Have Your Household Bills Been Going Up Under Your Nose?

If you’ve been taking a look at your budget as of late and have started to notice that your household bills and recurring expenses seem to be taking up a bigger and bigger piece of the pie, you are not alone. Utility prices have increased dramatically over the past 5 years for a lot of people, and when it happens without any official notice, you might just pay it without a second thought. However, if you're finding your funds stretched tight, now is the time to take notice and do something about it.

Make Your Home A More Efficient Place To Be

The best long-term step may not be just to address your bills directly, but to get to the source of those rising costs. Energy waste in the home can cost a lot more than you think, but there is plenty that you can do about it. From daily habits like unplugging idle electronics or sealing drafty doors and windows, to renovations like improving your insulation, making your home more efficient means you use less energy, which leads to lower bills.

Compare Your Providers

If you have options regarding your utility providers, it may be worth taking a closer look at them. Loyalty doesn’t always pay, especially as utility companies and internet or phone providers can actually raise their prices for long-term customers while offering better terms to new ones. At least once a year, take time to compare providers and see if you're still getting the best deal. Use comparison websites or speak directly with competitors and, if you find a better price, give your current provider the opportunity to match it. Many will be open to negotiating the price down but if they don’t, be prepared to walk away and switch.

Get Some Assistance With Those Bills

If you’re having a hard time keeping up with the costs, even if you have switched providers or done what you can to live more efficiently, then it might be time to look at some of the support programs available to you. Programs like HEAP, or the Home Energy Assistance Programs, are designed for low-to-moderate income households that need a little extra help covering the heating and cooling costs. There are also options for those who have trouble covering their water bills or could use assistance in weatherizing their home to make it more energy efficient.

Don’t Forget Your Subscription Services

Although they might not be as vital or as expensive as your utility bills, subscription services have been on the rise. From streaming platforms to cloud storage to premium apps, a lot of us are signed to multiple of these, and they can be easy to lose track of. However, these little monthly add-ons can inflate your household expenses more than you might realize. As such, it’s important to audit your subscriptions every few months, finding all the recurring charges on your bank statements to cancel those that you’re not using.

With the tips above, you can make sure that you’re not just passively accepting the ever-rising nature of bills. There’s a lot that you can do to better manage them.

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