With fuel costs at their highest in years, you might want to reconsider how you travel:

• Walk or cycle where possible. If you are considering cycling to work, ask your employer about whether they are part of a cycle to work scheme.
• Check the cost of public transport, as it may be a cheaper option. Booking tickets in advance or buying journeys in bulk or on Translink’s mLink app can all help keep the cost down too.
• Don’t make unnecessary journeys - can you do your grocery shopping on the way home from work instead of making a journey?
• Share lifts for trips where possible.
• Look for better deals on insurance by shopping around or challenging companies to provide a better quote – they often do.

The Energy Saving Trust have some useful tips on how to save energy, and therefore money. Some of the biggest savings you can make include:

• Not using the tumble dryer
• Switching electrical devices off standby mode
• Not overfilling the kettle
• Turning lights off if you’re not using them

You can also make some basic changes to your home , such as draught-proofing gaps and insulating your hot water tank.

If you receive certain benefits you may be entitled to the government’s winter fuel payment or cold weather payment .

You might also want to check out MoneySavingExpert’s ‘Heat the human, not the home’ guide for helpful tips on the cheapest ways of keeping yourself warm during colder months.

Food can be a big expense, but there may be some simple changes you can make to reduce your spending:

• Cutting down on takeaways, coffees or meals out as these small spends can add up without you realising
• Use loyalty or reward schemes and make the most of vouchers
• Buy in bulk, when on offer and consider supermarkets’ own brand products
• Plan your meals in advance so you only buy what you need and use up any leftovers
• There are some good resources online to help make recipes on a budget, such as supermarket websites and Jack Monroe @BootstrapCook

There are foodbanks located across Northern Ireland which may be able to provide emergency food parcels including toiletries, household and baby products to last up to 3 days. Find details of your local foodbank here .

• If you have subscriptions that haven’t been used in a while or you could do without, cancel them.
• If you want to make the most of free trials be sure to set reminders to cancel before you are charged!
• Check for discount codes or money off when shopping online using the likes of vouchercodes.co.uk .
• Keep an eye out for hidden charges when buying online, delivery charges or admin fees that may be hidden until the final stage of checkout.

If you owe money on an existing credit card or loan, you might want to have a think about repaying it as early as possible. Although this would mean increasing your repayments, you’d pay less interest in the long run. Talk to us if you think this could be an option for you.

If you regularly use your overdraft, you may be paying interest which can add up over time. If you stay in your overdraft for long periods without paying it back, you'll also incur fees and it may negatively impact your credit score. You might want to limit your spending to get out of your overdraft and use it only for occasional, unexpected expenses.