While many people around the world are coming out of lockdown, many more are hedging their bets and staying in as much as possible. So, the age-old advice won’t work. Skipping your morning latte and bringing a bagged lunch to work doesn’t make sense when you’re unemployed or working from home.

But does this mean you can’t find any savings in your budget? Not at all. You’ll just have to be a bit more creative.

Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Say No to Online Shopping

All of us are spending more time online than ever before, which means we’re exposed to online ads more often than ever. With one click of your mouse, you can follow these suggestions and fill your cart — and spend more money than you plan.  

Shopping while bored is a bad habit to get into, especially if you shop so much you max out cards and need to dip into your savings to cover these bills.

Using your emergency savings here may leave you vulnerable to genuine emergencies, like taking in a stalling car to the mechanic or bringing your child to the clinic. How would you cover these bills if you don’t have savings?

In a pinch, an installment loan online may help you cover these unexpected emergency expenses. But online installment loan lenders like MoneyKey recommend you focus on building up your emergency fund after you repay your loan. That’s because the installment loans from MoneyKey are only a safety net when things go wrong, not a permanent solution to your overspending.   

In the meantime, here are some ways to resist overspending:

1. Log out of profiles with saved credit card information
2. Unsubscribe from sale alerts
3. Remove browser add-ons for your favorite stores and coupon services

2. Curate Your Streaming Experience

When binge-watching the latest series is one of your only forms of entertainment, it’s easy to collect several subscriptions.

The average streaming costs no more than $15 a month, which is next to nothing compared to how much TV you might watch. But if you have several accounts, this negligible cost may balloon into a costly habit.

Take a long hard look at the subscriptions you do have. Try to choose just one or two that offers the best content.

3. Use Less Electricity

Now that your whole family is home when they’re usually at work or school, you’ll naturally use more energy. But there’s a way to control your consumption.

• Seal drafts and other damages to weatherstripping: Your AC works hard to cool your home. Don’t let all that chilled air seep out into the neighborhood; seal up doors and windows for energy savings as big as 30%.
• Use appliances at off-peak hours: Waiting to run your dishwasher or washing machine until off-peak hours could cut your rates in half.
• Unplug and turn off your laptop or desktop computer: Computers allowed to idle use phantom power, wasting as much as $75 a year.

Although you may not be spending money out in the world like you did this time last year, there are still opportunities for you to save cash. These tips are just the start of a frugal lifestyle at home. Brainstorm with your family how you can cut your budget down in size.