Saving money room-by-room

Any money-saving drive is best carried out systematically. One approach is carrying it out on a room-by-room basis. Andrew Stucken suggests how:

House costs

In the kitchen, the amount of food we throw away is well documented. Plan your meals weekly to eliminate waste. Moreover:

* Use your microwave oven instead of a conventional oven where possible. Bear in mind as well that each time you open the over door the temperature drops by nearly 20 degrees.

* Use voucher websites to take advantage of money-off coupons. Examples include:

http://www.myvouchercodes.co.uk

http://www.vouchercodes.com/

http://www.wow-coupons.com

http://www.freeinuk.co.uk

Bathroom

* Save 25% plus on your water bill by replacing old shower heads and taps with low-flow aerating models. It is the single most effective water conserving step you can take.

* Use generic drugs instead of brand name equivalents. You get the same product in your medicine cabinet but much cheaper.

Home office/study

* Instead of buying a fax machine, consider using a free virtual fax service. Providers such as Freefaxgetaway enable you to send faxes for free. Scan the document to your PC and use their software to send it. See http://freefaxgateway.net for this service. Other providers such as www.myfax.co.uk or www.efax.co.uk offer free 30 day trials, fine for a one-off.

All rooms

* Invest in a programmable thermostat if you do not have one. They can be picked up for under £20 but can save an estimated 10% off your fuel bill – that's an average £140 per household at 2010 prices.

* Get a grant to insulate your home and check out the boiler scrappage scheme. See www.warmfront.co.uk or ring 0800 316 2805.

* Beware the standby power vampire - the stats on this fuel-waster are frightening. Two power stations' worth per year drain away, according to government figures. Paid for by you and me.

* Install double glazing. At an annual average saving of £135, it soon pays for itself.

Garden

* Growing your own vegetables can be very rewarding and saves money, if you have a spare patch of garden.

* Planting trees will not only enhance the look of your garden and benefit the environment, but the shade will help insulate your house a bit better.

Garage

If your garage adjoins your house it is an easily-overlooked source of wasted heat. Unless you are quite DIY-minded, insulating your heat-seeping garage is probably a job for a professional – but the savings will add up.

Written by Andrew Stucken, this article was published on March 4, 2010. Andrew's opinions are his own and for general information only. Always seek independent, professional financial advice.

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