Woman holding a lightbulb

Think bigger to bash bigger bills

If we’ll really have to find an extra £40 a week to meet rising bills, there’s no choice but to think bigger

News moves very fast at the moment and the prices in our video may now be out of date. For up-to-date information on energy bills, click here.

We all have a lot on our minds at the moment. Rocketing costs affect us all. But, for me, so much is running around my head that I’ve started using video to get it all out.

If predictions are right, some households will need to find £40 a week, (yes, a week), to meet rising bills. Cutting back will help – and our Home Energy Guide has some brilliant tips on how. And yes, we should ask our gas and electric suppliers if we’re on the best tariff for our usage. But we have to think bigger. 

We need to take a 360º look at our finances. Just to meet the cost of bills, we now need to look at the cost of our supermarket shop. We need to minimise what we pay for broadband, phones or insurance, say, by using a comparison website, (more here). And we need to double-check we’re getting all we’re entitled to – from benefits and government support to help from suppliers. (Start with the Quids in! benefits calculator.)

Quids in! is the money skills project from Clean Slate Training & Employment. During the pandemic, Quids in! reached more than 150,000 households and Clean Slate supported over 3,000 people struggling with their finances. Our Money Health-Check tool helped people find hundreds of extra pounds. Around 1,100 people on one programme shared gains of a staggering £1.3 million – more than £1,200 each.

Quids in! readers should give their money this kind of MOT by visiting our Future-Proof Finance Quiz. However, for people near a Quids In Centre or tenants of certain housing associations, we can walk you through the process. If you live in or near Bristol or Bath, Gloucestershire or East London, or are a tenant of Stonewater Housing or L&Q, check out how to get in touch here.

Image: Andrea Piacquadio / Pexels

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