Switch To A Better Deal

With household budgets under pressure, now is the perfect time to take a closer look at your regular costs. By switching providers or products, you could save up to $17,000 in the first year. Our budget makeover sets out nine ways to put cash back in your pocket.

- Nicola Field

Like the sound of an extra $5000 in your back pocket each year? How about an extra $17,000? No, we’re not talking about a lottery win. These are the savings you could enjoy just by switching to a better deal.

It’s time to get serious about saving money, and one of the easiest ways to give your budget a boost is by checking that you’re getting the best possible deal on a range of household costs. It doesn’t have to mean scrimping on lifestyle or changing your shopping habits. Taking advantage of a better deal can put a truckload of cash back in your wallet, and once you’ve made the switch there’s nothing more to do than sit back and let the savings roll in.

Plenty of Aussies end up paying a “lazy tax” because they can’t be bothered shopping around. But a lazy tax isn’t just small change.

With the help of Canstar, WhistleOut and Energy Switch, we’ve trawled the market to see how much you could save each year on key expenses. The results are astounding.

Across nine expense categories, it’s possible to save a total of $5451 annually just by moving from an average-priced product to the cheapest available. We’ve kept things real by only comparing like-for-like products, so making the switch doesn’t mean compromising on quality.

If you think $5000-plus is a big saving, grab the smelling salts because if you’re with the most expensive options on the market, you could be $17,738 richer in just 12 months by ditching the vampire products that are sucking savings out of your budget.