Save Money During Winter
Through previous Finance Well posts we have learnt how our finances impact our mental wellbeing. With the price of the electricity and gas bills rising, and with the start of the cold season just around the corner, we thought that you may find useful some tips on how to save money during winter!
However, despite there are various ways to save money during winter, it’s very important that everything that we do keeps us healthy and safe. For example, if you don’t turn the heating on during the whole winter, you will be saving some money but you may get a serious health issue. In the 2017 to 2018 winter period, there were an estimated 50,100 excess winter deaths in England and Wales.
In this post, we’ll learn a few tips and hints on how we can save money during winter while staying safe and healthy!
Keep your house warm
During cold months you’ll need to keep your house warm what will increase the cost of your utility bills. There are some tips and hints that will help you reduce the cost of these while keeping you warm.
Try to cover the doors keyholes and windows and doors draughts. To cover them you can use a blanket or a tower. By doing this you will keep the heating indoors!
Open the curtains on your south facing windows during the day to allow sunlight to naturally heat your home, and close them at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows.
Only turn on your heating when it’s required, don’t keep this on all the time. It’s cheaper to warm up a room when needed than keep this warm all the time. Set the thermostat between 18ºC and 21ºC, and bear in mind that according to the Energy Saving Trust, reducing your room temperature by as little as 1ºC can cut your heating bills up to £75 a year in the average UK home.
Keep yourself warm
Wear several thin layers rather than one thick layer. This is because they trap warm air close to your body. Don’t forget to keep your feet and hands warm as they regulate the body temperature. If you keep them warm then you’ll feel warmer, so you may want to buy yourself a nice pair of socks and gloves!
Regular hot meals are essential to keep your body warm by burning the food you eat. Try to eat food which contains carbohydrates such as potatoes, pasta, bread and rice. For breakfast, you can try porridge with hot milk and soups and stews for lunch and dinner.
Working Space
Hybrid working will increase your utility bills for obvious reasons, specially during winter, so you may want to go a day extra to the office during the week if you can.