Money-saving tips for Aussie remote workers

With most Aussies working from home at various times last year, workplaces have become more flexible than ever. Maybe you’re still remote-working because of the pandemic; you’ve negotiated remote-working with your employer, or you’ve just said no to office life and yes to working in your PJs. Working from home comes with many benefits, but also unique challenges and some of these can be financial. Here are our top tips for saving money as a remote worker, courtesy of Econnex.

Econnex is a 100% free, user-friendly energy comparison tool that’s helped thousands of Australians to find their best deal on gas & electricity. With 20+ major gas & electricity retailers on board, you can find top plans at a glance, with dollar-value quotes; and with the main contract conditions highlighted, you can gauge whether the contract offer is a good fit for you. They’ll also help you process the transaction - too easy!

With no further ado, here are Econnex’s favorite tips to save $$$ working from home.

Just say no to barista coffee

Been working in an office with free coffee? Used to getting coffee with your workmates? Switching to at-home instant is depressing. It’s tempting to head to your local cafe every morning, but daily barista coffees really add up. In fact, to about $1k a year, if you drink $4 coffees every morning. Two coffees a day? About $2k.

That isn’t to say you should drink muddy, murky $1 coffees from the convenience store. You can get a home coffee machine at affordable prices; if you’re going secondhand, try to get one that’s still under warranty. YouTube has plenty of great videos for learning how to use a coffee machine at home. If you’re looking for something easy, cheap, and delicious, you can get a good taste at good value-for-money with coffee pods and a trusty milk frother.

It’s your home, your sanctuary, and your office. You deserve tasty coffee without breaking the bank.

Get those tax breaks

Working from home comes with additional overheads that usually your boss would need to deal with, not you. Power, gas, phone, internet, depreciation on equipment and furniture, and so on. There are also the costs of buying new equipment to use at home (like that ergonomic office chair). Check out the ATO’s guide to deductions you can claim, and talk to your accountant for advice.

Solar Power

If you own your own home, solar power is a no-brainer. For an initial upfront investment, you can save hundreds per year on your power bill. What’s more, now that you’re at home now, you’re making the most of those sunny daylight hours. Choice Magazine reports that depending on where you live, your system will pay back in between 2 to 6 years; check out their solar payback map for more details. After that, you can expect hundreds per year in profit, while helping the planet to boot.

Energy Comparison

This is where Econnex proudly comes in. Quick rundown: the Aussie energy market was described as uncompetitive and unaffordable by the ACCC in 2018. There have been big policy changes since then. The market’s starting to respond, but there’s still a huge difference between the most affordable plans and the most expensive. (According to the Australian Energy Market Commission, up to $760.)

Now that you’re working from home, you may have found your bills have skyrocketed. This is particularly the case if you’re on a Time of Use plan. Up till now, you probably spent the hotter hours of summer in a nice cool air-conditioned office. Now you’re home, and you need to stay cool; so you’re using more on-peak power than ever before. Time of Use plans doesn’t necessarily work well for people who are at home during the day. So it’s most likely worth switching to a flat-rate tariff.

But now that you’re using more power, it’s more important than ever to get your best deal. That’s where Econnex’s energy comparison tool comes in. 5 minutes of your time, a few easy questions and you can find a market offer that suits your gas & electricity usage, and your lifestyle.

Want more info? Head to econnex.com.au, where you’ve got the power ⚡