Spending tips - prioritise your spending
For some tips on smart shopping that will help you save money, visit the Money Helper website.
If you have not got enough income to pay for everything you want to, then you should work out what is most important. Things to prioritise spending on are:
- rent, mortgage payments and council tax
- gas or electricity bills
- TV license payment
- any court fines you might have
- any unpaid income tax, National Insurance, VAT, child maintenance or child support
- payment for goods bought on hire purchase or conditional sale (where you are paying in instalments to own)
- other debts such as credit card and catalogue debt
Once these most important payments have been made, you will know how much you can afford to spend on other things.
- Citizens Advice has suggestions about which debts to deal with first on their website.