Cost of Living LATEST: Five payments could hit your bank account before Xmas; plus energy bill and money-saving tips

How to save money on Bonfire Night

As a number of cities have cancelled their annual firework events due to the current cost of living crisis, hundreds of homes will be hosting their own celebrations this year.

And here’s how you can save money on Bonfire Night.

• Save money by purchasing fireworks from your local supermarket
• Sign up for discounts and vouchers
• Use loyalty points/cards
• Look online and compare prices for bonfire night snacks and fireworks

Tesco announces £1million support package amid cost of living crisis

Tesco have announced a new £1million support package to help food banks and food charities.

The announcement came after the Trussel Trust launched an emergency appeal earlier today as the food bank prepare for their hardest winter yet, due to cost of living crisis.

Tesco will be splitting the £1m donation between the Trussell Trust and FareShare to help them meet the exceptional challenges they are currently facing.

Shoplifting increases during cost of living crisis in Yorkshire

The number of shoplifting offences recorded in York has risen during the cost of living crisis.

According to North Yorkshire Police the number of offences recorded from January 3rd to August 21, 2022, was 721.

These number have been compared to the exact same time period in 2021 – during this time 560 shoplifting offences were recorded.

These figures show that the numbers have risen by 161 over the last year so far.

What is the pension triple lock?

There have been many talks about the pension triple lock this week, but what exactly is it?

The pension triple lock is a policy implemented by the government that protects people’s pensions from being impacted by any rises in the cost of living.

It imposes, that the pension must rise by any of which the average earnings or inflation or 2.5% is the highest.

The three rates are normally looked over in September and then the rise is made in April.

Taunton Marathon and Half Marathon have been cancelled due to rising costs

Next year’s Taunton Marathon and Half Marathon have been cancelled as a result of rising costs and low entry numbers.

This year, entries have fallen to 770.

Taunton and District Carnival Committee, who are responsible for the events, says a decrease in entry numbers has forced it to “take a really serious look” at all of its costs and income.

Committee chairman Marilyn House and race director John Lewis said in a joint statement: ”With the ongoing economic situation, the rise in inflation and the cost of living crisis, the reality is that it would be financially very challenging for us to put on the event in 2023.

“Like everyone involved in event organising, we see the costs around transport, fuel, equipment hire and support services rising alarmingly.

“We recognise that we cannot simply just pass the increases on to potential participants – the same inflationary and reduced income pressures affect us all.”

‘Holiday Hunger’ payments to continue until Match 2023 the BBC reports

More than 100,000 children will continue to receive “holiday hunger” payments until March 2023.

The payments of £27 every two weeks are made to families during school holidays in place of free school meals.

The education minister is set to spend £5.5m to continue the scheme until the end of the 2022/23 financial year.

Northwest council calls for free school meals to be given to every child

Rochdale council has called for free school meals to be given to every child as the cost-of-living crisis continues.

Rochdale Online reports that yesterday, a motion urging the government to ‘ensure universal provision for all school age groups’ was unanimously backed.

Data shows that one in three school-age children living in poverty were already missing out on free school meals as a result of the ‘restrictive eligibility criteria’ – with many more now struggling.

Speaking at the meeting, Labour Councillor Rachel Massey said: “No child should go hungry while in school, we know that there are increasing numbers of struggling families that don’t qualify for free school meals.

“School meals are not an optional extra, they are absolutely essential to ensure that our most vulnerable are fed, healthy, cared for and thriving.”

New app set to launch to help with cost of living this winter

A Sheffield organisation are launching a new app to help keep their residents warm and safe this winter, as energy bills rise.

The Warm and Safe app maps easy-to-find facilities in Sheffield that are providing people somewhere warm to visit in the daytime as a means of cutting their energy costs at home.

The app, which is free and available to download from Friday, October 21, was created by Sheffield-based training organisation The Developer Academy.

ASOS to open a new shop on high street selling discounted clothes

The Sun was told that online fashion retailer ASOS will be opening a new physical shop in the UK.

It will see clothes that are out of season and that weren’t sold online, put on sale.

José Antonio Ramos Calamonte told The Sun that they “are considering our options.”

Stay tuned as this new shop may save you money on buying new and expensive clothes.

What temperature should your thermostat be to save on bills?

As bills rise this winter, Brits are looking for ways to save on energy.

But what temperature should you have your heating to save on bills?

When it comes to your thermostat, Energy Saving Trust recommends you should set it to the “lowest comfortable temperature”.

For most of us this is between 18 and 21 degrees Celsius.

Tesco make major change to their Clubcard

Families are furious after Tesco scrapped the popular Clubcard deals on sweets and chocolate during the cost of living crisis.

Tesco ditched its popular three for £1.20 promotion on chocolate bars and the other offer which was three sweets for £1.

The disappearance of the deals coincides with new legislation that bans chocolate and junk food being sold at checkouts or around the entrances of supermarkets – to encourage healthy eating.

The new law originally included a ban on multibuy deals on chocolates and sweets, but the Government has delayed this for a year to help families with soaring grocery costs.

Top tricks on drying bed sheets without using the tumble dryer

Georgia Metcalfe, founder of online bedroom retailer French Bedroom, has shared the advice as we head towards colder months.

She explained how sheets can dry effectively inside and smell nice as well as how to prevent mould when doing so, all whilst lowering bills.

Georgia explains that the best way to dry sheets indoors is to hang them on bannisters.

 She said: “Bedding needs a large surface area to dry quickly so drape wet sheets around the bannister to maximise indoor space and allow the fabric to breathe. 

“Many will use an airer, but these can be too small to work efficiently for large sheets. 

“You could also create a beautiful scent by using lavender fabric softener in the washing machine as this will act as a diffuser whilst the sheets dry.”

UK council declares cost of living emergency

Milton Keynes council have declared a cost-of-living emergency after announcing that one in five of its adult residents cannot pay their bills due to rising costs.

Liberal Democrat councillor Sam Crooks said they were declaring an emergency to “defend our city”.

Councillors have pledged their support as they bring forward a winter plan and look to help charities who are assisting people with debt.

The authority has also agreed to write to government ministers to get details of their cost-of-living crisis plan.

Home experts share four cost effective tips to get your home ready for Winter

Home experts at beanbags.co.uk have shared their top four budget-friendly hacks to prepare your home for winter – and to save you money.

As energy bills rise and the cost-of-living crisis continues to put pressure on household budgets, these simple tips could help you prepare for the colder months – and they all cost under £3.

Here’s what the home experts advise you to do.

• Deep clean your oven with two lemons – costing you just 78p
• Use an IKEA kitchen spatula to clean your gutters – costing you just £1
• Use fresh mint to deter spiders and bugs – a bag costs 60p
• Deep clean your carpets with vinegar to shelter from the cold – costing you just 29p

This Range product could save you some cash this Christmas

The bargain shop has revealed its new Christmas range and shoppers are rushing to buy the Christmas tree-shaped festive platter – for just £5.99.

For those planning festive gatherings over the coming next few months, this cheap product could be a perfect buy.

The retailer posted the product to its official Facebook page, and it quickly received over a thousand comments.

One user commented: “How cute would a cheese board look on that.”

While another wrote: “We need this for cheese and biscuits!!”

Eight simple tax refund checks to do now (4/4)

Here are the last two tax refund checks you can do to help you claim some much needed cash back from the tax man.

Council tax refund

According to a recent Sun investigation thousands of households could be in entitled to a council tax refund.

There are a number of reasons why you could have overpaid on your council tax – you could have been placed in the wrong band or simply be eligible for a council tax reduction.

If you think you have overpaid on council tax and could be due a refund, then you should contact your local council.

You can find a council by using the council finder tool on the Gov.uk website.

Pension tax

If you have recently withdrawn cash from your pension for the first time and you took more than 25% of the value of your savings – it is likely that HMRC owes you some cash.

If you’ve paid more in tax than you should, HMRC should pay it back automatically.

However, you can also claim your money back from HMRC via a from either online or with a paper one sent by post.

Eight simple tax refund checks to do now (3/4)

Here we share with you eight simple tax refund checks to help you see if you’re entitled to some much-needed cash.

Check out our posts below to see earlier tips and what you need to look out for.

Check your tax code

It’s always important to check if your code is wrong as you may be paying thousands more than you need to.

And this mean’s you will be entitled to money back.

To check if you’re code is correct, use a tax code calculator such as this one – MoneySavingExpert.

If it’s wrong, contact HMRC to let it know on 0300 200 3300. If it’s right, you don’t need to do anything.

Marriage tax allowance

If you’re married – or in a civil partnership – you could be entitled to £1,242 if you haven’t yet claimed marriage tax allowance.

This allows married couples or people in civil partnerships to share their personal tax allowances.

You can apply at any time and, in some cases, could backdate your claim for up to four previous tax years.

This means you could potentially receive tax relief worth up to £1,242.

 Check out the full eligibility criteria here and to apply use the government website.

Eight simple tax refund checks to do now (2/4)

Here are a further two tax refund checks you can carry out to see if you’re entitled to some extra cash.

Working from home tax relief

Even if you have ever worked from home – you could be due a whole year’s tax relief, to help with extra costs such as energy bills and internet connections.

HMRC will accept backdated claims for up to four years which means in total you could claim up to £500.

HMRC has an online tool to help you submit a claim.

Claim for other business expenses

There are also other work costs that you may be able to claim for if you pay out of your own pocket.

For instance, you can claim on fees and subscriptions to approved professional organisations if you need membership or it relates to your employment.

This includes organisations such as the National Union of Teachers, the British Association of Critical Care Nurses and the Institute of Fire Prevention Officers.

Check the full list of organisations here.

A further two tax claim tips are coming your way – so keep an eye out on our blog to find out more.

Manchester shopping helps with cost of living crisis

The Trafford Centre has set up a Christmas gift and essential items donation point this week to help support residents through the cost of living and energy crisis.

The shopping centre in Manchester are encouraging those who are able to donate to do so until December 18.

Each week donation items will vary.

Here’s what you can donate and when.

• Week one – Food bank items
• Week two – Toiletries and baby consumables
• Week three – Warm items
• Week four – Christmas decorations and Christmas crackers
• Week five – Pyjamas and slippers
• Week 6 – Teenagers gifts (electronics, make up sets, clothing etc)
• Week 7 – Gift sets/gifts for grown-ups

Lloyds banking cost of living hub has helped over 400,000 customers

In July 2022, the banking group launched a Cost-of-Living Hub available on their banking apps and online – which has seen over 400,000 customer visits since its launch.

Through the service, customers can view their upcoming payments to help them budget, get direct access to Lloyd’s subscription management service, as well as switch on notifications for things like purchase alerts and end-of-week spending summaries.

Customers can also get quick access to free independent help and advice when needed.

Less traffic predicted during half-term as drivers cut back on costs

As half-term approaches, the AA has predicted that traffic will peak Friday evening and again Saturday mid-morning as some drivers head off for a week’s holiday.

However, due to the current financial situation the number of people travelling at these times are not expected to match previous autumn breaks.

These predications come as families cut back in a bid to save money ahead of Christmas, energy bills and rising costs.

Money saving parents share tips on how to make your cash stretch until Christmas

According to new research by Tesco almost one in five people (17%) are feeling more financial pressure this Christmas compared to previous years, and this rises to 22% amongst 25–44-year-olds.

To help make the last two pay checks of the year last, parents Ricky and Naomi Willis have shared their money saving tips.

Ricky and Naomi run the successful Skint Dad website, helping others with budgeting and finding bargains.

Here’s their list of tips and tricks.

•  Set a budget
• Get a list and check it twice
• Get a discount on your Christmas food shop
• Eat smart
• Consider gifting differently
• Fuel up wisely
• Use your loyalty points
• Cut back on unnecessary spending
• Shop for one thing a week before Christmas
• Have a pre-December clear out

Vodafone launches most affordable social broadband on the market

In support of the current cost-of-living crisis, Vodafone have launched an affordable social broadband – and it’s the cheapest tariff on the market at just £12 per month.

Vodafone Essentials Broadband is not only available to people on Job Seekers Allowance and Universal Credit, but also those on Employment and Support Allowance, Disability Allowance or Personal Independence Payment.

Customers can join without paying a set-up fee and can leave their contract for free at any time -avoiding any in-contract price changes.

The plan gives access to Vodafone’s Fibre 1 or Full Fibre 1 Essentials Broadband plan for 12 months, providing fast connectivity, with average download speeds of 38Mbps.