The first major shock to those looking at buying a house in 2022 was just over a year ago, when house prices began to climb to the highest they have been in a long time. Prices of houses were jumping to around £40k higher than previous, and to make it even worse, bidding wars began. The usual hope of putting a lower offer in for a house and hoping it would get accepted became a thing of the past almost overnight, with buyers forced to put in their ‘best and final’ offers
The next big hit for home owners is how UK residents are seeing significant increases in the cost of running their homes, not to mention petrol and food prices. We’re now a nation who are faced with the situation of huge hikes in energy bills, making people feel they have to chose between ‘eating or heating’.
If you’re in the process of buying a new home, selling yours or considering moving (or perhaps are in the thick of it!), you’ll be feeling very overwhelmed at all the costs and risks. Make sure you are sensible and look into home buyers insurance first up, before you get too far into the house move. Unfortunately, home purchases fall through more often than you would think, and sometimes it can be a very sudden change of events totally out of your hands. You want a policy that protects the money that you pay upfront when buying a house. Many people have started looking into gazumping insurance because of this.
Once all the selling and buying a house processes are done, it does feel like home owners today are facing more financial stress with the ongoing rise in bills. Below, we’ve rounded up just a few tips and tricks to be mindful of to try and cut back on the spending….
1. Clothes don’t need to be washed at hot temperatures
We are used to thinking that any form of stains, dirt and marks will be washed out the higher the temperature. However, it isn’t always the case. If you can, try to aim for a 30-degree wash, as this can actually save up to 60% on your energy per cycle. When shopping for washing machine tablets and conditioners, remember that it doesn’t matter if you shop cheaper supermarket brands from time to time, too. These can help cut your shopping costs down a little too.
2. Opt for the eco-setting on your dishwasher
There may be an eco wash setting on your washing machine, but there should also be one on your dishwasher too. Opt for the eco-setting instead of a powerful wash the next time you are washing a full load. That applies for both dishwasher and washing machine -make sure both are full and on eco setting.
The eco mode is used for lower rinse temperatures and uses a lower temperature wash, therefore this uses less energy overall. However, the eco setting still maintains a high standard of deep washing and cleaning.
3. Use the shower, not the bath
Unless you are sharing bathwater, which can be a great option with kids, a shower can save you money. It’s all about using the water responsibly when cleaning, and overall your shower will use less water and energy than a bath. Of course, this is if your shower is a quick one and not one where you take ages pampering yourself (body scrub, shave, deep conditioner working it’s magic…)
You may be aware already but by purchasing a water meter, you can also see how much you are spending when it comes to water use. This will tell you if you are taking a little too much time in the shower! Something that can save you a bit of money is to try and use water and electricity somewhere else if you have access to it – like at the gym! So many people have gym memberships, but don’t take advantage of their hot showers and hair dryers.
Or, if your workplace offers these facilities too, don’t be afraid to use them in a bid to keep costs down at home.
4. Make sure their are no drafts and that windows are closed
When we go around the house and close all windows, we can still feel cold. This is when we immediately rush to put the heating on to warm ourselves up. Remember that this could mean there are drafts coming into the home, that are keeping the temperatures around the house at a cold level. This won’t improve until the cause of the drafts are tackled. Homes with a garage attached to the house can often feel drafty as they can be prone to gaps underneath the garage door.
Before you put the heating on, make sure you are dressed in many layers of clothes. If you do this and also correct any causes of drafts, you may find you don’t need to always turn to your heating. If you’re struggling to find ways to completely stop the draft problem, temporary measures can include draft excluders, blinds or curtain fabrics in areas to block the cold chill.
5. Opt for natural drying instead of appliance use when possible
Washing may be one of the main energy bill drivers, but remember it is not just about water consumption. When anything gets wet., it needs to dry, so come on down hairdryers, straighteners, curling tongues, clothes dryers and more! Of course, these too can increase energy usages which then hikes up those bills.
If you are looking at ways to save money when it comes to energy consumption, which we are assuming everybody now is, try to only use these appliances when you really need to. If you need clothes for your little one to be dry before school, then of course use your dryer. The same goes for drying hair or styling. If you can save for a special occasion though, that will really help in the long run. Plus, when it comes to heated hair tools, your hair will love you for this too!
No one likes damp clothes around the house, but if you can hang them up around the house on hangers instead of using the tumble dryer with open windows, it will save you so much money on tumble dryer use. Of course, the ideal solution is a washing line, but weather depending! If you are not in a rush, experts have predicted you could save up to £60 in bills by air-drying clothes instead of drying them through a dryer.
Any tips missed off? Leave in the comments if you have a great idea worth sharing!
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