First, it is important to honestly assess your financial situation. Are you up to your neck in debt? Do you spend more than what you earn? Controlling your finances entail an honest look into your spending practices—identifying problem areas will aid in your quest to eliminate them in the future. In addition to that, you should also monitoring your spending. Do not give in to the temptation of buying things that you do not have an immediate need for. For instance, you are in a hardware store and you saw a new model of home security system, before buying it ask yourself if you really need it. Is the existing home alarm in your home broken? If not, then you can just put off buying a new one until the time you have to replace the old alarm system in your home.

Moreover, make sure to evaluate your current career and job prospects. Are you settling for a job with meager pay because of the stability that it offers? Do you honestly believe you can advance your career in that specific company? Answering these questions will ascertain whether or not you should maintain your employment or seek other options. Remember to set realistic goals—cutting your monthly spending on entertainment by half, for example, is quite attainable. Most importantly, be optimistic that you can and you will achieve your goals.

Moneysupermarket.com, Britain’s number one comparison site, has recently published the findings of research into the average cost of Britain’s energy supplies and the nation’s loyalty to their energy suppliers. The startling results have shown that the UK’s homeowners collectively waste £3.2 billion every year by remaining loyal to their region’s standard energy supplier.

Moneysupermarket.com also claim that, by using gas and electricity comparison sites like their own, bill payers could stand to save an average of 23 per cent – that’s a whole quarter off their annual bill. Emerging as the current leader in Britain’s energy price war, according to moneysupermarket, is British Gas, whose Websaver 11 tariff offers customers the best value across all but one of the regions studied by the price comparison moguls.

Consumers are warned, however, that British Gas’ Websaver 11 product could well be withdrawn any time soon, simply because a number of other providers have withdrawn many of their least expensive tariffs, forcing up the average price of Britain’s cheapest energy packages.

According to Ofgem, 57 and 58 per cent of those bill payers with electricity and gas and supplies, respectively, have never switched their energy supplier. The average saving amounts to as much as £265 a year, which accounts for that staggering figure of £3.2 billion nationally.

Bill payers in the East of England, for example, pay an average of £1,151 per year – if those who had never thought to switch moved over to British Gas’ Websaver 11, the move would save them £292 per year – that’s an incredible quarter off their annual bill.

Moneysupermarket.com’s utilities manager, Scott Byrom, commented: “In the days before the energy market opened up to competition, British Gas provided gas to all energy regions while electricity was provided by one regional supplier, for example London Energy in London which now falls under EDF Energy.

“Despite the greater choice available to consumers for both gas and electricity, the majority of UK households remain with the providers who traditionally provide their gas and electricity. Anyone still loyal to their incumbent supplier is over paying for their gas and electricity. At a time when all UK households are feeling the pinch from the rising cost of living, people are still burning money by not shopping around, using comparison sites and switching to a much cheaper deal. Finding the right tariff for your consumption level and region means bill payers could save on average £265 per year.

Mr Byrom also offered some sound advice regarding how bill payers can shave a few pounds of their energy bills, saying: “The best value deals available are the energy companies’ online tariffs. They enable consumers to pay monthly installments, record actual meter readings with an online account and cut out the need for estimated billing.

“Paying by monthly direct debit allows consumers to spread the cost of their energy evenly throughout the year and avoid the ‘bill shocks’ that come after the costly winter months when energy usage is at a peak. If households aren’t on this kind of deal they really need to act now. Times are still tough and even though the warmer months are on the way, there is never a bad time to start saving money on your energy bills.”

What else that means, is there is a heavy reliance on third party financial providers.  That means banks, and other lending institutions.  It’s important, that you remain in good standing with these institutions, if you want to enjoy the material goodies our society has to offer.  Remaining in good standing, usually means paying your bills, loans and mortgages on time.  And, don’t think you can just switch from one financial institution to another.  These companies all talk to each other through alliances like ChexSystems.  Which is easy to do, if you live within your means, remain gainfully employed, and exercise a little common sense when it comes to where and when you spend your money.  For most people, this seems easy enough to do.  For others however, that seems to be quite a challenge.  It’s easy I know to be caught up in all the shiny advertising we see these days.  Those new cars, fancy cell phones, and nice new homes sure look enticing don’t they?

And of course, you deserve one of each don’t you?   You work hard, you put in your time, and you’ve paid your dues.  Your entitled, aren’t you?  Actually no, your not.  The only thing that entitles you to those things, is if you have the money to pay for them.  If you don’t believe me, you could end up being one of those people looking for second chance checking solutions.  Now if you’ve already gone down that path, then you may have to choice but to live with those decisions.  But, with a little careful planning, and some common sense, you don’t have to.  If your a little unsure about your decision making, then it always makes good sense to spend some time with a financial planner.  They may cost a little bit of money up front, but in the long run they’ll pay for themselves in spades.