However, I have managed to hardly put my central heating on, after trying out a heated throw from VonHaus which is an actual game-changer!
Electric throws cost just five pence an hour to run in comparison to central heating which is more like 90 pence per hour and I feel much warmer snuggled under a heated blanket than I ever do with the heating on.
Alternatively, there are heated hoodies, body warmers and slippers to choose from but in my opinion, the throw is the best solution by far.
I also tested an electric clothes dryer and opted for the JML DriBUDDI which costs just 40.84p per hour to run.
Although it was easy to assemble and got rid of the ‘musty’ damp clothes smell that has been lingering around the house, I’m not sure I’m a total convert.
It doesn’t dry the washing as quickly as I would have liked – after two hours the washing was still wet – so I might try adding less washing next time.
MoneySavingExpert Martin Lewis suggests using a dehumidifier which costs approximately seven pence an hour to run but again this won’t dry clothes as quickly as a tumble dryer or central heating would.
However, you may find it a sacrifice worth making as it could add up to savings of around £191.90 a year.
The good news is that so far this winter my simple swaps have led to cheaper bills – my October and November energy bills were approximately £25 a month lower than they were this time last year with the Government’s £66 energy support factored in.
Express Money readers can use a really useful online tool which helps people work out how much each of their household appliances is costing them so they can decide which swaps they are prepared to make.
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