Are you on the best deal or tariff for your needs? Could you save money by going online or paying in different ways? It doesn’t take long to check. Plus, find the help available if you’re struggling with your bills.

1. Ways to spend less on food

Food bills are the biggest expense for many people after covering their rent or mortgage. There are lots of websites that can help you reduce food shopping bills. Here are some of the most popular one:

• MySupermarkets
• Love food hate waste
• Money Saving Expert

2. Use a food bank if you’re facing an emergency

If you have no money to pay for food, you might be able to use a food bank. You usually can’t go directly to a food bank. Most will ask you to get a referral voucher from an organisation in your community first. Places where you can get a food bank voucher include:

• Citizens advice
• Your local council
• GP/health visitor
• Support worker
• Social worker
• Children’s Centre
• Police

If you think you need to use a food bank, follow these steps:

• Search online for food banks in your area and which local community organisations can organise a voucher for you.
• Or go direct to one of the referral organisations listed above to see if they can give you a voucher and tell you where your nearest foodbank is.
• When you arrive at the referral organisation, they’ll ask for some basic information to find out your needs and check if you can get a voucher.
• If you qualify, the referral organisation will give you a voucher to take to the foodbank to exchange for food.
• If you need to use a food bank again, you’ll usually need to get another referral.

3. Help with phone and broadband costs

Phone and broadband are essential if you’re job seeking or even just want to find the best deals to help you save money, as online offers are often cheaper, and you can use comparison sites to check tariffs and prices.

To help you stay digitally connected, some providers offer low-cost plans if you’re getting certain income-related benefits, including Universal Credit, Jobseeker’s Allowance, Pension Credit and Employment & Support Allowance.

If you’re looking for work, you can apply through your work coach for a voucher to exchange for free broadband from connectivity provider TalkTalk.

The voucher allows you to get six months of TalkTalk’s Fibre 35 broadband service with no contract or credit check required. Data usage limits are uncapped (within the fair data usage limits). For more information on phone and broadband costs, please click here.

4. Use the MoneyHelper Bill Prioritiser Tool

Paying your bills on time when money is tight can be very worrying, especially if they’re starting to pile up. It can be hard to know which ones to deal with first.

You may start to feel tempted to put off dealing with them, perhaps because no-one is chasing you for payment now or maybe you’re not sure what will happen if you admit there’s a problem.

However, the consequences of not paying off some bills before others can be more serious. Dealing with things early will help you to avoid problem debt because there is lots of support out there. If you’re struggling to make your repayments on time, you need to look at all your bills and split them into priority and non-priority payments.

So you can get back in control, our easy-to-use Bill Prioritiser helps you to understand which ones to deal with first, who can support you and what to do to make sure you don’t miss a payment.