Sunday, March 07, 2021

Lockdown homeworkers make major savings on commute

Ending the needless commute has saved people in Britain around £125 a week, according to figures from  MoneySuperMarket. These suggest that those who started working in garden offices and elsewhere around their home - around a third of the workforce - have saved around £1,400 since the March 2020 lockdown.

It forecasts a further £380 saving over March, April and May and estimates that switching to working two days a week under new flexible working conditions would add a further £48 per month or £576 per year. The study also suggests that not buying lunch at work every day could add another £40 of savings to that total. Around two-thirds of workers believe they will not go back to office work every day of the week.

Some of this is offset by higher energy bills (around £50 a month) and extra broadband costs (£25 a month more on average) but it's still a win overall for homeworking.

Commute figures vary naturally according to location - those in London and Oxford have saved more like £164 every month or £1,804 over the year, and look to save nearly £500 more by June. Chelmsford's figure is £1,750, Southampton's £1,530.

“While working from home comes with its own pressures, many office workers have enjoyed substantial reductions in their monthly commuting costs and on associated spending like lunch," commented Emma Harvey from MoneySupermarket. "As businesses re-open over the spring and summer, the next few months represents a great opportunity to take advantage of those savings. For those of us moving to flexible working post lockdown, further savings will also be possible."

Image courtesy Arctic Cabins

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1 comment:

  1. Travel costs were quite significant part of my out-goings when I worked in London. But also mortgage costs. Moving further out meant we paid less for our new house and got a bigger house and of course a garden big enough for a shed.

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