As many households will know many different factors have affected finances over recent months, and this has left many struggling to keep on top of repayments on various bills and debts. Things have been going from bad to worse for many households, with finances more overstretched then ever before, and with the situation set to get even worse many are concerned that they could quickly lose control of their finances, or even lose their homes.

There are a number of factors that have been putting additional strain on household finances, and with all of these factors combined it is little wonder that so many people are struggling to keep up with their repayments.

Higher borrowing costs: Since the onset of the global credit crunch all sorts of borrowing costs have shot up, from the cost of mortgage repayments and secured loan repayments to the cost of credit card repayments and more. These higher borrowing costs have put additional strain on many people that were already struggling with their finances.

Increased energy costs: The cost of energy usage has already gone up once this year, at the beginning of the year, and some energy firms have already increased energy prices again recently, with many others in the throes of arranging these price hikes. The cost of using gas and electricity has gone up quite significantly, and this has resulted in household bills going up by hundreds of pounds a year in some cases, pushing many families into fuel poverty.

Higher food prices: The cost of food has shot up recently, and the weekly or monthly household shop has gone up enormously in price. Inflation on food has been soaring recently, and this means that families, especially larger families, are seeing the price of food and groceries going up, which is also impacting upon the household budget.

Higher petrol prices: The price of petrol has been soaring over the last few months, and drivers that have to fill up regularly have noticed a real difference in the amount of money that they have to pay out on putting fuel in the car. Whilst some places have now started to reduce the cost of petrol slightly, fuel prices are still very high, and a far larger portion of the budget has to go on filling up the car.

There are a number of ways in which you can try and cut down on the costs associated with these rises. For example, when it comes to utilities such as gas and electricity you can try and switch to a cheaper provider to cut back on costs. With higher food prices you can try shopping at one of the discount stores rather than a big name supermarket in order to reduce the cost of the shopping bill. When it comes to higher borrowing costs it may be worth consolidating to one low cost loan rather than paying a range of high interest loans and credit cards. And with higher fuel prices, try filling up at one of the supermarkets that have reduced their prices recently.