3 Ways in Which You Can Fight Inflation as a Work-from-Home Mom
If there is one thing everyone knows about inflation is that wages do not keep up with it. Since we are now living in times when inflation has reached record highs it is important to make some financial decisions and adjustments to help cope with rising prices for our essential expenses.
For a work-from-home mom, this can be even more challenging however there are a few solutions that you can implement to ease some of the impact of inflation.
1. Tweak Your Shopping Habits
We all have our favorite brands and things that we buy frequently. It is OK to be loyal to a brand but as everything is now more expensive, a good practice would be to look at cheaper alternatives. For example, you can replace your regular detergent with a more affordable brand.
Sometimes, getting private-label products can help you save money. Keep in mind that despite popular belief, the vast majority of products made under private-label can be just as good as regular retailer brands.
Also, when it comes to grocery shopping, you need to be as mindful as possible. Try to limit your spending on perishable foods. Food that is thrown is thrown away as money. You can save a lot of cash on groceries by being mindful and throwing less food.
You can apply the same reasoning when shopping for clothing or electronics. Look at cheaper alternatives but do your due diligence before spending money. Make sure that you get decent products that are worth spending your hard earned money on.
2. Tweak Your Utility Bills and Fuel Consumption
Energy has seen the biggest hike in prices. This includes natural gas, electricity, and fuel.
The biggest savings you can make are on your utility bills. Try to use energy-efficient light bulbs, set your computer to enter sleep mode after 5 minutes of inactivity, and do the laundry when energy is cheaper.
Another option that you have in terms of energy saving is to make sure that your house is not leaking heat. You may need some expert opinion to check and provide some suggestions. You may need to make some investments to ensure that your house is properly insulated and that you do not have any leaks.
If you can afford to spend a bit to make your home more energy efficient, you will recuperate that money by having smaller energy bills.
Lastly, make sure you use the car only when you need to. For example, when you go grocery shopping, make sure you get everything you need for the week to avoid having to drive to the store unnecessarily.
3. Swap Mobile Carriers
It may be surprising but mobile subscriptions are fairly cheap in most parts of the world. However, certain regions may have very expensive mobile services. You can save a lot of money by switching to a prepaid plan or getting a contract with a smaller carrier. They are often called MVNOs. Even if they are smaller mobile carriers, their services are just as good.
If you want to battle inflation, this is a good start and a solid means of saving money.