A MUM-OF-TWO has revealed some of her top money-saving tips which saw her electric bill fall by a huge £845 a year.

Stacey Victoria, 35, a stay-at-home mum from Huddersfield, is a self-proclaimed “savvy saver” who shares her top tips on how to see your money go further – especially for fellow parents.

The mum-of-two previously hit headlines after sharing tips on how to save £340 on a back-to-school shop and also how to feed the family for as little as £2 per day.

Now, she has shared some of her best money-saving hacks to help families get their dreaded bills down, just in time for Christmas.

"We have had to cut back hugely as a family to be able to still try and keep the life we have and enjoy it", Stacey, who shares her expert tips on Instagram (@eating_fresh_on_a_budget), explained.

"It’s extremely worrying and I would love to be positive and say it will become easier but unfortunately, I think it will become harder before easier this time round.

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"I think we need to do all we can now to put things in place to try and ease the pressure off ourselves.

"My electric bill before changes was approximately £61 a week which, for a two-bedroom small house, I personally think it's a lot.

"Now we have got it down to £46 approximately which over a year will add up."

Stacey hopes that these tips and tricks will help other families save this winter and hopefully keep them "positive" during the challenging months ahead. 

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BEING WATER WISE

Using water is part of our day-to-day life, but it is safe to say our usage adds up.

However, Stacey has numerous tricks which can cut some bills down by £65, such as re-using our water.

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"Save all water used to boil veg or pasta, for example. Let it cool and then use it to water your plants," she advised.

"Always allow it to cool first and keep out the way of children, but by doing this, all the goodness helps the plant with extra nutrients from our food, but also, we are saving so much water.

"You can also cut down showers by a few minutes. I always set a five-minute timer. This may not be for many people, but for me and my girls, I have honestly found this has changed the electric and the water bill.

“Small changes always add up.

"Showers instead of baths. By doing this, bills can be cut by up to £65 a year."

GET CRAFTY

There are many items within a kitchen which are continuously being thrown out, however, Stacey has revealed just how useful some of them can be.

The super-saving mum says she tries to "reuse" everything, and even finds ways to entertain her daughters, Emily, eight, and Isabelle, four, by doing so.

She said: "Be more useful with waste, try to reuse everything. I always try my best to find use from everything I use.

"Cooking wise the opportunities are endless. Yogurt pots – paint for the children.

"Plastic cupcake tray, again, paint and glue for the children.

"Empty toilet rolls – paint them and use them for craft and pen organisation.

"Large fabric softener containers – use as vases, improvise your own decor, for instance, brown string is a good one.

"Baked beans and soup tins are great for storage too. I have also used them for plant pots, and painted them."

SWITCH IT OFF

The use of numerous electric items in a household is almost a given, but Stacey has revealed a few simple tricks that could end up saving you more than £100 on your bills a year.

"Turning off devices such as the printer and the TV at the switches can save you £180 a year," she said.

Always leave the oven door open after cooking, surprisingly it does give off a lot of heat still and will warm up the kitchen which will spread to other rooms

“Completely turning off the computer and consoles, and popping the laptop to sleep can save you nearly £200 a year.

"Use LED bulbs. Game changer!

"I switched straight away, and the electricity has defiantly changed, and my plan is to keep these bulbs to keep seeing even more changes.

"Also, LED bulbs can last 25 years, they help save the planet, and don’t contain hazardous chemicals."

STAY SNUG

With winter fast approaching, keeping warm is something many families will be concerned about, but here are some hacks which may prove useful.

"Always leave the oven door open after cooking, surprisingly it does give off a lot of heat still and will warm up the kitchen which will spread to other rooms," Stacey said.

"Use rolled-up towels at the bottom of doors to stop drafts. Rolling up towels in front of the doors with always stops draughts, my dad always did this as children.

"Switch the direction of your fan. Ceiling fans, as well as clockwise a fan, distributes warm air.

"Trim the trees down if allowed near your house as it blocks natural light and energy."

KEEP YOUR PENNIES

To make sure she still has fun and treats with her children, Stacey keeps hold of all her loose change in a pot, saving it for special occasions.

"Perfect example of this is recently we had Sunday dinner and had no plans for the evening," she explained.

"I counted the change-up in our pot which soon adds up and we had £31, so we headed off to the amusements.

"With £31 we had some time there and then went for dinner at a local fish and chip shop and came home with £7."

Stacey's knowledge of being money-wise is something she was taught about from a young age, and she now teaches her daughters everything she knows.

She said: "My spending habits were always great before having children.

"I lived at home with my dad and sister, he brought us up by himself from the age of four, and he was always the best inspiration in my life and taught me things about money, too.

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"We spent every Sunday, for years and years from the young age, at car boot sales making money, going further and finding bargains.

"This is exactly what me and my daughters do now too, is spending weekends with grandad, around the country, at car boot sales."

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