Community & Business
22 October, 2022
Tips to help save you money around the home
THE cost of living is hurting us all, but there are simple things you can do to save money around the home. Here’s 10 things you can do to save an extra bit of money just by making some small changes
Make snacks and “takeaway” food
The cost of a pre-packaged snacks can be much more expensive than what you can make at home. Check out rec-ipes online to make all sorts of interesting snacks for the family and you will definitely save money. Even better still, get the kids involved in mak-ing them! The same goes for “takeaway” food – pizzas, fish and chips, burgers – they can
all be easily made at home and they’re going to be a lot healthier for the family any-way.
Maintain a shopping list
We all go to supermarkets to buy our groceries and of-ten come home with much more than what we intended to buy, or perhaps items we didn’t even need. Keep an ac-tive shopping list on the front of your refrigerator and write down what you need as you use the products.
Use what’s in your pantry
Most pantries contain a myriad of food items and in-gredients that we can use to make many different recipes. Look for recipes online that fit what you have in your pantry, rather than having to go out and buy a whole bunch of new products. Get innovative and try to use what you have at hand.
Go fresh, reject processed foods
If you eat fresh veggies and fruit instead of things like potato chips, energy bars and other processed or expensive stuff, you will end up saving money and be healthier as well. Remember, there is no GST added to the price of fresh food, so fresh is best!
Cook in bulk and skip the mid-week takeaway urge
If you plan out your weekly meals, you can spend a Sunday afternoon preparing many of them and putting them away in the fridge or freezer for later in the week. We all get tired mid-week and get tempted to get takeaways which can cost the family budget much more.
Borrow what you rarely use
You don’t have to buy every new gadget out there – whether it’s for the kitchen, yard, or a handyman job, if you’re going to do something that might just be a one-off, ask your friends, family or neighbours if they have the equipment you need. Better to borrow than buy if you’re only going to use it every now and then.
Don’t be scared of generic
Generic products are plentiful these days, and often just as good as the well-known brands. Generic pantry staples like flour, sugar, rice, cereals and items like plastic food wrap or aluminium foil are just as good. Go generic unless you’ve tried the product before and it wasn’t up to scratch.
Wash in cold water
Gone are the days when you needed to wash your laundry in hot water to make sure it’s clean. Most clothing or linen will wash just fine in cold wa-ter which will save your hot water for other things – and the bonus is, the colours don’t run in cold water!
Ditch the dryer
If you have the space in your house or garage, devise a system for hanging up the majority of your clothing to dry. Not only will you save on the cost of electricity, your clothes will also last longer than if dried with direct heat in a clothes dryer or in direct sunlight.
Turn them all off!
When you’re not using ap-pliances or things like phone chargers, turn them off and unplug them. A variety of dif-ferent electronic devices and appliances, including televi-sions, toasters, lamps, and more, when plugged in, can consume electricity even when they're turned off.
