The good news is that motor insurance premiums are cheaper on average than they were last year. But you cannot rely on insurance companies to offer you the best deals up front.

You need to prepare for the challenge and not allow yourself to be locked out of better rates by industry delays.

Make sure you get your renewal information at the earliest opportunity because the later you check the market, using price comparison websites, the higher the premium is likely to be.

Remember the insurers want to charge you more by selling additional protections, or offer an expensive instalment plan, but they do not want you to move to another company.

Start early. Check exactly what you are paying for. You can save hundreds of pounds for a few hours work.

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Train delays, cyber-attacks, bank fraud, flight delays all seem to be increasing and costing us dearly.

But too few of us get redress even though compensation is readily available.

It is estimated that around £100m available for delayed rail passengers was not claimed last year despite the number of delayed and cancelled trains increasing.

Every day we hear about cyber outages with bank customers unable to access their wages, pay direct debits and incurring penalties and interest charges into the bargain. Any additional costs should be covered by the banks involved and if the outage caused distress or embarrassment they should make that good as well.

Too many of us do not claim when we suffer poor service. And the companies get away with it and do not feel the need to improve their systems.

The more they pay out the more likely they are to invest in providing a better service or to avoid regulatory penalties and public scrutiny.

You can help them to offer better services.

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Bigger bills for energy, council tax, water, broadband, mobiles mean that for many of us our money runs out earlier each month and we have to use credit cards to buy essentials.

Credit card interest rates average a frightening 24.65%. And the debt can soon get out of control if you don't pay off credit card in full each month.

£71.5 billion is currently owed to UK credit card companies and it can literally take decades to pay back if you make minimum payments on credit cards.

It is time to break the debt cycle.

Interest-free credit cards are readily available to people who have a track record of paying credit cards and other bills on time. It is worth using an eligibility checker to find out if you can borrow and pay no interest.

Employers can also provide interest-free loans or salary advances.

Cutting interest can save hundreds of pounds a month, but interest-free deals can be dangerous if you don't adhere to the strict rules.

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Fraud accounts for more than 40% of all crime in England and Wales. On one Monday morning I was contacted by three different people wanting to steal my money.

All of us are vulnerable, especially if you are busy and start the week with hundreds of emails waiting for you.

Every day I hear from intelligent, competent people about the scammers who have tried to defraud them.

If you use email, telephones or social media the fraudsters find out very quickly when you are involved in a new business or activity.

We need to trust no one, secure our devices and beware of any generous offers.

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April is an expensive month. Water, energy, council tax, broadband and mobile bills all increase during the month. But it does not have to be a done deal. You can cut hundreds of pounds from your household budget and may actually be able to get a tax gift if you are one of the two million eligible couples who have not claimed the marriage allowance. It can be worth more than a thousand pounds.

Water bills are going up but about 40% of households can save money by opting for a water meter. If your home has more bedrooms than occupants a water meter is likely to be cheaper than if the water company estimates your bills.

Fixed price energy bills are once again likely to be cheaper than the price cap. Even the energy regulator recommends customers to go for a fix. It takes minutes to check out the market and apply for a better deal.

Look after your money. No one else will.

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It is time to make sure we are not being ripped off by banks and building societies. There is currently around £250 billion sitting in bank and building society accounts paying no interest according to the Bank of England. And the banks use this money to bolster their profits without suggesting to customers how they could be much better off.

Instant access savings accounts pay up to 4% currently and regular savings accounts pay more and help to give customers a savings habit.

A savings habit can start with one penny on day one and give you £667.95 by the end of year one.

Once a saver you can think about avoiding paying unnecessary tax and making sure you get the best deal on your money.

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Train fares are rising 4.6% this year on March 2. But there are still lots of ways of cutting the cost of rail travel with much cheaper Advance tickets available until minutes before the journey.

A few minutes planning journeys can save hundreds of pounds.

Buying two single tickets for a return journey is often cheaper.

Knowing when off peak fares start is vital. Getting a train a few minutes later can cut the cost substantially.

And should things go wrong you need to make a claim through Delay Repay. Once you are registered it is easy to get the money in your bank account in days.

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