Martin Lewis has warned of five big price rises heading bill payers way this April.
In the final episode of the Martin Lewis Money Show of the season, the Money Saving Expert highlighted what people have in store in what is coined "Awful April".
The new financial year is traditionally when bills go up – and this year, thanks to a combination of inflation, increasing costs and energy prices, the rises are set to be much higher than usual.
Sadly, this means many of us will notice the steep increase.
Martin highlighted the five you should be aware of going into spring.
Council tax
This April the majority of local councils in England are putting their council tax up by 5%, with some even more as they have been given "special permission".
The Money Saving Expert said the rises will see council tax for a band D property rise by around £100.
The Money Saving Expert did note that it was harder to pinpoint how much council tax could rise as there wasn't a cap and it was more "council to council".
Whilst there is not much you can do to "beat the hike" there are things you can do to check you are definitely paying the right amount.
Martin explained how you can check your homes council tax evaluation to see if you are in the right council tax bracket.
If you are in a higher bracket you are eligible to get a refund however if you are in a lower bracket you may actually owe council tax.
Another is to check if you are eligible for a council tax reduction such as the single person discount, student discount, or a low income discount.
Stamps
Stamps are another thing set to rise in April with 1st class stamp prices set to rise to £1.10 from 95p, and 2nd class stamps to 75p from 68p.
On his show, he told his viewers: "Here's the thing when you buy stamps it doesn't matter what number it has on it, it is always valid as long as you get one of the barcoded ones."
"If they don't have the barcode on then you will have to swap them in for something else."
So if you are someone who uses a lot of stamps, you may want to stock up now before the rise.
Broadband
The cost of broadband is going up in April as well, with many plans seeing a rise of between 14% and 17%.
These increases will also affect those who are signed up to a contract too and around seven million people are in a contract.
If you are in one Martin says you need to check what your contract says and speak to your provider.
He also recommended people to do a speed test before calling your provider as 50% must receive the advertised speed.
Martin's told viewers to check price comparison sites too to check what incentives your company are offering.
With all this information, you will be able to haggle and try and reduce what your are paying.
Water
Water bills are up by an average of 7.5% from April 1 and every water company is increasing their rates by a different amount.
Martin highlighted that SES Water was increasing prices by 14% whilst Southwest water is upping prices by 2%.
The Money Saving Expert recommended those who have fewer people living in their house compared to bedrooms to considered going on a water meter.
He said: "So three bedrooms and two people, it's very likely the water bills, which is based on the value of the home, would be more expensive than a water meter because there are only two of us using water in there."
If this is you, Martin says you should check on the Consumer Council for Water's website which has a calculator which can tell you if you would be better off on a water meter and if your home is able to have one put in.
He added: "If they say you can't have a metre because it's not practicable, you're allowed to ask for an assessed charge, which is where they work out what you'd likely pay on a metre.
"If it's lower than your water bills, then thank you very much and if it's higher, then no thank you very much. It is as simple as that."
Energy
Many of the audience members on last night's episode shared their concerns about energy prices and asked the Money Saving Expert for advice.
Martin reiterated that the Government's Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) is no longer set to rise - it had been due to go up from £2,500 to £3,000 in April - but says you will still sadly be paying more.
While the originally planned £500 rise in energy bills has been shelved, the £66/£67 Government support paid monthly from October to March) will end as planned.
However, as the price of wholesale gas is dropping the Money Saving Expert said he expects new energy tariffs to be launched by energy companies "imminently" over the next few weeks.
If things continue the way they're going, Martin said prices could drop by a further 20% from July so warned people about switching to one of these new fixes too soon.
He said: "When these new tariffs come out, I will of course be on social media and I will be analysing them and telling you whether they're better."
