The main areas worrying Jo in terms of the family's finance are the spiraling cost of their home insurance, their phone/broadband package and their gas and electricity bills. By taking a look at the family's present deals in these areas alone and shopping around on our comparison site for better ones, we could potentially save the Symons over £1,396. On top of that, we managed to improve on her present savings and current accounts as well as her car insurance policy - potentially saving her a grand total of £1,564.
Jo said: "I am flabbergasted at the savings you made on my home insurance - you can bet I'm changing it straight away. It's astonishing that we have been paying so much and missing out on such a good alternative. With a young child any extra money is precious to us, so anything that improves our monthly income is a massive help to us. Last year we could only afford a holiday in Sidmouth for a week but with these savings we can budget for a week in Crete which will be a huge treat."
Jo currently pays a staggering £1,125.60 a year for her home insurance. And the reason for this? Well, like millions of others, she has simply stuck with the same insurer for years and accepted the renewal quote each year without shopping around to see if it could be beaten.
A search on moneysupermarket.com's home insurance channel showed that the Symons were paying way over the odds for their three-bedroom semi in a low crime area of Surrey. We found the best deal for their circumstances with Halifax insurance. It came out on top at £150.96 a year - a massive saving of £974.64.
Comparing insurance premiums really is simple - it literally takes a matter of minutes to input your details into moneysupermarket's comparison tool and we'll do the rest. There is no excuse to pay more than you need for insurance any longer.
Utilities - potential savings - £206
The Symons have a high consumption of gas and electricity paying £1,572 a year with British Gas. If they were to change to Eon's Fix Online tariff they could make an annual saving of £205.86.
Jo and Ray are with BT for their home phone and broadband. They also have a Sky television package and in total pay £89 a month for these services. However, they could cut this to £71 a month - £216 a year - by switching all three to Sky.
Jo, who drives a Toyota Avensis estate and is currently insured with Sheila's Wheels. Her premium cost £380 this year. We entered all her details and did a quick search on moneysupermarket.com's car insurance channel and found her a much better deal with Likewise Insurance. It came out on top at £285, making a saving of £95.
Current account - potential savings - £60 a year
Jo currently banks with Alliance & Leicester and has a small £30 overdraft. If she was to pay this off and switch to Halifax Reward Current Account, she would earn £5 each month, saving herself and her family £60 over the year.
Savings - potential savings - £12 a year
Jo has an ISA with Alliance & Leicester paying 0.1% - one of the lowest rates on the market. If Jo was to transfer her savings of £396 to Marks & Spencer Advantage Cash ISA at 3.1% she would make an additional £11.88 in interest. A small saving but one that will add up as she puts the money saved in other areas into the ISA account.
Disclaimer: Please note that any rates or deals mentioned in this article were available at the time of writing.
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