10 Tips To Save Up Your Bills During Circuit Breaker
During this extended period of staying at home, it is inevitable that the bills will shoot up as compared to normal days as everyone is literally at home ALL DAY.
Here are 10 Tips to help you save up on hefty house bills this month.
TIP #1: Cut down on AC
Yes, something we all miss about working in the office -- the cold AIRCON that greets us when we walk into our offices early in the morning. We are all working from the comfort of our home now and we will want to make our environment even better by casually turning on the air-con.
Thankfully, recently the weather has been pretty cooling and we do not have to really turn on the air-con as we do not feel hot. This can saves us on energy consumption and ultumately -- BILLS.
Pro-tip: Do not turn on the air-con, use fan or reduce the amount of hour you turn your air-con on. Do not lower the temperature of the air-con to 16-18 degrees, turn it on at 20 for extra energy and bill saving!
Tip #2: Watch Less TV
Find a hobby -- When was the last time you read a book? Now's a good time to pick up some books to read for personal development. Instead of tuning in to watching tv programs, why not read some self-improvement books for some personal growth and development!
Here are 3 books for you to start off with:
1. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey
2. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
3. Time Management by Brian Tracy
Tip #3: Exercise
We know that it will be boring after awhile and when we're bored we tend to want to reach for a snack from the refrigerator. Opening and closing the refrigerator waste energy and that means your bills are going up. Do some home work out to kill time and do some challenging ones as it will definitely keep your mind busy and off from food.
Tip #4: Do not go Online Shopping
Now that majority of the shops in the malls are closed, we are tempted to go online to fulfil our shopping needs. And usually there is a lot of online promotions and offers going on that is going to tempt us further. Hence, do not purchase because of the discount, instead think twice -- do you really need it? And are you actually saving or spending more than what you originally plan to.
Tip #5: Set Budget and Track Spending
We are living in the technology era and hence, cashless spending occurs. We do not see our tangible cash decreasing as many transactions are now performed electronically. Thus, it is really important to keep track of our budget and our monthly spending and know what are we really spending on.
Tip #6: Start Cooking
Time to pick up on a new hobby -- an essential skill maybe? Try cooking!
In Singapore, we are very blessed to have coffee shops and food places easily available for us that we have kind of lost touch on how to actually cook. Buy your own groceries and cook your own meals. Many dishes that are offered in restaurants at a heftier price can actually be easily cooked. Save that extra cash instead of ordering delivery in (especially at this time) and learn how to whip up a few dishes on your own now.
Tip #7: Make your own Coffee
We all know that the first cup of coffee is a crucial ingredient to actually start our day right! And since delivery apps are conveniently available, we might tempted to just order in a nice cup of Starbucks coffee which costs us now easily more than $10 a cup (due to the delivery fee and small order fee).
And of course to waive off as much of the small order fee, we will be tempted to order ourselves a breakfast as well -- why not! This easily increase our spending instead of saving on the small order fee. Hence, try making your own coffee and save cost now!
Tip #8: Overspending on Food Delivery
Food delivery apps are so convenient and many of our favorite restaurants are on there, ranging from breakfast to lunch to dinner to desserts, snacks and so many more! However, if it is really necessary, try to reduce on purchasing snacks as we do not need it, we just want it. Instead, spend on meals if you insist on ordering food delivery. Make your own snacks or grab some snacks from the supermarket for you to munch on.
Tip #9: Spend lesser time on Social Media
Social media can be a huge influence on our daily lives. Just by scrolling through Instagram and Facebook may seem harmless, however you may be tempted by certain advertisements or promotions that might tempt you into getting things that you may not even need.
Tip #10: Spend Quality Time with Your Family
Yes, we are all human and human needs to interact with other humans. We know that it is very important to catch up with your friends electronically during this circuit breaker period. However, how many of us actually spend time talking to our family members instead of of using your electronic devices. Now is the perfect time to actually talk to your family and spend time with them. Put your electronic devices away and spend some quality time with your family members.