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Sort Out Your Family Finances: Household expenses

by Bob Reeves

Examining the household expenses can be quite depressing. For many households it would not be uncommon for well over half the family income to go on the mortgage, council tax and utility bills. Younger people tend to be on lower incomes at the start of their careers so the proportion that they spend on keeping up the house can be higher. You would expect this to drop as the years progress and income increases.
Having said that there is also a great deal of scope to reduce your household expenses by shopping around. Utility bills are one good example particularly as the deals are changing so often and the market is quite competitive. You should look check out the possibility of switching at least once a year or if there is a bit of a price war as sometimes happen. The comparison websites are a good place to start.
Telephone and broadband charges are also highly volatile and you can get large discounts if you are prepared to tie yourself in for at least 18 months. Don’t be afraid to push for a better deal when you phone to ask about their packages. It seems that sometimes there is some flexibility in pricing and you may get lower than the advertised price.
Remember that you can switch almost anything these days so you do not need to be stuck with a bad deal.


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