A hand holding a purse and a handful of coins.

Top 10 tips for saving money this winter

Published: 22 September 2023

Updated 1 November 2024

We know cancer can be tough on your finances, and it can be even more difficult over the winter months. Here are our top 10 tips to help save money this winter.

A white woman with short brown hair and glasses.

Ros Ayres Digital Content Editor at Macmillan

1. Check what help is available to you

If you are affected by cancer, you may be eligible for various benefits to help with everyday living costs.

Our benefits and financial support information outlines different benefits and how to claim them. Use our online Benefits Calculator to check what you might be entitled to.

Some additional benefits are available to help during the winter months. These include:

Winter Fuel Payment,
Cold Weather Payment and
Warm Home Discount Scheme.

Learn more about these payments and grants.

Extra help with energy bills

If you are having difficulties paying your gas and electric bills, contact your suppliers.

They should work with you to review your situation and discuss options for a payment plan.

You might be able to get help by joining the Priority Services Register. This is a free support service designed to give priority help to people who need it most. Find out more about getting this extra support from your energy supplier.

Additionally, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, provided by the UK government, offers support to upgrade your home's heating system. Visit the GOV.UK website for details.

2. Speak to our advisers

If you are worried about your energy bills, we are here to support you. The Macmillan Support Line can:

help you access schemes
tell you which charity grants are available and how to apply
help you deal with utility companies.

To speak to an adviser, you can:

call the Macmillan Support Line for free on 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week, 8am to 8pm.
chat online
email the team

You can speak to the Macmillan Support Line team in your language. We have an interpreter service, just tell us, in English, the language you need when you call.

3. Heat your home efficiently

There are lots of ways you can warm up your home without turning the heating on.

Putting draught excluders by your doors, using radiator reflectors, and closing your curtains can help keep warm air in. It's also worth checking that furniture is not blocking your radiators.

Find out more about cost effective ways to keep warm.
Get advice from The Energy Saving Trust has about draught-proofing your home.

4. Save money by batch cooking and meal planning

Batch cooking and freezing meals like soups and stews is a great way to save money. It reduces food waste and lowers your energy usage as you won't need to cook from scratch every day.

Meal planning is another good way to save money on your weekly food bills shop and reduce impulse buying. Here are some tips to help get you started with meal planning:

Write a meal plan for the week. Think about what you enjoy eating, what will give you a balanced diet, and what you could cook in bulk. Some ingredients will work for multiple meals, so it could be cheaper to buy a larger pack - for example, mince you use in a spaghetti bolognese and a shepherd's pie.
Make a list of the ingredients you will need. Think about when you need to buy fresh fruit and veg. Don't buy them too early as you don't want them to be past their best by the time you want to use them.
Make your shopping list and go shopping.

5. Reduce how much electricity you use

Here are a few things you can do to try and reduce the amount of electricity you use:

Switch to LED light bulbs. LED bulbs use light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and are a lot more energy efficient than regular light bulbs.
Turn off things like televisions when you're not using them. Don't just leave them on standby.
Switch off lights when you leave a room.
When using your washing machine, use cycles at 30 degrees or cooler.
When boiling the kettle, only boil the amount of water you need.

6. Save water

There are also a few things you can do to reduce the amount of water you use:

Don't boil more water than you need.
Have showers instead of baths.
Use a washing-up bowl, rather than cleaning dishes under a running tap.

7. Check you are getting the best deal

When it comes to things like car and home insurance, broadband and mobile phone, do you know if you're getting the best deal?

There are lots of price comparison websites you can use to compare the cost of different providers. Some of the most popular ones are:

8. Budget your days out

It might be getting colder, but that doesn't stop us wanting to go out and spend quality time with people. Days out don't have to break the bank. Here are some things you can do to keep costs down.

Plan ahead

Set a budget for the day that you can stick to. It can be easy to go over budget, so think about taking out the cash you plan to spend, or creating a "days out pot" in your bank account.

Group discounts

Many places give discounts for families or groups. See if you can save money by booking as a group, or booking in advance.

Off-peak hours

If you are using public transport, travel at off-peak times can be a lot cheaper. Tickets for theme parks, zoos, museums, and trips to the cinema can also be cheaper off-peak.

9. Break away from tradition

If you celebrate Christmas, the festive period can be an overwhelming time. If you are worried about the extra cost of gifts, here are some ideas to help you keep costs down.

Homemade gifts

Doing something crafty that you can personalise, or even baking something special can be a really lovely, sentimental and unique gift.

Secret Santa

If you spend Christmas with family or friends, you could suggest a Secret Santa to reduce the amount of gifts you need to buy. Secret Santa means everyone in the group is randomly assigned one person to buy a gift for. Online tools like Draw Names and Elfster can help you assign names.

Ask people what they would like

It can be easy to overspend on things people don't actually want or need. Asking people what they would like could give you some cheaper options, and make sure you spend your money on something they'll really value.

We have more about advice in our blog about Christmas and the cost of living.

10. Childcare help in the holidays

If you care for children who go to school, the school holidays can be an expensive time.

We have information on childcare, including services and charities that might be able to help with the costs of childcare, and childcare-related benefits you might be entitled to.