I am a busy Mum and have yet to meet a Mum (or Dad) that isn’t. As such I find myself using more and more online tools to help me run my household smoother and most definitely cheaper. According to research done recently on behalf of British Gas, Mums are the most efficient multi-taskers and the systems that they have in place to help them with the 101 things that they need to do include online shopping, online banking and bill paying and online account management make this so much easier. I have always said that whoever decided that a mere 24 hours in a day was adequate clearly didn’t have children or run a household, fortunately the magic of the internet can help stretch those hours a little further.
Personally I would be lost without the systems I have in place. I like to keep a close eye on my budget and my spending and being able to do this quickly and easily from my desk, phone or even the sofa is a huge help.
As a result of the research that has been done British Gas are urging people to use online tools more to make their lives more efficient.
Nikki Moore, digital expert and mum of two, says: “Our increasingly busy lifestyles, from keeping in touch with friends to juggling work and home life, have meant that mums need to pack to more than ever into each day. British Gas’ report shows that one of the best ways to stay in control of our busy lives is to maximize our time by going online. From managing finances and paying energy bills to staying in touch with friends and buying presents for their family, it’s no surprise that perhaps the busiest people of all – mums – have embraced the phenomenon more than anyone else. By making the most of down time when you’re on the bus or queuing at the supermarket to go online it’s possible to save up to an hour a day and at least £100 a year.”
Nikki Moore’s time and money savings:
Savings of up to an hour a day and at least £100 a year calculated using the following assumptions:
· Saving up to hour a day assumes:
o Going online during a daily commute of 30 minutes a day (both directions) to pay bills, send emails, update social media etc – saving 30 minutes approx
o Paying for direct debits for monthly energy, water, council tax, mobile phone, television license, credit card (assumes 6 bills at 30 minutes spent paying each bill per month = 180 minutes / month, when online payments and direct debits save approximately ten minutes per day) – saving 10 minutes approx
o Updating social media while waiting for in queue for coffee – 10 minutes
o Checking online banking while dropping kids off / picking kids up from school – saving 10 minutes approx
· Saving at least £100 a year assumes:
o Paying energy bills with British Gas by direct debit – average annual saving of £67
Nikki Moore seems to know her stuff! Nicki Cawood also wholeheartedly agrees with the fact that using online tools on either your computer or your phone is a great way to keep on top of things, and of course by utilising online tools and checking accounts regularly, you are bound to save money.
British Gas have used the data from this research to ensure that all of their customers have access to an online account management system so that they can view and print their bill at any time, enter meter reading to eliminate the need for estimated bills, monitor the amount of energy that is being used and book and track an engineer when this service is needed. The whole system is geared about saving customers both time and money and could be easier to arrange. You can find out more on the website and see how you can benefit from running your energy account online with British Gas whether you are a new or an existing customer.
Those who are looking at making life easier for themselves and to save some money on their energy bills can register now and see how much more simple online account management is.
I myself use an online system to monitor my gas and electricity account and find it invaluable. It has also saved me a small fortune in telephone calls and time spent on the phone checking on my account and making payments the old school way. I can monitor my usage, see my bills and shave money off my bill in a variety of ways.
If like me you are a busy parent but haven’t yet experienced the wonderful world of online billing and account management, perhaps it’s time to find out more
