21 Simple Ways to Cut Your Household Bills in the UK (Without Feeling Miserable)

Overhead view of a wooden table with household bills, a notebook and a mug of tea, showing a calm budget check to cut household bills in the UK

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If you feel as though your household bills have quietly started their own Everest expedition, you are not alone. Across the UK, costs have crept up on everything from baked beans to broadband.

The good news? You don’t need to live by candlelight and cold baths to make a difference. A handful of simple, sustainable tweaks can shave real money off your outgoings – without making your life miserable.

Below are 21 ways to cut your household bills in the UK that you can start on this week. Pick two or three to begin with and build from there.

1. Do a 30-Minute “Bill Audit”

Make a cup of tea, grab your banking app, and scroll through the last month’s transactions.

Write down:

Energy
Council tax & water
Insurance (home, car, pet, life)
Broadband & mobile
TV / streaming
Food shopping
Subscriptions (apps, magazines, gyms, etc.)

Very often, simply seeing it all in one place is enough to nudge you into action: old subscriptions, forgotten direct debits, insurances you meant to switch but never did.

If you’d like a simple framework to organise what you find, pair this step with our guide to Beginner UK Budgeting: Simple Plan, First £1,000.

2. Switch to a Cheaper Broadband & Mobile Deal

Broadband and mobile are classic “set and forget” bills.

Use comparison sites to check current offers.
If you’re out of contract, ring your provider, quote a cheaper deal, and ask them to match or beat it.

A ten-minute phone call can easily save £10–£30 a month – £120–£360 a year – for the price of humming along to hold music.

3. Trim Your Streaming and TV Packages

Do you really need Netflix, Disney+, Prime, NOW and a full Sky package all at once?

Try this rule:

One streaming service at a time.

Rotate:

Jan–Mar: Netflix
Apr–Jun: Disney+
Jul–Sep: Prime, etc.

You’ll still watch the shows you care about, but you’ll halve or even quarter that monthly media spend.

4. Use the “One In, One Out” Rule for Subscriptions

Before starting anything new (an app, subscription box, online fitness plan), ask:

“What can I cancel to make room for this?”

If nothing springs to mind, that’s your answer: wait.

Subscriptions are sneaky because they feel tiny individually – but a cluster of £5–£15 payments can easily become £60–£80 a month.

5. Check Your Energy Tariff and Readings

The UK energy market has been through a lot, but it’s still worth:

Checking whether your fixed tariff is ending.
Comparing prices and standing charges if you’re free to move.
Sending regular meter readings so you’re billed accurately.

Even if you don’t switch, looking at your tariff and usage puts you back in control of one of your biggest household bills.

6. Tackle Energy Waste at Home

You don’t need to sit in the dark under a blanket. Start with easy wins:

Turn your thermostat down by 1°C – this can cut heating bills by around 10%.
Fit draught excluders on doors and letterboxes.
Bleed radiators so they’re working efficiently.
Close curtains at dusk to keep heat in.
Don’t heat rooms you rarely use.

Small, boring actions repeated daily are what cut energy bills over the year.

Low-cost kit that helps with this:

7. Master the Off-Peak Wash (and Dry Smart)

If you have an off-peak tariff:

Run the washing machine and dishwasher in off-peak times.
Wash clothes at 30°C unless they’re truly filthy.

Modern detergents work well at 30°C, and you’ll cut electricity usage without noticing. Drying is where many households spend a lot of energy; if you can, line-dry or use an airer instead of relying on the tumble dryer.

For damp British winters, it often helps to combine a heated airer with a dehumidifier rather than blasting the tumble dryer:

8. Meal Plan Around What You Already Have

One of the biggest cost of living tips in the UK is also the least glamorous: meal planning.

Open the fridge, freezer and cupboards.
Write down ingredients that need using up.
Plan 3–5 dinners that use those things first.

This alone can slash the number of “panic top-up shops” where you pop in for milk and come out £30 poorer.

9. Swap One Branded Item for Own-Label Each Week

You don’t need to suddenly switch everything to value ranges.

Instead:

One downgrade per week.

This week: pasta.
Next week: tinned tomatoes.
Week after: cleaning products.

After a few weeks, half the trolley is cheaper own-label and nobody noticed.

10. Bulk Cook Cheap Staples

Batch cooking reduces both energy use and the temptation to order takeaway.

Good cheap batch-cook ideas:

Slow-cooker chilli or stew
Lentil or veggie soups
Pasta sauces with plenty of veg
A big tray of roasted vegetables

Portion into containers and freeze. On tired nights, you’re reheating something you made rather than paying £25 for delivery.

If you don’t already have a slow cooker or multi-cooker, it’s one of the easiest ways to lower cooking costs while still eating well:

Once you’re set up, try our Turkey Chili with Beans & Corn (Slow Cooker) UK for a cheap, filling batch-cook.

11. Keep an “Eat Me First” Box in the Fridge

Grab a box or basket, label it “EAT ME FIRST”, and put anything that’s close to its date inside.

Whenever you’re wondering what to cook, start by checking that box. It’s a simple way to reduce food waste and food bills.

12. Review Your Insurance the Smart Way

For car and home insurance, don’t auto-renew without checking prices.

Put a reminder in your calendar 3–4 weeks before renewal.
Get quotes for identical cover from comparison sites.
Call your existing provider and ask them to match the best price.

This keeps your cover while trimming the fat.

13. Pay Annually Where It Genuinely Saves You Money

Some services charge extra for paying monthly. If you have the savings, paying annually can be cheaper – but don’t empty your emergency fund just to do it.

14. Use Cashback and Rewards (Without Buying More)

Cashback is helpful only when you’re buying something you needed anyway.

Use cashback sites and your bank’s rewards programme.
Don’t buy anything just to earn points.

Think of cashback as a tiny discount on planned spending, not a reason to spend.

15. Declutter and Sell Unused Items

Most of us have money quietly gathering dust at the back of a cupboard.

Clothes you don’t wear
Baby equipment
Furniture that doesn’t fit
Tech and gadgets

List them on Vinted, Facebook Marketplace or eBay. Use the proceeds to boost your £1,000 rainy-day fund or clear a nagging bill.

16. Check Your Council Tax Band

Thousands of homes in England and Scotland are still in the wrong council tax band.

Check your band on your council website or GOV.UK. If you think it’s wrong, you can challenge it. It’s not guaranteed, but if you’re overpaying, the savings could be significant.

17. Turn Appliances Fully Off, Not on Standby

A quick walk around the house before bed can be revealing.

Switch TVs, consoles and speakers off at the wall.
Use smart plugs so you can turn groups of devices off in one go.

Individually, these are pennies. Over a year, they become pounds.

To make it easy, bundle everything behind the TV or computer onto a single smart plug:

Smart plugs with energy monitoring

18. Revisit Gym, Club & Membership Fees

Do you still use the gym or yoga membership you signed up for in a burst of New Year virtue?

Be honest:

Keep what you actually use weekly.
Cancel or pause anything else.

Switch to walks, YouTube workouts or council classes while you build your savings.

19. Share and Swap Rather Than Buy New

Before buying something, ask:

“Could I borrow, hire or buy this second-hand?”

Tools – share with neighbours or a local tool library.
Fancy-dress – swap with friends.
Books – use the library or swap shelves.

This is kinder to your wallet and the planet.

20. Introduce a 24-Hour Pause on Non-Essentials

Whenever you’re about to make a non-essential online purchase, leave it in the basket for 24 hours.

The next day, ask:

Do I still want this?
Will I use it at least 10 times?
Does it fit with my priorities?

Most impulse buys evaporate under gentle interrogation.

21. Create a Simple “Money Dashboard”

Finally, give your future self the gift of clarity.

Set up a monthly money check-in.
Track your total monthly outgoings and watch them creep down.

This isn’t about perfection. It’s about gradually cutting household bills in the UK to a level that gives you breathing space, without feeling like you’ve cancelled all joy.

FAQs: Cutting Household Bills in the UK

How can I save money on household bills in the UK quickly?

Start with the easy wins: check broadband and mobile contracts, cancel unused subscriptions, turn your thermostat down by 1°C, and plan meals around what you already have at home. These changes can quickly shave £50–£100 a month off typical UK household bills.

What is the best way to cut energy bills in the UK?

Focus on heating and insulation: bleed radiators, use draught excluders, close curtains at dusk and only heat the rooms you actually use. If you can, check you’re on a suitable tariff and submit regular meter readings so you’re billed accurately. Small changes plus a few energy-saving products add up.

How can I reduce my food shopping bill without eating badly?

Plan 3–5 dinners before you shop, build meals around what’s already in your fridge and cupboards, and gradually switch some branded items for supermarket own-label. Batch cooking in a slow cooker also makes cheap ingredients feel more luxurious.

How much should I aim to save in an emergency fund in the UK?

A realistic first target is £1,000 in a rainy-day fund for small emergencies. Over time, aim for 3–6 months of essential expenses. Start small and build up steadily – consistency matters more than perfection. Our guide to The £1,000 Rainy-Day Fund: An 8-Week Plan for Peace of Mind walks you through it step by step.

If you’d like a simple plan to build that first £1,000 buffer, read our £1,000 Rainy-Day Fund: 8-Week Plan, and pair it with our Beginner UK Budgeting guide to get your money organised.