Hello Spring! It certainly feels like it round here too; the nights are lighter, it seems warmer and the sun is shining more and more. I like the colours that begin to show in Spring. Everything seems a little brighter, somehow?
It seems like as good a time as any to have a look at your finances! To give them a little dust, so to speak.
It is a good habit to get into; checking your finances are in tiptop shape. To check that things are running smoothly and there are no surprises. I have talked before about how I check our online banking each day. This is to check that nothing untoward is going on. It’s also good to know how much money you have in your current account!
There are some things you can do easily to spring clean your finances. You can these relatively quickly and they can make a big impact on your finances.
- Check direct debits. You can check to see if they are set for the correct amount. Also, see if there are any there that you shouldn’t have any longer, or that are dormant and unlikely to be needed again. Delete this so that you only have the ones that come out of your account every month. This might be a step too far, but I actually have the dates each month that certain things go out on. For example, our mortgage payment goes out on the first of the month. I’m in the know!
- Look at your gas/electricity usage. See how much you are using each day. Could this be reduced? We’re having our heating on slightly less now as it’s lighter for longer. Are you also on the best deal? Check that your tariff suits your needs and change it if not. It’s easy to do and can save you hundreds a year!
- Examine your other insurance needs. Things like house insurance, life insurance, car insurance and contend insurance need checking sporadically. Again, you need to check whether you’re getting the best deal. If you aren’t, then you need to be switching to a cheaper option, that fits with what you want from your insurance.
- Throw out that paperwork. I am definitely guilty of this lately, but get rid of paperwork. Either shred it (we own something similar to this) or burn it if you need to. Things like receipts and post that isn’t needed. Also, consider switching to paperless billing, so you can get all of your statements electronically rather than through the post. Saving paper at the same time.
- Make a will. Now, this is on here because both me and Mr FC need to do this. You should have a will so that if anything happens, all of your wishes are in the same place, including financial matters. It has been on my to do list for ages and is something I intend to complete this year. It’s so important, I don’t know why I keep putting it off!
All of these things are quick and easy to complete. I have let our paperwork build up again so that needs to be doing sometime soon. I have a mountain of receipts that need shredding! it is silly because it’s something I could so so easily, but I keep putting off. I will do it soon, promise!
What are you doing to spring clean your finances?
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Fab tips Nicola! We’ve just bought our first home so seems like the ideal time to have a good look at our finances! X
A timely reminder, thank you. I need to look at my electricity tariff before it ends at the end of April