Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

Water, mobile, savings, broadband, food, fuel
Martin: 'Stop ripping yourself off! Don't hold your breath for politicians to fix owt. Take action today to slash £1,000s off bills'

"Price rises are pushing many to the brink. Following the mortgage help announcements, the Chancellor's now met regulators for food, savings, fuel, water and telecoms to call for stronger help to fight inflation. There were a few announcements, many pushing for speed for things already in place. All helpful, but nowt game-changing.

"The truth is many people are ripping themselves off by inaction - sticking loyally with providers or the status quo - without realising that they're unnecessarily haemorrhaging money by doing so.

"So this is my call to self-arm with facts and tools to slash your bills, if you haven't already. Below the team and I will take you through key areas the state is trying to tackle, and more importantly, how to take matters into your own hands and (politely) fight back..."

Jump to: Water | Mobile | Broadband | Savings | Food | Petrol
Also see: Government action plan with regulators

Water firms have been facing intense criticism over often shocking images and statistics about water pollution and leaks. Bills have risen by 7.5% on average already this year in England and Wales (5% in Scotland). Yet a report last week in The Times indicates some firms are asking to increase prices by 40% over the next few years, to pay for investments in infrastructure.

Enough about the ocean of water firm woes, what do you do to help yourself? Perversely the water industry is privatised, with no competition, so you can't switch, but there are other routes. Full help in our Cut water bills guide, including sewage rebates, but the big ones are...

1. Some save £100s switching to a water meter - can you? This applies to England and Wales only. Martin's rule of thumb is...

More or the same number of bedrooms in your home than people (eg, three bedrooms, two people)? A water meter is likely to save you cash. Try a water calculator to get a better picture.

As Tinkerbaby tweeted: "@MartinSLewis Been telling parents for a long time to get a meter, they pay £1,400 as a couple. Dad now getting it installed and it's likely he'll save £900/yr. Wish he'd done it years ago."

2. Can't have a water meter fitted? If you're told it's impracticable, don't give up. You can ask for an assessed charge to save instead.

3. On Universal Credit, benefits or have low household income? 5.7m ELIGIBLE HOUSEHOLDS ARE MISSING OUT on an estimated £160/yr via social tariffs, plus some with three or more children, or a medical condition which means you need to use more water, may be able to have bills capped under the WaterSure scheme.

4. Grab water-saving FREEBIES. See what freebies are available, and also 30 ways to cut your water usage.

In April, mobile firms hiked bills for those in-contract often by 4% above inflation - so 17% in total - outrageous. Martin's long publicly called for a ban on this (and finally a consultation on tightening rules against above inflation mid-contract rises is due to report this month). Many are paying four or five times more than needed. So what to do...

Then contrast what you pay with the cheapest new Sim deal. Here you keep your handset & number, but just change who you pay for calls, data etc. Our Cheap Sims tool will find your winner, yet here are some examples to inspire. All are unlimited UK texts & calls.

The price factors in any promos such as Amazon vouchers (it's explained via the links). At the very least, they can be used to haggle down your own cost once you're out of contract:

- Lebara (uses Vodafone's signal) 5GB for '£3.45' each mth
- TalkMobile (Vodafone's no-frills provider) 20GB for '£4.20' each mth
- iD Mobile (on Three's signal) 100GB for '£7.84' each mth
- Want to keep your signal? Smaller networks 'piggyback' on the big four's (Vodafone, Three, O2 and EE's) signals, so our Cheap Sims tool lets you filter by network to find your cheapest.

Dawn emailed earlier this month: "I used your links to check if I was out of contract, then your Sim comparison to reduce my monthly bill from £34/mth to £5/mth on the same network - saving me nearly £300/yr. I don't think people realise how easy and quick it is. Thanks again." Lots more help in our Mobile cost cutting guide.

Broadband providers also hiked in-contract prices by as much as 14% in April. Yet 7m of you are out of contract and free to leave. And while the cost of the cheapest deals have risen, they're still half the price most pay. Our Cheap Broadband tool will show what's available in your area.

Switching is easy if you're out of contract. Do tell your existing provider before you go, it may cut the price to keep you. Here are today's key deals - the price factors in any promos such as an Amazon voucher, it's detailed via the links:

- Cheapest fibre. Shell Energy 38Mb for '£19.38/mth'
- Cheapest 'good service' fibre. Vodafone 67Mb for '£21.21/mth'
- Cheapest superfast fibre. Virgin Media 132Mb for '£22.06/mth'

As Pauline emailed last week about her social tariff: "Thank you to Martin and all of his team. After watching your programme a number of times, I decided to overhaul my finances. I qualified for Vodafone Essential broadband. I was paying BT £28/mth, but now I'm paying £12/mth for Vodafone - saving £192/yr."

A fortnight ago, when Martin met the Chancellor to suggest mortgage help measures, he also pushed that a far less painful way to help improve inflation was to ensure savings rates were passed on. Jeremy Hunt echoed that last week, even citing Martin. Now bank execs are being hauled in front of the City watchdog over it.

The big issue is big banks haven't put savings up by as much as mortgages. You can see the full explanation of what to do in last week's Boost your savings email, but here are the latest account updates. Full options in Top savings accounts, but in brief:

• Top easy-access unlimited withdrawals: Family BS 4.35% but you can only withdraw and deposit a min £100. Yorkshire BS* offers 4.25% with no restrictions (min £1). And for those saving under £4,000, via our link Kroo* pays 4.1% and gives a £10 Amazon voucher - factor that in and it beats Family.
• Top big name savings: If you want a name you know (as many say they do), Sainsbury's Bank* pays 4.21%, though limits you to just three withdrawals a year. More options in Top easy access.
• Top 1yr fix: SmartSave 5.94% AER (min £10k), OakNorth Bank 5.93% AER (min £1), provided you can lock money away.
• Top 2yr fix: SmartSave 5.93% AER (min £10k), OakNorth Bank 5.92% AER (min £1), provided you can lock money away.
• Top cash ISAs: See our Top ISAs guide.

The regulator and MPs are investigating whether supermarkets are profiteering, as wholesale prices have fallen yet little's been passed on to shoppers. Many have already cut to the bone (and we don't mean a T-bone), but if not, there are some tips that may help in our 30+ supermarket shopping tips guide. Here are the key ones to put in your trolley.

- 40+ supermarket discount coupons, including free £2 dog treats, Tesco £3 off code, £1.50 off Kellogg's cereal. Use digital coupons to nab free or cheap food. See 40+ supermarket coupons.
- Supermarket comparison tool finds cheapest supermarket for your items. Trolley lets you benchmark costs.
- Play online grocery runaround to bag £50+ off. Get discount codes to bag big reductions at your first web shop of each supermarket.
- Try Martin's Downshift Challenge. Nearly 20yrs old now, and since Martin stopped doing it on the telly it's become a much-hackneyed staple of other shows. It works though, try a Downshift Challenge.
- Buy beyond-best-before items at huge discounts. Items that have past their best-before dates, but are still safe to eat. Find online beyond-best-before stores.

Fuel prices are down compared to last year's record highs, but still up a whopping 30% on 2020. The Competition and Markets Authority has accused supermarkets in particular of profiteering at the pumps - saying the lack of competition cost an extra 6p/litre last year.

The Government says it'll change the law to force retailers to be more transparent, to increase competition. It wants a price reporting scheme so you can compare prices. Yet, to an extent, you can do that already:

Yet the data for this is from a combination of analysis and crowdsourcing. Real-time direct data from retailers, which is what's proposed, will be welcome. That's just a first step though, there's lots more help in our Cheap petrol & diesel guide, including...

- Make your car more fuel-efficient. Keep tyres properly inflated, take the roof rack off, dejunk your trunk & more. Fuel-optimise your motor.
- Drive more efficiently and safely. The accelerator's a money pump, the brakes are money burners. Speed up and slow down more slowly, change gear sooner and - combined with the tips above - you can save up to 30% on fuel. To do it safely, see economic driving tips.
- Pay with a cashback card. Get 1% back every time you buy petrol with Chase. See our full Top cashback cards guide.