It’s hard to miss the latest news of energy prices soaring and even food and essential items going up. Add being a parent to the mix and it can feel pretty challenging in the current climate.
So how can you cope with the rising costs?
While Liz Truss has currently frozen bills at £2500, it still makes sense to try to cut some costs along the way, particularly with food and other shopping costs rising
While it can be hard to remember to turn off appliances, many are now adopting measures to save on bills. But that’s not all. There are plenty of ways you can do your bit around the home and keep costs down for shopping, food, washing, taking the kids out and more.
We’ve compiled our favourite top tips, on everything from batch cooking to saving bath water, so that you can start saving the pennies and counting the pounds…
Washing
Washing is a necessity for clothes, dishes and particularly children but is there ways we can bring the costs down?
Sink wash versus bath
Popular in times gone by and now making a swift comeback, sink washes are great for little ones and babies on days they don’t need a full bath or shower. You simply fill the sink up and use a clean flannel to give a quick washdown while either standing on a towel or if your baby can sit up, in the actual sink.
What appliances can be turned off or even stopped using?
Many have claimed that the tumble dryer is a real energy burner and have ditched it in favour of drying outside or inside on racks.
Plugs for mobiles, laptops and computers even when turned off use 4.5 kilowatt-hours of electricity in a week, even when it’s fully charged.
Turn off the taps when brushing your teeth too. A running tap uses up to nine litres of water a minute!
Cooking
Cooking typically accounts for 13.8% of electricity demand in UK homes, with freezing or cooling food requiring a further 16.8% of the electricity used on average
So, if you can batch cook and make a few meals that will see you through for days, it makes sense to cook a little extra.
The Energy Saving Trust also recommends using energy-efficient items for what you are cooking, and try tips such as heating water in the kettle rather than the stove, always covering your pots for quicker cooking and turning off the cooker just before the set time as it will carry on cooking for a couple of minutes afterwards.
At night time they also recommend turning off all appliances when you go to bed and some that may be on standby like washing machines or dishwashers that can still use power during the night. Microwaves, plugs, tumble dryers and even electric ovens will all eat up electricity when left on standby too.
Eco Settings
Drop everything and find that eco setting now! Most washing machines and dishwashers have an eco-setting or alternately use the shortest wash, which normally starts at the 20 or 30-minute mark to get dishes and clothes nice and clean at a fraction of the time and price.
Also, the faster the spin speed on the washing machine, the easier it is to dry. Result.
Reuse the water
Bath water (or keeping the plug in when you are showering) can save water. If it’s warm you can use it to mop the floor or sweep on a patio, if it’s cold, perhaps water the plants.
Around the house
LED bulbs are your new best friend. Fit them on any lights or lamps as they reflect a white light that doesn’t use so much electricity. LEDs use up to 90% less energy and last up to 25 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs so can save money in the long run.
Turn down the boiler
While you do need hot water instantly, bringing the boiler temp down a couple of notches will help bills greatly.
The return temp relates to the heat of the water when it goes through central heating with a condensing boiler. It’s the temperature of the water when it returns to the boiler, for greater efficiency which needs to return at 45, which is a good temperature and not so high.
For hot water, on a condensing combi (without a tank) you can have it set to whatever you want.
Kettles
Pour the water into your cup and then the kettle. That way you can use just what you need. If you accidentally do boil too much you can pop it in a spare thermos for later or use it for washing up if you have any dishes to do or cleaning.
Where to shop
We are now officially in Second hand September so it makes sense to start finding items that may be preloved or previously used.
While there are all the classic chazza’s (high street charity shops) there are also great places online to find bargains. For kids’ clothes then Ebay, Vinted and Facebook Marketplace are gems.
Maddy Alexander-Grout, Founder of My VIP Rewards also recommends shopping in unique ways to find the best deals.
‘For kid’s clothing, there are so many amazing ways to find bargains. I buy from Build a Bundle and you can sell through them too.
‘There is also Little Pickles Markets across the UK. They sell second-hand and not only offer clothes but also toys, books and anything child related. They do bigger pickles as well for older children.’
For school uniforms, she recommends finding a swap shop or buying second-hand.
Uniformerly has cheap or free second-hand uniforms from schools all across the U.K and Parenthood app is shortly to launch a parent swap shop on their app to support parents with the cost of living crisis.
She also shares how to find bargains in supermarkets when it comes to food shopping.
‘You can get most yellow sticker deals at certain times, for example, from Sainsbury’s the best time to go is about 7 pm, but for M&S it can be about 8 pm – and they do such nice food!’
Maddy shares the best times to find yellow sticker deals on her Tiktok and for days out she also recommends hunting out low-cost activities.
‘Finding free things like walks, splash park, scavenger hunts, and the beach are a great way to save. This summer we have saved on so many things with My VIP Rewards from theme parks, to Go Ape, Cinema and National Trust.’
‘Also take advantage of the kids eat free meals over any of the holidays, there are so many places that offer this.’
Other ways parents can find cheap or free things to do is to check out library notice boards, local area or boroughs websites or Our City has many kid-related activities that are totally free.
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