The cost of living crisis is stressful, alright.
With bills soaring sky-high and not being able to live like we used to, you’ll no doubt be cutting back your spending.
But there are other ways to make your pennies go further – you just have to go out and get them.
It makes sense to bag freebies and offers where you can, saving cash for the winter of discontent ahead.
And while these budget-friendly ideas are unlikely to cover your energy bills or housing costs, it’s really a case of every little helps.
So from Royal Mail’s free doorstep parcel collection service to getting help with your healthcare of just visiting the happiest place in London, here is how to worry less and save more during the cost of living crisis.
Visit the Happé Café
Everyone is feeling the pinch of a financial downturn, with spending on experiences one of the first things to be sacrificed.
But you can kick-start your September and get a little escape from the post-summer blues at the Happé Café – a brand-new venue designed to stimulate the senses and boost your feelgood factor – for free today.
To get those dopamine levels surging, the Happé Café will put on a sensory menu of food, drink, and mood-boosting experiences and it won’t cost you a penny.
To drop in, head to 13-14 Margaret Street, Fitzrovia, London, W1W 8RN.
Free doorstep parcel collection
Regularly selling online? Royal Mail has announced it will offer doorstep parcel collection for free until the end of the year.
The service allows you either to hand a parcel straight to a postal worker as part of the daily post round, or provide details of a safe place from which it can be picked up.
No printer? No problem. Just select the ‘Bring my label’ option when booking your UK collection online and your postie will bring your labels to you.
Use a sock to fix your power tool
Many people caught the DIY bug during lockdown, but it’s important not to neglect your kit going forward.
Replace a worn or missing sawdust collection bag on a power hand tool with an old sock. Stretch the sock over the tool dust chute and secure it with a rubber band.
It should be good to go, ready for repairs and upgrades to your home.
Get help with healthcare costs
If you’re on a low income, you may be able to get help with NHS costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme (LIS). The scheme covers costs for things such as prescriptions, eyecare and healthcare travel.
You can apply for the scheme as long as your savings, investments, or property (not including where you live) do not exceed the capital limit.
In England, the limit is £23,250 for people who live permanently in a care home and it’s £16,000 for everyone else.
To find out if you qualify and to make an application, visit the NHS BSA website.
Be savvy with car insurance
If you wait until you arrive at your destination to pick up your hire car, you will have no choice but to buy the rental company’s insurance, which costs around £15 to £20 per day.
A separate excess policy might be required for tyre and windscreen damage – taking both policies will add around £150 to a week’s rental.
Buying this from a specialist insurance company, like iCarhire Insurance, before you travel costs from only £2.99 a day or £39.99 for an annual policy.
Get high street clothes for less
If you love high street brands such as Asos, Warehouse, H&M, River Island, Oasis and Zara, but your budget is tight, check out Jane’s Stall, an online retailer that sells store surplus women’s fashion at massive discounts.
The items will have the tags cut out so it can be hard to tell what the original brand actually is, but the prices are so good you’re unlikely to care.
Bear in mind that the online retailer has a quick turnover of stock and items will generally be available for two weeks before being replaced with new ones. So if you see something you like, it’s probably best not to hang about.
Fix your glasses with nail varnish
Got spectacles screws that won’t stay put?
Paint a thin coat of nail varnish on screws to keep them from coming loose. Simply remove the screw, paint it with the nail varnish and screw it back in.
The varnish will hold those pesky screws in place as it gets in all the cracks and spaces.
Get help with the cost of living crisis via Iceland’s interest-free loans
Iceland has begun offering interest-free loans of up to £100 to those struggling with the cost of living, with the money to be used in your Iceland shop.
With the scheme, dubbed Iceland’s Food Club, the loan is paid to you via a prepaid top-up card. If your application is successful, the card will arrive by post five to seven working days after applying.
The amount you can borrow depends on what you’ve requested and your ability to pay it back.
You can apply for one loan at a time, up to a maximum of six over the course of a year. Your first loan can be taken out at any time, and you’ll be given windows throughout the year, linked to the school holidays, to apply for additional payments.
You begin to pay back the loan the week after you receive the card, though you can choose which day money comes out of your account. You can choose to pay more than £10 a week back.
Be aware, missed weekly repayments are recorded on your credit file and could be a red flag to other lenders, so you could find it harder to get future credit.
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