Wednesday 18 January 2017

A Hole In Your Wallet: How Much Is Your Home Really Costing You?


It's probably not a particularly shocking thing to say that running your home can be pretty expensive. Your rent or mortgage could well be the most expensive thing that you pay for every month, and that's not even where the bills stop. But for most of us, paying for that stuff is just something we accept. After all, we all need a roof over our heads! But that doesn't mean that you should be happy throwing away your entire paycheck on the day-to-day running of your home. Your home should be a happy, comfortable place not a source of financial anxiety. Fortunately, taking control of your household finances is actually quite a lot easier that a lot of people might think. Here are just a few ways that you can stop your house from emptying your wallet.

Set a budget

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The biggest issue that many people have is that they don't actually realize how much money they're spending on their home. The best thing that you can do to remedy that is to set a very clear budget, separating all of your regular household payments. That way you can figure out if you're paying more than you should be each month. If you don't know what your bills are costing you, then you're never going to know if you're paying too much. It's important to make sure that you're always getting the most competitive electricity and gas rates, so it's a good idea to shop around to make sure you're getting the best deal.

Go through your mail every day

This might seem like a small point, but it can have a big impact on your life and finances. A lot of people tend to let their mail pile up over time and then go through the pile all at once. This can be an issue for a bunch of reasons. For one thing, certain bills don't offer a grace period and need to be paid straight away. If you put off opening your mail, then you're going to end up incurring extra charges and making things worse in the long run. Trying to deal with all of your mail at once also adds the issue that you're far more likely to miss something by doing it that way. Opening your mail as it arrives each day allows you to pay closer attention to what you're looking at. That way you won't end up in trouble because of something you missed.

Monitor your energy usage


It might not seem like a big deal, but there are a hundred little ways that you might be wasting energy, and therefore money, throughout your house. Each one might seem insignificant on its own, but put together and the cost can really start to pile up. Take care not to leave electronics running all day, use your heating sparingly, and make sure to seal up any drafty areas.

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