As the colder months approach and many of us find ourselves staying indoors, the cost of running your home will often be a little more expensive than the warmer months. Combine this with the current pandemic situation and for many, it looks like it’s going to be a very quiet few months in the run-up to Christmas. Living in an apartment, we don’t have the issue of dealing with powering a full house, however, it still costs us money. In order to save money, I’ve put together a few tips that you might find useful to follow this autumn/winter time. Here’s how to reduce running costs in your home.
*This is a collaborative post.
Consider Getting A Smart Meter
A smarter meter is something that we got just after we came out of lockdown and life as we knew it, got back to some form of normality. It was free as part of the energy supplier we’re with and we’ve really enjoyed being more aware of what we spend each day. It’s also helped us to find out what might be using more money than other appliances and to set a budget so that we can cap what we spend. It’s definitely something worth having, especially when you have a bigger property or simply one that has a lot of appliances. It can help you control what gets used and how much or little.
Switch To LED Lighting
Most of the lights in our home are LED and it therefore makes running our home a lot more affordable. It might not seem like a big difference but picking something like INUI LED lighting and Litho LED lighting are much more energy-effiicent and greener on the environment than other lighting is on the market. I plan on getting LED lighting for our future home because it’s not only good for the environment but I do find they last longer. We’ve had our apartment for nearly three years now and not a single light in our home has blown or stopped working. It saves a hassle trying to replace them and the cost too!
Invest In Winter Warmers & Be Sparing With Heating
We don’t actually spend a lot on gas during the winter because we’re lucky that our property is on the top floor and therefore, we get the benefit of all the other apartments below us when they put on their heating. Even though that’s the case, it’s important that we invest in winter warmer and be sparing with our heating. We already have a few throws for the winter and some warmer bedding that we’ll switch to during the cooler months. I also love jumpers and hoodies, so we have plenty in abundance.
Try A Food Subscription Box
This is one that’s beneficial for everyone, especially families of 3-4. We use HelloFresh and pay around £42 a week for 5 meals. What I love about it is that no two weeks are ever the same. You get to pick from a range of dishes and you get exactly the amount of ingredients you need. There’s no waste and as a household that’s trying to be more eco-friendly to the environment, it’s good not to waste food. It means that we’re spending around £80-£90 on food for the week and that’s every meal covered for 7 days. At around £40-£45 per person per week, I think it’s honestly the cheapest way of living for us because not only do we get healthy meals, we also get variation.
Saving money for this time of year is important, especially with the festive season coming up. Hopefully these tips will give you all you need to save money and live a little more comfortably! What do you do to save money? Let me know in the comments below.
*Disclaimer – This is a collaborative post with Litho and INUI. All words are my own.
