With the cost-of-living crisis biting more than ever, there are some ways that Brits can lessen the blow.
With food and fuel prices rising, a mortgage “time bomb” getting ready to explode and Christmas looming, the Autumn Statement last week did little to alleviate fears.
But there are some ways that you can push back against the rising cost of living.
Read on for more details…
Cost-of-living crisis: Take in a lodger
If you have a spare room at home then why not take in a lodger?
The act could work in the favour of both the home owner and a renter struggling with sky-high rent and bills.
It seems many Brits have been looking into it.
Companies that connect people with spare rooms have seen a 30% increase in visitors to their sites in the past three months.
So how does it work?
Well, unlike a tenant and landlord setup, a lodger shares your space and home, living alongside you in your property.
This takes place for an agreed amount of time and your lodger does not have any exclusive entitlement to any part of your home.
They also have fewer rights than a tenant and there are no expectations on the home owner to give a long notice period to end the arrangement.
They also do not need to use a deposit protection scheme.
It’s been working for school teacher Jane McNamara, 51.
She told the Guardian: “I am a single parent and I’m really happy with the arrangement.
“She’s really nice and I’ve enjoyed chatting to her a lot. I was worried about sharing a bathroom between three of us but it’s been fine.”
Start housesitting
Megan Gay and Sean Wood, both 27, claim they haven’t been affected by the cost-of-living crisis.
And that’s because they’ve given up renting and become full-time housesitters.
Their only overheads now include petrol, some food and a £200 annual subscription to TrustedHousesitters – a site which connects sitters with owners.
Read more: Vote for your Best Factual Entertainment Show in the Entertainment Daily Awards 2022
An average housesit lasts one to two weeks, but longer-term sits of between three and five weeks are on the rise.
No money changes hands between sitters and owners.
Instead, the sitters look after the home and any pets and the owners pay them back with free accommodation, heating and sometimes food.
“More and more people are struggling to find a place they can afford to live in, so housesitting is definitely a desirable alternative,” Nick Fuad, of House Sitters UK told the Guardian.
Cost-of-living crisis: Energy-saving tips
According to the Energy Saving Trust, there are a number of things you can do to save money on energy bills.
A simple thing such as turning your TV off completely instead of just using standby can save £65 a year.
Likewise, turning off lights when you leave a room could save you £25 per year.
Draft-proofing and gaps could result in a saving of £125, while insulating your hot water cylinder could save you £70 per year.
You could also save £34 a year by using your washing machine differently.
Simply switch to a 30˚ wash and reduce your washing machine use by one run per week for a year.
Drying on a clothes rack or on the line – weather permitting – instead of using the tumble dryer could save you £70 per year.
Switch up your TV subscriptions
If you’re paying for multiple streaming services, look at rotating them to save a bit of money.
With so many streaming services, it’s impossible to watch them all at once.
If you’re watching The Crown on Netflix it’s unlikely you’ll switch to The Marvellous Mrs Maisel on Amazon Prime until you’ve finished the boxset.
So you’re not really getting your money’s worth out of Prime in this instance.
Some Brits have begun rotating subscriptions instead of paying for all of them all of the time.
So once you’re done with The Crown, pause or cancel your Netflix subscription and reinstate your Prime one.
And you’ll see an instant saving.
Cost-of-living crisis: Free food
Food banks are under incredible pressure at the moment.
However, there is an app that allows you to connect with people in your area who are giving away their surplus food.
OLIO is a mobile app for food-sharing, aiming to reduce food waste.
It does this by connecting those with surplus food to those who need it.
The food must be edible but it can be raw or cooked, sealed or open.
Read more: Brits urged to act over loneliness in the elderly this Christmas
Head to our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and share your thoughts.