Martin: It's BILLBUSTER time!
Stop the rip offs! 12 big & easy ways to slash bills. Many can save £100s, some £1,000s, a few £10,000s

January has folded itself up, put on a coat and slipped out the back door. It's the month most people intend to organise their finances, but intention isn't action, so if you never quite got there... this is your belt-and-braces, no excuses, bill-busting sweep-up.

We started this last week with the Big Energy Switch (still on till Thu). Yet remember, the easiest way to overpay a bill is to assume you've sorted it... when you haven't, so no apologies that I've already covered some of these this year - what matters is if you've checked them. I've tried to keep it as simple as possible to avoid TLDR, with links to more detailed info if you're following through.

1. Childcare bills
- Typical saving: 20% of childcare costs, up to £2,000/yr per child.
- Rough time to do: 30 mins.
- Key action: If you pay for childcare, check if you're eligible for the poorly named Tax-Free Childcare scheme, where working parents earning under £100,000/yr can get a 25% boost on what they pay (up to £2,000/yr per child, or £4,000 for a child with disabilities).
- Call to arms: Around 800,000 parents are missing out on this key help, and with childcare prices a huge burden than can often put people off going back to work, it's well worth a check. 

There's also up to 30hrs 'funded' nursery time for some aged 9mth to 4yrs (depending on which UK nation you're in) and childcare help for those on Universal Credit.