Cutting spending usually conjures images of giving things up. But some of the most effective savings come from paying less for exactly the same thing — the bills you're already committed to, just on better terms. These changes are one-off effort for ongoing benefit.
Energy
Make sure you're not languishing on a supplier's expensive default tariff, submit meter readings regularly so bills are based on actual usage rather than estimates, and check whether you're eligible for any support schemes. Energy rules and price protections change periodically, so check Ofgem or a comparison service for the current picture rather than assuming last year's advice still applies.
Broadband and mobile
Out-of-contract customers very often pay more than new customers for the identical service. When your minimum term ends, it's worth either haggling with your current provider or switching. For mobiles, check whether your usage actually justifies your plan — many people pay for far more data than they use, or keep paying a handset-inclusive price long after the handset is paid off.
Subscriptions
The quiet budget-killer. Pull your last few bank statements and list every recurring payment. Cancel anything you'd forgotten you had, and for the rest, ask whether a cheaper tier or an annual-instead-of-monthly plan would do.
Insurance
Car and home insurance frequently rise at renewal even when nothing about your risk has changed. Compare the renewal quote against the wider market through a regulated comparison service before accepting it — and remember that auto-renewal can quietly lock you into a higher price if you do nothing.
Banking
Check whether you're paying for a packaged current account whose perks you don't use, and whether your savings are sitting in an account paying near-zero interest when easy-access rates elsewhere are higher. Our guide to savings account types covers the latter.