How do you reduce costs when the price of everything is going up? Fortunately, there are several tips you can use across the home to make your home more environmentally friendly and save yourself money at the same time. Read on to find out how to save money at home this year.
Get Your Home Insulated
Although this might be an investment initially, getting your home properly insulated is a huge money saver in the long run. We lose energy through our walls, roofs and floors each day, which can cause our energy bills to shoot up and, therefore, our outgoings. Work with companies like All Seasons Energy that can deliver insulation options and install energy-efficient devices like heat pumps and solar panels.
Get Your Internet And Phone Deals In A Bundle
Are you paying for a data plan for your phone and also separately billed for your home internet costs? Or do you have separate family members paying for data plans with the same company? Look at what your family pays for WiFi and data and try to get an individual or family bundle for your tech expenditure. Companies like EE offer family plans that can be more cost-effective than paying for everything separately.
Be Vigilant With Water Usage
Items like tumble dryers and baths can add up over time to cost you money. Review how you use your water and opt for quick showers or air-drying laundry to save on your energy bill. You can also be stricter with how you use items like the kettle; consider only including the water you need for your tea rather than filling it right up to the top. When cooking, cover your pot with a lid to speed up the process. Over time, these tiny steps will add up to cost savings.
Avoid Hiring A Contractor
Outside of the essentials, like hiring plumbers and electricians, doing it yourself can be hugely cheaper than bringing in a contractor to do a job. For items like painting or decorating, doing it yourself can initiate huge cost savings. The same applies to things like updating your garden. Unless you have to be qualified to do it, consider spending some time yourself to fix items in the home.
Block Online Shopping Sites Before And After Work
How often do we scroll Amazon or Etsy for items before or after work? All too often, we rack up costs by buying items we don’t need. Invest in an App like Forest to incentivise time away from your phone. For every half hour you don’t use your phone, you can grow a virtual tree, and the company will plant an equivalent one in the rainforest. You could even go one step further by deleting details like credit cards from Amazon, so it’s harder to shop for items online.
Compare Savings Accounts To Find Those With The Best Rates
Do you know how much interest you accrue in your savings account? You can use an interest calculator to calculate how much you build up over time. It’s also worth browsing savings accounts online to see which generates the most interest.
You should also see which ones meet your best short and long-term needs. For example, will you need to take money out for a particular payment? Or can you let your money build up over a few years to increase the interest accrued?
Check Your Council Tax
Are you paying the right council tax? You can check by your location what you should be paying each month and compare it with your monthly tax bill to make sure you are paying the right amount. If you believe that you are overpaying, contact your local authority to get it rectified. On a general note, checking your energy and water bills, in the same way, can also help make sure that you aren’t overpaying each month.
Conclusion
Fortunately for all of us, there are a number of ways to save money at home. You can start by upgrading your home using investments like insulation, or by reviewing your energy, water and council tax bills to ensure that you aren’t overpaying. By monitoring your water use, you can also stop your money going down the drain.
There are also a number of personal habits you can build up at home, like cutting back on your online shopping using productivity apps or reviewing your savings account. By building up these smaller steps over time, you should be able to successfully save money at home or at least be aware of where your expenditure is coming from.
With the ever-increasing cost of living, I can’t shop nearly as much as I’d like. Sob. Thanks for these tips, reminded me I need to check my internet bundle.