An expert from Wolverhampton City Credit Union has shared some key tips to help people get through the cost of living crisis.

Jon Pope from the WCCU joined Stephen Burton-Pye, one of our Corporate Account Managers here at Paycare. You can catch up on the free webinar by hitting the button below!

Among his suggestions to help households save money this winter were:

  • Speaking to energy suppliers to see if they have hardship support available
  • Making sure to claim your £150 Warm House Discount (qualifying households only)
  • Seeking support on reducing energy consumption from the Energy Savings Trust
  • Using an Energy Grant to help clear debts
  • Practical suggestions to reduce energy also included turning all appliances off at the wall rather than leaving them on standby, making more use of alternative cooking methods such as microwaves and air fryers, and doing washing in off-peak hours
  • Join a Credit Union to find out about how this could help you save money and even provide you with small loans to cover necessary expenses – those living or working in a WV postcode can find out more about WCCU here. Other regions have credit unions too, the great news is as a Paycare customer your association with us provides you with a link to Wolverhampton, allowing Paycare Groups and Policyholders from anywhere, to access the WCCU products and services, just mention us when you are making your enquiry.

Quick wins to help save those extra pennies around the house include:

  • Switch off appliances on standby
  • Turn off at wall when not using items
  • Draught-proof windows and doors
  • Turn off unnecessary lights
  • Use full loads when washing your clothes and do in off-peak hours
  • Avoid the tumble dryer
  • Spend less time in the shower and swap your bath for a shower
  • Turn water off when shaving, washing hands and brushing teeth
  • Fix any leaky taps
  • Use energy efficient appliances
  • Consider alternative cooking methods such as  Microwaves and air fryers
  • Only fill your kettle with the water you need
  • Buy own brands of food, drink, toiletries, cleaning products when possible
  • Batch Cooking – costs less to re-heat and reduces waste
  • Less but Often – consider buying perishable food in smaller quantities more often
  • Buy in Bulk – e.g. pasta/washing powder – significant cost savings
  • Look at Labels – what is cheapest per litre/gram
  • Use Store Loyalty Cards – discounts and rewards
  • Food Banks – investigate where in local area – in very high demand currently

 

In addition, advice specifically for Paycare Policyholders includes:

  • Ensuring you make full use of your Health Cash Plan by claiming cash back after medical appointments (subject to the specifics of your plan)
  • Making use of the Paycare Perks discount platform
  • Using the savings calculator to input the average costs of everything from your utilities to your social activities – to reveal just how much Perks could save you in a year if you made full use of all the offers!

One webinar attendee said:

“It was really interesting to see Stephen go through the Paycare Perks platform and saving calculator, something I’ve not really taken full advantage of before despite being a Policyholder for a number of years.

“It’s really heartening for organisations like Paycare and the WCCU coming together to offer support during what is a quite worrying time, especially with all the news coverage on the cost of living crisis. I’m especially grateful that I could access this webinar for free, and that we can watch it back any time we like if we’ve forgotten any of the tips!”

Further advice can be found at:


And did you know,
if you currently claim Universal Credit, Pension Credit or other benefits, you could have access to Social tariffs – cheaper broadband and phone packages designed to support those with low income. Find out how a Social Tariff could support your financial wellbeing by clicking here 💚

There’s also additional information on our blogs, including this one on financial wellbeing and this one on the value of a Health Cash Plan 😀🙌