How lockdown could add £792 extra to your household bills – and how to slash them now
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HOUSEHOLDS in the UK are forking out up to £792 extra on bills during lockdown - here we explain how to slash these costs.
From energy bills to your food shop, leading comparison sites are warning about the increased cost of living associated with the coronavirus crisis.
That means over the four months of March, April, May and June, the average home is spending £144 more on gas and electricity.
Confused.com also says the average household is spending £38 more per week on food, with supermarket spends going up from £61 to £98 per week - a staggering £608 over four months.
Max Green, energy expert at Confused.com, said: “We’re all spending a lot more time at home, which means more TV time and a few more cups of tea.
If you take everything into account, households are potentially spending up to £792 extra on everyday bills.
Here we reveal how to cut costs.
To get started, you’ll need to provide basic information such as your postcode and current supplier - it'll also help to have your most recent bill handy.
Once you've found a deal you're happy with, confirm the switch to start saving.
You'll also want to make note of when your new deal finishes, so you can compare prices and switch again.
And spending one minute less in the shower each day could save you £8 a year, per person in your household.
Change your bulbs: Swapping old bulbs for energy-efficient LED ones will save you around £40 a year, says Energy Saving Trust.
Meanwhile, turning off unused lights around the house can cut your bill by around £13 a year.
Don't charge your phone all night: If you're guilty of leaving your phone to charge all night, you could be wasting around £33 worth of energy a year.
Most phones only take around two hours to fully charge, so try and make sure your fully juiced up before you go to bed.
Switch off: Leaving electrical goods on standby means they're still using electricty.
Instead, switch them off fully and you could save around £30 per year.
TVs and game consoles are the most important to check.
Use cash-saving apps: From helping you calculate how much you're spending, to expert advice on cutting down costs, there are a whole range of money-saving apps to help you get on top of your bills.
The Sun has rounded up the best cash-saving apps currently on the market:
How to lower your internet and phone bills
Check your usage: If you're paying for more data, texts or minutes than you need, you may be able to downgrade your current tariff.
Most major suppliers will be able to give you a breakdown of how much you're using each month.
If you're find you've regularly got leftover data, texts or minutes, speak to your provider about switching to a cheaper deal.
This also applies to internet speeds - if you don't think you need as quick of a connection, talk to your broadband supplier.
Haggle your way to a cheaper deal: Don't want to downgrade your package? You could try haggling down the cost.
A quick phone call to your server could end up saving you money - especially after most providers upped their charges in April.
Some O2 customers are paying up to £11 a year more, while a proportion of Three customers are paying £20 more annually and some EE customers are now on contracts that cost £27.48 a year more.
Meanwhile, Sky has hiked prices by £72 a year for some users and Virgin Media has upped its costs by £80 a year for thousands of customers.
If you're looking to haggle, start by checking for cheaper deals on the market.
Once you've found a better deal, make sure you tell your current provider and explain how unhappy you are with the prices you're paying.
If you have no luck arguing for a discount, instead ask for a freebie to be thrown in.
If you like what you’ve tried, then stick to it and MSE says you could save up to £1,500 a year.
Write a list and stick to it: By writing a list, you can help stop pricey impulse buys.
You're also much more likely to only buy products that you'll definitely use, which means no food should go to waste.
Hunt out yellow stickers: Many bargain hunters actively look for yellow sticker discounts in their nearest supermarket.
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But did you know each store usually has a specific time for when they start reducing?
You can check when you supermarket should start discounting items right here.