**This is a collaborative post
Being a parent is awesome. We all recall that feeling of instant and irrevocable change when we first laid eyes on our children for the first time. There’s no denying that our kids are an infinite source of joy… But do they have to come with such a hefty price tag? At last estimate the cost of raising a child to the age of 21 comes at a cost of nearly a quarter of a million pounds.
This means that with a few exceptions, families need to do everything they can to budget, plan and manage their finances effectively to navigate the financial minefield that is raising a child in the 21st century. This means lots of food prep and planning, rigid adherence to a budget template, resisting the temptations of needless spending and cutting down our daily costs wherever and however we can.
Yet, there’s one expense for which we rarely consider just how much we’re over paying… Our mobile phones. Here we’ll look at some ways in which your phone and your tariff could be ruinous for your household budget and what you can do to break free from it.
Your phone provider is not your friend
Most of us have been with the same mobile phone provider and network for years out of a misguided sense of loyalty. Unfortunately, the companies have absolutely no interest in earning this loyalty. In fact they may well be ripping you off! An investigation by Citizen’s Advice last year revealed that one in three service providers continued to charge their customers the same amount even after they had finished paying off their handset. In some cases, customers were left oblivious for up to 6 months, paying hundreds of pounds in unnecessary charges. Moreover, Ofcom place no restrictions on networks as to whether or not they’re obliged to tell you that your contract is due to expire. Not cool!
Break the upgrade cycle
There’s no doubt about it, a smartphone can be tremendously helpful, especially when you’re a parent. But do you really need to stay on this treadmill of upgrading constantly and never actually owning your phone? Phone manufacturers like to tempt us with new upgraded phones that seem irresistible, but really what would your upgrade offer you that your current phone can’t do? Would you see any real benefit from it? Keep hold of your existing phone or if you really can’t stand the sight of it, go to Rapid Phone Buyer and click on Sell My iPhone. You’ll get the best prices on the market and same day pay. Then switch to a cheaper phone with a Pay As You Go SIM card.
Save a fortune with Pay As You Go
You don’t need all those extra minutes and texts that your network will throw at you to make you stay with them. When you have a Pay As You Go SIM with unlimited data (which can cost as little as £5 a month). That’s probably an enormous saving on what you’re currently paying, especially if you’re also paying your kids’ phone bills. We’re lucky that Toby and Gabe aren’t old enough to have their own phones yet but I bet it won’t be too long before they start asking for them!