The world was placed in a strange limbo in 2020 with businesses and employees having to make the shift to working from home. After months of getting comfortable working from our dining room tables in “loungewear” and cooking ourselves gourmet breakfasts, most of us have had the rude awakening that returning to office life means getting into routine and back into budget mode. We're here to help with some tips and motivation to get back into office life – while saving you some dollars.

Meal prep

While this may be obvious, we can't stress it enough: make the most out of your moods of motivation. You know, the ones that strike randomly where you clean the entire house in the blink of an eye? Sit down and plan all your lunches for the week (or more if you can) and leave room for one day of treating yourself to a lunch out with your co-workers. If you can, make your coffee at home and wake up a little earlier to have your breakfast at home too. Saving $20+ a week adds up in the long run!

Versatile workwear

If only we could wear our beloved UGG boots and trackies to the office but alas, this is a thing of the past. It's easy to go down the rabbit hole of buying unnecessary new clothes and justifying it because you can wear it to the office. While we need to have clothes to wear to work, approach your workwear shopping by looking for items you can dress up or down, outside of the office. Shop by outfit, not by item.

Work makeup v Weekend makeup

If you wear makeup to work, use a separate stash of products that aren't as expensive as your weekend or special occasion items. Wearing makeup to work every day adds up and you'll go through it much faster. Your bank account will thank you if you're spending $30 instead of $80 on a new foundation every 3 months!

Hitch a ride

Transport is a cost we can't seem to shake and can be a major hit to the bank account. Where possible, carpool with your co-workers who might live nearby and take it in turns to drive in. Alternatively, public transport might be a cheaper option for you. Do some research and find out what's cheaper and you'll notice a difference in the long run!