Cost of living crisis: Southampton woman shares her money saving tips

Climate activist Lyn Brayshaw took the Echo on a tour of her home to show the various ways she keeps spending on bills low. 

The rising cost of energy is the reason behind a steep increase in prices but Lyn, along with her fellow activists at Friends of the Earth Southampton, has tips to help.

No wasting water

To save money on her water bills and to reduce water waste, Lyn uses water butts.

The three butts in her garden help to conserve water which can then be used for other purposes.

Lyn said: “We only spend 49p a day on water, that’s £16 a month, and four of us live here.

Lyn Brayshaw in her garden, next to her air source heat pump (Image: Maya George, Newsquest)

“We use the butts to fill up other containers to flush the toilet, use in the garden to water plants, and more.

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“The water was cut off last year, but we could still flush our toilet as we have the water butts.

“If you have your own home and you have a downpipe, you can catch water and save money.”

As well as using water butts, Lyn and her family save excess water when they shower.

She encourages people, where possible, to put the plug in the bath when they shower to reuse water, and to take shorter showers.

Easy electric hacks

For those concerned with the hike in energy bills, Lyn has tried and tested a number of methods to reduce spending.

• Air dry clothes

Lyn said: “Find the warmest place in your house for this.

“Heat rises so the warmest place to dry is somewhere like the top of the stairs, or in the summer the heart of your house.

“Clothes can still dry this way in the winter.”

• Forget freezers

Now might be the time to ditch the freezer (or after Christmas if you’ve already begun stockpiling for the festive season).

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According to financial website This is Money, running a fridge freezer costs around seven per cent of your total energy bill.

This is because one of the few appliances that remains on the whole time.

Lyn's water butts (Image: Maya George, Newsquest)

Lyn and her family bid farewell to their freezer and haven’t looked back.

She said: “Imagine if there was a power cut; you would lose all the food in your freezer.

“We had a freezer but we’re only 10 minutes away from the nearest shop, so we can go there if we’re desperate for something.

“Plus, we can buy freezer food and keep it in the fridge for a day.”

• Goodbye gas, hello heat source pumps

For a year and a half Lyn and her family have gone without gas in their house after “cutting it out completely.”

She said: “We spend £51 a month on electricity now after cutting out gas.

“Now, we have an air source heat pump which is efficient and it works like a reverse fridge.

“I used to hate seeing the steam and pollution, so we cut it out and this is much more effective.

“It’s mad that in our country we still build houses with gas.”

Transport tips

These are Lyn’s alternatives to using a car:

• Use a taxi – work out how much it costs to insure, MOT, and tax your bike/car and look at the options when it comes to not owning them.

READ MORE: Cyclist blasts potholes as 'appalling' after an 'unacceptable repair'

• Car clubs – Enterprise Car Club allows you to rent “fuel-efficient, hybrid, and electric vehicles", meaning you only pay for a vehicle when you need it.

Lyn added: “About two thirds of people have access to a car. You are polluting the air and the planet, especially when you sit in traffic with your engine on.”

• Hire a bike – We can hire bikes and e-scooters in Southampton. Or buy a second-hand bike from Monty’s.

Keep an eye on the Friends of the Earth Southampton Facebook page for more tips and information.

This article forms part of our Your Money Matters campaign, launched by us and our sister titles across Newsquest to help to provide help and information amid the cost of living crisis.

The worldwide energy crisis exacerbated by the Ukraine invasion, the financial impact of the Covid pandemic, record inflation figures and a surge in the cost of goods, fuel and travel means we will all feel the pinch. 

Through our newspaper, we want to do what we can to help make your cash go further and raise awareness of what people are facing. 

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