How do I reduce my energy bills?
The changes that reduce household energy use most, ordered by impact per pound spent — from free behaviour changes to worthwhile insulation.
beginner3 hr3 min read
Money & Practical
Budgeting, bills and buying decisions, described as processes you can follow. These guides explain method — how to work something out for yourself. They are not financial advice and recommend no specific products.
425 guides
What should I check on the day I get the keys?
The hour of checking on handover day that protects your deposit, your bills and your first week.
beginner1 hr 30 min4 min readHow do I create a budget?
A budgeting method that works from your actual spending rather than an ideal — how to find the numbers, categorise them, and build something you'll keep using.
beginner1 hr 30 min3 min readHow do I do an annual review of my household costs?
A two-hour annual sweep through every recurring cost, in the order that finds the most, and what to actually do with the list.
beginner2 hr4 min readWhat do I need to declare on an insurance policy?
The duty is broader than the questions asked, and the cost of getting it wrong is total.
beginner20 min2 min readDo I pay tax on money I make selling things online?
Clearing out your own belongings is not trading and is not taxed. Buying or making things to sell is, and platforms now report seller data to HMRC — which is why so many people got letters.
beginner15 min3 min readHow do I find subscriptions I have forgotten about?
A one-hour audit that most people find money in — where to look and what to search for.
beginner45 min2 min readHow do I set up a budget I will actually keep to?
Why most budgets fail in week three, and the structure that survives an ordinary month.
beginner1 hr2 min readHow do I spot a scam?
The patterns behind almost every scam — urgency, unusual payment methods, and unsolicited contact — and what to do if you've been caught.
beginner20 min3 min readWhat changed for renters in England under the Renters' Rights Act?
The main tenancy reforms commenced on 1 May 2026 in England: no more fixed terms, no more section 21, new rent-increase rules, a cap on rent in advance and a right to ask for a pet. What is live and what is still to come.
intermediate15 min6 min readWhat does home insurance actually cover?
Buildings against contents, what the common exclusions are, and the two mistakes that void claims.
beginner25 min2 min readWhat should I do immediately after damage at home?
The order of the first hour — stop it, make it safe, record it, report it — and the mistakes that cost a claim.
beginner1 hr4 min readWhere can I get free, independent money help in the UK?
Which free service does what — guidance, rights, debt, complaints and regulation — so you go to the right one first and never pay for something available free.
beginner15 min3 min readDo I need probate?
Probate is not needed for every estate. What decides it is how assets were owned and what each institution's own threshold is, not the size of the estate alone.
intermediate20 min3 min readDo I need to fill in a self assessment tax return?
The situations that trigger a return, the ones that only look like they do, and the checker that answers it definitively in two minutes.
beginner15 min3 min readDoes insurance cover storm and flood damage?
What counts as a storm, why gradual damage is excluded, and the two conditions that most often defeat an otherwise valid claim.
beginner20 min3 min readHow do I compare options properly instead of going round in circles?
Circling happens because you are comparing options against each other rather than against a fixed list of what you need. Fix the criteria first and the comparison finishes itself.
beginner30 min3 min readHow do I reduce my household expenses?
Working through household costs in order of size, and the ones that respond to a single afternoon of effort.
beginner2 hr2 min readHow do I spend less on food?
Where a food budget actually leaks — waste, convenience, unplanned shopping — and the changes that reduce cost without reducing quality.
beginner1 hr2 min readHow do I stop a recurring payment my bank cannot see?
Why some payments do not appear in the direct debit list, what a continuous payment authority is, and your right to stop one.
beginner30 min4 min readHow do I take a complaint to an ombudsman?
The two conditions that must be met first, which scheme covers which sector, and what to send them.
beginner45 min4 min readHow does redundancy work, and what am I entitled to?
What makes a dismissal genuinely a redundancy, what consultation should look like, and the three separate payments that fall due — which are frequently confused with each other.
intermediate20 min3 min readHow much maternity leave and pay am I entitled to?
Maternity leave is a day-one right and maternity pay is not. The two qualifying tests, the deadlines that actually matter, and how 52 weeks of leave maps onto 39 weeks of pay.
intermediate18 min6 min readHow much should I set aside each month for repairs and replacements?
Build a replacement schedule from what you actually own, divide each item by the years it has left, and add them up. That figure is the answer, and it is defensible.
beginner45 min3 min read
Going deeper: ToolFoundry
Interactive calculators — quantities, conversions, costs and sizing — rather than prose.
ToolFoundry is in development — GuideHQ covers the practical answers in the meantime.