the richest man in atherstone

One of my goals for this year is to review our utility bills and see if we can get better deals by changing our providers. The last time I overhauled our expenditures was two years ago, so things are about due a change.

First of all, here's a list of the expenses that we are unable to reduce along with the reasons why:

• Grocery bill - We currently pay around £300 per month on groceries for a family of five. This has more than doubled since we brutally slashed our shopping budget around 18 months ago but the kids are growing up and with the extra addition of our 1-year old comes extra expense in terms of nappies and associated baby products. Also, our two first-schoolers are constantly being invited to friends parties, which requires the customary card and present. My wife and I have looked at this and unfortunately decided that we can't knock it down any lower.
• Telephone and Broadband - Toward the end of last year, I signed an agreement with my telephone and broadband provider (Plusnet) that tied me into a contract for twelve months in exchange for a £30 discount over the year (this works out at around one free month). Consequently, I cannot change provider this year. Judging by some of the deals I've seen advertised I'm starting to regret tying myself in but we live and learn
• Council Tax - Although it is possible to get a council tax band regraded (see this great article at MoneySavingExpert), mine is already in the correct band (around £130 a month).
• Water - Our water bill is fixed and not based on consumption and it is not possible to change provider so, again, there's not a lot I can do to reduce it. It costs around £18 per month.
• Mobile Phone - I spend about £2 a month on this contraption so there is not much room for improvement.

So that leaves me with the following expenditures that I can potentially make improvements on.

• Gas - I'm currently with NPower for my gas, as they offered me the best deal two years ago. Since the recent energy price rise (and possibly even before that) I believe they have become uncompetitive, so I'll be looking to see if there are any better offers on the market. I currently pay £60 per month, double what I was paying last year!
• Electricity - Ditto for my 'leccy bill. I'm currently with NPower and pay £43 each month.
• Mortgage - I'm currently paying ING Direct's standard variable rate of 6.09% AER for my mortgage, which costs me a smidgen over £420 per month. It has never been the most competitive rate but it was suitable for my needs when I took it out nearly a year ago when we moved house. I knew I'd probably have a fair bit of cash left over from the move but wasn't sure if I would need to use it for DIY on the new property. Therefore I had to keep the cash liquid but still have the option to overpay the mortgage if needed. ING's mortgage allows unlimited overpayments and no redemption penalties, so I applied for it with the view that I could keep it for a year until I knew where we stood financially before changing to something with a better interest rate. That time has come

So, there it is. To complete the second goal on my list, I need to find the best deals for my Gas, Electric and Mortgage and swap. I'm guessing it will only take around a week to do the research and I should be able to make the changes before the end of April.