Railcards online

• 16-25 Railcard (www.16-25railcard.co.uk) -  For those aged 16 to 25, or 26-plus and in full-time education,  costs £24 a year, cuts a third off all standard-class fares.

• Family & Friends Railcard (www.familyandfriends-railcard.co.uk) -  Costs £24 for one year or £65 for three years and gives one third off most adult fares and 60 per cent off most children’s fares.

• Senior Railcard – (www.senior-railcard.co.uk) Those aged 60 or over can save a third on most standard and first-class rail fares. The card costs £24 a year, or £65 for three years.

Advance fares Online

Book as far in advance as possible to get a better deal. It is normally possible to book up to 3 months in advance.

Advance tickets are subject to availability and sold on a first come, first served basis.

Try www.thetrainline.com or www.nationalrail.co.uk.

Avoid peak times

If you travel outside peak times, you can also get some great deals on first-class travel.

Season ticket online

The National Rail website has a useful calculator that allows you to check if you could save money by buying a season ticket.

Here are the average call costs for number starting with 08

• 0870 ‘National Call’. Can cost up to 10p/min
• 0845 ‘Lo-Call’. Can cost up to 7p/min
• 0871. Can cost up to 11p/min
• 0844. Can cost up to 6p/min

Vistit the website SayNoTo0870.com to search for ‘alternative numbers’ for major 08 numbers to help you work around the charges.

Read your phone bill online. Charges to mobiles, long-distance and International calls are all charged at different rates depending on when you make them. So read your phone bill and work out what types of calls you make so you know which phone package is best for you.

Use a price comparison site to compare home home deals for your area simply and easily.

• USwitch Home Phone Comparison
• HomePhoneChoices

If you don’t use your phone much go for a simple phone tariff with no monthly charge where you simply pay for the calls you make.

If you make a lot of weekend and evening calls it might be worth paying a few pounds a month in exchange for free evening and weekend calls to landlines.

If you make a lot of phone calls at all times of the day, it might be cheaper to pay around £8 – £15 per month for free anytime calls to UK landlines.

You could always try Skype’s free software, which works seamlessly with your internet connection, to chat away with free Skype-to-Skype calls and never worry about cost, time or distance.

2. Use a price comparison site to compare all the Gas & Electricity suppliers

3. Choosing online billing may also reduce your gas and electricity bills. It’s also convenient and better for the environment too!

4. Gas and electricity suppliers also offer discounts when you have both your gas and electricity with one supplier.

6. Reduce your electricity usage by turning off lights and appliances and by using energy efficient light bulbs.

7. Reduce your gas usage by turning down your thermostat degree, closing curtains at night and by insulating your loft. Read our Saving Energy guide for more energy saving tips and advice.

8. Switch now if you’ve never switched gas and electricity supplier.

9. Energy grant There are grants available for improving home heating and insulation. Go to the Energy Saving Trust’s energy grant search for more details.

10. Think twice before you sign up to a price capped tariff. Whilst they have the benefit that the price won’t rise for a fixed period, the cheapest capped tariffs can be more expensive than the cheapest uncapped tariffs and you may be locked in to the tariff for a year. It’s better to have the freedom to switch and save whenever you want.

water-saving-tips

• Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth. Keeping it running can waste around 6 litres per minute
• Have a shower instead of a bath, it uses a 1/3 of the water
• Install a water meter which makes you more aware of how much you are using.
• Only fill the kettle to the amount you need, saving both water and electricity.
• Choose water efficient toilet – look for loos with a short and a long flush.
• Don’t use your washing machine / dishwasher until you have a full load.
• Buy simple water saving devices like Water Saving Showerhead & water butt