Energy Expert: keeping more of your money

Electricity is bought and sold long before it reaches your kettle, and the price swings with the weather, the wind and what is happening in the wider world. When gas is dear, electricity usually follows, because gas-fired stations still set the price on a still, cold evening. That is why your unit rate can nudge up in one quarter and settle back in the next.

None of that is in your hands. What is in your hands is how much you buy and when. Look at the unit rate and the daily standing charge on your latest bill, then compare them with the fixed deals your supplier is offering. A fix is not automatically cheaper — it is a swap of a slightly higher price now for peace of mind later. Decide which of those two you actually want.

If your usage is steady and mostly in the evening, ask whether a time-of-use tariff would suit you. If it is not, say so and stay put. The one thing I would never do is ignore an estimated reading: take a photograph of your meter on the same day each month and you will spot a wrong bill long before it becomes an argument.

Phone and broadband deals are priced for people who do not look. When your minimum term finishes, the discount usually falls away and the price drifts upwards, often with an annual rise on top. Check the date your contract started; if it is more than 18 months ago, you are almost certainly out of term and paying more than a new customer would.

Ring up and say plainly that you are thinking of leaving. Have one rival price in front of you and ask them to match it. Be polite, be specific, and if the first person cannot help, ask for the team that handles cancellations. Mobile is the same story — if you are out of contract and bought your handset outright, a SIM-only deal can halve the bill.

Two things worth knowing. If someone in the house claims Universal Credit, Pension Credit or certain other benefits, ask about a social tariff: they are far cheaper and rarely advertised. And if you no longer use the landline for calls at all, check whether a broadband-only package is available on your street before you renew.

Start with the shelf edge rather than the packet. The tiny price per 100g or per litre is the only honest comparison, and it regularly shows that the big box is the dearer one. Own-brand versions of storecupboard basics — flour, tinned tomatoes, oats, frozen veg — are often made in the same factories as the names you recognise.

Plan four meals, not seven. A rigid week collapses the moment life gets in the way and the food you bought for Thursday ends up in the bin. Shop with a list, eat something before you go, and do one deliberate sweep of the reduced section near the end of the day — bread, meat and dairy freeze perfectly well.

Finally, do the loyalty card maths. Member-only pricing is now the standard price in most supermarkets, so not having the card is effectively a surcharge. And if you have a market within reach — Chesterfield's is on our doorstep — loose fruit and vegetables bought by weight will usually beat anything shrink-wrapped.