As energy bills rise and the cost-of-living increases, being on top of your finances has become even more important.
If you’re looking for some support to mitigate the impact of these changes, then our Money Matters Team are here to support you.
Our Money Matters Team is one of the largest in the North East and can support you with benefit checks, Universal Credit claims, budgeting, energy advice, food bank referrals and more.
As part of Money Matters, we run a free short course called 'Money Works' which is open to all Karbon Homes customers and offers practical tips and tricks to make your money go further.
We spoke to our customers Kate and Jane, who recently took part in our four-week Money Works course, to find out how it helped them.
Kate, a 26-year-old who lives with her mum in Pelton, initially signed her mum up for the course, but then decided to go as well as she wanted to see how good she was with money.
Kate had always lived with her mum but was looking to start saving the money to eventually move out but didn’t understand some of the more day to day aspects of budgeting such as managing bills.
Kate said: “It was great to be able to talk to other people who had experienced similar issues with money, especially as we don’t come from a very affluent area.
“The course helped me to understand some of the lingo and confirmed that the I’ve been doing a lot of things the right way, such as using my credit card as a safer way to pay for my holiday.
“I was also able to find out how to check my credit score and get tips on how to improve it.”
Jane, a 62-year-old living in Prudhoe lost a very well-paid job several years ago and was forced to sell her home and use up a lot of her savings to keep her going.
“I kept making cuts, I gave up smoking and alcohol, but I was still struggling.”
Jane received a Money Works leaflet through her door and the headline ‘Too much month at the end of your money’ struck a chord with her and she decided to take part.
“The course made me aware of aspects on how you can spend and save. We compared prices in various shops and discovered surprising price differences and that sometimes it’s a false economy to buy cheaper products as they don’t always last as long.”
As part of Money Works, participants are given a £10 Challenge where they are giving a shopping voucher and asked to get as many meals out of it as possible.
“The £10 Challenge was fascinating. I tried to get the most nutritious meals possible and bought lot of vegetables and herbs and spices to make things less bland. I also froze some of the food to make it last longer.”
Jane had a really positive experience on the course and felt like she got a lot out of it.
“Everyone’s circumstances are different so it’s about individual’s needs. The course makes you examine your finances and your personal choices within that. It made me take more control and feel empowered.”
If you would like to find out more about Money Works or any of the support out Money Matters Team offers, please contact our Foundations for life Team on 0191 223 8750 or email foundations@karbonhomes.co.uk or complete our contact form to get started.
As energy bills rise and the cost-of-living increases, being on top of your finances has become even more important.
If you’re looking for some support to mitigate the impact of these changes, then our Money Matters Team are here to support you.
Our Money Matters Team is one of the largest in the North East and can support you with benefit checks, Universal Credit claims, budgeting, energy advice, food bank referrals and more.
As part of Money Matters, we run a free short course called 'Money Works' which is open to all Karbon Homes customers and offers practical tips and tricks to make your money go further.
We spoke to our customers Kate and Jane, who recently took part in our four-week Money Works course, to find out how it helped them.
Kate, a 26-year-old who lives with her mum in Pelton, initially signed her mum up for the course, but then decided to go as well as she wanted to see how good she was with money.
Kate had always lived with her mum but was looking to start saving the money to eventually move out but didn’t understand some of the more day to day aspects of budgeting such as managing bills.
Kate said: “It was great to be able to talk to other people who had experienced similar issues with money, especially as we don’t come from a very affluent area.
“The course helped me to understand some of the lingo and confirmed that the I’ve been doing a lot of things the right way, such as using my credit card as a safer way to pay for my holiday.
“I was also able to find out how to check my credit score and get tips on how to improve it.”
Jane, a 62-year-old living in Prudhoe lost a very well-paid job several years ago and was forced to sell her home and use up a lot of her savings to keep her going.
“I kept making cuts, I gave up smoking and alcohol, but I was still struggling.”
Jane received a Money Works leaflet through her door and the headline ‘Too much month at the end of your money’ struck a chord with her and she decided to take part.
“The course made me aware of aspects on how you can spend and save. We compared prices in various shops and discovered surprising price differences and that sometimes it’s a false economy to buy cheaper products as they don’t always last as long.”
As part of Money Works, participants are given a £10 Challenge where they are giving a shopping voucher and asked to get as many meals out of it as possible.
“The £10 Challenge was fascinating. I tried to get the most nutritious meals possible and bought lot of vegetables and herbs and spices to make things less bland. I also froze some of the food to make it last longer.”
Jane had a really positive experience on the course and felt like she got a lot out of it.
“Everyone’s circumstances are different so it’s about individual’s needs. The course makes you examine your finances and your personal choices within that. It made me take more control and feel empowered.”
If you would like to find out more about Money Works or any of the support out Money Matters Team offers, please contact our Foundations for life Team on 0191 223 8750 or email foundations@karbonhomes.co.uk or complete our contact form to get started.
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