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Use this helpful calculator and see how you can save lots of €€€.
Having trouble counting your pennies? Longing for the wage slip by the time the 20th of the month comes around? Well, fear no more, ‘cause help is at hand in the form of a brand new website launched on the 30th of March 2011, by the National Consumer Agency.
This brand new website has loads of tips and tricks on how to save money on typical household costs such as groceries, electricity/gas, TV/Telecoms and mobiles. It features an online calculator, which compares your spending to the spending of the average Joe/Joanna soap in Ireland. At the end of each section, you will also find tips specific to your situation, detailing how money can be saved in each area.
Here’s our guide to using the calculator:
- The websites opens up and presents you with four options: Groceries, TV/Telecoms, Mobiles and Energy.
- Click on one of these options.
- The calculator then asks you a series of questions, asking you to list your gender, your age group, the number of people living in your household and the annual take home pay coming into the house. You then input how much you spend on the particular category and whether you check for bargains etc. At the end of the calculations you are given the total cost per month and then shown the national average in this category.
- Tips on saving money in the TV/Telecoms section for example include: 1) Checking your phone usage to see if you make more calls during the day or the night. Then, see about switching to a phone package that follows this pattern more closely and 2) Bundling up on your services by combining landline and broadband for better value.
So, go on, give it a go. You have nothing to lose and cash to gain!
The National Consumer Agency (NCA)
Web: www.consumerconnect.ie/eng/
Email: www.consumerconnect.ie/eng/Working_With_You/Submit_a_Consumer_Complaint/
Phone: Lo-call 1890 432 432 or 01 4025555/4025500
The National Consumer Agency (NCA) is a statutory body established by the Irish Government in May 2007. It aims to defend consumer interests and to embed a robust consumer culture in Ireland.
