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Wales Online
Wales Online
Neil Shaw

Toilet trick could save you £300 to £6000 a year, says Money Mum Gemma Bird

A simple trick with your toilet could save you £300 a year, according to Gemma Bird, also known as Money Mum who is part of Lorraine’s Saver Squad on ITV.

Through simple hacks and money saving tips Gemma helps people to understand how to save on energy costs without complicated maths calculations.

Gemma Bird’s practical and savvy money-saving tips have made her a social media sensation with nearly 350k followers on Instagram and over 73k on TikTok.

Gemma is a working mum who frequently held down multiple jobs to make ends meet and aims to actively instigate change, dropping the perceived shame and secrecy around being strapped for cash, in debt or economising and saving, challenging peer pressure and anxiety-inducing financial choices.

She said: “There is a pride & empowerment that comes with being in control of your money."

Gemma Bird’s book ‘Money Mum Official - Save Yourself Happy’ is out now, with a new book launch coming soon.

Here are Gemma's latest money-saving tips:

A toilet that is constantly leaking clean water from the cistern into the pan can waste around 200 to 400 litres of water a day (2.5 – 5 bath tubs a day) and could add around £300 a year to your water bill if left unfixed.

The worst of leaking toilets can waste up to 8,000 litres a day (100 bath tubs a day) and could cost you over £6,000 a year if not fixed! Leaky loos have become a more significant problem recently due to a number of factors; the change in design of toilets from syphon to dual flush drop valves, along with more households replacing their water systems to mains-fed bathrooms.

The leak could look minimal, and some people may even think this is a design feature to keep the toilet bowl fresh. Would you spot a toilet leaking? Watch the hack using food colouring here!

You can cut down half the time of ironing and cut half the energy you use with this simple hack, using tin foil No need to change the foil, you can keep the same one for months. Make sure to put on smooth. And a good tip is to pull the cover back to let it air.

How do you know when your fridge is wasting energy? Testing the seal of your fridge door is simple and easy and is also very easy to fix and there are videos online of how to do it yourself. But check yours and see if you're wasting energy by using a note or a piece of paper, watch it here.

A worn or broken seal means the refrigerator will lose cold air, even when the door is closed. This increases the workload on your compressor, which can shorten the lifespan of your refrigeration equipment and increase the electricity bill.

Tumbler dries cost a lot to run! Try out this Washing Hack for free!

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