After all that Christmas spending, wouldn’t it be nice to save some money in 2017? It’s a new year and time to take stock and in particular to take a look at our finances.

It’s easy to let things tick over without ever stopping to look at just exactly what we spend our hard-earned money on. All those direct debits that sale out each month – what are they paying for?

At this time of year I offer a free financial health check to ask the questions you need to ask. It’s a chance to stop and think about your spending before 2017 really gets under way.

Those insurance policies you took out years ago – are they still relevant today? Have your circumstances changed? Are you paying a lot for your home and contents insurance when cheaper cover is available? Have you even got the right insurance for your home (see my previous blog on under-insurance).

And what about things like life cover and insurance to protect you if you are ill or suddenly become unemployed? The insurance we had in our twenties (if we had any!) is probably not right for what we need now when we might have dependents who rely upon us to keep a roof over their heads.

You might recently have become self-employed. The insurance you need now is very different to that you needed when a pay packet came in from your employer every month. How would you pay the bills in 2017 if you had no income coming in?

Then there’s your mortgage. When did you last have a good look at that? Are you still getting the best rate? Have you accidentally let it slip on to the lender’s standard variable rate (SVR) after a special offer ended? Did you know that switching from that variable rate to, say, a two-year fixed rate could save the average homeowner £2,000 a year! A staggering one in six homeowners are sitting on their lender’s SVR when they could be saving a small fortune by switching to one of dozens of cheaper mortgage deals.

Maybe this is the year you plan to stop paying rent and buy a place of your own. Now is the perfect time to talk over what mortgage you might be able to afford, so that you can start looking for the home of your dreams. There are some great deals out there, including for first-time buyers, if you know where to look.

Take a few minutes now to look at how you spend your money and who knows you might find you can save yourself some cash that you can enjoy or invest.

Ready to take a look at your finances? I’m making appointments now for a free January finance health check so give me a call on 01723 384558 or 07767 692 653 or email me at mgrayshan@googlemail.com to book a slot.