Winter is upon us, bringing with it the bitter cold that forces us to stay indoors for the rest of the season. It seems winter has come along with a tight budget as well. It’s pretty miserable all round. But don’t despair. We’re going to keep those gloominess levels as low as we can and here to help is 1Life who have a cool survival guide to a budget-tight winter!
1. Have some fun at home and you don’t have to spend a fortune
Have tablet (or smartphone) will game! Mobile games are relatively cheap (some even free!) and there are so many available. The options are limitless, plus you can also buy local and support South African gaming developers. So not only are you keeping busy and surviving winter on a budget but you’re also helping someone else put food in their belly. Winning all round right?
We can suggest A Day in the Woods, locally developed and it costs less than R70. Also, FUN!
2. Develop a taste for beer
We don’t literally mean beer. There’s that saying, “You have champagne taste, but a beer budget.” Well, the time has come to let go of your champagne tastes. There are plenty of perfectly delicious options at the beer end of the spectrum.
When you’re planning to go out and eat use Zomato’s “budget” collection to find a great restaurant that won’t cost a fortune. You should also consider downloading some free apps that provide you with discounts and savings, like Voucher Cloud. Extreme Couponing is not only for Americans.
3. Save electricity
Yes, we know this sucks, especially with all the load shedding happening these days. But receiving the electric bill lately hasn’t been fun at all. Tariffs have increased this year and during winter the electricity bill is generally more expensive. So, being on a budget, you might want to reduce power usage and have things like your geyser on a power-saving mode.
Alternatively for less than R200 each you can buy these energy saving gadgets from Sustainable.co.za – the Small Hot Eco Bag cooks food via trapped heat so it reduces the time you cook on the stove by two thirds. That reduces your electricity bill.
There’s also the LED Pop Up Lantern which is a great substitute for a bedside light. It is off the grid and offers up around 20 000 hours of LED light. It also only costs R108. Bonus!
This post is sponsored by 1Life Insurance to educate on you on common South African financial strategies. Visit them to get reliable information on life insurance online and get a quote for Life Cover online.
