Bills

When you are short of money, bills are the last thing you want to find in the letterbox. Bills will never go away completely, but you can plan for them and there are a few ways to reduce them.

You should always pay important bills like rent, electricity and gas first. Read the budgeting section for advice about planning your budget to make sure you always have enough aside to pay your bills. You will also find lots of tips on how to save money.

• It’s often cheaper to pay bills by direct debit. You can now apply for a basic bank account even if you haven’t been able to have a bank account in the past.
• You can reduce bills by using less energy in your home – read our top ten tips on the WDH website.
• Compare prices to find the best deal for electricity, gas and phone by using websites that compare prices such as Moneysavingexpert, Moneyexpert, and uSwitch. Try to get electricity and gas from the same supplier as part of a "dual fuel" plan.
• Save in advance for Christmas so you don’t start the new year in debt.
• Are you one of our tenants? If you are struggling to pay rent read our debt advice for tenants.
• Advice and support is available if you can’t afford to repay a debt