Be inspired by the class of 2023
10 MoneySaving successes that have made a BIG difference in tough times, including...

- £38,000 in bereavement support
- £35,000 state pension increase
- FREE £850 by switching banks
- £1,300/yr off water bills

The cost of living crisis continued unabated in 2023. Energy prices remain disastrously expensive, inflation rocketed to historic highs and mortgage costs now pose a threat to the finances of millions, thanks to five increases to the base rate this year. Yet amid the economic gloom, our cockles have been warmed by the stories of those who have followed our tips and made big savings to get through these tough times. Here are just a few of those successes - hopefully they provide a source of inspiration and motivation for you to get MoneySaving in 2024...

1. 'Spending £5,700 on NATIONAL INSURANCE got me a potential £35,000 state pension boost.' To get the full state pension, you need a full national insurance (NI) record - but if you have gaps, you can usually buy extra years to fill 'em up. Normally, you can only backfill six years, but temporary rules mean you can now buy missing years from as far back as 2006, so anyone aged 45 to 70 should check now. Our Voluntary national insurance years guide has the full details (watch Martin's NI record explainer video first). 

Helen emailed us in June with her success: "Many thanks. I paid for seven additional years at £5,700 but gained an additional £40/wk on my state pension which, if I live for 20 years, will give me an extra £35,000."

2. 'I've SWITCHED BANKS multiple times and made a FREE £850.' Banks have been dangling free cash switching incentives all year, and plenty of you have maxed the opportunity by switching again and again. Our how to safely do multiple switches guide has all the info, but if you haven't done it this year, there are two banks that currently pay. A full rundown is in Best bank accounts, but in brief...

- Nationwide's free £200, 8% linked saver, 1yr 0% overdraft
- First Direct's free £175, top service, 7% linked saver*

After a tough year, becoming a super-switcher helped Richard immensely. As he emailed last week: "I've made around £850 from bank switching this year. In a year where I've faced long periods of unemployment, this has really made a difference. I switched to Co-op Bank, First Direct, Lloyds Bank, Barclays and Nationwide. I hope this success can inspire others."

3. 'My son's CAR INSURANCE renewal was £1,200 - following your tips, I slashed it by £530.' Car insurance prices soared this year, driven by inflation and the cost of repairs - so much so that Martin devoted an entire episode of The Martin Lewis Money Show to cutting insurance costs. The key here is NEVER just auto-renew - use our clever Compare+ Car Insurance tool to get quotes and bespoke cost-cutting tips to slice the price down. 

Dawn did so in November and almost halved the cost of her son's cover: "His renewal was £1,180, a huge increase on the previous year. I used a number of your recommendations and switched to another company on a like-for-like basis for £650 - a huge saving of £530."

4. 'Thanks to MSE, I reclaimed £2,000 in STUDENT LOAN OVERPAYMENTS.' More than 1 million former UK students overpaid their student loan in the 2022/23 tax year, adding to millions who had done so in past years. The reasons for doing this are myriad, so if you went to uni in the past 15 years, it's worth checking - you could be owed £100s or even £1,000s back. Full info on how to claim is in our Student loan overpayments guide.

It worked for Russel, who emailed us last week: "Because of my irregular pay, I wasn't sure how to understand my student loan payments and assumed all was fine. However, I just called up after seeing Martin's latest advice and got a whopping £2,000 back."

5. 'I ditched my fixed ISA - and will now earn £4,000 in interest.' Cash ISAs, even fixes, can't lock you in - they must allow you to withdraw money, though they can charge an interest penalty for doing so. Many who locked in a year or more ago are on terrible rates and should pay the penalty to move - try our Ditch my fixed cash ISA? calculator to see if you could be better off. 

That's what Adrian did in November after watching Martin's show: "I had a 2yr fixed ISA that would make me £1,122/yr in interest. I went to my local branch to transfer to a new 1yr fixed ISA - it cost me £65 but I now stand to make £3,969 in interest at the end of term."

6. 'A decade after my partner died, I received £38,000 in BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT.' Of the many, many successes shared with us, this issue has been among the most heart-wrenching. Thanks to a law change this year, unmarried couples with children became eligible for backdated bereavement support if one partner died, sometimes worth £10,000s. Watch Martin's video briefing and find full info on how to claim in our Bereavement support guide. 

Sara got in touch last week to say she received a massive payment: "I would like to say a huge THANK YOU for letting us know about bereavement support payments. My partner died in 2013 and I was left with our five-year-old son. We had no life insurance, so I had to ask my parents for help and sell the family home. I sent in the application form and received £38,000, and I'm getting a weekly amount due to my son being in full-time education."

7. 'Switching to SIM-ONLY mobile deals saved my family £344.' While most bills have risen this year, the mobiles market has bucked the trend, with Sims and handsets getting cheaper. If you're one of the 14 million people out of contract, you can switch and save. And don't worry - you can keep your number. We've thousands of deals in our powerful Cheap Mobile Finder tool, but here are today's cheapest (all unlimited mins & texts):

- TalkMobile (uses Vodafone's network) - 6GB for '£3.45/mth'
- TalkMobile (uses Vodafone's network) - 30GB for '£4.62/mth'
- iD Mobile (uses Three's network) - 100GB for '£7.09/mth'

Mary emailed us in September having slashed costs for her family: "I noticed a deal in your newsletter and switched Sim for me, my grandson and my partner. We're very happy to say that it has saved around £344/yr."

8. 'I cut my bill down by £1,300/yr by having a WATER METER installed.' If you're in England or Wales, check to see if you'd be better off by switching to a water meter. Martin's rule of thumb is...

More bedrooms in your home than people, or the same number (eg, three bedrooms, two people)?  A water meter is likely to save you cash. Try a water calculator to get a better picture.

Mary-Louise emailed in October to tell us she saved a fortune: "My bill last year was £1,600. I took your advice and had a meter installed and now pay just over £250/yr, a saving of £1,300/yr. Why did I not get one before?"

9. 'I followed your CHARGEBACK tips and reclaimed £16,000 for a faulty car.' If you pay for something on debit card (or on credit card under £100), chargeback provides vital consumer protection if something goes wrong. (If you pay on credit card for something costing more than £100, you've also got stronger Section 75 protection.)

It was a godsend for Mary, who emailed us in November: "I bought a faulty car and the dealer refused to give me a refund. I read about chargeback on your site and approached my bank. They handled it efficiently and professionally and six weeks later the full amount of £16,339 landed in my account."

10. 'My parents reclaimed £7,100 in COUNCIL TAX after 27 years in the wrong band.' Up to 400,000 homes in England and Scotland may be in the wrong council tax band because the original valuations were slapdash. Yet it takes just 10 minutes to check before making a claim - our Council tax bands guide has the full system.

Christos emailed in November with a cracking result: "My parents have always believed that they were in the wrong council tax band, with the majority of their neighbours being a band lower for similar or larger properties. They applied and received confirmation that they've been overpaying since 1996, and were due credit of £7,100."

PS: If these success stories have inspired you, please tell us how much you saved, made or reclaimed.

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Given the festive schedule, next week's email will come a little later than normal, on the afternoon of Weds 27 December. In the meantime, if you're celebrating, we wish you the happiest of Christmases from all at MSE.