5 ways to reduce your monthly household costs

Are your household costs starting to add up? It’s possible to save money every day by making a few changes to your lifestyle that might actually save you money and also improve your quality of life!

1. Energy use (Switch off those plugs)

Being energy smart can save you loads every year, simply by cutting down on the amount of energy used. You can do this by making simple changes such as washing laundry in cold water rather than warm, turning lights off when not in a room, turning down the temperature on your hot water system, dry your clothes outside or on a clothes rack rather than using a clothes drier, turn appliances off at the power point when not in use (appliances can account for 75% of energy used when switched off). You can also buy appliances that have a high Energy Star rating, keep your fridge full as the food will act as an insulator and so the fridge won’t have to work as hard to keep cold.

2. Technology (What’s really needed?)

Assess what you really need from your subscriptions such as Foxtel, phone and internet bills. If you can, bundle everything into one package with the one provider and you may find a reduction from paying bills separately. Particularly with a Foxtel subscription, you may be able to cut down on the extra channels that you do not watch or you are not interested in. Alternatively as it is coming into summer, without it at all you may find more time to get outside and do other activities such as walking and exercising.

3. Food and Beverages (Are you buying from markets, weekly shops or daily ready meals?)

There are many ways you can cut down on your grocery bill. Here are a few tips to reduce your weekly bill.

• Write a list and plan meals – plan what you are going to have for meals for the week and buy only what you need to make them. Also plan for lunches as well, cook extra and take leftovers, or plan to make up sandwiches or salads. You could spend just $10–$20 for the week rather than $50 buying your lunch every day, potentially saving you up to $2000 a year!
• Don’t shop on an empty stomach – you will buy more
• Grow your own veggies – plant a veggie patch and save money on the convenience of buying ready prepared.
• Make pizza at home – instead of ordering take away. This is not only cheaper; it’s also a great activity for kids to get involved in.
• Pay with cash – save on the interest of a credit card.

4. Entertainment (Summer time is coming – get outdoors)

Summer is coming, time to get outside! There are loads of ways you can save money by spending time outside. You could:

• Take the family on a bushwalk in a nearby National ParkSpend the day at the beach
• Organise a group of friends for a picnic in a park with some snacks and a frisbee
• Have a BBQ with friends and family, ask everyone to bring some bread, meat or salad.
• Buy a bike (if you don’t already own one) and go on a bike ride – you can save money in transport if you also ride your bike to work.

5. Transport (Walk & cycle more)

With the weather warming up, now is a great time to cycle or walk to work. There are many benefits including:

• Better health
• Less congestion on the roads
• Reduced infrastructure costs
• Less greenhouse gas emissions
• Saves the economy $21 every time someone rides 20 minutes to work and back again

As well as the above you could save by reviewing some of the services such as your gas and electricity or even your insurance policies. Comparing your insurance policies is easy with Choosi, you provide us with some basic details and we will give you the details on a range of policies, so that you can find the best deal for you!