Start With What You're Actually Spending

It is tempting to attack the biggest bill first, but the most useful thing you can do costs nothing at all: find out what you are really spending. Dig out the last twelve months of statements, or open your energy account online, and write the monthly figures side by side. Most households spot one or two months that are far higher than the rest, and those spikes usually point to something fixable — an old fridge humming away in the garage, a fortnight of icy weather, or a run of long, hot baths.

If you have a gas or electricity meter, take a reading on the same date each month and jot it in a notebook or a phone note. Smart meters do this for you, but the habit of looking is what matters. Once you can see the pattern, you can tell whether the changes you make are actually working.

Stop the Draughts Before You Reach for the Thermostat

Heat loss is where a great deal of money quietly disappears. Before you touch any dials, walk around the house on a windy day with the back of your hand held near the edges of doors, windows, letterboxes and skirting boards. Cold air on your skin shows you exactly where to work.

• Fit brush or foam draught excluders to the bottom and sides of external doors. A roll costs a few pounds and takes ten minutes with a pair of scissors.
• Add a letterbox flap and a keyhole cover. Both are inexpensive and stop a surprising amount of cold air funnelling into the hall.
• Use a chimney balloon or a rolled draught excluder in an open fireplace you never light — but always remove it before you do.
• Seal gaps between skirting boards and floorboards with flexible filler or a bead of caulk.
• Hang lined curtains that reach just below the windowsill, and close them at dusk.

None of this is glamorous, but together it makes a room feel noticeably warmer at the same thermostat setting, which is the whole point.

Smarter Heating and Hot Water Habits

Turning the thermostat down by a single degree can trim a meaningful amount from a year's gas bill, and most people genuinely stop noticing after a week. Set it to the lowest temperature you are comfortable in, and use a timer so the heating comes on shortly before you get up rather than hours earlier. If you have thermostatic valves on the radiators, turn down the ones in rooms you rarely use and close the doors to keep the warmth where you want it.

Then check the radiators themselves. Bleed any that are cold at the top, and move furniture that blocks the heat from reaching the room. If you have a hot water cylinder, a well-fitted lagging jacket is one of the cheapest improvements going, and programming the water to heat once or twice a day rather than constantly saves more than most people expect.

Waste Less Food, Spend Less on the Weekly Shop

An average household throws away a startling amount of food every week, and that is money straight into the bin. A little planning goes a long way.

• Plan a week of meals before you shop, and build them around what you already have.
• Keep a use me first shelf in the fridge for items nearing their date, and cook from it before buying more.
• Know the difference: use by is about safety, best before is about quality. Many foods are perfectly good well past the latter.
• Freeze leftovers in single portions and label them with the date, so they become easy dinners rather than mystery containers.
• Buy loose fruit and vegetables where you can, so you take only what you will eat.

A shopping list you actually stick to is the single most effective money-saving tool in the kitchen.

Appliances, Water and the Little Daily Habits

The background hum of a home adds up over twelve months. A few small adjustments make a real difference.

• Wash clothes at 30°C and always with a full drum. Modern detergents work perfectly well at lower temperatures.
• Air-dry washing whenever the weather allows. If you must use a tumble dryer, choose a faster spin cycle first to remove more water.
• Boil only the water you need in the kettle — it is quicker and cheaper.
• Take showers rather than baths, and keep them reasonably short. A four-minute shower uses far less water than a full bath.
• Switch appliances off at the wall rather than leaving them on standby, particularly televisions, consoles and chargers.

Review Your Regular Payments — and Make the Changes Stick

Direct debits have a habit of outliving their usefulness. Set aside half an hour, list every subscription, membership and policy you pay for, and ask honestly whether each one still earns its place. When a broadband, mobile or insurance contract reaches the end of its term, that is the moment to shop around rather than drift onto a higher rolling price. If you are on a water meter, it is also worth checking whether your usage patterns mean a meter would suit you better.

Finally, do not try to do everything at once. Pick two changes this month — draught-proofing the front door and a weekly meal plan, say — and let them become habit. Then add the next. Small, steady adjustments are the ones that survive, and by the time the colder months arrive you will feel the benefit in both the temperature of your home and the size of your bills.