Debt and money advice

Money management tips

Managing your money can be worrying but it is all about:

  • knowing how much money you have
  • knowing how much money you spend
  • making good choices about how, when and where to spend your money.

Paying bills

Some of the bills you need to pay

  • Housing (rent or mortgage) - make sure you know how much it is and when it’s due.
  • Water - everyone needs to pay for the water they use but it is often the bill people forget about.
  • Council Tax - what you pay the council for services like rubbish collection and maintaining the streets. What you pay depends on your Council Tax band. If you rent a property, your landlord or estate agent can tell you what band you're in.
  • Gas and electricity - you need to pay the utility company for electricity to run lights and use electronic items. Your heating and cooking might also be gas or electric depending on your home. You can change utility company if you’re not happy with the cost or service.
  • Phone - you're likely to need to pay for a phone landline and internet. You might also have bills for a mobile phone and pay monthly, or top up as you go.
  • TV and Internet - everyone who has a TV has to pay for a TV licence. To have the internet, you need to pay for line rental, which your telephone provider can tell you about. You might choose to have an extra TV package, like Sky or Virgin TV, so it is important to remember this is an extra cost to consider.

How to pay your bills

To stay on top of your bills you need to know:

  • who you need to pay
  • when you need to pay and how often
  • how you pay.

To make it easier you could make a list and next to the name of your providers, write down the date of the month, or frequency your bills are paid and how you pay.

You can pay:

  • in person: you might be able to pay bills like utility and water bills in a post office or newsagents
  • by phone: check your paper or email bill for information on how to do this
  • by Direct Debit: You can set up an amount of money and a date to pay a company for a bill. The money will be taken automatically so you do not have to worry about missing a payment.

Find out more about Direct Debit.