Excel spreadsheets, mobile apps, and bank statements are what most would consider as tools for “building a budget”. And it’s true that they are useful in structuring a budget for either your household or your business. However, if you are really serious about living within your means and sticking to that aforementioned budget, there are changes in your home that you should consider, and you might need a hammer for some of them.
Lower Your Utilities
Household utilities take up an average of 5% of an American’s monthly budget. With the progress we have made with technology, there are now a range of options on the market that can help you lower this percentage, especially when paired with lifestyle changes, like being conscious of the length of showers or leaving the lights on after leaving the room. Evaluate where you could invest into your home in order to see a return, looking at the quality of insulation, the condition of your windows, the energy-efficiency of your appliances, and even the kind of lightbulbs you have screwed in.
Build a Pantry
When shopping, either for groceries or other household supplies, you will have noticed that buying things on sale can lead to big savings! However, often we cannot take full advantage of these opportunities because we have no place to store more than one bottle of ketchup or more than a pack or two of toilet paper. If you want to be able to score these awesome deals and significantly cut your budget by being able to shop in your own pantry when things run out, it’s time to call an industrial shelving supplier for warehouses, retail stores & more. They will be able to provide you with a plethora of choices that can be personalized to suit your needs. Now you can transform that empty space in your garage or basement into your own personal shopping aisle.
TIP: Always remember to check expiry dates when purchasing in bulk. You don’t want to end up throwing a lot of it away due to the fact that it is unsafe to use.
Minimize Those Closets
This might sound a little odd, but by transforming your closets to perform a secondary function, or physically making them smaller, can actually curb habits like hording. When you have a lot of space in your closet or dresser, you are more likely to look for opportunities to fill it than if it was already jam-packed. Search online for interesting ways to turn closet space into a micro-office, nursery, or playroom rather than a place to hoard more stuff. A word of warning, before you go getting rid of your closets to the point of no return, consider the resale value of your home. People like closets, so you might just want to make these temporary low-cost transformations that you can always switch back before attempting to sell.
Building a strong budget is a lot of calculating, evaluating, analyzing and tweaking. However, as always, the hardest part is sticking to it. When you change your finances, you should also adjust your lifestyle, which envelops where and how you live. It’s worth making a few physical changes to your home if they will assist you in attaining your financial goals, even if some of them have an upfront cost that will take some time to pay off. The suggestions that we gave in retrofitting your house, building storage space for sales items, while minimizing your clothing closets, are changes which all differ in their return on investment and how long it takes to see it. However, it’s worth remembering that budget planning is done with a long-term vision in mind, and changes like this will ease the financial burden in future months and years.