Your guide to avoiding 'Awful April' price hikes

April is a time for optimism, as spring gets under way, the days get longer and there's a chance that the weather might finally approve.

- MARTYN JAMES

But in recent years, it's also become "Awful April" - the time of year when all your household bills go up. This year isn’t looking great, but there are a few ways you can cut your bills if you are worried about costs. Here’s my guide.

ENERGY BILLS

The latest energy price cap kicks in this April and it turned out to be unexpectedly high at 6.4% or an extra £111 a year on average.

Millions of people are still struggling paying off the debts they've built up over this particularly chilly winter.

So now is the time to consider fixing the price you pay for your energy bill if you're worried about future volatile price rises.

There are actually some quite good deals out there. Remember my four factors to consider when fixing the price you pay for energy though: