The more I do it, the more sure I am that working-at-home can be a good thing for us all. If you’ve got the chance to work remotely and have a few days each week away from the office, hopefully you’ll notice a positive difference to your finances too.
TRAVEL COSTS
If we’re not travelling to work, it’ll definitely cut the costs of your travel budget. If you previously commuted by public transport, you’re already saving money on the cost of your train ticket or bus pass. If you usually drive to work, just think of all the petrol you’re not having to pay for.
Even though I mostly work in my home office anyway, I’ve noticed a saving on my travel costs simply because I’m not going anywhere in my car. Where I would have usually allocated £200 in my budget for fuel, I am not using penny now, so that’s extra cash that can be saved in my emergency fund instead.
IMPULSE BUYS
When you were out and about in the past, did you ever make some purchases that weren’t planned? If you would have previously commuted to work, popped out on your lunch break or may have even just gone into the local town to post a letter, you might have bought something while you were out.
Maybe it was a cup of coffee when you caught the train. Perhaps it was an on-the-go lunch. Did you catch up with the day’s news by buying a paper? Even just a snack bar (or something vegan from Greggs!) on the way home might have made the list of impulse purchases you made throughout the day. Well, now that you’re not going out, these tempting treats are no longer available – and that could add up to a saving of £10 per day! Plus, I can buy coffee beans online and get a delicious brew for a fraction of the cost of my barista cuppa.
WEEKEND REWARDS
When you’re at work every day and the weekend rolls around, how often did you get yourself a little reward for all your efforts during the week? Did you treat yourself to a takeaway and a bottle of wine? Maybe you went shopping on a Saturday and bought that jumper or handbag you’d been eyeing up?
All of these rewards for the work you did all week soon add up and can take a lot of money out of your income. So, if you would’ve usually got tickets for a Friday evening comedy show, gone out to an attraction on Saturday and enjoyed a carvery lunch on Sunday, just add up how much this would have cost and pop that in your savings account for later.
SCARCITY SAVINGS
To be honest, one of the not-so-fun things about the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis is that you just can’t get some of the items you want. If you’ve popped online to order something and realised that it’s already sold out, you’ll know what I mean. Likewise, just the fact that we can’t go to the high street shops to browse and buy means no more new stuff for the time being. For example, I wanted to get a compact water butt kit for my garden this month (I know, rock ‘n’ roll) but when I went to order the one I’d had on my ‘wish list’ for a while, it was no longer in stock.
So really, if you can’t get something, that means you can’t spend your money. While it’s frustrating and upsetting if it’s something you really need right now, if it’s not crucial perhaps it’s a good thing that you can’t get hold of it because that’s saving you money. I feel a bit like I’m scraping the barrel with this one (although not a water butt barrel in my case) but that extra cash in your account IS a bright side – honest. And you can put aside the money you would have spent so that, if you still want it in a few months time when it’s possible to get it again, it’ll be a well-considered purchase and you’ll already have the money saved for it.
I hope these ideas have helped you to see the financial bright side of staying at home and working remotely. And perhaps you can carry on some of these money-saving ideas when things get back to normal like travelling less, taking a packed lunch and flask of coffee, and making considered purchases. Let me know if you have managed to making a savings by staying home in the comments below, I’d love to hear about your small wins! 🙂
PIN IT FOR LATER
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2 responses
Hi Nahya good to hear from you! Actually that’s another thing I’m saving money on – make up and contact lenses etc haha! I’m glad to hear you’re working on saving an emergency fund and I hope everything goes well for you. Sending you my very best wishes 🙂
It’s so true! Items that we never think about like our daily coffee or lunches really does add up. Even the occasional drinks with friends. This has also made me self-reflect on what’s *really* important. Suddenly all the makeup and accessories I have don’t feel important like they used to. I’m promising myself to be a better saver even after this all blows over. I lost my job and now see the value of an emergency fund, so I want to focus on nurturing that during quarantine life.