Cutting fixed costs
Cutting discretionary spending is hard and recovers a little. Cutting a fixed cost is a single decision that recovers the same amount every month for the rest of the year, which makes it the better place to start.
Start by listing every debit order from three months of statements. Almost everyone finds at least one they had forgotten, and duplicate cover — two funeral policies, insurance attached to a bank account you also hold separately — is common.
Insurance is the largest single opportunity for most households. Premiums drift upwards annually while the cover stays the same, and the same cover is routinely available for less. Get quotes before renewal, not after.
Contracts are the second: phone contracts running long past the handset being paid off, and bundled services nobody uses. A contract at its end date is a repricing opportunity that expires silently if you ignore it.
Bank fees are the third and the most overlooked. Account fee structures change and better-fitting options appear; paying a bundled fee for a package you do not use is pure leakage.
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Page last checked 10 August 2026. Statutory caps and lender terms change — confirm anything you intend to rely on with the provider or the National Credit Regulator. Found something wrong? Tell us and we will correct it.