Spring clean your finances

Here at Manchester Credit Union, we know members are facing rising living costs - that's why we've rounded up our top tips for managing your money this Spring: 

Travel

There are various ways we can all save a penny or two on travel. For example, if you have children who use public transport, did you know your kids can save on travel costs with a range of passes available from Transport for Greater Manchester? Children can save as much as 40p per single ticket and they can reduce school bus costs significantly with bulk passes.

A 5p fuel duty cut has been announced by the UK government in order to help motorists, but with petrol costs set to rise further, consider using loyalty cards and cashback schemes to build up loyalty points and recoup some costs when you next top up at the petrol station. Here are a few cash back offers to check out:

• Tesco clubcard
• Esso Nectar
• Shell Go

Energy 

According to the BBC, around 18 million households on standard tariffs will see an average increase in April of £693 - from £1,277 to £1,971 per year. Take control of your gas and electricity bill by using comparison websites to see if you can get a better deal and look out for funding support, such as the Warm Home Discount Scheme. 

Broadband 

Online comparison website Uswitch claims that 5 million UK people are currently overpaying for broadband – make sure you're not one of them by:

• Reviewing your broadband contract at the right time: timing is key, as prices tend to rise after the first-year discounts run out once the promotion period is over - check to see if your bill has risen and make sure you question your service provider for cheaper options
• Knowing the alternatives - try using a broadband comparison tool to compare the top 20 providers for cheaper deals
• Bundling your broadband with other services - for example, see if combining your broadband with your Sky subscription and mobile phone contract offers a better deal

Reduce food bills 

Save money on your weekly shop by looking for deals on the bottom shelf where the cheaper ranges are kept: tinned tomatoes and bags of apples, bananas and rice can all be found in decent shape in the value ranges across all the supermarkets. 

Find out if your supermarket has online discount codes, for example Sainsbury's is currently offering £15 off a £60 online shop, code: SCSEO22MA15. A quick Google search can help you find the latest deals for your food bills.

Introductory offers on cook-at-home meal providers such as Hello Fresh and Gousto are useful for a cheap meal - for example, Hello Fresh is currently offering 50% off the 1st purchase.

Consider making cheap family meals, taking inspiration from free recipes on offer from cheap food blogger, Jack Monroe whose pork cassoulet is a perfect recipe for using up stray bits and pieces from the fridge, and is cheap to prepare.

Consolidate existing debt in one affordable monthly payment 

If you're facing multiple credit card, store card and loan payments that have built up, come to Manchester Credit Union to see if we can help consolidate existing debt into one affordable monthly loan repayment.