Getting tired of the effort it takes to save money......

[I like Skol]

This seems to be a recurring annual theme for me. As well as the continual process of making sure I don't pay over the odds for day to day purchases and one-off tech treats etc I also have a rush at this time of year due to energy and SWMBO car insurance renewals then my car and the house insurance in the next month or two.
Today I have initiated an energy supplier switch and just renewed the good lady wife's car insurance and now I am tired, feel like I have done 12 rounds in a boxing ring but eventually won on points

Call me cynical but fixed energy contract was coming to an end and annual cost was gong to jump (nay, leap!) from £1300pa to £2150pa if I did nothing . They were offering me various alternatives to get new 'deals' for the next 12 months, the best of which worked out at around £1850pa. Have used a comparison site and managed to get this down to £1525pa fixed for two years with OVO (2yrs should be good, can't see costs going down really?). This is where the cynical side of me kicks in because within 1 hr of initiating the switch, my current provider sent me an email offering a 'special' rate for 'valued' customers and this brought them to within £100 of my new provider. They can stick their 'special' offer where the sun don't shine. I suspect they got the notification that I am leaving so only then decided not to try and milk me for £hundreds a year more than their best deals.

Similar with the car insurance. Tesco offered a renewal of nearly £1200 compared to last years approx. £650 premium. Admittedly we have swapped to a much more powerful and newer car, but as 44yr old married, home owning, employed, family people with clean histories that is taking the peepee! After doing the Martin Lewis MoneySavingExpert routine (4 comparison sites and 3 x direct insurance sites) I feel weak and barely have the will to live
On a plus note I now have a policy costing only £640 inc legal and protected NCD, but even that wasn't straightforward. When linking through from the comparison site my price jumped from £630 to....... nearly £1200 . I had to ring the company directly to go through the quote again which now mysteriously came back down to £640 (I pushed them on that last £10 but they wouldn't budge).

Anyway, over £1k saved today but now I need to go and lie down for a bit. At least I shouldn't have to do the energy dance next year......

There must be a simpler way?

 

[oldfatfool]

Ouch what car are you driving!

 

[I like Skol]

Daren't say as it would be very unpopular on here....

Needless to say, it is unnecessarily powerful and my wife commutes a fair way so is expected to cover around 20kpa which no doubt bumps up the price somewhat?

 

[Drago]

£1200 for car insurance!!!

Perhaps driving a Bentley and putting "mercenary" as an occupation isn't terribly cost effective?

Without NCB protection and legal cover mine costs barely a one-er.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Consumer inertia drives most "utility" providers profit. How much do you notionally pay yourself, you are making significant savings?

 

[Heigue'r]

So its an Audi

 

[I like Skol]

£1200 for car insurance!!!

I don't pay that much, but they wanted me to.

How much do you notionally pay yourself, you are making significant savings?

I saved over £1k today. If I can do that everyday I will never need to work again....

 

[Crackle]

It's tedious doing stuff like that and mind numbing.

 

[Levo-Lon]

Yup its an uphill battle..and when we get to retirement its get dearer again..
I think i get more annoyed with the cheek of insurance and power providers..
Why not give us the deal first time instead of just hoping we will be good old stupid uk buyer's.

People are getting more savvy but you really shouldn't have to..
My virgin tv phone internet package is going up yet again in november..£3 a month 36 quid a year.
Ill be able to watch stuff on my phone !!! I watch my bloody 42" telly ta . .i dont need this or music..
I'd dump them for a year and use sky but that means BT line rental ,so that ain't happening..im a secret BT hater.. And sky for that matter..greedy bastids

Mind you i blame the feckin premiership

 

[SpokeyDokey]

All of this malarkey is sub-contracted to Lovely Wife who has far more patience than me.

Mind you, she seems to employ a double entry accounting system with any savings made on utilities etc appearing as credits in her 'hair & nail care' account.

 

[srw]

£1,200 is extracting the urine! I drive a large German car and am insured for business purposes - and that comes to £500ish per annum, including legal and protected no claims. It was lower but I did cost them £4k in repairs in the previous year....

You live near a leafy academic town, not in the crash-for-cash ambulance-chasing capital of the country.

As a rule of thumb, the shop-around price for motor insurance is broadly fair. It's a cut-throat market based on extensive data analytics.

 

[helston90]

They make it this difficult in the vein hope that you'll not bother moving and just pay whatever they tell you renewal is!

 

[fossyant]

They are buggers - car insurance is silly. Just for a laugh, I thought I'd see what a new(ish) Astra VXR would cost, and it's under £500 notes for my age. I currently pay £250 for an old family car.

My energy company isn't too bad but it pays to keep check on the rates.

Whilst I was in hospital my leccy bill went bonkers - I assume they'd had the dryer on continuously and heating in the conservatory 24/7. Fortunately it's back to normal.

 

[Drago]

The way I see it Foss the speed limit is 70, and even the cheaper cars will do that. So long as they are reliable and keep my brogues dry in the rain then I'm happy. Along with this pragmatism comes cheap insurance.

Not wasting money in this sort of thing allowed me to quit work at 47. Every time someone buys/leases/PCPs themselves a flash German car they're simply adding unnecessary years to their working lives, while at the same time moaning they'll have to work until at least 67. Go figure.

 

[fossyant]

The way I see it Foss the speed limit is 70, and even the cheaper cars will do that. So long as they are reliable and keep my brogues dry in the rain then I'm happy. Along with this pragmatism comes cheap insurance.

Not wasting money in this sort of thing allowed me to quit work at 47. Every time someone buys/leases/PCPs themselves a flash German car they're simply adding unnecessary years to their working lives, while at the same time moaning they'll have to work until at least 67. Go figure.

I've still got the old car. Just thought I'd see what benefit my age now has.. PS It wouldn't fit bikes in well. Tempted with a pick up one day.