If, like many people, you have a few people in your household, there are bound to be times where you’ve totted up your costs of living and wondered just how on earth it became so expensive to get through the month. While many of us are sharp on the figures at work, few carry this attention to detail over to their household budget. For those that do, however, there can be huge financial benefits that can ease up some much-welcomed cash to afford more of the finer things in life. With this in mind, we take a look at how treating your household as a small business can really reap rewards.
Asking for a better deal on your utilities
At work, if you’re quoted an amount for services from one provider, you tend to get another quote from at least one other firm before you decide on who to go with. When it comes to home energy, utilities etc, it is definitely worth shopping around, and if the quotes you’re getting from your usual providers are higher than the competitors, it is not uncommon for people to ask their current provider for a better deal – and get one. It isn’t just business customers that can ask for discounts for loyalty, and while the answer won’t always be favourable, you’d be surprised at how often it is.
Buying in Bulk
If you run more than a couple of mobile phones from your property, then take a look at getting on a family deal. The more lines you have from one provider, the more likely you are to be able to benefit from a family deal, and in some cases you can even share the data out between you all – great if you have teens that run out of data halfway through the month when you hardly use any of yours – or vice versa of course!
Insure your fleet
It’s hardly likely that when you moved into your home with small children many years ago you were thinking that one day you’d be fighting for driveway space, but if you have teens that have just passed their test – and you don’t want to share your car – then you might want to take a look at small motor fleet insurance to keep your costs down. Obviously paying just the one policy for small fleet insurance cover means it’d likely come out of your bank account, but get the kids to set up a direct debit for their portion of the cost and you’ll be teaching them the value of money as well as getting a great deal on their car insurance.
Treating your household like a small business and keeping an eye on the costs and where you can reduce them won’t solve all the problems with living with teens, but it may give you enough cash to escape for a weekend or so if you really need a break!