Jennifer is encouraging people to think ‘outside the box’ when it comes to finance. Millions of households across the UK are going to be feeling the pinch over the next few months.
Along with the energy price cap rising in April, broadband prices and phone contracts will also follow the rate of inflation.
As will the big shop. Glasgow Live reported on how groceries are going up in price, including the essentials such as toilet roll and pasta.
Since 2021, the price of pasta has shot up by 26.3 percent and you can read more about that here.
For those who are seriously concerned about having to choose between heating or eating, support is there.
Citizens Advice offer a list of grants and support such as the Warm Home Discount Scheme and you can see more here .
The Scottish Government has also launched a £3million fund to help people heat their homes.
The Home Heating Support Fund is open until March 31 and applications can also be made on behalf of individuals by ‘referral partners’ through www.homeheatingadvice.scot .
Local authorities and housing associations, as well as charities and organisations which provide energy or debt advice, are encouraged to register online so that they can seek funding for people they support. Sign up to Glasgow Live’s newsletter
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Colin Mathieson, spokesperson for Advice Direct Scotland, said: “People in Glasgow and across the country are facing a sharp rise in the cost-of-living this year, with energy bills set to soar and inflation rising.
“January is always a difficult time for many households, but this year there are more people feeling the pinch and some face the devastating choice between heating and eating.
“The most important advice is to remember that you don’t have to struggle alone.
“There is free and practical advice available for all Scottish households, with our specialist debt advisers at moneyadvice.scot able to help if you have personal financial worries, are struggling with debt, or need a way of getting back on track.
“And our energyadvice.scot team can support anyone with concerns about energy bills. At this difficult time for many, sometimes talking things through with an adviser can help.”
It will be a concerning time where Scots will be looking to see how to make their money stretch further.Personal Finance & Prosperity Educator, Jennifer Kempson from East Kilbride, exclusively shared her expert advice with Glasgow Live.Jennifer, 40, has taken her passion for investing and helping people take control of their money to Youtube, where she offers free advice and insights into how she organises her money.She told Glasgow Live: “I hope people can get to a place where they felt like money didn’t control them, they controlled their money”. Get the best value for money For anyone who is concerned, Jennifer urges people to shop around to make sure they are getting the best value for money.She said: “The first thing to do like anything is to make sure you’re getting value for the money that you are paying currently.”So the first thing I always say is, don’t be afraid to like shop around”.While there are little to no deals out there for energy at the moment, Jennifer suggests using a smart meter so you can see exactly how much you are using and how much you’re paying.And since it’s still winter and difficult to save on energy, another regular bill you can scrimp on is broadband and phone packages, because despite inflation rising, deals for them are still out there.So if you think you’re spending too much on your phone, look at SIM only deals from smaller companies and keep in mind that there are only four network providers, so you won’t be losing out on your phone signal.For example, Smarty is a phone £6 company that is offering monthly SIM deals for as little as £6 but it runs on the 3 Mobile network. Can you make an additional income? Jennifer says she ‘wants to empower people around money’ and help them understand that they can be in control of it, rather […]
source Glasgow expert shares budgeting advice amid inflation rises and energy bill hikes
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