April is an expensive month. Water, energy, council tax, broadband and mobile bills all increase during the month. But it does not have to be a done deal. You can cut hundreds of pounds from your household budget and may actually be able to get a tax gift if you are one of the two million eligible couples who have not claimed the marriage allowance. It can be worth more than a thousand pounds.

Water bills are going up but about 40% of households can save money by opting for a water meter. If your home has more bedrooms than occupants a water meter is likely to be cheaper than if the water company estimates your bills.

Fixed price energy bills are once again likely to be cheaper than the price cap. Even the energy regulator recommends customers to go for a fix. It takes minutes to check out the market and apply for a better deal.

Look after your money. No one else will.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is time to make sure we are not being ripped off by banks and building societies. There is currently around £250 billion sitting in bank and building society accounts paying no interest according to the Bank of England. And the banks use this money to bolster their profits without suggesting to customers how they could be much better off.

Instant access savings accounts pay up to 4% currently and regular savings accounts pay more and help to give customers a savings habit.

A savings habit can start with one penny on day one and give you £667.95 by the end of year one.

Once a saver you can think about avoiding paying unnecessary tax and making sure you get the best deal on your money.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Train fares are rising 4.6% this year on March 2. But there are still lots of ways of cutting the cost of rail travel with much cheaper Advance tickets available until minutes before the journey.

A few minutes planning journeys can save hundreds of pounds.

Buying two single tickets for a return journey is often cheaper.

Knowing when off peak fares start is vital. Getting a train a few minutes later can cut the cost substantially.

And should things go wrong you need to make a claim through Delay Repay. Once you are registered it is easy to get the money in your bank account in days.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.