Tinned food might save you money even after the Coronavirus lockdown. Lifestyle. Money

Seven money-saving habits you might want to continue after lockdown

Marc Astley
Authored by Marc Astley
Posted: Saturday, April 4, 2020 - 19:07

Much has been said about the perils of being stuck in the house 24/7, like family pets interrupting your important conference calls, your partner leaving their dirty dishes everywhere and the lack of respite from the kids.

And while all of these are valid concerns, one silver lining to the situation is how much money you save when you’re living in lockdown (if you’re lucky enough for your earning potential to remain unchanged).

If you’ve recently checked out your bank balance and been surprised at how little you’ve spent, it might be time to evaluate your pre-pandemic spending.

Here are a few money-saving habits that you could continue to utilise, long after we’ve come out of lockdown.

1. Eating tinned and frozen foods

Many of us are in the habit of grabbing our produce from the fresh aisles, as they’re generally the first thing you see when you enter a supermarket. The problem is, sometimes they sit in your fridge for a few days and then go bad before you’ve had a chance to finish them.

Tinned fruits and vegetables are usually cheaper than their fresh counterparts and can last for years in your cupboard unopened, meaning you won’t be tempted to order a takeaway when there’s ‘nothing in’. Plus, frozen veggies are often even better for you than fresh because they’re frozen at source, meaning they retain more nutrients.

2. Making your coffee at home

Grabbing a takeaway coffee on the way to work used to feel like a necessity to a lot of people, but those grab-and-go flat whites can easily add up over the year.

If you’ve had to resort to using the Nespresso machine, or brewing you own coffee with a cafetiere, you’re probably noticing how much you’re saving, even just in a few short weeks. Plus, you’re now used to the taste – so there’s no need to go back to buying fancy coffee all the time.

3. Planning and cooking all your meals from scratch

Limiting your trips to the supermarket, or buying two week’s worth of food online, means you have to plan ahead. Gone are the days of making daily stops to the local greengrocers if you don’t like the look of what’s in your fridge.

Lockdown has made many of us more resourceful and less wasteful with the food we cook, which means you aren’t spending money on groceries that you don’t eat. Plus, it’s better for the planet too, so everyone’s a winner.

4. Wearing what’s in your wardrobe

With shops closed and nowhere to go, there’s no temptation to go on a payday splurge and treat yourself to a bunch of new outfits. In fact, with everything that’s going on right now, all those meltdowns over having ‘nothing to wear’ seem incredibly insignificant.

Now’s the time to finally making use of all the clothes you already own and appreciate each item for what it’s worth.

5. Doing your workouts at home

Let’s face it, freezing your gym subscription is a massive money saver, and it doesn’t mean you have to be unhealthy either.

Plenty of us are realising that a garden workout can be just as effective as going to the gym, and with so many studios and personal trainers sharing free content on the internet, there’s absolutely no need to feel like you’re missing out.

6. Making the most of your subscriptions

With cinemas closed for the foreseeable future, many of us are making the most of our subscription services by streaming all the movies we’re still yet to watch.

While we’re not saying you should never enjoy an evening out again, you might be more inclined to swap the expensive cinema and restaurant dates for a cosy and cheap evening in, in the future.

7. Doing your own beauty treatments

A haircut here, a manicure there – beauty treatments can really add up over the months and lockdown has proved that it’s easy enough to take matters into your own hands, with a bit of resourcefulness.

Whether it’s trimming your own fringe, touching up your roots or giving home waxing a go, practising all of these skills now means you could save heaps of money in the future. We suggest following a professional’s YouTube tutorial so you avoid any painful or embarrassing results.

PICTURE: Getty Images/iStockphoto


 

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