There is no shortage of money-saving advice.

Unfortunately, quite a lot of it seems to involve giving up every enjoyable thing in your life to save £1.73 by Christmas.

So Sally’s Savers is back with a different rule:

Start with the things capable of saving proper money.

Here are ten worth checking.

1. Check whether you're entitled to a council-tax discount

Don't assume the figure on the bill is necessarily the figure you have to pay.

Living alone can qualify you for the 25% single-person discount, while other discounts, exemptions or reductions can apply depending on circumstances.

If something about your household has changed, check again.

A percentage off an annual council-tax bill beats saving 20p on a tin of beans.

2. Run a benefits check — even if you're working

This is one people often dismiss too quickly.

Working doesn't automatically mean there's no support available.

Depending on your circumstances, help can include Universal Credit, childcare support, Council Tax Support and other assistance.

A free benefits calculator takes minutes.

Don't decide you're not eligible before you've checked.

3. Look at what you're actually paying for energy

Don't just look at the monthly Direct Debit.

Find the unit rates and standing charges on your bill and compare those.

Your Direct Debit can be influenced by previous usage, credit balances and estimates, so it isn't necessarily a useful way of comparing one tariff with another.

And check whether you're sitting on a sizeable credit balance.

It's your money.

4. Search your bank account for the £5–£20 leaks

Here's a quick challenge.

Open the last three months of bank transactions and look

 specifically for recurring payments.

Apps you tried once.

Streaming services nobody watches.

Cloud storage.

Memberships.

Software.

Free trials that stopped being free.

Two forgotten £7.99 subscriptions cost almost £192 a year.

That's no longer loose change.

5. Never let insurance renewal day surprise you

Car insurance.

Home insurance.

Pet insurance.

Breakdown cover.

Put every renewal date into your calendar.

Then add another reminder a few weeks beforehand.

The expensive mistake isn't necessarily staying with the same insurer. It's renewing without knowing what alternatives cost.

6. Before buying new, give yourself a 24-hour second-hand check

This works particularly well for things that don't need to arrive in a pristine box.

Furniture.

Tools.

Bikes.

Garden equipment.

Children's items.

Kitchen equipment.

Peterborough's charity shops, local selling groups and online marketplaces can turn up items people simply want out of their houses.

Give yourself 24 hours to look before pressing Buy Now.

If you still want new afterwards, buy new.

7. Ignore the giant supermarket offer find the tiny number

The most useful number on many supermarket shelves isn't the big promotional price.

It's the unit price.

Compare the cost per 100g, kilogram or litre.

A bigger pack isn't automatically better value, and a multibuy isn't a saving if another size is cheaper per unit.

It's particularly worth checking on coffee, cereal, detergent, pet food and household products.

8. Use the library for more than books

A library card can replace things people routinely pay for.

Depending on the services available locally, libraries can provide books, eBooks, audiobooks, digital resources, internet access and activities.

Before paying for another book, audiobook or children's activity, see whether the library already gives you access.

That's an old-fashioned money-saving trick that has become surprisingly modern.

9. Find your mortgage deal-end date now

If you have a fixed-rate mortgage, find out exactly when it ends.

Not roughly.

Exactly.

Then put a reminder in your calendar several months beforehand.

Falling onto a lender's standard variable rate because you forgot your deal was ending can be an expensive piece of procrastination.

You don't necessarily need to switch lender. You do need enough time to understand your options.

10. Have a 20-minute monthly money MOT

No giant spreadsheet required.

Once a month, make a drink, open your banking app and check:

• subscriptions
•  
• Direct Debits
• upcoming renewals
• credit-card interest
• energy balance
• unusual payments
• anything you meant to cancel

Twenty minutes.

That's it.

Because the most expensive household costs aren't always the dramatic ones.

They're often the small payments you've stopped noticing.

SALLY'S SAVER OF THE MONTH

If you only do one thing from this list, make it this:

Check what financial help and reductions you're actually entitled to.

People can spend months trying to shave £10 off the shopping bill while overlooking something worth hundreds of pounds elsewhere.

Start with the big numbers.

Then worry about the beans.

                    Check What You Could Be Entitled To