Working from home is a great way to save money, but it can be tough to make the transition. Now that you’re considering going into business for yourself or just want to work from home for a while to see if this lifestyle works for you, here are 11 ways working from home can help save you money now!
There are many benefits to working from home, including the fact that working from home adds value to your life in the sense that it saves money, time, stress, and more. It’s an easy decision if you have a laptop and a job that can be done remotely. Read on below for ways working from home can save you money.
Commuting
The most obvious ways to save money by working from home is commuting. If you drive to your physical job, you’ll spend money on wear and tear of your car, gas, and car maintenance. If you live in a city that has plenty of public transportation, a way to save money is to sell your car. Another idea if you live in a city you save additional money by not having to pay for a monthly metro pass.
Clothes
By working from home, minimalism is something that can easily put into practice and save money in the process. Go through your closet on a regular basis and see what still fits and what you still like, and what you don’t. If you don’t like it then give it away or sell it. The truth is, in a physical work space we compare ourselves to other people and compete with them to impress by buying the latest new and trendy clothing. You can easily save $50-100 per month or even more by not buying new clothes.
How to Multitask and Work at Home
Food costs
When going to an office regularly, it’s only normal to pick up a snack or lunch on the way back home from work. It’s also easily tempting to grab lunch with co-workers or to put in a group order. So, not only will be saving money by not buying those “on the way” food items or temptations, you’ll also lose weight. Food costs can end up costing $80-100 per week and at the end of the month the money spent on food adds up. Here are some stay at home lunch ideas.
Childcare
Childcare is a huge expense when there are small children, especially if both parents are working physical jobs. In that case, paying for childcare is an important part of everyday life. So, by working from home that is money saved for a daycare or live-in nanny.
Gym costs
The problem with having a physical job is that there is limitation when it comes to time after work. Sometimes, you are so exhausted between working all day that and your commute that you can only dream of working out. Reality is more like rushing home to make dinner, help with homework, eat and go to bed. When working from hom you can set up your own home gym space and invest in exercise equipment and save on gym membership fees. I actually DO go to the gym, I take a lunch break and get out of the house but it is right down the road and only $10/month. I enjoy the break away from my house.
Cell phone data costs
Data costs can add up when you have a physical job. Sometimes there is a need to use your data for Google Maps, or during lunch break use data-sucking media services like YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. This isn’t a problem if you have an unlimited data plan. However, you can easily save $20 per month on data by not spending fees on data usage.
Get yourself a coffee machine
Another enormous expense we all have is that morning cup of coffee at work… some of us even have an afternoon one, and an evening one too! That’s between $3 to $5 per cup of coffee, which is over $100 per month. Even if some of us aren’t as avid coffee drinkers, we all find ourselves eventually walking to a local coffee shop to get a fix of freshly brewed coffee with our co-workers or friends. So, invest in a coffee machine to get a daily fix at home for a quarter of the cost.
Easy Chores to Do While Working at Home (During Your Shift)
Haircuts
When working remotely, you’ll save on money because co-workers won’t notice if you haven’t had a fresh haircut orif there are some dead ends. Especially since meetings are done through Zoom. Also, why not learn to cut your own hair at home, or if you live with someone you trust you can get them to help cut the hair. There are plenty of YouTube tutorials that can help get started.
Dogwalkers
In most suburbs and cities, its common to pay for a dog walker to take your pet for a walk while you’re at work. Or pay for doggy day care, either way, the costs begin to add up. If you’re working from home all day, and fit in dog walking into your own schedule, you’ll be saving money from what otherwise would have been spent on dog walking or doggy day care. You’ll also get to spend some quality time with your fur buddy while the both get exercise, making it a win-win situation.
Tax breaks
There are some benefits to working from a home office, like writing off components of your professional costs such as internet service, phone bill, and other office expenses. Make sure to speak with an accountant when it comes to writing off expenses when working from home and take all the office items that you’ve purchased into consideration when making these decisions.
Time
Time is money, and time is happiness. Working from home helps you have both happiness and a work-life balance. When working from home it saves you both money and time. It’s the time spent in the elevator on your way to the office, it’s the time spent looking for parking in the morning so that you can catch the train, it’s the time spent shopping for clothes that are appropriate and professional for work, it’s the time spent when commuting on the bus and more. The greatest thing about working remotely is that you gain back that unpaid time spent on the job, and can invest it in doing the things that you love. Whether that’s spending more time with your children, or staying fit, or working on a side-hustle.
Working from home can be one of the biggest money savers for your budget. If you’re looking to save some cash, consider working remotely and see how many ways it could help you! Here are 11 benefits that we hope will inspire you to take the plunge into a work-from-home career. Have any other ideas? Share them in the comments below or on our Facebook page!
Leave a Reply