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Martin: It's #DDday. Prepare for a shock! Take my 5min Direct Debit (standing order & recurring payment) challenge to see if you're WASTING £100s

It isn't rocket science, but it is important financial housekeeping. Regular payments are PASSIVE transactions, money auto-paid, dripping from our pockets without our conscious action. While they're often a valuable tool to ensure crucial bills are paid, millions who don't check them often enough are likely wasting £100s on products and services they no longer want or use - or worse - that are completely pointless...

So let's make today Direct Debit Day. Check now what you're paying for (& pls report surprise finds on social media using #DDday)

As for what I mean by pointless, here are two people who have previously discovered that: "For the last four years, I'd paid £12 a month (£144/yr) for extended warranty on a laptop I no longer had", and: "Moved two years ago, but still paying a Direct Debit to my old gym (£330/yr) & local wildlife centre (£43/yr) - both too far to visit (and I never go to the gym anyway)."

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In the MSE App tools section, we've an early stage recurring payments finder. It won't necessarily spot them all yet, but it's worth a play. Some banks, including Monzo, Revolut, Halifax, Lloyds and HSBC, may have a section in their app/site called 'subscriptions' or 'scheduled payments' which lists them. Even then, don't assume it'll catch them all.

On Fri, we'll likely be told the price of energy for most homes will DROP 15% in April... yet you can beat this with the cheapest tariffs

At 7am on Friday, Ofgem, the energy regulator, will announce its new Price Cap for the three months from 1 April. This dictates what the vast majority of households in England, Scotland & Wales (ie, almost everyone bar those on fixes) will pay for energy. That Price Cap is primarily dictated by an algorithm based on an assessment of average wholesale prices from 16 Nov to 15 Feb, so now the assessment period is closed, it's possible to have a pretty good idea of what the new rates will be.

1. While overall costs are down, if nowt changes, the annual £300 standing charge 'poll tax' is predicted to rise. Martin calls the standing charge a 'poll tax', as you pay £100s just for having gas & elec meters regardless of usage. This is a moral hazard, as those on lower usage get less benefit from cutting bills. We've been campaigning hard for change, now Ofgem is reviewing it. The Cornwall Insight prediction doesn't factor in a standing charge policy change from Ofgem - we hope that happens this Friday, but aren't sure it'll be that quick.

2. You can undercut the Price Cap by 3%... E.on Next's Pledge is open to switchers & existing customers who pay by Direct Debit. It promises to remain roughly 3% below the Price Cap for a year (so £50/yr at typical use), so if the Cap drops 15% in April as predicted, so will this tariff. Therefore, as long as you're happy going to E.on, if you're going to stick on the Price Cap, you may as well move to this discounted tariff. It has £25 per fuel early-exit penalties.

3. The cheapest fixes, if you want peace of mind. The big benefit of a fix is you know exactly what you'll pay, so there won't be any shocks. Yet if the predictions are right (and it's a big if), over the next year you'll pay 17% less on average than you do right now, so you want a fix that's substantially cheaper for it to really look a winner. Most are primarily for Direct Debit customers only (and not N. Ireland).

For more info on the tariffs, including a full list of all deals available, see Should you fix your energy?

4. Substantially cheaper energy is possible with Octopus's tracker tariffs, but it's not guaranteed. Existing Octopus customers can switch to its Octopus Tracker tariff (other firms' customers can try switching to Octopus's Price Cap tariff, then once in, switch to this). Its rates change daily based on wholesale costs, which - as they're low - mean the rates have been 35% cheaper than the Price Cap on average (though of course, things can change). Alternatively, its elec-only Agile tariff's rates change half-hourly, based on wholesale prices - good for those who can shift their use out of peak hours.

5. Got an EV? Consider a dedicated tariff. Several suppliers have launched specific two-rate tariffs that offer cheaper electricity overnight for charging your electric vehicle (EV). See what's available in our EV tariffs guide.

6. Struggling to pay your energy bills? Speak to your supplier about a payment plan or bill reductions. Plus most suppliers have hardship grants available for their customers, to help you get out of fuel debt. If you're really struggling, see our Help if you can't pay your bills guides.

7. Cut your bills by cutting energy use. Obviously, cutting use cuts bills - and hopefully there are cuts you can make to improve efficiency that don't affect your lifestyle too much. Plus many suppliers will actually PAY YOU to cut your energy use this winter. For full info, see 70+ energy saving tips | Energy mythbusters | Heat the human not the home.