4 Ways to Save Money This Winter
With extra heating costs, for many of us winter is a more expensive time of year. If you’re trying to save money for a house deposit, or to be able to travel when the world opens up, then chances are you’re trying to figure out smart ways to save money. There are some small and some bigger changes you can make to help yourself save money and to ensure you’re in a better financial position at the end of winter.
1. Cook in Batches
Winter time is the perfect time for hearty meals like soups, curries and stews. Not only are these types of meals delicious, but they’re a wonderful thing to make in batches and freeze. You’ll save time because you simply have to defrost and heat up things, but it’s also a great way to save money. When cooking stews and soups, due to the slow and long cooking time, you can even buy cheaper cuts of meat and they’ll turn out fabulous. If you have a slow cooker, you can even freeze all the ingredients for a recipe, and then defrost and pop it in the slow cooker in the morning. If you do a big batch of freezer bags at once, you can buy items in bulk to save even more money! If you’re single and living alone, why not adjust things so you’re freezing enough for 1-2 servings and you can take the leftovers to work.
2. Make Coffee at Home
If you’ve got a 1 to 2 lattes a day habit, you may be surprised by how much this adds up to each week or month. When you multiply this over the course of a year, or even a few years, you might be surprised by how much you’re spending. Depending on your financial situation, this may be totally worth it to you, or you might feel a little sick thinking about how much travel you could do instead. One of the best ways to almost effortlessly find yourself with more money each month is to start making coffee at home and only going out for coffee a couple of times a week or a month. You can make this a fun process and get quite serious about how you prepare your coffee at home, mastering a style that you truly love. Investing in a rancilio silvia espresso machine can ensure that you can make cafe quality coffee at home for a fraction of the price.
3. Downsize Your Home
If you’re renting, downsizing can be a great way to cut costs. Whether your kids have moved out of home, or you realize you just don’t need tons of space, you can find a rental property that is smaller and cheaper. Or maybe you’d actually like a bigger home, but you’re prepared to move a little further out of town to get a better price for your rental. Housing costs tend to be the largest expense most of us have, so finding creative ways to minimize them can make a big difference to your overall finances. Check out orlando movers for help with the moving process.
4. Watch Your Heating Bill
This can be something that creeps up on you and it can be very expensive depending on where you live. You might want to explore other heating options, such as buying better blankets, using hot water bottles, or even installing a fireplace to reduce your heating costs. If you’d like to learn more about heating related changes you can make to save money, click here for some inspiration. Due to the increased load on the electrical system during the winter months, not only do people use more power, but the price per unit of power increases too, which can make your heating bill considerably more expensive.
Hopefully these tips help you to save some money this winter so you can move forward with your travel plans or other financial goals.
