Cost of Living and How You Can Still Afford Your Dream Home in 2026

March 31, 2026

We’re approaching, or moreover, we’re in Spring. Yes, meteorologically we are already here. It started on the first weekend of March and whilst we may not have adjusted our thermostats yet, there is the chink of light at the end of a long, cold, dark, winter.

But, recent world events – which we’ve also covered in our mortgage piece – have meant that there is a bit of a bigger conversation happening around owning a home.

It’s nothing new. We’ve been through all of this before and we’re not saying that last time was a walk in the park, but we understand that in times of global conflict which can affect things like the cost of living here in the UK, it’s always a good idea to be prepared… especially when it comes to living in your dream home, or if you’re looking to move into one.

So, what are the top tips we can give to help you and us all plan ahead and make the decisions today to make the next few months a little easier on the pocket.

Look at your mortgage

Following on from our mortgage piece, taking the steps to either look at your mortgage which is coming up for renewal or, if you’re buying, securing a mortgage at a good rate today and working with a broker who can put you on a cheaper rate – if it drops – is the best advice.

It could end up saving you hundreds if not thousands in a year. Being prudent here is one of the best ways to get ahead of the game.

Don’t switch off your heating!

A lot of people – including myself – think that switching off the heating will reduce bills. It does, but by £20 – £40 on average over the year. Is it worth it if then you can’t access hot water when you want it? Not really. The more sensible option is to let your heating only come on when your internal home temperature hits something like 14C.

Book a plumber

This one is going to sound weird but… a plumber can do things like heating checks as well as servicing your boiler – better to do it now rather than later when a cold snap could see it completely disintegrate under touch and you’re forced to pay through the nose on a new one.

A plumber can bleed radiators, they can check insulation cold spots around central heating and even advise on things like HIVE systems which can save you money in the long run. Yes, it may cost you now but doing it will save you later.

Fix an energy deal

We’re sounding a bit like Martin Lewis here, sorry. Your energy deal however can be transported across (by many providers) to a new property if you’re in the middle of changing homes. That’s right, your payments may go up because it’s a bigger house, or they may go down if it’s smaller, but your energy deal is what you’re paying for a unit of energy.

Check government schemes

You know those annoying phone calls about solar energy… well, be cautious. But, if you were to consider choosing government schemes for solar systems and heat pumps, there are .gov websites you can check and here is the advantage; you can get systems for a third of the price which can bring your bills close to a few £ every month rather than hundreds.

Equally, a solar system increases home values by 3-4% which may not seem like a lot but, if you’re saving money all year long, don’t have to pay anything back to the government and can increase your home value, it’s well worth the spend.

(obviously there are more caveats but it’s a general tip and we advise you seek proper consultation with accredited installers and bodies before proceeding with this work.)

Obviously, there are other things we could write about. Things like making a few lifestyle changes in your home, heating only certain rooms, smart timers and devices for when you’re at home or not etc. But the most important thing is being prepared.

We still have to see what kind of price increases there may be, what inflation will do to spending and so on but… It’s worth repeating what was said at the beginning, “we’ve been through similar” and now is not the time to panic.