Real-life MMD: Should I share utility switching c...

[lardaholics anonymous]

Spend it all on booze, or chocolate or a takeaway and share that with your housemates. Don't tell them it is from cashback and they will think you are awesome because you are being generous (which, judging by the bulk of posters here, you are!)

[florere]

You earned it, they will benefit from the reduction, keep it.

[Tinkerbell960]

Maybe you could split it, like spending £10-15 on something shared for the house (dine in for £10 meal deal maybe or pizza) and the rest for you.

[tallgirld]

You should keep it.

If I was your housemate it wouldn't bother me if you kept it.

[marich]

You just baked your house-mates a £150 cake...

Unless you pointed it out to them , they would never know there was a £30 cherry missing from the top of it !

It's your name on the bill . If you are happy playing God just now then don't complain about devils when they do their own bit of mischief .

Enjoy .

[katemw]

You should explain and suggest you share it - I think if I found out my housemate had kept a freebie or special offer item on something I paid for, I would feel like they nicked something. It's not yours to keep.

Your housemates may surprise you and let you keep it. Or indeed put it towards communal groceries/loo roll.

It's too small an amount in the scheme of things to risk getting everyone's back up. It's just not worth it.

[cheerful]

Be honest.

It is almost a guarantee that if you tell your housemates they will not only appreciate your honesty and work but suggest that you keep it. You don't mention how many ways the bill is split but it would surely be £10 or less each if they chose to split it.

On the other hand, if you conceal it from them, and they later find out, the damage to your relationship with them may well be irreparable. Dishonesty in group finances of any description is always a recipe for souring things for everybody.

[John_Pierpoint]

This is a difficult one and there is nothing worse than going out for a meal with colleagues and discovering one is being picky over who had what along the lines of I only had the pie, they had the steak or alternatively seeing someone getting stuck into double measures of expensive liqueurs, in a way you know they would not have behaved were the "whip round" not paying.
HOWEVER
Assuming you are living as a household (ie have a kitty and share the basics, generally make meals for each other etc, and you have the status of accountant/banker) then you should act with utmost good faith.
You are in a position of trust and this is real money.
Hopefully you have better than a purely dog eat dog commercial relationship with the other members of the household?
I would recommend keeping an account book, or a spread sheet, with look but don't touch access for all.
Personally, I would have a sub fund for "windfalls" like this and try to create some sort of communal celebration from it.

This is not pure altruism, there is nothing worse than the feeling that the banker is somehow a rip off merchant, for poisoning the relationship within the group. Let's face it you are all living together because that is cheaper and hopefully less work and more fun, than living alone, so work at the relationship. Make sure the kitty is always in funds and make it clear that any surplus on the kitty is not refundable or an excuse for being late with this week's payment.

If you keep the ££ kick back, this petty corruption tends to grow, where do you draw the line ? Do you want to end up with the morals of a traffic cop in Nigeria ?

[2louche]

No don't share it. You did the legwork as you said and the cashback should be for your time an initiative.

You have already helped the others financially by sourcing them the best deal.

The cashback is the wage for your time and effort.

Keep it under your hat and be ready to defend yourself if you are questioned about it.

[Tiptaker]

If I was the flatmate who had done nothing to reduce the bills, I'd be grateful someone had saved me £150 & wouldn't expect the cashback too.

[joehoover]

Fine to keep it, you are not ripping them off, they haven't lost money, they are saving money and no one is losing out.

Would any of them have gone to the trouble themselves? In most houseshares one person often has to control the bills, otherwise things have a habit of not being paid.

Many people that I know would rather someone sort it for them, they are not so concerned about savings and just want someone to do things as they can't be bothered. That's worth something, and you are not stealing from their pockets

Had you not found a better deal, that extra £150 would have to be paid, what you did with the £30 is a perk, it exists in many jobs where you benefit from doing some legwork that others don't.

It's no different as some people do in houseshares by being paid to to extra cleaning or chores that some people can't be bothered doing, those people are happy to pay others to save themselves a job, believe me, I know these people. That's no different to you doing the extra work to get a better deal for everyone.

[V Chic Chick]

I wouldn't keep it - in just the same way that I knocked about £800pa off my shared house's gas and electricity bill () and got free insulation installed (another £200pa saved), but never in a million years would I expect to be able to keep that grand for myself . . .

[sledge82]

As the bills are in your name I assume that only you can negotiate any deals so I suggest you stop overplaying how hard it was to get the deal and take all your flatmates out for a drink on your windfall.

[rev_henry]

Actually, I DID tell the first housemates about the cashback, but by the time it had come they'd forgotten about it (or maybe didn't understand it in the first place) so I kept it.

The spreadsheet idea is a good one. I don't bother this year as I'm only in charge of one bill.

[mduefy]

Seeing as you did all the hard work, then you keep it!!! I got sick of doing all the leg work during the years I house-shared, then finally kept the final yrs cashback my self. Without your work, you would all be paying more anyway!

[Ashagill]

Man, keep it. It's only £30.

[kaysafus]

I would probably keep it - think of it as a fee for you doing all the leg work! If you feel guilty about it you could always buy a communal box of chocolates for advent or something

[JOHNGARFIELD1066]

I would keep it,your'e responsible for paying the bills anyway.As others have said - it's been all your hard work.

[IDProtected]

I think you've been working with Martin Lewis for too long! Remember that the love of money is the root of all evil - it's not a life changing sum, don't be so mean, share it with the others!

[JayD]

Of course you should share the cashback with them - or sepnd it on a treat you can all enjoy together. Keeping it for yourself is just mean!