Martin Lewis urges people to 'stock up and bulk-buy' £1 item before 2 October

Money saving expert Martin Lewis has shared an 'effective tactic' that could help people ahead of the festive season.

Yes, Christmas is still more than 100 days away, but Lewis' tip could help you forking out unnecessary cash during an already expensive time of year.

If you're old fashioned like me and you're a sucker for sending your nearest and dearest a cute Christmas card, then you'll know that the prices of stamps having been surging in recent years - and they're only going to get more expensive.

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Currently priced at £1.10 for a single first class stamp for a standard-sized letter, this is going to increase by an eye-watering 14 percent in October, sparking Lewis to encourage people to 'stock up and bulk-buy in advance'.

In just a few weeks time, they'll be £1.25 instead and, while 15p doesn't sound like much, if you're the type of person to send dozens of cards out to friends and family then it could definitely make a dent in your purse.

Elsewhere, first class stamps for large letters are increasing from £1.60 to £1.95 and second class large letter stamps are going up from £1.15 to £1.55.

However, second class stamps for standard-sized letters will remain at 75p following an increase in price in April.

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Writing on his website MoneySavingExpert.com, Lewis said: "For years, every time stamps go up in price I've suggested people stock up and bulk-buy in advance, as provided the stamp doesn't have a price on it and instead just says the postage class, it's still valid after the hike.

"This has been an effective tactic, as a first-class letter stamp is now £1.10, soon to be rising to £1.25 - in 2012 it was just 60p. So you may as well stock up now, even if it's just for Christmas cards for the next few Christmases."

The Good Morning Britain presenter's cautioning comes shortly after he warned people about the 'demon appliance' in their households that may be the cause of their energy bills hiking.

The culprit? Tumble dryers.

While it only costs - on average - around £1 to tumble dry a load of clothing, if you do this frequently then it can make a huge impact on your energy bills.

Adding salt to the wound, you technically don't need to use a tumble drier religiously.

Instead, why don't you try using a heated airer? You can get your hands on one for as little as 40 quid from Dunelm.

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