The pandemic saw a significant overhaul of the workplace, with millions of people moving to work from home. If you can do your job from home, it can help to speak with your boss about flexible working, splitting your time between the office and home.
Flexible working is a great option to help reduce your commuting costs, especially if you spend a large slice of your income each week on buying lunches, coffees, bus or train fares, petrol and car parking.
Now some of you might argue that in fact, going to work will help save on energy costs at home, and that might be true. To find out, what you really need to do is work out what your daily spending would be if you go to work including commuting costs and other purchases like buying lunch and coffee.
The cost of going to work each day might look like this:
Commuting: £3.00
Lunch and coffee: £4-£5
Time commuting: 2 hours, there and back
Total: £7.00 plus 2 hours of time
Then calculate the cost of working from home:
Take all of your energy bills from last year and calculate your average monthly spend. For illustration purposes, let’s say this was £100 per month. Since April 2022, let’s approximate an energy price rise of 100% making your average monthly bill this year, £200. We will divide the £100 price rise figure by 31 days (including weekends and assuming that you would have normally paid £100 whether you work from home or not).
£100/31 days = £3.22
Without lunch and coffee (which can be absorbed into your food shopping budget), this example shows that working from home, even with the price hike might still be a cost-effective option. However, it really does depend on your personal circumstances, the cost of your energy bills, food and your personal spending while out working.
The cost of commuting and where you live is also an important consideration. The average UK spend on monthly commuting is £66.31 (but this was before the energy and petrol price increases in October 2021 and April 2022) and this can also vary significantly depending on where you live – with rail travel in London being the most expensive type of commute with an average cost of £387 per month.
5 thoughts on “Cost Of Living Crisis: Living Alone Money-Saving Tips”
Hi.
This is my ultimate list of money saving tips. Make full use of all of the deals, discounts and freebies that you happen to find online etc. For example you can even make and take a free picnic hamper to the nearest beach with a cheap ball in addition for kids too. Try it.
Consider classic things like tasty sausage rolls, pie, and wrapped up sandwiches, cakes or yummy biscuits. Or slices of leftover quiche, defrosted pizza or fresh fruit that is chopped up. All of which make really great food choices for any family picnic which is eaten on the beach or in a garden during the summer.
Look for easy picnic ideas online that are worth using. You can do the platters of food all at home. Invest on the cheap in a sturdy plastic storage box to use on top of that. Make summary brief culinary notes.
Consult free or cheap food magazines in the shops in order to find yet more useful tips and ideas you can use. Request help to actually prepare the stuff to take there. For Halloween opt for dishes like creepy pumpkin pie, spooky biscuits, scary cupcakes and so on. Other food options include tomato soup and maybe a quickly prepared salad.
Alternatively you can aim to do a few different online recommended courses for no cost as well. Future learn is a good site. Lots of suitable course options on there.
Hello.
Talk to a financial advisor in order to know more. See what your finance options are. If you go to a supermarket buy own brand items instead. Write out a few different brief summary notes as well. Good luck.
Prepare a entire shopping list in advance. Use leftovers as much as possible. Compare some of the current prices. Take full advantage of free food etc. Make complete use of the latest offers and discounts. Look for the reduced price sticker on certain items at the supermarket.
Check if you qualify for benefits and so on. Be savvy. Knowledge is power. Seriously. Go onto the websites to see if there are savings to be made on selected products. Or call or email for that information. Read up on product reviews. Dig deeper. Buy stuff in bulk. Pay attention to what is going on.
Great article! Thanks for sharing this.. The cost of living crisis can make it challenging for those living alone to manage their finances. However, there are several money-saving tips that can help individuals in this situation. Some tips include creating a budget and tracking expenses, cooking meals at home instead of eating out, and finding ways to reduce utility bills. It’s also important to consider downsizing your living space or finding a roommate to split expenses. Additionally, you can look for ways to earn extra income, such as freelancing or taking on a part-time job. By implementing these strategies, you can save money and better manage your finances while living alone during a cost of living crisis.
In the midst of the cost of living crisis, these money-saving tips for those living alone are crucial. From budgeting wisely to reducing utility costs, these tips provide practical advice to help individuals navigate the financial challenges and alleviate some of the burdens associated with living alone.
Heya.
This is what I did in order to save money. I firstly decided to stop using the really pricey TV subscription services. It actually worked. I also called up a local food bank in addition that was located at a downtown church in question. Good luck.
I opted to try to do weekly meal planning to see if I could lower the spending costs that way too. I cooked my own food at home on my own instead. It was now so much better that way for sure. I dug out free books.