As the country starts to emerge from the latest lockdown, digital marketing agency, AccuraCast, has released findings into how much consumers could have saved during almost 12 months in lockdown, and for the majority, working from home. On the back of a recent YouGov survey which shows that some 32 per cent of Britons have managed to grow their savings during the pandemic, AccuraCast has worked out how much the average person could have saved.
Without offices to commute to, morning coffees to buy, no work clothes to shell out for, or holidays to book, AccuraCast has estimated the average person could have saved as much as £19,372. The costs include (average per person):
- Average cost of commute per year £1738
- Cost of a daily cup of coffee per year - £7201
- Cost of daily lunch at work per year - £12002
- Annual cost of gym membership - £480
- Annual cost of cost of childcare - £9594
- Mobile phone data per year - £60
- Average eating out annual costs - £10403
- Average going out annual costs - £840
- Average costs of spending on clothes - £1200
- Average annual cost of holidays - £2500
Farhad Divecha, founder and managing director, AccuraCast, said: “It is astounding to think how much could be saved over the course of the last 12 months, when most people have been working from home and been in lockdown for the majority of it. Little things like the daily commute, a daily cup of coffee or buying lunch can soon add up, and working from home will have meant a saving in these areas.
“Obviously not everyone will have been able to work from home, or take advantage of these savings, but this is just an idea of what areas people could save money on. These figures also don’t take into account where people may have needed to pay out more – for example, extra utility bills, extra food bills and even swapping work wear costs for lounge wear costs.”
1 £3 x 5 days x 48 weeks
2 £5 x 5 days x 48 weeks
3 £10 per meal x twice a week x 52