Water bills are due to rise for almost all of the country - and residents of just one lucky region will see these costs drop. The water bill changes are laid out in proposals by regulator Ofwat, which has analysed the spending plans of English and Welsh water companies. But there are some things you can do to cut water bills, especially if you have a water meter fitted.
- Best savings rates tables
- Find the best mortgage calculator
- Power Portfolio investment tracker
- Stock market data and share prices
- This is Money's podcast
- This is Money's newsletter
- The best DIY investing platforms
- The best bank accounts
- The best cash Isas
- The best credit cards
- Save on energy bills
- Compare broadband and TV deals
- How to find cheaper car insurance
- Investing Show videos
- Financial calculators
Got a water meter? Getting a new toilet could save you £109 a year on your bills - as waste now costs some homes £300
Households could save £300 on their water bills each year by cutting down on waste and thirsty appliances - and getting a new toilet could save more than £100. Moving from a traditional flush toilet to one with a dual flush saves £109 a year on average, the research found - with toilets using 22% of all water used in a home. However, they will need to be on a water meter in order to benefit.
Which companies have the best customer service? Survey shows top 10... but most are falling FAR below expectations
Customer service levels at the country's biggest companies have deteriorated, according to a report. The latest UK Customer Satisfaction Index by the Institute of Customer Service asked 60,000 people what they thought of the customer service at 275 major firms - and found that satisfaction was at its lowest level since 2010. Retailers top the customer satisfaction list, with seven of the top 10 organisations in that sector.
Forget supermarket price matches and loyalty cards, Aldi is still far cheaper for the weekly shop than anywhere else
Aldi has been crowned the cheapest supermarket for a trolley-load of 65 products, new findings reveal. In June, the average bill for a trolley of 65 items at Aldi was £118.41, coming in £32.60 less than at Waitrose, which was the most expensive, at £151.01. Waitrose was found to be nearly 28 per cent more expensive than Aldi for the same products in June.
CRANE ON THE CASE: Sofa, so BAD! I ordered a couch from DFS 18 months ago and STILL don't have all the right parts
I ordered a new sofa in my local branch of DFS in January 2023, but I have still yet to receive all the correct parts. I had ordered a model where the back of the middle seat folds into a drop-down table, but the back on the sofa that I got was static. A year and a half after placing my order, my front room is now littered with unsuitable sofa parts I have been sent, and I still haven't got the sofa I wanted. Please help.
We'll be dealing with the aftermath of 20% inflation over three years for a while yet, warns LEE BOYCE
Rejoice. The Bank of England has tamed the inflation dragon and has cut it down to its fabled target 2% for the first time since July 2021. But crunching the Office for National Statistics figures, our analysis shows inflation has totalled 20% since then as households have wrestled a higher cost of everything crisis.
Council tax arrears in England hits a record high of nearly £6bn and is up 67% since 2019 as households struggle with rising bills
National Debtline said a third of its callers are in council tax arrears, and that it is the most common priority debt that its advisers heard about. The charity said that on average its callers owe £1,762 in arrears, which has increased by 49 per cent from just £1,181 in 2019. Council tax arrears are known as a 'priority debt', meaning that they need to be paid ahead of others such as credit card debt.
Lump sums from Bank of Mum and Dad make children MORE reckless with money: What age do people reach financial maturity where you are?
Adult children who receive a significant amount of money from their parents become financially independent up to a year and a half later than others, research claims. A fifth of adults receive a lump sum payment from their parents when they turn eighteen , according to Wealthify, and are given £15,314 on average. The age people reach financial independence also varies across the country.
CRANE ON THE CASE: A burst pipe flooded our home... why is insurer Policy Expert's proposed payout £4,942 LESS than our quote to fix the damage?
Earlier this year, we had a burst pipe in our utility room, which flooded the downstairs of our house. We made a claim with our insurer, Policy Expert. We had several problems along the way but they eventually came back with a figure of £4,611 for the repairs. However, the quotes we got from tradesmen suggested it would cost more than double that at £9,553. They said the materials alone would cost £4,600, leaving just £11 for labour if we accepted the insurer's payout. I knew the insurance quote would be a conservative estimate, but this seems ridiculously low.
What the Conservative manifesto means for your finances: From an NI tax cut, to pensions and stamp duty
The Conservative Party has launched its manifesto in a bid to woo voters ahead of July's general election with a package of tax-cutting measures. As well as another 2p national insurance cut, Rishi Sunak has pledged to protect pensions from tax and offer more help to first-time buyers, as he looks to build a broad coalition of voters. We look at what the proposed policies would mean for your finances.
'A company car took away my child benefit': How work perks can unexpectedly increase your tax burden
I started claiming for child benefit a few years after the £50,000 cap was introduced. I had been earning below the cap and my wife was earning around £5,000 part-time while she juggled the kids. I was not aware my car and fuel benefit counted towards my calculated income. At the time my income was below £50,000 but the benefit in kind values pushed me above. I may be eligible to claim again now the threshold is £60,000, but my work benefits have changed. What else is included as income for these purposes?
The questions you REALLY don't want to get wrong on your car insurance application... and that could invalidate your cover if you do
With average car insurance prices at an all-time high of £635 a year, it makes sense not to fall foul of some of the seemingly innocent insurance questions that can trip up unwary drivers. Not answering some questions fully can have serious consequences - and even invalidate your car insurance completely.
I earn £65,000 - should I start taking child benefit again now the rules have changed?
I am a full-time working mum and earn £65,000 a year while my husband who works in a care home earns about £27,000. We have two children aged 6 and 4. When my first daughter was born I earned under £50,000 and so initially took child benefit. When my salary then went up, I stopped taking it and have not claimed it for the past four years - but I heard the allowances have changed and now I could be eligible again.
Should you claim child benefit? What it's worth, who gets paid if after the rules changed - and the common traps to avoid
Child benefit is paid if you are responsible for a child who is under 16, or under 20 if they are still in school or on an approved training course. Only one person can claim child benefit for any individual child, but there is no limit on the number of children for whom you can receive payments. Controversial income thresholds that bar better off parents from getting child benefit were introduced in 2013, although these were recently eased and a further relaxation in the rules is due in 2026.
Is your ex hiding assets to avoid sharing them in a divorce? Retired judge STEPHEN GOLD explains what happens if bitter spouses go rogue
Are you sitting? Stand by for a shock. Sometimes, one or both parties withhold the existence of assets or underestimate their value, says Stephen Gold in his new guide to divorce. Today, he looks at how to reach an agreement, and what happens when one ex tries to cheat the other out of their fair share of marital assets
What the Universal Credit rule changes could mean for YOUR payments
New Universal Credit rules mean that those claiming the benefit will now be required to look for more work if they don't meet higher earnings thresholds. Claimants could be forced to look for more work lose out on some or all of their Universal Credit payments if they earn less than the equivalent of working for 18 hours at the national living wage.
A breaking up survival kit: How courts set the ground rules when splitting assets in a divorce, by retired judge STEPHEN GOLD
I have a sneaking feeling there is a growing belief divorce is too expensive and a loveless marriage is preferable to a dreaded financial remedies order, says Stephen Gold in his new series on divorce. Today, he explains the ground rules courts use when splitting finances, and deciding maintenance payments for exes and children.
Are you a Wetherspoon lover or hater? LEE BOYCE and SIMON LAMBERT have very different opinions on the pub giant that's flying high...
It's safe to say the pub chain - led by its outspoken founder Sir Tim Martin - is a marmite type of establishment, with more than 800 sites across the country that many love to hate. So, what side of the Spoons' fence do you sit on? Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert may agree on many things finance related, but it's safe to say they have differing 'pints' of view when it comes to the pub giant…
HOW THIS IS MONEY CAN HELP
DON'T MISS
- One in four younger investors now get investment ideas from Reddit
- Younger generations are more likely to shun making a will: How to ensure your last wishes are met
- The great US infrastructure investing opportunity - and how to profit Ad Feature
- RAY MASSEY: Are you driving a future classic?
- I'm worried I'll lose half my pension if my provider goes bust: What can I do?
- Freetrade launches flexible stocks and shares Isa
- MG unveils Cyber GTS concept that looks set to be the electric spiritual successor to the MGB GT
- EXCLUSIVENationwide will scrap passbooks from February 2025
- Thinking about equity release? What to tell your family Sponsored
- What savers must do now before a Labour Budget targets their nest eggs: SYLVIA MORRIS
- Ford Capri is back but not as you know it! Ford's cult classic name controversially returns for a new £42k electric SUV
- I'm inheriting £10m - can I set up an investment trust to manage it for my family and cut tax?
- What will happen to pensions under Labour: Will it cut tax relief or raise state pension age?
- Getting a new toilet could save you £109 a year on water bills - with waste costing some homes £300 each
- Who is new housing minister Matthew Pennycook - and can he build Labour's 300,000 homes a year?
BILLS: DON'T MISS
- What inflation falling means for you: CPI falls to Bank of England's 2% target - what happens next?
- What the UK general election means for the economy and your finances
- What the Labour manifesto means for your finances: From income tax, to pensions and 'securonomics'
- What the Conservative manifesto means for your finances: From an NI tax cut, to pensions and stamp duty
- What the Lib Dem manifesto means for your finances: Free personal care, CGT hikes and a spending increase
- Should you claim child benefit? What it's worth - and common traps
- How to save money on broadband and mobile phone bills as prices rise
- Car insurance questions you REALLY don't want to get wrong: These could invalidate your cover
- Typical energy bill set to fall by £116 in July, latest Cornwall Insight forecast predicts
ANSWERS FROM THE Experts
- I rejected my online shop as items were missing - can Tesco still charge for delivery? DEAN DUNHAM replies
- What business expenses can self-employed people write off against tax? HEATHER ROGERS explains
- Has our tax expert Heather Rogers answered YOUR question yet?
- Do I have to pay for a new smart meter after mine broke? DEAN DUNHAM replies
- Granddaughter caught speeding during driving lesson. Is the instructor liable? DEAN DUNHAM replies
- Our father died seven years ago, why are we still waiting for £200,000 of our inheritance? TONY HETHERINGTON investigates
- My ex-boyfriend plans to leave me his £2m estate and I'm worried about a huge inheritance tax bill
- Why did Barclays freeze our Neighbourhood Watch bank account? TONY HETHERINGTON investigates
- My neighbour has started keeping bees - can I stop him? DEAN DUNHAM replies
- TONY HETHERINGTON: Boss behind firms fined £340k for more than 1.4m nuisance calls is unmasked
LATEST ON HOUSEHOLD Cost of living & bills
- How much YOUR water bill will rise - and what you can do NOW to help prevent higher costs
- Al Pacino event was axed and we never got refund - now we see organiser was jailed for fraud: CRANE ON THE CASE
- What changes are afoot for our money under Labour? LEE BOYCE takes a look
- Getting a new toilet could save you £109 a year on water bills - with waste costing some homes £300 each
- Britons are more likely to have insurance for our PETS than ourselves
- What does Labour's election win mean for your money? From tax, to pensions and homes, what Keir Starmer's government plans to do
- Netflix's new cheaper advert plan won't work on my TV: What can I do?
- Which companies have the best customer service? Survey shows top 10... but most firms are below par
- I joined 'the queue' at Wimbledon where fans can get in for £30 - here's how to do the same
- What Labour means for your energy bills - can its GB Energy plan really save households £300 a year?