- Maximise your income - you may be entitled to benefits (opens in a new window) you didn't realise you were entitled to.
- Apply for a Warm Home Discount (opens in a new window).
- Use your local foodbanks if you're eligible (you may need a referral) - they are there to support you. This then frees up money for rent, gas, electric and other essential bills.
- Try to budget your income - break down a monthly income into weekly amounts, use envelopes/jam jars to add money in each week towards larger costs.
- Buy marked down food at the end of the day in supermarkets and batch cook and freeze for days later in the month when money is tight.
- Turn your thermostat down just a few degrees - this saves money when using a meter.
- Consider investing in a heated blanket - easier and cheaper to keep warm for pence instead of pounds.
- On the day you get paid, fill up the car with fuel, top up meters, buy a large food shop and batch cook. Pay any outstanding priorities before paying anything else. If you run out of money then at least you have the important essentials your family needs.
Cost of living crisis
For advice and support in relation to getting help with your bills please visit the Citizens Advice website: Get help with bills - Citizens Advice.
If you live in an area which is covered by Lancashire County Council, you can visit its 'cost of living hub'.
If you live in an area which is covered by Blackburn with Darwen Council, you can take a look at its 'household support scheme'.
If you live in an area covered by Blackpool Council, you can visit its 'cost of living help' page.
If paying the bills is causing you to end up in debt visit our debt advice and support page.
The rising day to day cost of living is hitting many of us hard right now.
Increasing food, energy, fuel and mortgage costs mean many people are struggling to pay the bills.
If you’re one of them, you're not on your own, and there are specific things you can do to sort out your finances such as working out your budget to better manage your money or finding out what benefits or grants you might be entitled to.
Cost of living payments
Millions of people on means-tested benefits will receive the first of two Cost of Living Payments totalling £650 from 14 July 2022, as part of a £37billion government package to help families with cost of living pressures.
The first £326 instalment for qualifying low-income households in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will be paid by their usual payment method from 14 July 2022, continuing to the end of the month. For those eligible, the rest will follow in a second instalment in the autumn.
People receiving tax credits and no other eligible benefits will receive their first payment from HMRC in autumn and the second in winter.
In total, millions of vulnerable households will receive at least £1,200 from the Government this year to help cover rising costs. There are specific payments for those on means tested benefits, for pensioners, those on disability benefits and to help people with energy bills.
For more information, go to the cost of living payment page on gov.uk
Sarah is an engery adviser for Citizens Advice
Struggling with the cost of energy?
Whilst we can’t affect the price increases there are practical things you can do to help keep your bills as manageable as possible.
Three priorities that can help:
1. Reduce your energy consumption
- This means taking more notice of what you plug in and turn on.
- Keep your thermostat down as far as you can and switch off your heating in the warmer weather.
- Switch off electrical appliances if you can, don’t just leave them on standby.
- Turn off lights in rooms you’re not using and turn down the radiators in these rooms too.
2. Check your bills for estimates
- If you have ‘old style’ meters or the older version of Smart meters, read your meters once a
- month. Then submit the reading either by phone to your supplier or through the app.
- Don't reply to emails asking for the readings, the suppliers don’t always pick up the readings.
3. Talk to your supplier about reducing the direct debit (DD)
- If you pay by DD and the amount has gone up this month, you can contact your supplier and
- ask them to review the amount. This is especially important if you’ve been trying hard to
- reduce usage over the last few months.
- If you use an app for meter readings, check to see if there is an option to alter the DD
- amount.
Have prepayment (pay as you go) meters?
Look to see if there is a cheaper tariff with a different supplier. Specifically, you’re looking for a cheaper daily standing charge AND a cheaper unit price.
Find ways to use less. It's likely this will be the only way to pay less.
Have a young family or long-term health condition?
Tell your supplier. You could be eligible for extra support by being added to their Priority Service Register.
If you’re eligible for your energy supplier’s Priority Service Register, tell United Utilities too.
For advice and support in relation to energy bills please visit the Citizens Advice website (opens in new window) or call its Consumer Service helpline on 0808 223 1133.
The websites below may also be useful:
Grants to help pay energy bills
Turn 2 Us - grant search(opens in new window)
(When using the search tool, add in all the suppliers listed, otherwise it’s a nil result)
British Gas Energy Trust (opens in new window)
(This doesn't appear in the Turn2Us grant search at the moment)
Warm Home Discount (opens in new window)
Make your money go further
- Maximise your income - you may be entitled to benefits (opens in a new window) you didn't realise you were entitled to.
- Apply for a Warm Home Discount (opens in a new window).
- Use your local foodbanks if you're eligible (you may need a referral) - they are there to support you. This then frees up money for rent, gas, electric and other essential bills.
- Try to budget your income - break down a monthly income into weekly amounts, use envelopes/jam jars to add money in each week towards larger costs.
- Buy marked down food at the end of the day in supermarkets and batch cook and freeze for days later in the month when money is tight.
- Turn your thermostat down just a few degrees - this saves money when using a meter.
- Consider investing in a heated blanket - easier and cheaper to keep warm for pence instead of pounds.
- On the day you get paid, fill up the car with fuel, top up meters, buy a large food shop and batch cook. Pay any outstanding priorities before paying anything else. If you run out of money then at least you have the important essentials your family needs.
Page last updated: 10:04, 03/11/2022