cost of living

1. Invest in hot teddies

While it’s common knowledge switching on the heating regularly can cause bills to surge, it can be tempting to give in as temperatures drop. Hot water bottles can be a great option for keeping the whole family warm, and for heating up beds before bedtime.

But one smarter option for parents is hot water bottle teddies, or microwaveable hot...

• The US is the only country in the developed world with virtually no maternity system in place
• Mothers in America need to spend at least one eighth of their wages on early childcare
• Denmark, Romania, Estonia, Bulgaria and Austria have the most balanced maternity systems in the developed
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• Union body warns of “rampant” hardship in key worker households
• 1 in 5 children growing up in key worker households are living in poverty
• Ministers accused of “abandoning” the workers who got us through the pandemic
• Mass Westminster lobby and rally to take place to demand general election

More than 1 in 4 (28.4%) children with care worker...

• New MRP poll reveals that in some parts of the UK nearly 1 in 4 people are going hungry
• More than half of Britons cutting back on heating, hot water and electricity
• Stark findings published as government scales back energy support and decides on whether to uprate benefits in line with inflation
• Government must focus on getting pay rising, says TUC
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• 17% of parents forced to change expectations around what they will be able to afford for their kids
• Cost-of-living squeeze means around half of parents (45%) have had to cut down on non-essential spending on household goods
• 14% of younger parents have felt the need to cut their workplace pension contributions to manage financially
• The most common goal
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• The £324 Cost of Living Payment, which follows on from a £326 payment made from July, is part of £1,200 support package for millions this year
• The £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment was provided in September, with a £300 additional pensioner payment
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• With energy prices higher than ever - and more households delaying turning on their central heating, bill-payers can save £85 a year by swapping a tumble dryer for alternatives like a heated airer[1]
• Almost 11 million households — 39% of homes — own a tumble dryer, using it for almost two hours a week [2]
• Dehumidifiers can reduce condensation caused by letting
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• Despite Government help, one in five households (20%) – over five million homes – will only cope with rising bills this winter by cutting their energy use[1]
• Nearly nine in ten (86%) have already made changes around the home to prepare for winter, with a quarter (26%) installing insulation [2]
• Two in five (43%) will turn down their thermostat [2] , with a third (32
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Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch.com, offers advice on how to spot an energy scam text: “There are many fraudulent emails and texts circulating at the moment, aimed to trick people into believing they’re being offered extra help with their energy bills.

“Known as ‘phishing’ scams, these have been created by fraudsters who are posing as organisations such as Ofgem or the UK...

As prices continue to surge for food, energy and fuel this winter, the cost of living crisis can affect not just our wallets, but our health too.

A YouGov poll commissioned by the Royal College of Physicians found that 55% of Britons have felt that their health...