A Martin Lewis fan has revealed how she saved £213 by making a few simple changes to her bills and savings.
The MoneySavingExpert reader, known as Sam, was able to lower her car insurance, broadband, phone and water bill after going through her finances. She also made additional interest on her savings after moving some of her income from a current account into a cash ISA.
Sam, 65, who is on Universal Credit with an enhanced rate for her disability, wrote into the website to explain how she made the changes, adding "I feel so empowered because I've done something about my finances."
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Sam first explained how she used the site's new car insurance comparison tool to save £53 compared to what she was spending last year. She then haggled this renewal price down by a further £32 with no loss of cover, to add to her saving.
Her next success saw Sam save around £5 a month on her internet, after signing up to the BT Home Essentials social tariff, which she is eligible for because she claims Universal Credit, the Mirror reports. Sam also contacted her water company and was awarded a 20% discount worth around £40 a year, after answering questions about her circumstances.
Finally, she also saved £60 a year by switching her mobile Sim to a cheaper deal.
The other change Sam made was setting up a standing order so a small portion of her income goes into a cash ISA, instead of sitting in her First Direct current account. She also moved across £3,000 of savings into the same cash ISA as it was "doing diddly-squat elsewhere".
"All totalled up that's £213 a year, plus the little bit of interest from the ISA," said Sam. She added: "It won't cover the energy increases, but I've gone from being very worried to concerned, and I feel so empowered because I've done something about my finances."
Going through your bills has never been more important, with the cost of living crisis pushing everything up and April bringing in a whole raft of price hikes. The energy regulator Ofgem has increased its price cap by an unprecedented 54% in a huge hit for household bills.
For those on a default tariff who pay by direct debit, the price cap has gone up by £693 from £1,277 to £1,971. The average band D council tax rate in England has gone up by 3.5%, while the average water bill has risen by roughly 1.7%.
Pretty much all the major mobile and broadband providers have confirmed price rises as well. And for homeowners, mortgages with a variable rate are now more expensive after the Bank of England hiked its base rate to 0.75%.
