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10 MoneySaving successes that've made a SERIOUS difference, incl...

- £4,800/year Pension Credit claim
- £37,000 in bereavement support
- £4,500 overdraft charge reclaim
- £500/year Sky haggling saving 

With energy bills and inflation still sky-high, and interest rates still rising, the cost-of-living crisis continues unabated in 2023. Yet many are unaware they're due £1,000s. Every week, we hear from scores of people who have used our MoneySaving tips to play the system, nab a great deal, right wrongs, or claim what's rightfully theirs.

Hopefully their examples below will motivate you to follow in their footsteps. If even one of these applies to you, it could make a huge difference...

1. 'Claiming PENSION CREDIT increased my mum's pension by nearly £5,000 a year.' If you're over 65 and have income of less than £220 a week (or £320 if you're a couple), it's worth checking if you're due Pension Credit. It can be worth £1,000s a year, but more than 800,000 pensioner households who are eligible don't claim. Check online or call the Pension Credit helpline to see if you're due. If you don't qualify but know someone who might, help them check too. 

As well as the extra cash, it also opens the door to other benefits and discounts, as Debbie emailed Martin in June: "My mum's finances changed when my dad went into a care home. So after I read your blog, I applied online for Pension Credit for mum. She now gets about £400/month [£4,800/year], a free TV licence and has cut her BT and water bills by going on social tariffs. It really pays to apply."

2. 'I saved £1,000s in credit card interest using your eligibility calculator to find a 0% BALANCE TRANSFER.' A balance transfer is where you get a new credit card to pay off debts on old ones, so you owe it instead, but at 0% interest for a set time. Yet acceptance is key, so use our 0% Balance Transfer Eligibility Tool, which shows the top cards you're most likely to get before you apply.

In July, Jordanne emailed: "I read your email with Martin's warning for anyone paying credit card interest. After using the eligibility calculator, I've successfully transferred a £6,000 balance costing me £1,000s in interest, to a 0% card for 27 months - meaning that I can be (credit card) debt-free in 2 years. Thank you!"

3. 'My mum received £37,000 in BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT.' If you've lost a partner and were unmarried with children, a rule change means some can now claim backdated payments worth £1,000s - known as 'bereavement support'. However, the deadline to apply, 8 Feb 2024, is now just six months away. See bereavement support to check if you qualify. 

Jamie wrote in last month: "My dad passed in 2015, however mum wasn't eligible for support - despite them being together over 20 years, with 3 children. Yesterday she received a backdated payment of £37,000 and will get £139 a week while she still gets Child Benefit for my sister. I wholeheartedly thank you for the work you do to raise awareness."

4. 'I'm saving over £700 a year after switching to a WATER METER.' On a water meter, you only pay for what you use, rather than paying a fixed bill based on estimated usage depending on your home's size. 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.

Katy emailed us her HUGE saving last month after pulling the plug on pricey bills. "Thanks to Martin's reminder, I got a water meter fitted and my bill has gone from £67 a month to £5 a month [saving £744 a year]. Brilliant and really easy to sort."

PS: If you're on a low income or some benefits, check if you can get a social water tariff or help through the WaterSure scheme.

5. 'I DITCHED MY FIXED CASH ISA to make £1,700 extra interest.' If you ditch a fixed cash ISA before the term is up, you'll usually have to pay an interest penalty. Yet with savings interest rates rising rapidly, it's often worth it for ISAs more than a year old. Use our fixed ISA calculator to find out if it's worth ditching and switching. 

Gavin emailed in April, showing how much extra interest he made even after a penalty: "I hadn't realised ISAs had a get-out clause. I transferred 3 of them and thanks to the ISA calculator I was confident of the penalties. Unbelievably the transfers have gained me £1,726 additional interest. I'd never have known without MSE."

6. 'Spending £3,000 on NATIONAL INSURANCE YEARS has bought me a £1,000 a year state pension boost.' To get the full state pension, you need a full national insurance (NI) record - but if you have gaps in yours, you can usually buy extra years to fill 'em. Temporary rules mean you can buy missing years from as far back as 2006, so anyone aged 45 to 72ish should check now. Our buying national insurance years guide has the full step-by-step to help you decide if it's worth doing. 

Sally emailed last month: "I got through to the Future Pension Centre phone line after several weeks of being cut off. I was missing four NI years. With a payment of just over £3,000 I will boost my pension by £1,000 a year! Very happy, thank you Martin."

7. 'We got £6,000 towards our deposit after opening LIFETIME ISAS.' A Lifetime ISA (LISA) can be opened by anyone aged between 18 and 39. You can use it to save up to £4,000 a year, towards a first home costing up to £450,000 OR for retirement, and the state adds a bonus of up to £1,000 a year on top.

Using a LISA consistently can contribute a decent chunk to your deposit, just like it did for Steven and Jade who emailed in March: "We opened a LISA each and deposited the max £4,000 for three years. We saved £24,000 in total - gaining a bonus of £6,000 between us. We combined this with other savings to put down the deposit for our first home. Thank you for your help getting us to this stage in our lives."

8. 'We got a £7,500 refund and will save £1,000/yr because we qualify for a COUNCIL TAX DISCOUNT.' If you are a student, live-in carer, live alone (or only with under-18s), have a disability or 'severe mental impairment' (SMI), or are on a low income/benefits, you may qualify for a council tax discount.

Back in May, John emailed to tell us his bill was cut by 50% because he and his wife qualified as live-in carers for their daughter, who has an SMI: "After reading your email about the carers' council tax discount, we applied and got a 50% discount, backdated by 7 years, meaning a refund of £7,500. We also now pay £1,000 a year less."

PS: In England/Scotland? Is your home in the wrong council tax band?

9. 'I got £4,500 of OVERDRAFT CHARGES back.' If past overdraft or bounced cheque/direct debit fees put you into financial hardship, or made your situation worse, check if you're eligible to reclaim these bank charges.

Only this month, MSE Forumite brightpinkgerberas wrote: "I recently reclaimed bank charges and wanted to share how easy it was using the template provided by Martin. I stressed that daily charges had hit me hard, and they hadn't provided any support. In just over a month they called to say I'd receive £4,500 back. To say I'm blown away is an understatement."

10. 'I'm saving £500 a year off my Sky bill after using MSE's HAGGLING TIPS.' The best savings usually come from switching broadband and TV provider, but if you don't want to, haggling with your existing one can help you slash costs. See full help in our Haggling guide.

Cathy followed our tips to save large, and emailed earlier in August: "Thanks so much for telling us to haggle. We were paying Sky £106/mth. Went through the process of leaving and were offered a better TV deal and upgraded to superfast broadband for £64/mth. A yearly saving of £504. Thanks again."

PS: You've shared your successes, so we're sharing ours. Read MSE Katie's campaigns update - find out how we've been fighting your corner in 2023.