5 ways to reduce everyday bills
It’s not uncommon to get to the end of the month and be surprised by a figure in your bills. But this surprise needn’t be unpleasant. There is wide a range of simple measures you can employ to reduce your monthly bills without too much effort. Follow these five simple tips and save money.
1. Food and groceries
Food can be a problem area in the average Australian’s budget, either because we’re physically eating too much, eating out too much or spending too much money on groceries. But that doesn’t mean you have to transition to a Spartan diet. Here’s how you can save on your grocery bill:
- Reduce the amount of times you’re eating out or getting takeout a week
- Use a shopping list and coupons, pay for groceries (this means you’re less likely to splurge on items that you don’t need) and buy more non-perishable foods to store and save
- Consider starting a garden and grow your own fruit and veggies
2. Energy
Many people have found their energy bills have been increasingly steady over the past through years, but this doesn’t mean you have to be part of that trend. With a little bit of ingenuity and not a lot of fuss you can make your house energy efficient and enjoy huge power bill savings:
- Switch to energy-efficient light bulbs. In many cases these bulbs do cost more than traditional bulbs, but they use much less energy and can last up to 10 times longer
- Unplug unused electrical devices that are draining electricity
- Make sure you home is airtight to prevent cold drafts in winter and the loss of cool air in summer. This will also reduce your heating/cooling bills accordingly
3. Cars
As fuel, registration and maintenance costs start to pile up, a car can seem less like a convenience and more like a money pit rolling around on four wheels. That being said, there is a range of ways you can enjoy the access vehicle ownerships provides, without having to pay through your nose:
- Underinflated tyres reduces the value of your cars fuel economy significantly, so make sure you take a couple of minutes to check the air pressure and reinflate once a month
- Consider selling a vehicle if you’re not using it often. Without taking the cost of parking and toll roads into account driving vehicles costs thousands of dollars a year
- Use more public transport and consider setting up car pools with friends/colleagues
4. Grooming and beauty
Looking and feeling great is important, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be a hugely expensive ordeal. With a little bit of ingenuity, creativity and willingness to not spend $10,000 on that jewel encrusted headdress you can still be the belle/male-belle of the ball without breaking the bank:
- Reduce the amount of money you spend on clothing by keeping your eye on sales
- Consider lower cost alternatives to your favourite beauty products
- Cut back on the amount of times you have your hair cut and styled
5. Additional entertainment expenses
Your deluxe gym membership might give you access to the power lifting body attack class, but are you really getting the full value for it and the other regular entertainment expenses you’ve signed up for? There are still ways to stay entertained without having to break the bank every week.
- Consider cancelling club memberships for places you don’t visit often
- Investigate free events and inexpensive entertainment ideas like cheap movies Tuesdays
- Magazine and newspaper subscriptions can also become expensive if you’re not actually reading the papers, as well as pay television services that can be easily eliminated