January is an obvious time to start planning your home budget for the new year. While it helps to get a jump start, it's also important to know what areas may cost more. It may seem like the day-to-day goes up year after year, but according to a chief retail analyst at Circana, 2025 wont be as bad as others.

When is comes to the cost of food, Marshal Cohen says like last year food prices should stay relatively flat and rent increases should not be overwhelming.

"Rent is stabilizing but still high. It's likely only to go up about 3% this year," said Cohen.

When comparing to costs during the pandemic, utilities should also not provide too much sticker shock.

"During COVID, we saw 15, 20 and $25 average monthly increases in almost all of the utilities. This year looks like it's more going to be about a $10 difference," said Cohen.

There are some simple steps you can take to help with those expenses. Cohen suggests running appliances at night as electric plans run cheaper after hours. He also recommends you lock in your oil prices early so any increases down the line do not impact you.

Many utility companies also offer a home inspection service.

"They'll come in and do a home assessment and show you where you have opportunities to either put in window stripping or weather stripping on your doors."

According to Cohen that can result in a 1 or 2% savings on your bill.

If you would like to learn more about those offerings and other ways to save with your utility, you can click on the links below: