When you’re popping in for a short visit or if you’re doing a bit of business just for a little while, those cities which are shown to be generally more expensive than others don’t really have too much of an effect on your pocket. The seemingly escalated costs of just about everything in these cities like Birmingham and London only make for something to take note of and it’s nothing more than an interesting observation really. I mean you’d perhaps only be eating out once in a while, if at all, so that little bit extra that you’ll have to pay won’t really make a lasting impact.
If you enter such cities on a daily basis to do business or indeed if you’re moving to the likes of Birmingham, coming from a generally cheaper city, those tiny little extra costs for just about everything can add up very quickly. They burn a big hole in your overall budget in a rather subtle manner that can be hard to pin-point so you definitely have to be prepared from the on-set as it can be very easy to fall into a cycle of what are otherwise your regular spending habits working out to your financial detriment.
Locate Strategically Based Supply-Chain Sources
This applies whether you’re operating a business or if you’re just going about getting personal supplies. In a higher-cost city like Birmingham, the most popular places which would perhaps be located more towards the centre of the city will likely be more expensive than those on the outskirts, so it’s perhaps better to source your business or personal supplies from those outlets located closer to the outskirts of the city. To bring it down to a relatable level, if say you work on the outskirts of the city, you’d perhaps be best served completing as much of your weekly grocery shopping as you can as soon as you knock off so that you get your goods a little cheaper on the same trip you’d otherwise be taking in any case, as you’d be coming from work.
For business purposes (applies to personal use as well), you also have to think strategically about business decisions such as hiring a van. You can perhaps hire a van in Birmingham from just about any location, but that is part of what adds to the total cost. The trick to it resides in how you go about that process, such as perhaps going directly to a motor hire company as opposed to going through one of those end-user service providers who provide moving services with a driver, mover and the works. These would most likely provide their services at marked up prices to factor-in their own profits and you can usually spot them by a fleet of branded vehicles. So go straight to the source and you’ll save big on costs.
Efficiency is Key
If ever there was a time to apply your skills of seeking to do things as efficiently as possible, it’s when you move to an expensive city. It is quite a skill and somewhat of a full-time job, but investing in it will be worth your while as it will shave off all those costs which are otherwise quite unnecessary if you pay closer attention to them. Are all the features you have in the vehicle you use really necessary, for example? Do you need an engine as big as the one your car currently has (which means higher fuel consumption) if you’re always going to be stuck in traffic?
Do you perhaps need a bigger vehicle or one which can double up for commercial use? Use vehicle reviewing authorities as part of the consideration for choosing the type of van to hire for instance as certain specs play a big role in what the final costs will be, such as the vehicle’s fuel economy and its payload capacity. The same goes for if you are going to be managing a fleet of vehicles for business purposes. Choosing the right vehicles as well as taking fuel efficiency, drive time, and other factors into consideration can help you save up on costs. Fleet fuel management solutions from companies such as Lytx (https://www.lytx.com/en-us/resources/articles/fleet-fuel-management-systems) could provide the data and metrics for review and improvement of vehicle fuel consumption.
If you practice this type of decision-making every chance you can get and incorporate better cost-related considerations into every last decision you have to take, you’ll realise that living in some of the more expensive cities doesn’t have to be a financial disadvantage.
Remember, things are only as expensive as the market allows them to be and getting full value for every pound you spend is something which can be enjoyed even by residents of more expensive places to live in.
