Catie Moore
Living in Florida is brilliant. There are sandy beaches to explore, great weather, and a ton of world-class attractions to visit. Living here does come with its unique downsides though, like not being able to jump into open water without fearing gators and of course, the interminable “Florida Man” jokes.
There are downsides too that aren’t just unique to Florida itself, like the cost-of-living crisis that is being felt not only across the country but the whole world too. Whilst we can’t change the price of gas or reduce your utility bills, we can help soften the financial blow somewhat by sharing some practical and easily applied money-saving tips.
Read on to find out what they are.
Cutting Gas Bills
Carpooling is a great way to cut down on your gas costs. If you and your colleague were to alternate driving duties to work every day you’d both cut your fuel bills in half. If that’s not practical there are other things you can do.
Once you’ve finished reading this article, go out to your car, open the trunk, and remove all of the unnecessary junk that you have been driving with over the past 12 months. You’d be surprised at how much you can take out and this will have a huge impact on your savings.
In a recent survey in the UK, two in five people admitted to never cleaning out the trunk of their cars and thus driving the same old junk to and from work every day with them. Whilst that mightn’t seem like a big deal, it could save you $5-10 a day which all adds up!
Shop Around and Haggle
House insurance premiums are going through the roof and it’s the same for cars too. If you rest on your laurels and just automatically agree to every renewal that the insurance company sends you, you’re hemorrhaging money.
The insurance industry is one example of an industry that has completely taken advantage of COVID-19, the Ukraine war, and the cost-of-living crisis. Premiums across the board aren’t just doubling, they are trebling, but you don’t have to stand for that.
Every time your renewal is up, shop around and make a list of the prices you are offered. Then when your auto-renewal comes through, pick up the phone and give your provider hell. Ask them why they’re twice the price of their competitors. Threaten to leave and all of a sudden you’ll find yourself offered a vastly, vastly discounted price.
Entertainment and Leisure on a Budget
The first thing that comes to mind when you’re thinking of saving money is cutting back on ‘unnecessary activities’. But are entertainment and leisure activities unnecessary? Without socializing and enjoying yourself once in a while, what’s the point in working so hard and saving money?
Fortunately, to get a little bit of extra cash into your pocket you don’t need to cut back altogether on the things you enjoy, you just need to think a little bit more smartly about your leisure activities, highlighting areas that you can save on.
If you’re a fan of gaming, shop around for discounts or play some of the most popular free games. Freemium games will enable you to play for free while featuring in-game purchases. If online casinos are your thing, take advantage of the welcome offers, a casino may provide bonus codes for new players so you can get all of the enjoyment for a fraction of the risk. If you love going to the movies, find out when your local cinema has discounted days and keep an eye out for 2-for-1 offers. If eating out is your thing, join a loyalty scheme, search online for vouchers and coupons, or order takeout and have an impromptu picnic.
In short, don’t cut out your entertainment and leisure activities altogether. Streamline them.
Streamline Utility Costs
Timers. Timers. Timers. We can’t say that enough. The average Floridian is wasting an absolute fortune every year on air conditioning. It doesn’t need to be on all day and all night, it just needs to be on when the temperature reaches a certain level.
Beat the heat through getting yourself a thermostat-linked timer that only triggers your AC to come on above a certain temperature and turns it off when the temperature has been reduced to a level of your choosing.
Get a smart timer for your lights, for your water, for everything. Timers eliminate human error and will allow you to wipe off a significant chunk of your annual utility bill costs.
Final Tip
The tips given above are all practical and easy to implement. In closing, though we will leave you with one final tip that is slightly harder to put into place that could save you a fortune – The 28 Day Rule.
Feel like buying a new T-shirt? How about getting yourself a nice new pair of sunglasses? Whatever it is that you feel like buying today, write it down on the notes app on your phone and set a reminder for 28 days to reevaluate if you still want it then.
There might be things that stand the test of time, but the majority won’t. So if you do this, you’ll cut down by around 80% the spending that you’re making on impulse buys, which if you are anything like we were, will be a lot!
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