Tips for Keeping Your Household Bills Down

Keep your bills down with these simple saving tips that you can start today!

The cost of everything seems to go up each year. Household bills are no exception to this, and with ever-increasing food and travel costs, it can all contribute to making your budget very tight. There are ways to help reduce your outgoings for your home, and here are a few tips to help you along the way.

Energy Costs

After the mortgage or rent, quite often the energy costs are the next biggest expense. You need to educate your family to turn things off when they are not in use, including computers and TVs that cost money if they are left in sleep mode.

You also need to consider who your gas and electricity suppliers are, because if you have been with them for some time, you could be paying a higher tariff than you need to. Comparison sites like Utility Bidder make it simple to find out the best deals around.

Heating your home and water is a large part of your energy bills. If you lower the temperature on them both by just a couple of degrees, it is unlikely anyone will notice the difference, but you will see a drop in your gas and electric bills.

Shop Smart

Shopping is usually the next biggest household expense. The old saying that you should not shop when you are hungry is very true, as then you are tempted to put things in your trolley that are a quick snack, and they are often expensive. The best way to shop is with a list, and make sure you stick to it. Always look out for special offers, but only if they are on products you want. Buying something just because it is cheap is not a good idea if it then gets thrown away because no one uses it.

Look at your diet too. One of the most expensive things in your trolley will be meat. Cheaper cuts of meat can be just as tasty, but you may have to cook them at a lower temperature for longer to make them tender. With this in mind, a slow cooker is well worth investing in as they do not cost a fortune and even the cheapest cuts of meat will fall apart after 8 hours in one. Alternatively, have less meat in your diet and replace it with vegetables or fish, which are both cheaper.

Check Statements

Banks and credit card companies do not normally make mistakes, but they are not infallible. You should go through every statement to ensure that the transactions are yours and at the same time look for old subscriptions that you no longer use but are still being paid. Just like with utility companies, you should look at what you are being charged, as quite often you can find a better deal. This particularly applies to credit cards, and you will always find some online offering zero percent interest for a period of generally 6 or 12 months. Check out your card deals, and you may be surprised how much you can save. We are all looking for ways to reduce our household bills, and hopefully these tips will help you with yours.