USEFUL HACKS AS THE COST OF LIVING CHALLENGES CONTINUE…
Chris Blackwell, a director of Swindon-based TED Mortgages, works with individuals or families to finance their dream homes.
He’s also a board member of The Platform Project in the town. At the PP he supports young people and guides them to become more savvy with their finances.
I’m a firm believer in the importance of teaching young people about money and healthy handling of it from an early age.
I talk to them about money in the ‘real world’ including budgeting, types of financial products, saving and looking after your credit score.’
Helpful Tips
At a time when the cost of living is rising fast, Chris has some tips which might help households across Swindon save money.
‘It can be so easy to avoid reviewing your finances and checking on your monthly outgoings. Often this is due to scepticism on how much you can save,’ Chris said.
In the current climate there couldn’t be a more important time to review your spending and make savings where you can. Saving a tenner here or a fiver there can indeed make a difference over the course of a month, or a year.’
Some options to consider
General insurance
Do you shop around each year for the renewal of your home and car insurance? Or do you do the automatic renew with the same provider? You could make savings by shopping around, or even in finding a better deal and asking your current provider to match it. Some will.
Protection
Have you reviewed your life insurance policy? Are you on the best deal or have your circumstances changed meaning it’s time to review them.
Utilities
Wherever you go now these will be more expensive yet are you on the cheapest tariff possible? Shop around.
Subscriptions or memberships
These are so easy to forget. Are you paying for any services that you rarely or never use? It’s easy to ignore small direct debit amounts – yet they can be a quick and easy way to reduce monthly bills.
Existing debts
Are your existing loans or credit cards on the best deal possible? Could you refinance these in another way to make them cheaper?
Get advice
if you’re concerned about your finances, don’t wait until you’ve missed payments to talk to your existing providers. Contact them early and make arrangements as this will have a less severe impact on your credit file.
Your mortgage
Checking your mortgage is on the best possible deal and terms can bring about one of the biggest monthly savings. This may be about re-mortgaging to save money, rather than a physical moving home.
For more information about TED Mortgages visit https://www.tedmortgages.co.uk
