Bills are going up in April and here’s everything you need to know about the increases and how to save money on bills going forward!
It’s simply becoming a case of not being able to just cut back and scrimp on costs. It’s unattainable for so many families and the powers above seem to be doing nothing to help. So let’s get organise and tackle these increasing costs instead of burying our heads in the sand.
Which bills are increasing?
First of all let’s look at which bills are increasing. Announcements have been that some of the major bills will be increasing this April.
So what’s going up?
Council Tax
Many authorities are putting Council Tax up by the maximum percentage of 4.99%, which they don’t need Government permission to do so. Some are going up as high as 9%.
You should have already received a letter in the post from your council advising you of the increases and where your extra tax is being spent on.
TV Licence
From April the annual TV licence fee is increasing from £174.50 to £180. You need a TV licence to watch live TV or BBC iPlayer but if you don’t watch these, you shouldn’t be paying for one!
If you only watch streaming services (not including iPlayer) or don’t watch TV at all, cancel your TV licence to save £180 a year.
Water Bills
The average water bill in England and Wales is due to rise by over 5%. If you have a water meter please make sure your wills are done based on your actual usage rather than an estimate.
Broadband
Most broadband deals have a mid-contract percentage hike written into the deal that usually happens in April. This is in place to rise with inflation. If you are not in a contract, it’s always worth comparing deals to switch.
If you are in a contract, some switch offers will include your exit fees being covered so it’s worth a look anyway to see if you can bag a better deal. Check to see if you could get a better monthly price plus through Uswitch you might get some cashback too!
Road Tax
Rising with inflation, road tax will also be increasing in April. The amount that you will have to pay will depend on what type of car you have and when it was registered.
Energy Bills
Although energy bills are set to fall in April with the price cap being lowered, experts suggest this will be a short lived relief. The current war in the Middle East is expected to push prices up which will in turn affect the price cap in July and October.
Experts are saying the price cap could rise by 10% by July which could see a £300 increase. It might be a good idea to lock in a fixed tariff now.
And that’s just the formal increases! Fuel, food, life is also rising in costs but salaries are not increasing in line with all of these hikes. It is simply not enough to cut back and budget anymore. Something else needs to be done.
I don’t like to be a negative nelly but I don’t think anybody is coming to save us from these hikes so we have to take matters into our own hands.
How to save money on bills?
Now we’re aware of what’s going up, let’s delve into how we can tackle the increases and adapt our budgets…
Check Nous
Ensure your bills are as cheap as they can be by checking with Nous.
Nous is a bill saving app that will help you check you are on the cheapest tariff or deal. If you’re not then it will help you find a better deal to switch onto.
Nous will keep track of your household contracts and keep an eye out for better deals and offers. They’ll even fill the forms in for you!
Check your bills with Nous here!
Earn more
I know, I know, “just earn more” sounds flippant and reductive. BUT a little can help a lot when it comes to side hustles. Even just £20 here and there (which is so easy to earn) can help pay for your phone bill, go towards your wifi costs or simply be put towards your debt payments. I feel earning extra cash is the only way to help with this for so many.
You don’t need to start a business, you don’t need loads of time and you don’t need to invest any money first. You can simply pick up a few side hustles that anybody can do.
It obviously won’t change all of these increases but a little extra each month will help to cover the rising costs.
Click here to join the waitlist for my side hustle guide, helping you to navigate side hustles as a beginner and to make earning extra possible!
Trim your bills
Alongside the big increase, you might be finding that lots of your smaller bills are increasing too. From streaming services to phone bills, each £1 extra per month soon adds up over the year.
So let’s trim our bills if we can’t cut out or reduce them. For example; switching from a standard Netflix subscription to one with ads would save you £7 per month which amounts to £84 a year. Is not having ads worth £84 to you?
You can see just how quickly the savings add up when trimming your bills.
Even though these increases might seem constant and never ending, there are solutions to tackle them. Some small changes or edits might make the world of difference to your budget and make the increases much more manageable.
Have you checked your bills with Nous yet? I’d love to hear all about your expereince and how much you saved! Let me know in the comments…
