Cost of Living payment — Martin Lewis sends urgent warning to ALL mobile phone users; plus money saving tips

How to dry your laundry quicker and save more money

Drying laundry is one of the chores that costs our energy bill to rise, especially in winter when clothes tend to take longer to dry.

One money saver advised people: “I was always told if the ground is dry, no matter the season, your clothes will dry too, just takes a little longer.

“Little trick I learnt when winter comes is to get your clothes airer and a spare bed sheet and wrap it around the clothes airer. Attach it to the radiator or a heated fan and it traps the heat and dries the clothes quicker.”

The sheet will help to trap a warm pocket of air under the bed sheet, meaning the heat will stay where it needs to be and dry the clothes more quicker.

Many first time buyers are being ‘priced out of homes’

Terry Fisher, property expert at We Buy Any Home, said: “Although the UK isn’t in a recession yet, analysts predict
that a recession is expected this year.

“Add these higher interest rates to the rising cost of
living and lack of salary growth, and it’s easy to understand why potential buyers don’t want to risk buying a new home during this time.

“In fact, as fixed-rate mortgages are at their highest in recent years, many buyers, especially first-time buyers, are being priced out of homes that should have been affordable.”

Argos have £32 heater that ‘heats up room so fast’

Argos shoppers are rushing to get their hands on the £32 heater that “heats up room so fast” that you don’t need to turn the radiator at all.

One buyer said: “I bought the heater a couple of days ago so not had an electric bill yet, don’t know how economic it is but it heats a big room in about one minute. I’ve turned the gas central heating off now.”

The fan heater has fan mode and three different heating settings you can tailor to your choice. 

It has a key safety cut-out switch feature to prevent it from overheating as well as a tip-over protection switch. 

You can also place it wherever you fancy in the room due to the 1.8-metre cord and the freestanding design.

Free debt advice

If you’re in debt there are plenty of services you can take advantage of and they offer free advice on how to manage debt.

Most of them can offer you free guidance and help in person, over the telephone or online.

•  – 0800 138 7777
•  – 0808 800 9060
• – 0800 138 1111
•  – 0808 808 4000

Are you eligible for the £35 water bill discount?

Around 4,000 homes in Ceredigion, Wales were impacted by water outages due to burst pipes in the run-up to Christmas.

MP Ben Lake confirmed that Welsh Water – responsible for the network in Ceredigion – will be giving those households that suffered an outage for longer than 12 hours £35 back.

Further £35 payments will be made for every subsequent 12-hour period where water was unavailable.

That means if you were one of those that had no water for six days you could get £420.

The payments will be made automatically into eligible households’ bank accounts in the coming days.

How to reduce your petrol usage and save money

 are encouraging drivers to develop a smooth driving technique which could reduce their petrol usage and save them more money.

They said: “Developing a smooth driving technique is a great way to save on fuel.

“If you’re approaching traffic lights, for example, slow down early so that they may have changed by the time you reach them, meaning you might not need to stop at all.

“Anticipate the road in front of you and ease off the throttle and maintain momentum rather than braking hard and then accelerating again.

“Change up and down multiple gears at a time and change to the highest suitable gear as soon as you can to avoid over-revving.”

Asda applies new feature to its Rewards app

Asda is giving its shoppers more time to spend the vouchers created on the Reward app.

Customers will now have three months rather than one, giving the opportunity to those who like to build up their Cashpots more time to save up more vouchers.

The supermarket reminded its shoppers that any cashpots created will be available to turn into vouchers for six months before they vanish.

A pony centre in Devon closes amid cost of living crisis

The Dartmoor Pony Centre in Devon forced its doors shut as it has been facing turbulent times, reaching its peak of troubles during the cost of living crisis.

The owners said: “It is with the greatest regret I must inform you that the Miniature Pony Centre will be permanently closing its doors.

“Following a turbulent few years, Covid and post-Covid seasons have proved problematic. By the end of 2022, the nation went into a cost of living crisis.

“With 2023 looking no better, costs rising at an alarming rate and says days out with the family becoming a luxury that people cannot afford, it is with great sorrow that we have no choice but to shut our doors forever.

“We will ensure that all the animals go to the best, most loving homes.”

Households in Orkney can cash in £200

Around 8,550 households in Orkney, Scotland, are eligible to earn £200 as part of an agreement made by councillors in December, funded by the Strategic Reserve Fund.

Households on benefits, those struggling with the costs of living or those who have received no help at all throughout the crisis are eligible for the cash.

To make sure that you’re eligible and apply for the cash, set up a MyOrkney account and complete an online form on www.orkney.gov.uk/col.

Water bills are rising

Last year, Water UK announced that bills are set to rise from February 4, however, they haven’t issued any other confirmation since then.

The rise will differ depending on where you live since various areas across the country have a water company assigned to them.

Here we tell you by how much your water bill may rise depending on where you live.

This year’s energy price cap announcement

On Monday, February 27, 2023, regulator Ofgem will announce its new energy price cap that shall last from April to June.

Ofgem boss Jonathan Brearley said that the cap might fall below £3,000.

This won’t save households a huge amount considering that they had to pay way less under the Government’s price guarantee.

What is child benefit?

If you’re a parent living in the UK and you’re responsible for a child who’s under 16, you can claim child benefit.

This benefit is aimed to help you with the costs that come with raising children.

With it, you also get National Insurance Credits that count towards your state pension.

Parents claim £21.80 a week for their first child and then £14.45 is added for any extra child they’ll have.

Payments are usually made every four weeks.

Find more information on child benefit here.

How to get £300 to spend at the supermarket

Councils across the UK are offering supermarket vouchers through the Household Support Fund.

There are 26 councils across the UK, offering cash amounts that vary from £30 to £300 and are aimed at helping hard-up homes tackle the cost of living crisis.

Every council has a different eligibility criteria, so we recommend checking their website or contacting them directly to find out more.

Here, you can find the 26 local councils offering cash to help you put food on the table.

What help is there for people on Universal Credit?

There's plenty of extra help on offer if you're on Universal Credit.

The Department for Work and Pensions has announced millions will get a £900 cost of living payment over the next two years, including those on Universal Credit.

The payment is going to be split into three instalments.

You don't have to apply for the payments as they will be made automatically into bank accounts.

There's a host of freebies you can get if you receive Universal Credit as well.

This includes free or cheap broadband, through so-called social tariffs.

Plus, you can get free school meals, a discount on your council tax, cold weather payments and help with rent.

For the full list, you can read our guide here.

Who will be impacted by the change?

Every person has their own unique earnings threshold depending on their circumstances.

But, as a rough example, before, if you were single, employed and had household earnings of more than £494 per month you were not expected to look for or be available for work.

This was £782 per month joint income if you are part of a couple.

But these figures were up to £617 and £988 respectively from today.

If you earn under these amounts you will have to look for or be available for work.

But there are some exceptions, for example if you have a joint Universal Credit claim and your partner is not expected to work because they have a Limited Capability for Work.

Another exception is if you are over the state pension age, which is currently 66.

The rules can be complicated so it's worth talking to your work coach who can help guide you on the change.

Charities like Turn2Us are useful for advice too. You can call them for free on 0808 802 2000.

New rule change

Previously, households on Universal Credit had to earn the equivalent of 12 hours' pay a week, at the National Living Wage, to not have to meet certain requirements.

These included having to look for more work or preparing for more work.

But from today, the 12 hour threshold has increased to 15 meaning those that don't meet the new rule could be sanctioned - when payments are temporarily stopped or reduced for a set period.

New warning issued to thousands

Thousands on Universal Credit have been issued an urgent warning as their benefits could be stopped under new rules.

Roughly 120,000 people will see their payments affected after the Administrative Earnings Threshold (AET) increased.