Below is a list of places where families can go for support and advice to help with the cost of living. If you find any other great sources of information, please let the school office know and we can add them to the list.

Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils Household Support Fund

Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils are supporting tenants impacted by the cost of living crisis with help to pay their rent and service charges. The Councils' Household Support Fund, is discretionary financial support for tenants who are struggling with their housing costs. In addition to rent and service charges, the fund can also assist with the reduction of rent arrears where appropriate.

You can find more information on the Household Support Fund webpage or by downloading the Cost of Living Support for Tenants document.

Energy Saving Tips to Save Money

There are lots of things you can do at home, from easy no cost actions to bigger investments, that could save you hundreds more. It all adds up.

Look at the UK Government's Energy Saving Tips to Save Money for some quick and easy actions that will help reduce your energy bills.

Find Ways to Save Energy in Your Home

If you own a property in England or Wales you can get recommendations for home improvements that could make your property cheaper to heat and keep warm.

For each recommendation you can see:

• an estimated cost of making the improvement
• how much you could save on your bills
• next steps if you want to make the improvement

Find out more on the the UK Government's Find Ways to Save Energy in Your Home.

Food and Essentials

The cost of food and other essentials continues to rise. There is support and advice available on the Mid Suffolk Food and Essentials website including links to:

• Food banks and community supermarkets.
• Free period products.
• Healthy start vouchers - for pregnant women, and for families with a child under the age of four, who are on a low income.
• How to reduce your food bill.

How to Save £60 a Month on Your Food Shop: click on the link to go to the BBC website - they've put together a quick guide to using the UK's most wasted foods.

Help with Your Energy Bills

You can get help with your energy bills or to top up your prepayment meter. You may also be eligible for benefits, grants and help offered by the government and energy suppliers.

You can find more on the UK Government's Help with Your Energy Bills webpage.

Money Saving Expert

MoneySavingExpert.com is the UK's biggest consumer website, with more than 16 million users a month. The site's dedicated to cutting your bills and fighting your corner with journalistic research, cutting-edge tools and a massive community – all focused on finding deals, saving cash and campaigning for financial justice.

It's a brilliant starting point to help you save money. It's founder - Martin Lewis - reckons that the average person in the UK can give themselves the equivalent of a 25% pay rise by being an active, savvy consumer and shifting to the very best deals.

Page reviewed on 18/08/24 by KJD.