Working from home has a lot of benefits for employees in many different industries. There is no longer the need to wake up at the break of first light to beat heavy traffic and get to work on time or get home late due to piles of files to be worked through at the office. Working from home can help us have flexible routines and with proper planning, you can complete a couple of house chores too without putting in extra hours. Besides these, there is also a huge opportunity to save money too, whether it’s from no more commuting or skipping your usual coffee chain coffee. If you have been remote working temporarily due to Covid-19, there will be many safety measures to consider when you eventually return back to your normal office space. However, for now, if you are still working from home for the near future, here are just some useful ways to save some money when working from home.
Switch to energy-efficient lighting
It’s always best that you have good lighting when working, and if you’re going to be working from home for a while, it is only wise that you switch to energy-efficient lighting. Switching to LED lighting is just one home change that you can make that can help you save a bit of money. You might be wondering just how does LED lighting help me save money? Well these types of lights are long-lasting, getting cheaper, and are eco-friendly that’s why. While using them in your home office might be the first step, transforming all of your home lighting to LEDs can help you save a lot of money in the future.
Go paperless
Unlike at the office, you do not need to print piles and piles of files and documents at home. Files are essential, yes, but having them in digital format is more convenient and makes it easy and cheaper to manage. The printing cost is quite high as you have to use ink, printing paper, files to store the printed copies, and electricity to power up the printer. Instead, a smarter choice is to switch to paperless and save yourself the hassle of printing and its costs.
Switch devices off when not in use
When spending hours each day working from home, you’ll need to use electricity to power your laptop, work phone, scanner, and any other devices. However, unplugging gadgets you don’t really need are just some things that can help to reduce your electricity bills when working from home. As Arcadia estimates, Covid-19 could increase our home energy usage by 2-7%, depending on our location. As much as the television can also keep you entertained while working, leaving it playing to itself without properly watching it, is just wasting electricity each day. Instead, if you are not using devices then try switching them off until you do.
Cook rather than ordering in
Depending on how often you work from home, there might be the temptation to order takeaway food most nights. If you happen to fall victim to this, consider preparing your meals now that you have the extra time. During the weekend or on your day off, go shopping for groceries and other cooking necessities enough to last you through the week. Meal prepping can be an effective way to save you both time and money in the long run. From chilli and pasta, to soup and jacket potatoes, there are plenty of healthy and tasty working from home lunches that you can try out from BBC Good Food. If you’re also tempted to head out to get your favourite takeaway coffee on your break, just think about how much money you could save each day by making your coffee at home instead.
