We are living in bizarre times. One that none of us thought we would ever live through. With many people left working at home, saving money has never been more important. So here are a couple of tips to help keep your wallet happy while you’re cooped up in the house.
7. Keep the groceries simple
Now isn’t the time to buy truffles, fanciful spices, and other luxury items. There are plenty of ways to spice up your dishes on the cheap. So, stick to simple stuff for your groceries, the essentials, even if it means cutting back on chocolates and some of your favourites a little.
6. Get back to cooking at home
With all the other delivery options available, it’s tempting to eat out without going out every night. But there are few quicker ways to drain your wallet than ordering out more than you need to. There are a million online recipe websites, and if you can bear reading a few people’s life stories (which so many seem to insist on including), you’ll have a million budget options for cooking delicious meals, while refining some new skills in the process.
5. Get on top of your bills
Getting away from food, now’s the time to take control of your bills. If there are any services you can cancel, or pursue a discount on, or even simply reduce your plan, you shouldn’t delay. After all, there’s no point to that gym membership when all the gyms are shut anyway.
4. Trim your subscriptions
Sticking on the theme of cutting the financial fat, think about what subscription services you really need. Now’s not the time for the mystery subscription boxes, however nice a surprise they may be. If it’s time to tighten the belt a bit, it might be worthwhile going back to free services rather than the premium version, or cutting down on those magazine subscriptions. It’s easy to forget just how much those monthly charges can add up, think about what’s really necessary for this trying time.
3. No more impulse shopping
We’re all finding ourselves with a bit more free time than we’re used to, so it’s easy to find yourself wandering over to e-commerce platforms and picking out all those niceties you really want. Everyone feels that itch, but here’s a little bit of advice, let that shopping cart sit for a few days. Same-day delivery isn’t happening right now anyway, you can afford the few extra days to mull over whether you really need what you’ve got in the cart. Come back after a little time, and you might find that you don’t need any of it.
2. Shop around
There are bargains all over the place now, and plenty of services you may already be subscribed to may be willing to discuss prices if you ask. See what’s out there on the market in terms of Internet providers and similar services, then go talk to yours, see if they can’t help you out in these troublesome times. If they can’t, well, don’t be afraid to find someone new.
Call up your car insurance company! If you’re working at home you might be able to negotiate a better rate, as you’ll be driving around a lot less. Your phone bill may also be on the rise due to working from, so you may want to take the time and try and renegotiate a better plan for yourself.
1. Invest in solar
With everyone spending more time at home, power bills are higher than ever. You’ve got the air conditioner or heater on all day, the TV blaring, and all sorts of other appliances hiking up the power bill. A solar energy system can arrest that rise, especially with a finance plan, so that you don’t need to pay it all off at once. If you’re interested in going solar, check out our solar plan page.
