I'm a parent. I know the squeeze.

Like a lot of families, we both work. And yet, every fortnight, it's the same story: childcare, the mortgage and everyday bills take a huge bite out of the pay, prices keep creeping up, and making both ends meet gets harder, not easier.

When I finally sat down and looked at what we pay for the basics, home internet, phones, power, gas, I realised something. Those bills aren't just expensive. They're built to be confusing. A great sign-up deal, then a quiet price rise a few months later, and hardly anyone has the time to chase it.

The worst part is who pays. It's the busy ones: parents juggling work, kids and everything else, with no time to compare plans. They end up paying a loyalty tax just for being too busy to switch. Good on us for not accepting that.

I also learned how prices are actually set. Providers buy access wholesale, and the more customers they bring, the better their rates. On our own, one household has no bargaining power. Tens of thousands together do.

So I'm building Good On Us.

A not-for-profit that brings households together to negotiate better deals, and passes the benefit back to members. We'll start with home internet, then mobile, then electricity and gas, and look for ways to help households with rooftop solar and batteries get more from what they generate.

Why "Good On Us"?

In Australia, "good on you" is how we say well done. "Good on us" turns it around: good on us for getting together, good on us for questioning our bills, and good on us for refusing to overpay.

What you can expect from me

• Plain numbers. Clear estimates of what you might save, and how that compares with typical prices today.
• No pressure. Registering interest is free. You decide whether to switch once you see the real prices.