More and more people are now working from home. It is the next big thing in business. Part of this rise in home-working is because more people are becoming self-employed, while another big chunk of percentages is thanks to forward-thinking to companies that have welcomed more flexible working conditions.
The reason people – including employers – are going down this route is that the benefits are indisputable. We’re not going to go into all of them right now, but we are going to go into one; saving money. Yea, with a little bit of clever planning, working from home can save you a nice wad of cash.
It’s Obvious, But Travel
It really doesn’t cost very much to walk from your bedroom to your kitchen, and then to your office, or wherever your quiet place to work is. In fact, the last time we checked it was free. Compare that with traveling to an office, and you are saving a small fortune on a monthly basis. Of course, even though you work from home, that doesn’t mean you won’t be leaving the house to attend client meetings. However, instead of buying a weekly, monthly or even annual travel pass, why not save a little bit extra by planning ahead. Look at your schedule and see how many time you will be traveling that week. More than four, buy a weekly pass. Less, then stick to pay-as-you-go.
Energy Efficiency Is Good
This is one of those areas where work-from-homer’s tend to spend a little bit more (unless you have a family, in which case no change). However, you can in fact save money here to. Little things like turning your gadgets off standby help, or getting little gadgets to monitor your use. Things like non contact level sensor for liquid can be used on anything from coffee-machines and water dispensers, and help limit your costs. Or a smart thermostat you can control from your phone and even select which rooms to warm up. On top of this, you may be surprised to hear that, depending on where you live, you can get portions of your rent back, phone bills, a heating allowance and even furniture. Just make sure you keep your receipts.
The Internet Is Incredible
Phone bills can be limited to your mobile phone, although we understand if you want to branch out from this to make your business look a little more professional. Don’t worry, though. Landlines have almost been made completely obsolete by the internet-age. That’s where using something like Skype, or even getting a VOiP system, can save you a small fortune at the end of each month. Don’t feel like you are being unprofessional either because so many businesses and agencies use these services too. Why wouldn’t they. Anything to save money makes sense, especially if it’s avoidable things like phone bills.
Sustenance Savings
The food bill skyrockets when you are working in an office. You forget to pack a lunch and then end up getting an over priced falafel salad from the food truck that swings by your place of work, or you head to the same cafe each day, or you get that $4 meal deal, which adds up to $80 a month, which is the same as your cable package. Not only that but you probably pop out to get a Starbucks at some point. Well, these expenses drop drastically when you work from home. Sure, you may be tempted to pop out for a Starbucks ever so often, but getting a Nespresso machine is a simple fix; better coffee for one-fifth of the price.
Clothing Costs Add Up
The less time you spend in a formal office, the fewer times you have to jump into your professional wardrobe. You can just wear that polo shirt from yesterday again and the same pair of jeans. If you think we are scraping the barrel dry with this one, then what if we told you that the average office worker bee spends between $600 and $1050 a year on laundry and dry-cleaning. People go on holidays that cost less than that. Not only this, but you will have less need to splurge on updating your working wardrobe.
There are so many things you can save money on when working from home, and even the obvious things tend to have another layer that can be peeled back to uncover another set of savings. All it takes is a few adjustments here and there, all of which are relatively easy to do, especially between projects or tasks. It’s just about being a little smart with it all.
