A basic Sky subscription currently costs £234 a year and a Sky+ Subscription with the sports package is an eye watering £600 a year (not including any set up or installation costs). Yet there are lots of free alternatives and lets face it how much television can a family really watch? It doesn’t seem that long ago we put up with 3 channels which were only on for a few hours a day – so lets’s look at some of the alternatives:

• FreeSat – This is where you simply cancel your Sky service and continue to receive 150+ free tv and radio channels through your existing satellite dish and set top box. For non Sky subscribers you just need to buy a Freesat box or have TV with FreeSat installed.
• Freeview – With a normal aerial and a Freeview or Freeview+ box you can connect to up to 50 digital TV channels and 24 digital radio stations. As it’s digital you get a better picture and sound quality and all those interactive features when you press the red button on your remote. Many TV’s now come with Freevie already installed meaning you won’t need a set top box.
• BBC iPlayer – With the help of your Nintendo Wii or connecting your pc to your TV you can watch BBC iPlayer for free on your home television. It uses an internet connection so just make sure you have an unlimited bandwidth usage with your broadband provider.
• BT Vision & Virgin Media - If you have a Phone or Broadband package with BT or Virgin then they offer alternatives to Sky for Digital TV which could save you money.

Cut your household energy bills

1. Check your energy provider is offering you the best tarrif, the cheapest deals are usually Dual Fuel (where one energy provider is supplying both your gas and electricity) and paying by direct debit. Also moving to an online paperless account can often be cheaper. Use a price comparison website such as USwitch to find the best deals available. Switching to the best online tariff from a standard tariff could save the average customers £258 over  the next12 months.
2. Turn down your central heating thermostat by 1°C and cut your annual bill by up to ten per cent.
3. Fit loft and cavity wall insulation to save up to 35 per cent of heat loss and the initial costs involved in the set-up process will soon pay for themselves in the savings you will see to your bills.
4. Lighting accounts for about 11% of your home’s energy usage and so switch to low energy lightbulbs and turn off the lights whenever you leave a room. If you have children who like a light on at night change it for a small night light.
5. Put up a washing line. Instead of drying clothes in a tumble dryer, hang them on a line in the garden on fine days or even on a clothes horse indoors if it’s wet.
6. Switching off electrical appliances at the socket rather than leaving them on the stand-by mode will also help to reduce costs. According to the Energy Saving Trust incredibly, £1 billion worth of energy is wasted in the UK every year by people leaving appliances on standby.
7. Make sure your water isn’t too hot? If you have a hot water tank the cylinder thermostat should be set at 60°C/140°F. If your hot water is produced on demad with a combi boiler you can set the water temperature on the boiler.
8. Draw your curtains in the evenings to stop heat escaping through the windows. Check door and window frames for draughts and fit draught excluders if necessary.
9. Don’t use your washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher unless you have a full load to put on: one full load uses less energy than two half loads.
10. Finally you can even cut energy bills making a cup of tea! When boiling the kettle only put in as much water as you need.

David Lloyd Leisure have a promised to keep your weight loss routine going with a 3 Month membership and FREE new member package worth up to £175. The package includes FREE:

• ViPR™ and Power Plate® taster sessions
• Personalised Gym Programme
• Personal Training 30-minute taster session
• Extensive range of exercise classes

So now you can start the New Year as you mean to go on. If after 3 months you have acheived your weight loss goal or you simply don’t want to continue with your membership then you can cancel without incurring further charges.

No one offers you more motivating ways and great facilities to get into great shape than David Lloyd Leisure including

• World-class tennis courts to improve your game
• Heated pools to build stamina
• State-of-the-art gyms with all the latest equipment

So with all these fantastic facilities and more, come and see what David Lloyd Leisure can do for you!