You don’t need me to tell you how the cost of living crisis is impacting everyone as you’re living it too.
Times are tough, money is tight and things aren’t getting any easier. With no respite on the horizon, it’s up to us to survive using our own resources.
That’s what this post is all about.
I share 15 quick and easy tips to help you survive the cost of living crisis. They won’t solve your problems or make food cheaper but they may help you balance the books a little better.
If I can help you save a little money, stave off debt for a little longer or give you enough financial headroom to make it through, that’s a job well done!
Here are those tips:
1. Create a budget
Yes, I say it all the time, but I’m going to keep saying it. Whether you’re a student or a large family, having a budget is critical. You know what you have coming in, what’s going out and where you’re likely to end the month.
Read my guide on creating a budget to learn more.
2. Ask for a raise
This one is a tough one, but, if you don’t ask you don’t get. Times are tough for employers as well as everyone else but they also have a duty of care.
If the market rate for your role has increased but your wage hasn’t, discuss it with your boss. Be nice, make your case, use evidence of similar roles and wages and be prepared to prove your point.
3. Heat the person not the home
When it gets cold outside, turn to a blanket rather than the heating. I have a lovely faux fur blanket I use for the cold and it keeps me toasty warm.
It saves putting the heating on and, while it’s cold when I get up, it’s a small price to pay for lower energy bills!
4. Check benefits and grants
Check the government’s benefits calculator or use a website such as Entitleto to see if you’re entitled to any extra benefits. You’d be amazed at the number of available options and it should take just minutes to check.
The same for grants. Check the council website, national press and the web for information on grants for everything from loft insulation to a replacement boiler.
5. Make money from home
Do you have any special skills? Could you turn a hobby into income? If so, try and make a little extra cash from home in your spare time.
Be mindful of declaring the income for tax or benefit purposes, but earn as much as you can, when you can.
Consider freelancing, Etsy, eBay, Fiverr and others like it. You could also do surveys, watch videos and other basic tasks for money.
6. Sell your old stuff
We all have stuff lying around we no longer use. Put it to good use by selling it online. The item gets a second life, less goes to landfill and you make a little money at the same time.
Try eBay, Vinted and other websites and apps like them.
7. Save your spare change
If you still use cash, save all your coppers, five pence pieces and small change. Use it in parking meters or save it to use in a change machine at a supermarket.
Those machines charge a small commission but they are an easy way to dispose of small change that would otherwise be lying around the home.
8. Switch bank account
Did you know you can get paid to switch bank accounts? Some banks are offering over £100 to switch. The process is simple and there’s nothing stopping you doing it again and again.
Check this post out to learn more about switching bank accounts. It’s really easy and the bank does all the work for you.
9. Switch suppliers
As soon as any contract comes up for renewal, compare, switch and save. Use comparison websites, check with providers that don’t use them and you could save big.
I recommend comparing the market first and then ask your current provider if they can beat it. Providers know it’s cheaper to keep a current customer than it is to get a new one so will often deal.
Switch or stay, it’s entirely up to you.
10. Learn to cook
Deliveroo and ready meals are convenient but they are expensive. They are also usually full of fat, sugar and salt and won’t be very good for you.
Cooking some basic meals can help you save a ton of money while giving you more nutrition at the same time.
Jamie Oliver’s £1 meals is just one way to learn to cook while saving cash!
11. Switch to own brands
Own brand products used to be inferior and require quite a compromise. That’s no longer the case for the majority of products.
In fact, you’ll likely find the same factory makes branded and own brand products, just using different ingredient ratios.
You’ll save a ton of money and won’t have to compromise too much on texture or flavour for food, or quality for everything else.
12. Introduce no-spend days
No-spend days can be quite fun. I introduced these as soon as inflation started biting and it can be fun to come up with something interesting to do that doesn’t cost anything.
You can stay in and watch TV of course, but it’s more interesting to plan a day out without spending anything.
13. Car share
Yes, I know sharing a ride with a stranger may not be your idea of fun. But if you’re spending part of your income on commuting, it could save money.
Websites like Liftshare make it easy to find a ride.
You could take it in turns, use your car with the sharer helping with fuel or vice versa. With fuel prices still high, it could save big.
14. Use 0% credit cards for balances
If you regularly owe on your credit card, switch to a 0% card to save money on interest. The more you owe, the more you could save.
As long as you could qualify, you could switch 0% cards every time the interest-free period comes to an end.
15. Go SIM free
This last tip could save you up to £30 per month. If you don’t need the latest handset all the time, switch to a SIM free phone contract for as little as £10 per month with tons of data.
Most phone contracts include the cost of the phone in the monthly fee. If you don’t buy the phone, you can get much cheaper contracts with the same unlimited minutes and texts and generous data allowances.
Helping you survive the cost of living crisis
We’re all going to need more than 15 tips to survive the cost of living crisis but we have to start somewhere.
I hope these can help reduce the strain and perhaps give you a little more free money at the end of each month. That’s about all we can ask right now!
Do you have any tips to share? Tell us about them in the comments below!
