Collaborative Post
We’re about to enter a second lockdown, which means non essential shops will close and many businesses are going to be entering rough times. As we saw in the last lockdown, businesses struggling or collapsing results in job losses or at least job insecurity. It’s not all too surprising that many of us are worrying about our positions and are looking for ways to save as much money as possible while we do have positions behind us. This could help us if we do find ourselves in positions where we don’t have our usual income for a while. Here are a few money saving tips that could help you to achieve this!
Saving On Your Bills
The first area you can start saving large amounts of money are your bills. Sure, you can’t just decide to live without essentials like electricity or gas. But you can save by reducing your usage of certain resources where possible and by reexamining your providers. Take a look at your electricity and gas consumption and see where you can cut down. Turn lights off in rooms you’re not using. Only heat your water as and when you need it. Turn your heating off when you leave the house. This will save small amounts, but the small amounts will mount up. When it comes to bills you sign up to, you may want to compare providers. Whether that’s comparing energy providers, comparing Insurance Quotes or anything else. You shouldn’t miss out on policies that are lower cost for the sake of showing brand loyalty to a company that isn’t giving you a great rate! If you’re adamant that you want to stick with your current providers for their service, it’s worth asking them to price match their competitors to keep your custom!
Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash
Saving on Food and Drink
Food and drink is another expense that you can’t completely cut out, but where you can save a whole lot of money on a regular basis. If you still have to go into work during the lockdown and you usually buy lunch every day, you should consider creating packed lunches instead. Consider replacing branded foods in your usual shop with own brand or unbranded alternatives. A whole lot of people can’t tell the difference during blind taste tests and the unbranded options tend to come at a much lower cost. While restaurants are closed, many are offering takeaway services. While it’s good to support smaller and local businesses if you can, you should avoid takeaways if you are really struggling for money and need to save.
Cut Unnecessary Spending
It can be tempting to comfort spend to give yourself something to do or something to look forward to during lockdown. But instead, look for cheaper or free options than spending money on non essential goods. This will reduce your outgoings and leave you with more to put into your savings.
Sure, a second lockdown may have been unexpected. But you still have time to save in a number of ways to keep a little more money behind you. It’s just a matter of changing habits and spending in a savvy way!