» Click here for the original article

Almost a third of homeowners are not careful enough with our outgoings – research suggests more than 30% of people simply do not know how much their utility bills are.

USwitch.com says a third of energy customers have no idea whether they are paying the correct amount for their gas and electricity – a worrying statistic and one that leads to the question what else are we missing?

The website says that less than a quarter of people are making sure their bills are correct. This is a vital habit if you are to try to lower your outgoings – direct debits particularly can take money out of your account for years after you think you have stopped paying your bills.

Are you checking all your outgoings? Do you keep up with all your debts? If you have debt problems, the key to clawing your way out of the red is being as precise as you can over what is leaving your account, and whether you are keeping up with all you should be keeping up with.

Debt can grow and grow without you even realising it. One day you could be paying one bill and the next you have a pile of penalties and fees on top of that responsibility. Add that to x amount of other outgoings and you are going to find paying off debt nearly impossible.

Talk to an adviser and see if they can help you put a plan together, detailing everything that leaves and comes into your bank account. Taking these steps could help you find a way out of the debt maze.

To Keep up with news and comments on the current adverse credit market please visit the Adverse Mortgage Blog.