Helpful Tips

Plain-English ways to keep more of your money

Short, practical, and written for your household. No jargon, no affiliate links, nothing to buy. Just the things that work, each one checked before you read it.

Young adult at a kitchen table checking unclaimed Child Trust Fund eligibility on a laptop

savings · child trust fund

Unclaimed Child Trust Fund: who qualifies in 2026/27

Over £1.5 billion sits in Child Trust Funds nobody has claimed. Here is who qualifies, what the average pot is worth, and how to trace yours for free.

· 8 min read

Older couple at a kitchen table checking papers while phoning about Pension Credit eligibility

pension credit · benefits

Pension Credit eligibility 2026/27: who qualifies

Pension Credit tops up a low income in retirement and unlocks other help. Here is who qualifies in 2026/27, what it pays, and how to claim without losing three months of money.

· 7 min read

Person checking Universal Credit eligibility on a laptop at a kitchen table with bills

universal credit · benefits

Universal Credit eligibility 2026/27: do you qualify?

Roughly 1.2 million households who could claim Universal Credit do not. Here is who qualifies in 2026/27, what it pays a month, and how to apply in one sitting.

· 8 min read

Kitchen appliances including oven, air fryer, slow cooker and kettle compared for running cost per hour

energy · appliances

Oven, dryer and air fryer: what they cost per hour

One simple sum turns any appliance into pence per hour. Here is what your oven, tumble dryer, air fryer, heated airer and dehumidifier really cost to run.

· 8 min read

Driver filling a car at a UK forecourt, comparing branded and supermarket fuel prices

fuel · cars

Branded fuel vs supermarket fuel: is it worth it?

Branded and supermarket fuel must meet the same British Standard. Here is what the extra pence actually buys, and the one time the dearer pump is worth it.

· 7 min read

Household water bill on a kitchen table with tea and calculator while working out help with water bills

water · bills

Help with water bills: the schemes nobody claims

Social tariffs, the WaterSure cap, free meters and leak allowances all exist — but you have to ask. Here's how to claim help with water bills, step by step.

· 10 min read

Parent applying for free school meals on a phone at the kitchen table beside a school jumper

school costs · benefits

Free school meals eligibility and uniform grants

Free school meals must be applied for, even where infant lunches are already free. Here is who qualifies, what else it unlocks, and where uniform grants exist.

· 8 min read

Hand turning the radiator dial on a combi boiler to lower the boiler flow temperature

energy · heating

Boiler flow temperature: turn it down, not off

A free 10-minute change to your boiler flow temperature and heating controls can cut gas use without making your home colder. Here's exactly what to set.

· 8 min read

You can trust the numbers

Every figure you read here comes from somewhere you can check yourself: the regulator, a government feed, the supplier's own price sheet. If we could not check it, you will not see it.

You can act on it tonight

Short paragraphs, one clear thing to do, no jargon. You will not need a finance degree, and you will not find a tip that only works if you already have spare cash.

Nobody is selling you anything

No affiliate links, no sponsored posts, no products slipped in. Nothing you read here earns us a penny, so the only reason a tip is here is that it helps you.

Prefer a feed reader? RSS feed. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we fix it in public.

Know someone this would help?

Send it over. It is free, there is nothing to sign up to, and nobody gets sold to.

WhatsApp Email