Spend Smart, Live Well Life is tough right now. The cost of living is climbing and we’re all looking to tighten our belts. Sometimes, making a few small changes can have a big impact on your day-to-day expenditure. Simple, easy steps can help you save money by reducing waste, reusing more of what you have and becoming increasingly energy efficient to keep bills down. To help you do just that, we’ve put together a selection of recommended products that can help with reducing your outgoings and saving money. Save energy with an air fryer and slow cooker With the costs of heating and electricity rising, you can try to become more energy efficient at home. One of the ways we can help you do that is by cooking without gas and with appliances that use less electricity. Air fryers cook using circulating air, drastically reducing how much oil is used. They’re a fast and efficient way to cook, using less power than conventional frying, plus they’re far healthier too. Air fryers are versatile gadgets that can serve up a wide range of dishes, from chips to perfect steaks and from succulent fish to even desserts. Slow cookers are another excellent option for making your kitchen more energy efficient. Unlike convection ovens, slow cookers cook meals gradually at low temperatures. This reduces the amount of electricity they use but also results in food that retains its flavour and nutrients better than food cooked at higher temperatures. Keep cosy in a heated throw With high energy costs, one way a lot of us are looking to save money is through lowering the central heating or keeping it off entirely on milder days. You can wear warm clothes about your home to counteract lower temperatures, but when sitting still we can enthusiastically recommend a heated throw. Modern heated throws warm up quickly, will keep you toasty warm, and importantly are energy efficient and cheap to use, costing as little as 5p per hour. When you browse our range you’ll see we’ve got plenty of energy saving throws to choose from, including heated ponchos and heated mattress protectors for single and double beds. Saving money never felt so cosy. Dry laundry with an energy saving heated airer During winter months and on days when the weather simply isn’t playing ball, the only way to dry clothes is indoors. But running a clothes dryer can push up the electricity bill and switching the central heating on just to dry clothes simply might not be an option. With a heated airer you can dry laundry quickly and efficiently, with running costs of around 10p an hour. And you can dry all your laundry in one small space, meaning you don’t have to spread wet laundry throughout your home. Store food effectively to reduce food waste Even without rising food prices, reducing your food waste is a responsible goal and a good habit to get into. By making sure you keep food fresh for longer, it can help you make more of your weekly shop and reduce your food budget. Our great selection of top quality food preservers and savers can keep both raw and cooked food fresh, reducing the chances you’ll have to throw it out before you can use it. Reuse, reuse, reuse As well as tighter budgeting and saving money by becoming more energy efficient, you can save on outgoings by making sure you reuse more of what you already have. One area we often create unnecessary waste and needlessly spend money is on single use plastic bags and storage containers. But with our selection of reusable food bags and containers, you can do away with single use items and save money by keeping food in containers you can use over and over again, even in reusable plastic food bags. Looking for more money saving tips? Check out our guide to spending smart and living well with Lakeland.