We’d like to build a sticky page to list resources and information for keeping happy and healthy in these troubling times. I said I’d do my bit and have a think about organising a framework… And then I thought it might be worth asking for your help.

Potential sections:

* Heating

[MSE energy tips](https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/energy-saving-tips/)

* Food

[Batch cooking](https://premeditatedleftovers.com/recipes-cooking-tips/weekly-meal-prep-with-batch-cooking-and-menu-ideas/) can save a lot of time and money, and if you’re doing that why not throw in some [Soda bread](https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/simple-soda-bread)?

* Financial

[UKPF emergency guide](https://ukpersonal.finance/emergency-help/)

* Mental Health

Perhaps somebody will think of a good topic I’ve missed. And if anybody has any relevant links please do throw them at me, I’ll add them to this post for visibility.

Relevant subs:

r/Frugal

r/EatCheapAndHealthy

r/MealPrepSunday

r/UKPersonalFinance

15 comments

  2. Found this on some WhatsApp group. Is this theoretically possible?

    LPT Hack Your Meter To Get Free Electric.

    Around 2000 people die in the UK because they can’t afford to heat their homes. Gas/electric prices are set to rise. Even more people will die.

    But there is a simple way to get free electric. It’s simple, but MUST be done by someone who knows what they are doing. I mean, someone who REALLY knows what they are doing.

    Once this is set up it is perfectly safe. It is detectable if someone scrutinises your fuse box, but generally it’s fool proof. As long as you don’t do something stupid like going from paying X amount for electricity to suddenly dropping the amount. This might put you on the radar and get you investigated.

    Here it is. This will work in the UK. Will probably work in other countries, but I don’t know about that.

    – You need a split fuse box with each side having it’s own RCD.

    – Remove the main 100 amp fuse. There is usually a security tag on it, but a lot of times electricians cut off the tag. So it won’t look too suspicious if you cut the tag. It’s just a simple wire and can be cut with a pair of pliers or similar.

    – Once the main fuse is out, it’s safe to work on.

    – The cables (known as tails) start from the main fuse and go to your electric meter which then meters how much electric flows through it.

    – From the meter it goes to your fuse box and allows you to power your home.

    – What you want to do is cut the tails and place a type of junction box called a Henley Block between the main fuse and the meter.

    – Then you can attach another set of tails from the Henley Block which will bypass the meter and go directly to your fuse box.

    – Any electricity that flows through the bypass tails won’t register on your meter.

    – So you have a fuse box with 2 RCDs. Separate one of the RCDs so it is no longer supplied by the original tails going into the fuse box.

    – Take the new bypassed tails and connect them directly to the separated RCD.

    – That’s it. Any electric flowing through the bypassed tails will be free. Half of the electric will flow through the original tails so you will still be paying for some of the electric. Makes it less suspicious.

    – The main fuse/breaker on the fuse board will only turn off/isolate one side of the RCD. The other side that receives the bypassed electricity will be able to be isolated by the RCD.

    – Hide the Henley Block and the new tails in the wall so no one suspects anything.

    – Electricians charge around £500 to do this. I just hope that people who can’t afford to stay warm can be helped.

  3. Heating – curtains are a must even in rooms you don’t use much. During the sunny hours of the day open the curtains to let in as much sunlight as possible, then as it gets dark close all curtains to keep the heat in. If you can’t afford curtains a cheap bed-throw from B&M or even towels can work, just something to stop the heat transfer thought the glass. This is especially important for huge French doors that let massive amounts of heat to transfer.

    Heating – go around your house with some kind of flame, lighter or candle etc. Put it near your windows when they’re closed and check for drafts coming through the frame,the flame will flicker if there’s a draft.
    buy some silicone sealant and a sealant gun from wilko (it’s very cheap) and reseal your window frames to stop cold air coming in. You don’t need much knowhow and there’s loads of YouTube tutorials on how to do this.

  4. **Heating**:

    – If you have lots of radiators across different rooms, ensure they have TRV’s fitted. Close doors and lower the TRV to off for any room which is not in use.

    – Buy an electric blanket (use very little power) and “oversized hoodie” rather than heating the house. Do consider some level of heating will be required in most properties to combat mould/mildew.

    – Ugg-type slippers work great for keeping feet warm. And there are gloves which have finger holes for people that need to use a computer.

    – Go around your house and identify drafts. If possible block them with items like tape.

    – Get insulation for the attic. Often there is grants for this. You should have ideally at least 250mm and aim for 300mm. By far the best thing you can do for a house.

    – Lower the water heating temperature. This will mean the boiler spends less energy to heat the system.

    **Financial**:

    – TCO: Sometimes, the Total Cost of Ownership of buying a _new_ device is more worthwhile that keeping the old one (funds permitting). Consider a 55″ TV which is on 10 hours a day. If your old one uses 200w (first gen large LCDs, Plasmas, etc), but the new one uses 100w and costs £1000, at a kwh rate of £0.5, it would take only 500 days to pay for itself. Of course you could just use it less :o). A similar concept can be applied to things like boilers, tumble dryers, servers, monitors, etc.

    – Eco modes: Often appliances have an Eco mode. Use them.

    – Alternative cooking devices: Where possible, use a microwave instead of an oven. Similarly, an airfryer uses less power than heating the large space of an oven.

    – If you have a thermos or similar flask, fill it with boiling water at the beginning of the day rather than constantly using the kettle.

    – Cable and Sky users: Consider turning your Virgin router or Sky TV box off overnight when not in use.

    – Electric car owners: See if you can switch to a tariff which charges less for certain times of the day.

    – Remortgaging: If you’re anticipating rate rises, it may be wiser to consider switching asap. For some, this even means it is worthwhile exiting a fixed deal, and paying the Early Repayment Charge. Though it is a certain amount of guess work – the best time to do this was >6mo ago but depends on what you think the BoE might do in future. Some say rates are unlikely to breach 4% due to what it will do to those with high debt and high mortgage balances.

    – Remortgaging: Depending on risk tolerance, some people may be able to switch themselves onto interest-only mortgages (aka no longer pay off the house). This is substantially cheaper, though will usually require that there is evidence that you will be capable off the entire remaining capital sum by the end of the term (some providers accept pensions, some do not).

  5. ## Heating

    You can save a lot by lowering your thermostat by a degree or two and wearing more layers. Every degree you lower your thermostat by could save around 4% on your bill [according to Money Saving Expert](https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/energy-saving-tips/). The World Health Organisation say that it’s safe to heat a house to 18 degrees, although the very old and very young may need a slightly higher temperature. Avoid turning heating off altogether in winter to protect against pipes freezing.

    If your central heating is controlled by a combi boiler, consider reducing the temperature that central heating water is warmed up to. Most boilers are set up to heat to 80 degrees, but 60 degrees is a lot more efficient. Your radiators will still heat the room (just a bit slower), but you can save up to 8% on your gas bill by reducing the flow ([source](https://www.theheatinghub.co.uk/articles/turn-down-the-boiler-flow-temperature)). If you have a hot water tank and a system boiler rather than a combi boiler, you should not do this unless you are absolutely certain that you can control the hot water and heating temperatures separately, because proper heating is important to kill off legionella.

    Use thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) to control heating in rooms appropriately, there’s no point heating up a room up warm if you don’t use it much.

    ## Electricity

    A lot of advice about turning devices on standby off at the wall is outdated, many items like phone chargers and even modern TVs use barely any energy (TVs made since 2013 must consume no more than 0.5w in standby mode, for example).

    If you turn your router off at the wall your ISP might think that there are issues with the line and throttle your speed back, so this should be considered very carefully.

    If considering smart plugs to control appliances to save money, consider how much the smart plugs themselves use. In many cases it might be more expensive to run the smart plug than just leaving the device powered (and certainly more than turning it off at the wall manually).

    Consult user manuals to find out what “eco” modes on appliances actually do. Most of the time they will save electricity, but occasionally an eco mode might actually consume more electricity in order to cut down on water use, which would be counterproductive.

    Load dishwashers and washing machines full before using where possible to avoid wasting electricity cleaning the same amount of stuff. A cooler wash programme will save money compared to a warmer one, so try cooler programmes and if they clean items adequately you can stick with it.

    Where possible, dry clothes on the line outside rather than in the tumble drier because these consume a lot of energy. Drying inside is also worth considering but only in well ventilated rooms as mould can result from drying on radiators without proper ventilation.

    If you have Economy 7 or another “time of use” tariff, move expensive appliance use to the cheap rate where possible by using time delay functions.

    Replace old tungsten or halogen bulbs with LEDs, but in some cases if you have a little used bulb (e.g. in an attic or cupboard under the stairs) it may not be worth replacing it as the replacement cost of the bulb might take a decade or more to recoup.

    If considering replacing appliances with newer, more efficient ones, consider how much the saving in energy use would be relative to the new appliance cost. In some cases it might take several years to recoup the cost of the new appliance.

    ## General links

    * [MSE’s energy saving tips](https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/energy-saving-tips/)
    * [MSE’s energy mythbusters](https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/energy-saving-myths/) (i.e. debunking ideas that people think save money, but don’t).
    * [StepChange debt charity](https://www.stepchange.org/)
    * Citizens Advice guidance:
    * [What to do if you’re struggling to pay your energy bill](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/get-help-paying-your-bills/struggling-to-pay-your-energy-bills/)
    * [Advice on how to stop your supplier installing a prepayment meter](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/get-help-paying-your-bills/stop-your-energy-supplier-installing-a-prepayment-meter/) (includes reasons why a supplier must not install one).

  6. Mental Health –

    4 things you can do simultaneously which will relax you:

    1. Listen to this song specifically designed to reduce anxiety by up to 65%: [https://metro.co.uk/2016/12/07/listening-to-this-song-will-increase-your-relaxation-by-65-scientists-say-6307846/](https://metro.co.uk/2016/12/07/listening-to-this-song-will-increase-your-relaxation-by-65-scientists-say-6307846/)
    2. Very slow deep abdominal breaths. Which if done regularly has a greater and greater calming effect. (I sometimes feel an actual wave of relaxation flow through me due to doing this regularly.)
    3. And look left to right repeatedly which sends a signal to the brain that you’re safe (this is used in EMDR). Don’t move your head, just the eyes.
    4. Smell some cedarwood (or another tree oil) which relaxes you so much it was found to boost natural killer cell activity by 50% (because it reduces stress hormones, allowing your immune system to function properly.) source: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV4g_wMpE5g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV4g_wMpE5g)

  7. Food:

    /r/mealprepsunday

    /r/eatcheapandhealthy

    There are a lot of food subreddits focused on bulk cooking.

    Financial:

    /r/ukpersonalfinance

  12. Food –
    Check out food saving apps like Too Good To Go and Olio. Not for everyone / every area, but I’m sure can help someone.

    https://www.approvedfood.co.uk/ – discounted food that is nearing expiry but still good to eat, a lot of long life products such as cans etc.

    https://www.savethestudent.org/save-money/food-drink/how-to-get-free-food-as-a-student.html aimed at students but some universal ones in there

    IKEA Family members – if you live close to an IKEA, sign up to the free IKEA membership and you’ll get a free hot drink at each visit (no store purchase required).

    https://foodcycle.org.uk/who-we-are/ – community meals – Everyone welcome

    Financial –
    https://www.lightningreach.org/ – website helps to find financial support available (apparently in beta version)

    https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/get-help-with-the-cost-of-living/ – check if your local council runs a household assistance fund. You don’t necessarily need to be on benefits

    https://grants-search.turn2us.org.uk/ search for charitable grants – also for people with NRPF (no recourse to public funds)

    Charity websites – many charities like StepChange, Crisis, Mencap etc have put together information on help that is available

    MoneySavingExpert forum – loads of discussions on frugal living

    Chase Bank – if you’re eligible for a Chase card, they have a round up feature which rounds up your spend to the nearest pound and sends the round up to a separate “pot” which has 5% AER. Not life changing, but could help if you’re not great at putting money aside. https://www.chase.co.uk/gb/en/support/interest-rates-explained/

    MH –

    If you’re employed and have private medical insurance, check what additional benefits are included, this could be an employee assistance line or free counselling

  13. Cats – keep them warm in a bag or box lined with a foil blanket and a warm blanket on top, add a heat pad that costs 20 quid and it costs a few pence a day

    ​

    Meat slop – credit /u/silverhydra – add a head of grated cabbage, a pound of mince and lentils and any chopped veg, tins tomatoes etc plus spuds and throw in a slow cooker for 4 hours, cheap and nourishing. Add whatever spices you like. Can be stored and reheated.

  14. **Subreddits**

    /r/UKFrugal

    **Keeping Warm**

    * Now is a great time to buy a duvet. John Lewis tog 10.5 are £20-£30 and great quality. Lidl will have some but you have to watch the weekly leaflet and wait.

    * Oodies (https://theoodie.co.uk) are giant fleece hoodies for kids and adults. They’re size 6XL by default.

    * Oil filled radiators – about 2000kw – are supposed to be good for a small room

    * Sleeping bags should be on sale and are good to use while sitting.

    * Fleece lined leggings are popular and easy to find on various commerce websites.

Leave a Reply