Some people might assume the amount they’re paying on their bills each month is an unavoidable reality. But the facts say otherwise.

While there are certainly some bills that are absolutely necessary, many of these can probably be reduced on an overall cost level. Let’s take a look at how to lower your bills.

How to Lower Your Bills on Your Own

The first thing you need to do in order to lower your bills is to get into a mindset of saving. This isn’t always going to be the most enjoyable way of living. If you really need to reduce your expenses, however, there’s not much up to debate here.

Fortunately, there are ample avenues for lowering your bills all on your own:

Eliminate unnecessary subscriptions

In today’s world, it seems like everything comes as a subscription. Many of these are offered free for a month, but then start charging you after that. It’s easy to let these subscription expenses pile up, which can eventually start becoming a serious threat to your finances.

Go through all your subscriptions and list them from most to least essential to your life. Even just cutting out two or three at the bottom of the list can be a great start in lowering your bills.

See if you can reduce costs on essential bills

Not all bills carry the same relevance to your life. Having electricity is far more important than Netflix or Hulu. But even many of these essential bills like your rent or mortgage and essential utilities can be lowered if you make a bit of an effort.

For some people, refinancing their mortgage can provide an immediate way of saving money each month on housing expenses. Searching for a more affordable rental unit can have the same effect. You should also look around for deals on internet or wireless services.

Often, you can get a lower monthly bill if you switch to a new provider—or even just tell your current one that you’re thinking about changing carriers. Insurance is another area where seeking out the lowest-cost services can save you big time each month.

Consolidate your debts

If you’re dealing with many different lines of credit, consolidating them into a single payment might save you money. Depending on how you do it—whether it’s though a credit card balance transfer or a debt management plan (DMP), debt consolidation has the potential to lower your interest rate, simplify your repayment, and lower your bills by extending your repayment date further into the future.

If you’ve been wondering how to lower your bills, these are a few of the top methods available to you right now. But some people might need additional assistance in order to really get a handle on their debt.

How Debt Relief Can Lower Your Bills

If you’re unable to lower your bills on your own, you might be a prime candidate for debt relief. This is an intensive program where you work with a debt relief company to finally get your debt under control. You should have a look at Freedom Debt Relief’s take on debt relief programs to gain deeper insights into the whole process.

In a nutshell, debt relief is a process of making a negotiation with your creditors, where the debt relief company acts as a mediator. To successfully settle your debt, you cease paying your bills and instead send the money directly to the debt relief agency. They then use this to settle your debts through a one-time, lump-sum payment.

As you can imagine, there are risks involved in this process, and there’s no guarantee that your lenders will agree to debt settlement. At the same time, this can be the only reasonable path forward for certain consumers who have become completely consumed by their debts.

There’s nothing fun or easy about getting out of debt. While it takes little time to find yourself buried in debt, digging yourself out can take years, even with things going your way. Knowing how to lower your bills, as well as take advantage of credit counseling and debt relief programs, can help you get your finances back on track.