Staying on top of your bills is complicated these days. Used to be that all bills came via mail and all you had to do was file them and then, depending on your system, pay them at a certain day each month. All payments were done by check and everything worked fairly reliably. Things were simpler in the past, too, because banks, credit card companies and other assorted entities hadn't started assessing the ever-escalating avalanche of fees and penalties and surcharges we're saddled with today. As a result, there really was no need to check up on the phone and utility bills or get frequent home or auto insurance quotes just to see if what they charged you was fair.

Overall, what's been happening is that some costs have gone up a lot whereas others stayed the same or have even gone down. For example, even though I use my phone hardly more than I did 20 years ago, my cell phone bill is hugely higher than my old phone bills were, thanks to the cell phone companies' skills at charging extra for every little thing. Same for my TV bill. Although I probably watch less TV than in the past, somehow the satellite company managed to make it so that I can only get the few channels I really want by subscribing for packages with about 500 channels I never watch. The utility bills also have an ever-increasing number of surcharges and extra fees and additional taxes, but haven't actually gone up all that much, which is surprising given the rising cost of energy.

Insurance is another area where it's hard to figure out what we're actually paying for. Health insurance costs have escalated obscenely and are now a crushing load for many. Where else can you find an industry that routinely increases premiums by 20 or 30% a year even during a recession? Home insurance is also an issue as most homes have declined in value, but premiums seem higher anyway. Then there's auto insurance, another mandatory expense. If you drive you must have insurance, and so most of us have to deal with that as well.

I must say that personally I have always had good luck in that area. Maybe that's because I have been with the same agent for a long time and they've been very good at giving me the best rates, or maybe it's because of my good driving record, or because they consider me a low risk. I am counting my blessings here because most people aren't that lucky, and a lot of my friends are paying through the nose for car insurance. There really isn't such a thing as cheap car insurance anymore, but you can still get good deals that are fair to all involved.

Unless you're okay with throwing money out the window, doing an auto insurance comparison and get auto insurance quotes about once a year is a good thing to do. There's not even a need to call up a broker for that. Just use one of the auto insurance comparison websites to see where you stand. You may find that you can save a bundle by signing up with someone else, or you may find what you currently pay is fair. Either way, it's good to know where you stand.