Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash

Life is expensive. We’re not denying that. But living in Melbourne could be much cheaper than you’re currently experiencing. Don’t believe us? Did you know you use most of your home’s water in the shower, as much as 34%? Now, how sure are you that you’re doing all you can to prevent water wastage in that area?

With that as only one of the many waste scenarios in average Melbourne homes, imagine how much you can do to save a few dollars each month. And getting it right may be easy. Perhaps you just need a plumber Melbourne homeowners can ask for advice, or there could be DIY tasks that will help you manage your budget better.

Here are the top four money saving tips you should implement as soon as you can.

Get More in Insulation

One of the biggest culprits when it comes to expenses is lack of insulation.

In summer, your home may feel so hot that you’re blasting the air conditioning or switching on the fan often during the day. In winter, with wet and cold conditions you want heat again, so once again the HVAC or heater will be working hard. All of this drives up your utility costs.

One of the ways you can manage this better and keep temperatures stable is with insulation. You can upgrade your attic with more effective insulation or simply get curtains that block unnecessary heat transference. Also prevent cold air from seeping in during winter by checking your entire home for gaps:

• Cracks between floorboards
• Windows with small chips or a gap between the frame and the moving section of a window
• Areas where cracks appear between bricks

Fill these up and you’ll see the difference in temperature.

It’s also smart to wrap plumbing pipes with some insulation. You can DIY or ask plumbers for expert advice. This will prevent unnecessary expenses on pipes that may crack from water freezing inside them.

Improve Your Maintenance Plan

Much of your home’s expenses are probably spent on upkeep, right? Now, how much of the costs over the past year could you have prevented if you practiced proper maintenance habits:

• Regularly check for pests so they don’t damage your structure, such as wooden beams.
• Do an audit of your plumbing infrastructure on a regular basis, so you notice problems before they escalate and require more expenses to fix:
  • Change in water pressure
  • Small leaks in pipes or valves
  • Water temperature not being maintained, which could mean a problem with your water heater

Another way maintenance can help save money is by ensuring low energy consumption. Service your appliances as suggested by manufacturers and they won’t draw as much power as old ones or items with faulty parts.

Smart Home Features and Modern Appliances are Smart Investments

You’ve probably heard of smart home features? You should know this is not simply a passing fad or gadgets that manufacturers are selling thanks to good marketing campaigns. These systems are helping many homeowners solve common challenges, and budget management is one of them.

Installing a smart thermostat is a good starting point. Here’s how it can help:

• Maintaining a more comfortable environment because you tell the device what temperatures you prefer. You won’t feel prompted to switch on a heater when coming in from the cold.
• Different desired temperatures can be set for different times of the day. Once again, no more turning up the HVAC thinking it will get you warmed up faster once the sun sets. The thermostat will manage it in a cost effective and sustainable way.
• To walk into a warm home after a day at the office, you don’t have to keep the air conditioning running all day. Knowing the usual time that you get home, your smart thermostat will increase the interior temperature a short while before you arrive. This way, you’re saving a lot of energy.

With this in place, you can save as much as 8% on run time in some homes.

Other smart home devices add to these savings by ensuring minimal use of power resources. For example, lights can switch off automatically when there’s no one using a room, or you can do it via a Smartphone if you realise you forgot to switch off.

This is luxury AND smart living.

Fix the Roof

Your roof impacts more of your property than you think. Keep it in top shape, such as cleaning gutters and replacing pipes or shingles. If you don’t, you risk mould inside your roof cavity, replacement expenses of rotting wood or needing to replace home content if moisture seeps in and ruins it.

In Conclusion

That’s not too difficult, is it? You can see you’re not at the mercy of your limited budget, your salary or high utility rates. You can start changing your expenses as early as today by making a few changes and learning new habits.

Also please share your other money saving tips with the community so we can all benefit from them.