Now, I’m no economist (nor, it appears, is anyone in the government, so I’m in ‘good’ company) but things, which are already pretty desperate, are about to become appallingly difficult.

Ballooning inflation and preposterous energy price increases are ganging up to unleash financial horror on the public – a public that’s already suffered years of privations in the wake of policy, virus, and, now, war.

And summer’s nearly over: the long nights and icy temps are currently sat in the wings waiting for their cue to burst onto the hellish stage in this theatre of the absurd(ly expensive).

So, what can you do to mitigate the coming crisis? How about writing to your MP? Only joking! Instead, we’re going to bring you a frequently updated page of tips, advice and links aimed at helping you save money.

And that page I told you about in the previous paragraph…this is it. Isn’t it nice? We’ll be keeping it updated but, please, if you’ve any moneysaving tips of your own, or links to helpful resources, please share them with us!

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14 November

This article from MyLondon features a list of “hilarious” money-saving tips from 200 years ago, when the Tories were in power and there was a great of poverty…oh. Anyhow, financial advice from the olden days included not spending too much on clothes – and charging your friends for dinner.

And there’s this too, also from MyLondon. A man reckons you can save £hundreds on fuel bills by using a special new washing up liquid that’s come into his possession.

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9 November

Hello! magazine (sorry) has produced this list of ’15 tips to recession-proof your life amid the cost-of-living crisis’, which is focused on things like budgeting and writing shopping lists.

A woman has detailed how to save the strangely precise figure of £1,716 a year, and the Daily Record has kindly passed the information on in the form of this internet website page. Tips include line-drying your laundry and growing a vegetable patch, both of which rely on having some garden space, so that’s me out.

You won’t find any pets round my house so that’s one big money-saving stunt I’ve pulled right there. However, many people apparently do feel the urge to share their homes with non-human animals – and if you’re one of those I’ve a very good page for you: a vet, no less, reveals 15 ways to save money on your pet.

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7 November

Christmas! It costs a fortune. Fortunately, thoughtful types at the BBC have come up with a guide to making savings during the Spending Season, including spreading costs and homemade gifts. And here it is.

A “savvy mum”, according to the Liverpool Echo, has saved £10,000 by being, well, savvy, I suppose. Read all about her methods here.

The Derby Telegraph has published this list of things you can do to save energy, such as investing in “hot teddies” and applying dams and buoys to your bath (really) to save water.

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1 November

Very useful government link news: Cost of Living Payments. From the site: “If you claim certain benefits or tax credits, you may be eligible for an extra payment to help with the cost of living. If you’re eligible, payments will be made automatically.” Click here to find out more.

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19 October

The broadly sensible BBC has produced this nice page of cost-cutting tips. Not much we haven’t seen before but there’s a decent table breaking down the rise in energy prices across various appliances.

The BBC has been busy: this page explains the energy price cap and what’s likely to happen to our bills – which I, personally, am still fuzzy on.

I’m pure BBC today. The corporation has made this “personalised guide to saving money” thing, which you may find useful.

Ok, I’m sorry, and I promise this is the final word from the BBC today: six of our national broadcaster’s own inhouse experts offer their thoughts on what we can do as the dire financial situation worsens. I haven’t read it because it’s too long and I’m too busy. I’ll read it later, after dinner, by the radiator. Oh, and here it is.

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5 October

Housing association ForHousing has been getting in on the money-saving action. The provider has provided its tenants with a list of handy tips: not much we haven’t heard before but sage enough and well worth repeating. Check it out here.

And here’s yet another list of cash-retaining advice, this time from Reader’s Digest, who I didn’t know still existed. Tips include wrapping up in a warm blanket to thwart coldness and shopping around for better deals. Who knew? Actually, it’s not all patronisingly obvious, so have a read.

The Telegraph is rather busy at the moment trying to justify the increasingly unjustifiable activities of its favourite UK political party, but it has found time to concoct this article that claims to outline a scheme that’ll allow you to keep your heating off until November. I haven’t got an account with said newspaper so I don’t know if it’s any good or pure hot air. Perhaps someone with access could get back to me?

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22 September 

Winter is a tough season for the clothes drying community. Colder, less sunshine, shorter days, plenty of pesky precipitation: forced from our happy outdoor hanging lines, we turn to the indoor tyranny of the clothes horse, the limited space of the radiator and, of course, the tumble dryer. Sadly, tumble dryers are voracious with energy; happily, the busy people at Which? have come up with this, a very handy guide to costs and the best ways to maximise your tumble dryer’s money-saving potential.

A man reckons he’s saved £3,722 by stringently adhering to 12 tips, which he’s now kindly shared with the world. ‘Walk wherever possible’ (tip 4) is sound advice for a least two good reasons, but not much use if you struggle with walking, as I currently do having injured myself while (you’ve guessed it) walking. Anyhow, check out the tip list here.

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14 September

Using energy in the household (or anywhere, for that matter) has suddenly become a fearful, bleak activity. But are there times when the consumption of electricity is kinder to our ever-dwindling wallets? Turns out, there are, if you can believe this article, which, admittedly, comes from The Sun, not an organ generally associated with believability, but times are extremely hard so let’s take what we can.

It seems it’s all about using things like the washing machine in the dead of night, during the so-called ‘off-peak’ hours – and there are impressive savings to be made. For instance, if you have a tumble dryer you could save £159 a year if you start your spin around the witching hour, based on the apparently national average of 280 annual loads. And so on. Anyway, here’s the link again.

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14 September

List-mania website Buzzfeed is getting involved in the crisis. This recent bulletin features no less than 65 money-saving tips, some of them quite odd but others seemingly of genuine substance. It’s also very American, meaning some of the products it alludes to are obscure/weird. Still, you’ll probably find a couple of items of use. (Not sure the idea of celebrating things like Christmas “a day late” will please everybody.)

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14 September 

Which? have been on the hunt for money-saving exercises – and they would appear to have largely succeeded. Right here you’ll find good ideas on everything from making sure you’ve dusted the back of your fridge (improves performance!) to sage advice on not over or indeed under filing your dishwasher.

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31 August

The Times has produced a very varied list of 20 things you can do to save cash, ranging from switching your bank account (which I did a couple of months ago and thoroughly recommend) to having a “holiday-free year” (which is most years for me because I hate holidays). They also recommend not buying Christmas presents, which won’t be for everyone. Check out the list here.

And while we’re on the subject, here’s a list of bank-account-switch-bonus bonanzas that are worth considering. I switched from Santander to Nationwide earlier this year: it was perfectly simple, and I was rewarded with £150 for my trouble. So:

Halifax are offering £150 if you switch to one of their current accounts.

Nationwide are still trying to tempt account holders to their doors. £125 is yours if you make the switch.

Now, this is interesting. Santander are offering a very nice £175 if you switch to them. Is it time for me to switch back? Why not. See the deal for yourself.

Not to be outdone by those Santander upstarts, First Direct also have £175 on the table if you switch your monies to them. Imagine that: £175 for filling in some online forms and waiting for a new debit card in the post. Here’s the link.

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31 August

Iceland’s getting in on the action. Since May, the only UK supermarket that shares a name with a Nordic country has been offering over 60s 10% off their shopping bill if they drop by on a Tuesday. Why Tuesday? I dunno. Why not?

Anyway, there’s no minimum spend, and the deal also applies to the firm’s Food Warehouse outlets that you may have noticed springing up across the land.

Richard Walker, Iceland’s Managing Director, said: “Look, I don’t why we picked Tuesdays. Does it matter? I’m hanging up. Stop bothering me.”

No, he didn’t. He actually said: “The cost of living crisis has made support for these customers [over 60s] even more important, which is why I’m proud that we’re finding new ways to support them, including the launch of this discount.”

All you really need to do to benefit is turn up at a store on a Tuesday (provided you’re over 60, of course) but here’s a link to the press release if you want to read it/don’t believe me.

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31 August

Unless you live on a daily diet of crisps and bread (which I did in my 20s) you’ll probably using various heating apparatus to cook your food. But which of the many devices available is the most energy efficient, and thus cheapest to run?

This article from Heart Radio explores and compares microwaves, air fryers and ovens. Conclusion: it’s the microwave.

And this article from the Guardian does exactly the same thing. Once again, the humble microwave comes out on top.

Now, this is common sense, I hope, but I only boil the amount of water I actually need when I use the kettle – a habit I developed last year in a tiny, tiny effort to reduce my carbon footprint. It’s simple: you fill your mug, cup etc with the water you need and tip that into the kettle. Still, I’m astonished by the amount people I know who don’t do this. Start doing it today!*

*I’ve since been informed that it’s even cheaper to boil your water in the microwave.

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31 August

Here’s a bunch of handy tips for keeping your house warm for less, courtesy of the good people at the Big Issue. For instance, some boilers have a default function that preheats your water every 90 minutes. This, as you can imagine, costs a fortune – but there’s good news: it can be switched off! Which is exactly what I’m going to do, right after posting this.

UPDATE: I’ve now done this. My boiler is in ‘eco’ mode. If you’ve got a Worcester boiler, here’s a guide to switching various models into ‘eco’ mode. It’s really easy.