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Topics: TV And Film, Martin Lewis
Lucy Devine
Martin Lewis has been offering advice to Brits to help them prepare for the surge in energy prices.
Taking to his programme, The Martin Lewis Money Show Live earlier this week, the expert revealed some tips and tricks to help Brits in the coming months.
And Martin advised stocking up on one item in particular.
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With stamps set to increase in price from 4th April, Martin advised stocking up - especially ahead of Christmas.
First class stamps are increasing by 10p - from 85p to 95p - and second class stamps are increasing by 2p from 66p to 68p.
But beware, the stamps can only be used until the end of January 2023 when they'll be replaced by bar coded stamps.
"The key rule here is to stock up now on these class stamps i.e those that say first or second. In the past when prices went up I'd always say you could use them indefinitely but you can only use these until January 31, 2023," Martin said.
"So buy Christmas' stamps now if you can do so."
Martin explained you will however be able to swap existing stamps in for new ones later this year.
"But if you are going to use stamps in the future, you may as well buy them in now whilst they are cheap," he said.
Martin's advice comes as energy bills are set to rocket in price. From next month, Ofgem's price cap will rise from £1,277 to £1,971, meaning the average household bill could be increasing by around £693 per year.
Since the hikes were announced, Martin has been urging Brits to check their Council Tax band, explaining there are around 400,000 homes in the UK currently in the wrong band.
Households in tax bands A to D will be given rebates of £150 to help with the cost of rising energy bills.
"Keep an eye out for a letter from the council because each council will tell you its claim system and you need to watch for that,” he said.
"If you're not eligible for the £150, say, because you're in a higher band, then there is a discretionary £140 million fund being set-up to help those who are struggling.
“It will be up to each council to decide how it distributes it, but be ready to claim that."