Six financial things you should do this spring!

Here are six things you should do this spring:

Switch your utility provider

It might sound like a hassle, but switching your electricity and gas provider can be well worth it - and it might be more straightforward than you think. In fact, last year, our readers saved an average of £206 each by switching tariffs.

Plumping for dual fuel - so both your electricity and gas come from the same supplier - will usually work out cheaper. And if you pay by monthly direct debit you're also likely to save on the pennies. Use the lovemoney.com gas and electricity comparison tool to find out which is the cheapest tariff for you.

Get a better current account

Switching your current account is another task that many of us never get around to doing (me included). But at the moment, it's actually possible to get a better rate of interest on your current account than on your savings account! Might sound crazy, but it's true.

The Lloyds Classic with Vantage Account, for example, offers an interest rate of 4% AER on balances between £5,000 and £7,000. If you have a balance between £3,000 and £4,999, you'll earn 3%, and if you have a balance between £1,000 and £2,999 you'll earn 2% - anything below £1,000 earns just 0.1%. Bear in mind you need to pay at least £1,000 into the account each month.

Alternatively, with the Halifax Reward Current Account you'll receive £5 every month you pay in £1,000 - whether you're in credit or overdrawn.

Change your mobile phone tariff

It's so easy to complain about our mobile phone bill when it arrives - but how many of us actually bother to do anything about it?

Thanks to the recession, mobile networks really want your custom so this is the perfect time to see if you can do a spot of haggling and get a better deal. It's also a good idea to shop around and see what the best mobile phone tariff is for you. For further tips read The dos and don'ts of getting a mobile phone deal.

Open a cash ISA

The end of the tax year is 5 April so now's the time to get your act together now and open a cash ISA. This tax year you can save up to £5,100 in a cash ISA, and you won't have to pay a penny in tax on your interest.

Although the limit of a cash ISA is currently £5,100 per tax year (it will rise to £5,430 on 6 April 2011), you don't have to invest all of this at once - so don't panic if you don't have that much cash to spare! In fact, you can often open a cash ISA with as little as £1.

Get a better credit card

Whether you use your credit card for purchases, or balance transfers, it's important to make sure you have the best deal possible.

So if you use your credit card for purchases only and always pay off your monthly bill in full, it makes perfect sense to get a cashback credit card! The American Express Cashback Card offers an impressive 5% cashback on all purchases for the first three months.

After that, you'll earn 0.5% cashback on the first £3,500, 1% on £3,501 to £7,700, and 1.25% on £7,501 plus. The downside is, American Express won't be accepted everywhere, so you may prefer the Egg Money Mastercard instead - even though it only pays 1% cashback (be warned you will have to pay a £1 monthly fee).

However, cashback cards are only suitable if you pay off your monthly credit card bill in full.

So if you know you won't be able to pay off your card in full each month you should apply instead for a 0% purchases credit card. The Tesco Clubcard Credit Card, for example, offers a 0% purchases period for a whopping 13 months! 

On the other hand, if you have a hefty debt on your credit card that you're struggling to pay off, now is the time to transfer it to a 0% balance transfer card. Right now, Barclaycard is currently offering a massive 17 months interest-free on balance transfers! Alternatively, if you don't like Barclaycard, check out these alternatives.

Read more in Four steps to the perfect balance transfer.

Start your pension

Starting a pension can be really easy to put off - especially if you still have a long way to go until you retire. But in fact, the earlier you start, the better. That's because your investments have many more years in which to grow than they would do if you were making contributions close to your retirement.

You don't have to put a huge amount into your pension pot each month either. If you can only afford to put a little aside, that's still well worth it. And if you're feeling a little confused about where to start, our recent Become a pensions expert in five days should give you a helping hand.

Fail to set up your pension and you could be making the biggest financial mistake of all.

So there you have it - six financial tasks you shouldn't put off for any longer! And the great thing is, all of these spring activities don't rely on the weather! Good luck!