Today is blue Monday and I think the main reason everyone feels a bit deflated is down to finances.  It seems to be taking forever to get to payday.  We seem to have all lost our motivation after the excitement of Christmas.  I have decided to do something proactive about it though and go through my finances with a fine-tooth comb.  There are improvements I could make so that I don’t have to have such a depressing January again.  So, read on if you are tempted to get your finances in order too.

Household Bills

There is no avoiding these but we could do our research and see if we can make any savings.

We pay BT £41 for our landline and broadband.  But looking at these business broadband deals I could reduce it a fair bit.  I am self employed and work from home, so I need to learn to shop around for the best deal as no-one else will.  What I have realized is companies don’t always reward loyalty.  You can often get better deals switching companies.  Many reserve their best offers for new customers.  So, take advantage of that and save a small fortune in the process.  TalkTalk Business looks promising, £24.50 a month for broadband and unlimited calls.

I am also wondering whether its worth ditching my landline completely because we barely use it.  We both have mobiles.  I will do some research on broadband options without line rental or included calls and see what that comes up with.

One of our biggest outgoings is heating.  I need to look at ways we can get though winter without spending so much on oil to heat the house.  A few quick fixes would be insulating our hot-water tank and resolving the draughts in our house.  In the long term we should get a more efficient boiler.

Cutting Back On Non-Essentials

Looking back over our bank account from last year it’s scary how much we have spent on non-essentials.  I think I just take it for granted each month I will continue to earn as much as the last.  So, I just buy whatever I want when I want it.

But its only when you have a dip in income do you realize how foolish you have been.  As nice as tea and a slice of cake is, it can soon add up!  My sweet tooth has a lot to answer for!!! Plus, factor in all the meals in restaurants and takeaways, when we have perfectly good food at home and no wonder it’s such a shocking figure.

2020 is the year of fakeaways, home baking and saying no to the boys!  If they really want to buy something, they can learn to use their own money.  We will be sticking to economical options; anything fancy they can treat themselves.  There have been a few grumbles already as they weren’t allowed a Chinese takeaway at the weekend.

Finally Having Savings

Without savings you don’t have something to fall back on in an emergency.  What I have realized is that we don’t save for expensive occasions during the year.  In particular Christmas can be a huge financial outlay and we are never prepared for it!  So, part of getting my finances in order this year is having little saving pots for different occasions.  With us cutting back on non-essentials I think we will finally be able to do this.  My dad is a firm believer if you don’t have the money for something you don’t buy it.  So, from now on everything will be saved for and only then will it be bought!