Good banking sense in one neat package
If you're wondering if you might have a hole in your pocket from monthly bills, you're not alone.
In the last 12 months, the average Briton's living costs have risen dramatically. According to the Office for National Statistics' household inflation report published in October 2008, gas prices have risen by 50.8%, electricity prices by 31.3 % and food and non-alcoholic drink costs by 10.1%. And despite recent falls in the cost of petrol and diesel, we're still paying 9.2% more for motor fuel than we were last year.
And it doesn't end there. There's still the bill for home contents insurance landing on the door mat, as well as mobile phone insurance and car breakdown cover for which, as we all know, scrimping could be a costly affair.
Tot these extra costs up and is it any wonder that according to figures released by Sainsbury's this August sales of sandwich boxes are up by 35% and we're adopting a new sense of thrift? People are becoming increasingly canny, shopping around for the best deals.
For the most financially aware, this means looking to their banks to offer a comprehensive range of financial services and benefits. For some, finding a "packaged bank account" - where you pay a standard monthly fee and in return receive account benefits like travel insurance, car breakdown cover and other services which can eat into already tight budgets - can be one way of keeping the cost of living down.
Packaged accounts are like normal bank accounts - with a bank card and overdraft facility - but for a monthly fee you also get a range of extra services like insurance for travel, home contents and mobile phones and discounts on the bank's other products like preferential interest rates on savings accounts and overdrafts.
One example is the Halifax Ultimate Reward Current Account which delivers exactly what its name suggests - a current account with a host of added benefits and special account rewards as well as preferential rates on credit interest and overdrafts.
You could find out exactly how much you could save by adding up the cost of your current services compared to what the Halifax Ultimate Reward Current Account can offer.
