One of the most significant items on any homeowners list of bills to pay every month or every year is electricity. This is something we cannot escape, it is central to our needs and more so now than ever before. With the advent of the circumstances surrounding COVID-19, a lot of people have been forced to set up shop at home, the consequences of which include spending more time at home than normal. Which in turn, means an upsurge in all household amenities such as water, food, and electricity.
But there is good news, and there are ways you can save on those bills and spending more than you bargained for the next time that expenditure comes around, and we’re here to share some of our well-researched advice. A little goes a long way and you could instrument some of the below ideas to make a big difference with the littlest change you’ve got left. Even though we are living in strange times at the moment, one can always try and dig out the good things about it, and finding ways to curb your overheads is one of them.
Energy Efficiency and Going Solar
June, July and August can be some of the coldest months in Australia. This means an increase in radiator and electricity heater usage throughout households, as well as the lights being turned on much earlier in the day and staying on for longer hours, increasing electricity bills as well.
Heating can be one of the most expensive items on your bill every month, so as much as possible one should look for ways to curb this expense unless it doesn’t bother you. One can try and do as much as they can to curb this expense such as layering yourself with warm clothes or carrying around a portable heater, but these measures will only get you so far and can be a bit of an annoyance. Of some of the best ways and a more environmentally friendly and efficient one, is through the use of solar options.
In the past when this genius idea hit the market it meant spending big bucks on it, but not so anymore. Because of the high demand, more manufacturing companies have begun to produce them in large numbers and so the cost of this mass production has gone down and so has the purchase price. Some countries even have a government solar scheme that can incentivise anyone looking to swap their electricity for a less costly one and more environmentally friendly option – Solar panels.
By reducing the greenhouse gas emissions, many have taken it upon themselves to do their bit for the environment, and by investing in this way of heating your home, you’ll be doing yours too. Purchase one from a certified supplier and they may just throw in the whole package which includes regular maintenance of and repairs on them, such as this company which supplies them directly to the customer, visit website, to find out more about these systems and why they offer huge benefits.
Travel Expenses and Family Time
Here’s one thing you don’t have to do – Travel to and from work. This means less expense towards fuel. If you’ve got children and their schools or day-care centres are shit, the amount of money you will be saving on taking them there as well can go towards employment of a home tutor or a nanny who can come by 2 to 3 days a week, while they look after the kids, you can work in your home office in peace.
There is always a silver lining in most thing if you look properly. More family time perhaps? Why take the kids out to the park when you can spend some family time with them in your back yard. When was the last time you did that? Some of us can get so busy in our work lives that we forget the importance of spending family time with the kids.
From strengthening family bonds to building the children’s self-esteem and positive habits and mannerisms, there are numerous benefits of doing this, which can be found on this parenting here: https://www.parentingni.org/blog/time-together-importance/ Did you know children often perform better in the academic hemisphere when they get to spend more time with their mom and dad?
Food and Drink Expenses Drop
This is also another thing that may be affected positively. The amount of money you spend on buying food outside the house every month could be halved when working from home. When you’re in the depths of any task or work project it is difficult to prepare a proper meal for lunch. Unless you have the time to eat lunch every day, well and good. But if you don’t, which is usually the case, you can grab an apple or make a quick salad to munch down (it is recommended to eat slowly) and you’re off to the races.
No more formulating lunch boxes or bags for the other half to take to work and the for the kids to take to school. They can grab themselves a fruit as well. Which also makes for a healthy habit which you can enforce in them when they see you doing it. A lot of us also tend to stop at a Starbucks on our way to work or during our breaks, which is also another cost you can cut out now that you don’t go to the office. Sometimes we don’t take lunch to work, so we stop at the cafes to grab a sandwich or sub – another expenditure dropped. This chart shows you how much Starbucks coffee in Aussie costs, from $4.00 for a latte to $6 for a hot chocolate, you can easily save this and more, by investing in your very own coffee or Nespresso machine which will cost you a bit more upon purchase but with a cup averaging about only $0.60p you will easily make up the expense in no time. Plus, you will enjoy a coffee-scented office as a perk of having your machine in it, who doesn’t love that?
