The New Normal Benefits Your Bank Balance.

A new year has dawned and even though most of us promised ourselves we weren’t going to claim it as our year, or make any big declarations, but simply walk in quietly without touching anything, 2021 is still not being quite as accommodating as we were hoping it was going to be.

However, everything is not fire and brimstone either. If you take the time to get acquainted with the New Normal from a different perspective, there are actually quite a few advantages to the whole thing. Take working from home, for instance. Did you realise that you are saving a fair amount of money by doing so?

Here are a few ways in which working from home saves you valuable Randellas:

Commuting expenses

Whether you were taking public transport or getting to work on your own steam, not having to go into the office is one of the most obvious ways in which you save money. By doing your thing from the relative comfort of your own couch, home office or kitchen table, you’re saving on fuel, as well as wear and tear on your vehicle in the long run. Not to mention parking fees, of course!

Lunch expenses

Okay, so this depends a lot on who you are and how you conduct yourself around lunchtime, but if you are able to steer clear of temptations like Uber Eats, working from home can save you quite a bit of lunch money. Since you’re no longer strolling around town over your lunch hour, or meeting up with friends to have coffee, etc. these little expenses aren’t adding up anymore.

Workwear expenses

No matter how chill your office vibe is, when you’re meeting with clients or representing your business in any way, you have to be presentable. As such, most office workers spend at least a few thousand rand on new workwear annually. This is likely to be far less now that most meetings are conducted via Zoom, which technically only requires a clean shirt.

In short – the new normal is actually not all bad. Now is the time to lean into it, pivot as best you can and make the most of the slight silver linings there are. If you want to get some professional advice on adapting your budget to be recession-proof, feel free to reach out to a member of the Experity team to find out more about our financial services.