Tackle the Cost of Living Part Two

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Continuing from our last blog on Tackling the Cost of Living, here are some top tips on making the most of your money. It won’t fix the problem, but we hope it will help make living costs a little easier to manage. Increases in the cost of goods and services are having an impact on many people living in Ireland. This blog’s tips, tricks, and life hacks are suggestions to help you find better value and stretch your euro.

MABS advisers are here and ready to help you through the MABS 6-Step Money Advice Process. This process will help you maximise your income and tackle and prioritise debt and spending. Advisers can help you access social welfare entitlements and hardship funds to get you through.

Top Tips

  1. Think about getting your groceries delivered if you have the option. The cost offsets your fuel costs and means you can save time and money. Some people find grocery shopping online as there is less temptation to steer from your shopping list with impulse buys. 
  2.  Turn down the temperature on your laundry loads. Most loads only require 30° to wash your clothes as the friction between clothes adequately is what actually cleans them. Use a stain cleaner to pretreat stains, meaning you can use a lower temperature. 
  3. If you have leftovers for lunch or reheating food, use the microwave rather than the oven. It uses far less energy and takes less time. 
  4. Home heating – if you have a timer option, learn how it works and create a schedule for your heat and hot water. This will stop you from forgetting to turn it off. 
  5. If you can, avoid paying for anything on credit, whether that’s credit cards, overdraft or Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) services. If you’re already feeling the pinch, kicking the payment into the future will only add more pressure and stress when the time comes to pay.  
  6. Do you have adult children still living in the family home? This is common and can be a great way for your children to save. Are they working and bringing in an income of their own? Are they contributing to the weekly household budget? If not, then can they? It might be a tough conversation, but it could help manage the household budget. 

Further Information 

Next Steps 

By the looks of it, energy bills won’t be going down anytime soon, so now is the time to start creating energy-saving habits. The money just won’t stretch far enough for some people, and we’re here to help you manage. 

Keep an eye out for our next blog on how MABS helps you manage your money. 

If you have any questions or want to speak to a member of MABS, call our National Helpline on 0818 07 2000 Monday to Friday, from 9am to 8pm, WhatsApp 086 035 3141 or find the contact details for your local office.