by MrStaticVoid
The majority of families are always looking for ways to reduce spending, and one place that you can make a good start is by analyzing your regular household bills.
We all tend to pay for the essentials in life by direct debit, and can let them go on for years without giving them much thought. But by doing so, you could be losing out on savings across the board, especially when it comes to household bills like electricity, gas, telephone, internet and TV.
Although there are few things less interesting than shopping around for better deals on utilities etc, it’s worth checking every now and then. And with price comparison websites it’s become much easier than it used to be. You can usually find saver tariffs when you combine bills. For example, a dual power bill from one provider often works out cheaper than having separate suppliers for gas and electricity.
The same goes for internet, TV and telephone services. Many companies now offer a bundle deal on these if you pay for them together. It also makes life easier for you on an admin level as you’ll only receive one bill per month.
If you click here for Sky broadband services, you’ll find that there is an array of choices of bundles that you choose. There are certain things you should bear in mind when choosing a telecoms bundle to make sure you get the best value for money.
For example, if you are a light internet user there’s no point in taking on a more expensive tariff that gives you unlimited monthly usage. But think about who else in your household uses the internet, and what they do while they’re online. If your partner downloads lots of music and movies, your usage will be high. Check though, if you’re going for an unlimited download bundle whether there’s a fair usage policy – usually there is an upper limit of how much you can use the internet before you are charged more. It pays to be aware of these kinds of terms and conditions so you don’t get any unexpected extra charges.
You should also look at what kind of internet connection speed each provider offers. Don’t be led by the advertised speeds alone. Ask each potential provider to do a test on your phone line to give you an accurate estimate.
Then, there are also the TV channels you’re interested in to consider. Again, there’s no point getting the full package including sports unless you are really going to watch enough games and matches to justify the cost.
Finally, you should think about the length of the contract. If you think your broadband usage and TV requirements may change in the next year, it may be more cost effective to pay per month rather than signing up to an 18 or 24 month contract. Although the longer contracts will be cheaper, they may be less flexible.
Shopping around for cheaper utilities, telecomms and other regular household bills like insurance will only take a couple of hours at most, and could end up saving you hundreds on an annual basis. It’s definitely worth an afternoon of your time!
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