5 easy ways to reduce your household bills

The cost of living in Australia is now higher than ever, and many of us now need to find ways to cut down on our expenditure just to make ends meet. Running a home is the highest cost of all for a lot of us, but there are things we can do – read on for 5 tips that will save you money.

Warm your house for less with a few tricks

With winter well and truly here, heating your home is likely to make up a large portion of your electricity or gas bills. Here are some tips to help keep those heating bills at a manageable level.

• Move the furniture that you sit on away from external walls.
• Consider using a terracotta heater. All you need is some clay pots and candles. You place the candles inside the pots and as they burn, they heat up the surface of the pot which will retain the heat and reflect it.
• Use draught stoppers on external doors to stop the cold air from coming in.
• Use weather seals to seal around your windows to eliminate the cold and stop the warm air from escaping.
• Install thermal-backed curtains or blinds on your windows and close them at night when the temperature drops significantly. Pelmets above the curtains will also prevent heat from escaping.
• If you have timber or tile floors, these can get quite cold in winter. Invest in some large rugs to lay on the bare floors.
• Close doors to rooms you aren’t using so the warmer air doesn’t circulate to where it’s not needed.
• Change your habits: many of us are guilty of heating our homes to subtropical temperatures and then walking around in T-shirts all winter. Try instead to lower the heating and dress more warmly, maybe adding a throw rug and hot-water bottle for added cosiness.

In the kitchen, substitute expensive ingredients without losing out on flavour

Buying seasonal produce and using creative ways to cook with them will save you a fortune at the supermarket.

Here are a few more tips:

• Substitute canned black beans for expensive cuts of beef to make a healthy, nutritious, and satisfying stew. To flavour your stew, throw in any seasonal vegetables you have, a bottle of passata, and any herbs and spices you have on hand. Serve with rice.
• Instead of steak or a roast, try large field mushrooms. These are highly nutritious and flavoursome. You can either roast or pan-fry them and serve them with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.
• Buy whole chickens and whole fish rather than fillets. The cost per kilo is far lower, and you can make chicken stock with the carcass for added value.
• There’s nothing better than a warming curry in winter.Use inexpensive and healthy lentils as the base. Add potatoes, carrots, and any other seasonal vegetables that you have and serve with rice.

Grow some veggies and herbs

There’s nothing more satisfying than going out into the garden and picking your own fresh vegetables and herbs to have for dinner. In fact, growing home produce has really surged in popularity over the last few years.

You don’t have to have a large backyard either. Many vegetables can be grown in large pots or grow bags on a patio or in a courtyard. Once you start, you might be surprised at how much you can grow in just a small space. Here are some vegetables and herbs to grow for a winter harvest:

• Spinach
• Loose-leaf lettuce
• Peas
• Spring onions
• Bok choy
• Silverbeet
• Herbs like parsley, rosemary, thyme, and chives

Decluttering and prepare for the annual garage sale trail

This year, the annual garage sale trail happens in November. This involves both virtual garage sales and community ones and is a fantastic way to get rid of things around your home that you no longer use and make some extra cash at the same time. So, why not spend some time cleaning out your cupboards and getting your sales stock ready?

Give your house an energy audit

Now is the perfect time to have a look at your energy consumption and try to cut back on any excesses. There are simple ways that you can lower your bills by changing when and how you use electricity. Here are some tips:

• Take a closer look at your electricity bills and shop around to see if you can find a cheaper deal.
• Choose energy-efficient appliances when you need to replace them.
• Switch off appliances at the powerpoint. Here’s a handy list of ‘phantom appliances’ that use power even when not in use, and can add around 10% to your electricity costs.
• Avoid using the dryer and invest in a clothes horse to dry your clothes in front of the fire or a heater maintaining a safe distance. Hanging your clothes indoors in a warm room will get them dry in no time. Or, take advantage of the winter sunshine and hang them outdoors for a few hours.
• Fill your dishwasher before turning it on and try to only run it during off-peak hours.

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