We have all felt the pressures born my the high cost of fuel! Thank goodness that the price of petrol and diesel has at last come down, but we are still paying more than £6.00 per gallon and where will it stop and what can you do to avoid the pain of future increases.
Mark Leaper of Moneymatchmaker.com commented saying that there really isn't any way to avoid the increases, but the smart consumer can make sure that they always have the best deal available to them. Regular energy price comparisons using price comparison websites really will save you money and Leaper went on to suggest that every household should recheck the deals available every 9 months to make sure that they have the best gas and electricity deal available at that time.
Leaper believes that regular price checks for insurance, loans, mortgages and credit cards can save the average householder, hundreds or in some cases thousands of pounds every year, which he reminds us will help to ease the financial pressures brought about by inflationary increases in our day to day cost of living.
The UK water companies are amongst the latest utilities to announce that we should be prepared for dramatic increases in our annual bills. They have stated that they need to increase our bills to pay for repairs to ageing supply lines, this announcement comes after many years of reports of huge pay cheques being taken by the business managers, who are now asking us to pay extra to do the work that maybe should have been funded from there massive profits!
One a positive note, the uk housing market is showing signs of activity, with first time buyers starting to return to the property market as house price reductions begin to take effect and lenders look to reduce mortgage rates.
The numbers of first-time buyers were now beginning to rise with a 1% increase recorded last month. A survey showed that first time buyers made up over a third of all purchasers in July. The survey also showed that the amount of debt first-time buyers are taking on has reduced compared to last year, with 25% of buyers able to get a mortgage with an income multiple of three or less times their salary in July, compared with 18% at the same time last year.
