The top ways Wales saves money are revealed 

Auto-switching energy service The Labrador has released extraordinary

research into the full array of ways that we as a nation attempt to save

money. From the wacky and weird to the savvy and slick, Brits across

Wales have also revealed their most common cash saving methods. With so

many in the region trying to save money by not turning the heating on,

The Labrador, delivers savings of up to £537 per annum, presenting a

much easier alternative to the disheartening cut-backs.

 

Wales Focus

 

The Labrador’s nationally representative research shows that those in

Wales are most likely to turn up to the hairdressers with wet hair to

save money on their wash, cut and blow-dry as 14% of the country has

done this. Yorkshire and Humber rank as the least likely to do this with

only 9% doing so to try and save money. However, the Welsh are the least

likely to ask their friends to carry out beauty treatments instead of

going to a professional, with only 20% of those in Wales saying they do

this as a money saving technique. The North West is the most likely

region to, with 48% of respondents saying they do this. The Welsh are

the most likely in the UK to stock up on free condiments from

restaurants and cafes. The research shows that 30% of respondents in

Wales do this. Along with the South West, the Welsh are least likely to

wash their clothes in the shower or bath whilst they are in there as

only 6% have said they do this.

 

WALES’ STATS –

 

* 30% have stocked up on free condiments from cafes and restaurants

* 6% of us wash our clothes whilst we are also in the bath or shower

* 57% of us unplug or turn off appliances at the wall rather than

leaving them on standby

* 48% freeze food to eat after its use by date

* 15% use office or gym shower facilities to reduce home utility bills

 

* 55% put on extra layers so they don’t have to turn on the heating

* 10% keep a jug of water close to the sink for multiple rounds of

washing up

* 5% would take their children out of school to save money on a

term-time holiday

* 31% reuse washing-up water to water the garden

* 15% steal office supplies, such as toilet roll or washing up liquid,

to use at home

 

BRITAIN’S FRUGAL TEN: THE UK’S MOST COMMON MONEY-SAVING MEASURES

From a nationally representative sample of 2,007 respondents, thrifty

revelations include washing our clothes in the shower with us, to

allowing friends to take over on our beauty treatments, all resulting

with the ultimate saving falling short of the effort invested.

 

• 13.5 MILLION PEOPLE (26%) HAVE STOCKED UP ON FREE CONDIMENTS

FROM CAFES AND RESTAURANTS

• 10% – NEARLY 5 MILLION OF US WASH OUR CLOTHES WHILST WE ARE ALSO

IN THE BATH OR SHOWER

• 52% – OVER 27 MILLION OF US UNPLUG OR TURN OFF APPLIANCES AT THE

WALL RATHER THAN LEAVING THEM ON STANDBY

• HALF OF US (48%) FREEZE FOOD TO EAT AFTER ITS USE BY DATE
• SEVEN MILLION (13%) USE OFFICE OR GYM SHOWER FACILITIES TO

REDUCE HOME UTILITY BILLS

• 28 MILLION OF US (55%) PUT ON EXTRA LAYERS SO THEY DON’T HAVE TO

TURN ON THE HEATING

• FOUR MILLION BRITS (8%) KEEP A JUG OF WATER CLOSE TO THE SINK

FOR MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF WASHING UP

• 15 MILLION PEOPLE WOULD TAKE THEIR CHILDREN OUT OF SCHOOL TO

SAVE MONEY ON A TERM-TIME HOLIDAY

• OVER A QUARTER (27%) REUSE WASHING-UP WATER TO WATER THE GARDEN
• SEVEN MILLION (13%) STEAL OFFICE SUPPLIES, SUCH AS TOILET ROLL

OR WASHING UP LIQUID, TO USE AT HOME

 

FURTHER NATIONAL MONEY-SAVING MEASURES

• 25 MILLION (48%) BUY IN BULK TO SAVE COSTS ON HOUSEHOLD PRODUCE
• NEARLY SIX MILLION (11%) GET TO THE HAIRDRESSERS WITH WET HAIR

TO AVOID THE FULL COST OF WASH, CUT AND BLOW-DRY

• NEARLY THREE IN 10 (28%) ASK FRIENDS TO CARRY OUT OUR BEAUTY

TREATMENTS OR CUT OUR HAIR RATHER THAN VISIT PROFESSIONALS

• 12.5 MILLION (24%) WASH THE KIDS IN THE SAME BATHWATER WHILE

ANOTHER 23% WOULD DO IN THE FUTURE

• 3.5 MILLION (7%) TAKE A VACATION OR GO AWAY AT CHRISTMAS TO SAVE

HAVING TO BUY GIFTS FOR OTHERS

 

The resounding statistics unveil the true extent of the nation’s

commitment to saving money, with many of the measures revealed requiring

a truly extensive dedication of time and effort. The research –

launched by energy-tech disruptor The Labrador – has been commissioned

to highlight the lengths the public will stretch to save as little as

£14, in comparison to saving as much as £537 a year with the Labrador.

 

 

Despite all our thrifty saving tips, a significant fifth of us (19%)

believe these cost-saving measures will not save us any money at all,

with the majority of the nation (55%) stating cutbacks will save them

less than £10. With the nation’s frugality emerging as acutely

misplaced intention, the average saving across the nation limps in at

£14.

 

MILLENNIALS

Millennials are, on the whole, the savviest savers in the UK; nearly a

quarter of them (22%) use office or gym shower facilities to cut home

utility bills. This is against 15% of 35-54’s and 55+. Over a third of

millennials (35%) will ask friends to perform beauty treatments on them

as well. Only a quarter of 35-54’s (26%) and 55+ (24%) do this.

 

TOO MUCH ENERGY TO SAVE MONEY ON OUR ENERGY

The majority of the anecdotal evidence from the data unveiled energy

saving measures such as not turning the heating on unless temperatures

dropped below zero as the most popular. Stemming from a disconcerting

lack of knowledge around how to manage our homes in the cheapest manner

possible, over 14 million Brits put on additional layers of clothing

instead of turning on/up the heating.

 

IT’S TIME TO SWITCH HOW WE SAVE

According to The Labrador’s previous national study, only 12% of

households gave regular meter readings, with a further quarter (23%)

stating they had not switched providers in the past five years. The

worrying disconnect means that as a nation, a dearth of information

exists as to how much auto-switching could save us, with The

Labrador’s saving up to £537 per annum eclipsing the onerous efforts

required to save the current national average of £14.

 

Jane Lucy, CEO of The Labrador, commented on the research; The

money-saving measures revealed in this survey – as imaginative as they

are – require a huge amount of time and effort just to save a few

pounds. It’s clearly time to switch how we save. We need a new kind of

service that takes the burden away from the consumer and hands them back

their free time and cheaper energy for life. That service is the

Labrador.

 

ABOUT LABRADOR LTD: The Labrador is an independent company backed by

Hambro Perks Ltd., DMGT, and over 30 private and institutional

investors. It leverages smart technology to disrupt the energy switching

market by automating and making accurate, energy switching for

residential consumers. The Labrador uses a gateway device (“the

Labrador Retriever”) to collect consumption data from household smart

meters – in addition to offering the most accurate service for those who

do not have a smart meter – and processes this data on its proprietary

platform to personalise energy switches, removing the hassle from

switching and accurately keeping its customers on cheap energy tariffs.