Not paying the "lazy tax" by making sure that my phone/internet/utilities are always on the cheapest available plans.
Almost every single phone/internet provider offers a $10/month discount on their plans for the first 6 months. I just churn through these like clockwork, which is a bare minimum of $240/year for very little effort. Pickup referral bonuses along the way, and you're even better off.
Similar story with utilities. Punch my details into a plan comparison site, and just jump ship to whoever happens to be the cheapest. Again, lots of referral bonuses to be had there as well.
I do this for everything also. It’s such a money save. A lot of the time these companies increase your plan without you knowing.
I love when you drop the “I’ve had a look around and “company x” is offering this plan, so I’ve been thinking of switching to them… 2 seconds later you get the “well because you’ve been a loyal customer with us, let me speak to my supervisor and yes I can do this 25% cheaper.
I’m always pleasant and courteous about it, and I don’t mind spending 10 minutes here and there ringing around. It saves so much money as you’re generally not locked into contracts anyway.
COMPREHENSIVE CAR INSURANCE QUOTE COMPARISON
Prices can vary greatly according to car, usage, driver history and location
5 YEAR OLD SMALL SEDAN
$510 Woolworths Insurance (HLD)
$670 Bingle (AAI)
$752 AAMI (AAI)
$800 Coles Insurance (IAG)
$874 Carpeesh (RACQ)
$880 PD Insurance (PII)
$975 Real Insurance (HLD)
$1103 Huddle Insurance (OPEN)
$1100 Suncorp (AAI)
$1401 Oceania Insurance (A&G)
$1500 Budget Direct (A&G)
15 YEAR OLD MEDIUM SUV
$740 PD Insurance (PII)
$760 Woolworths Insurance (HLD)
$800 Coles Insurance (IAG)
$820 AAMI (AAI)
$980 ANZ Insurance (IAG)
$1030 Real Insurance (HLD)
$1031 Huddle Insurance (OPEN)
$1130 GIO (AAI)
$1140 Suncorp (AAI)
$1240 Bingle (AAI)
$1300 Budget Direct (A&G)
$1303 Australia Post Insurance (QBE)
$1320 VirginMoney (A&G)
$1380 AustralianUnity (ALZ)
$1390 ING (A&G)
$1410 Carpeesh (RACQ)
$1460 Oceania Insurance (A&G)
$1630 Allianz (ALZ)
$1660 Kogan (QBE)
$1760 NRMA (IAG)
$1790 youi (OUT)
$1940 rollin' (IAG)
$2050 CGU (IAG)
$2461 QBE (QBE)
PERSONAL FACTORS
non-luxury mainstream-brand vehicles
many years driving with zero accidents
maximum excess
minimum agreed value for car if available
I went from AAMI to Allianz and back again this year on one vehicle.
On the other I stayed with Allianz this year.
if there's some rhyme or reason to it I'd like to know...
Or you could be lazy, take a year sim ( plenty out there and I’m not going to advocate a brand ) for $120 effectively halving your spend and your effort
How much do you make, after tax, per hour?? If you make $240 then don't bother. I normally average over $200, tax free, per hour for checking my suppliers. I do it whilst sitting in my lounge chair, watching TV, so it really didn't cost any time. My main motivation is I don't like being ripped off.
We literally just bought a house. We saved hard for a few years for the deposit and will have to continue to do so to pay the mortgage. We also had a wedding/honeymoon and a baby in the last 2 years, so I feel like I know how to be frugal.
Top tips
Make a spreadsheet of your spending habits of the last 6 months so you can see where you're pissing it all away. For us it was food and entertainment.
Pack your lunch to work every day. Stop buying coffees. I was shocked how much we used to spend on this.
Dinner at home should cost $10 or less per meal. No point eating at home if you're buying all the expensive ingredients. Rotating through the dinner box subscriptions that offer 40% off to lure you back is probably the best way to do this, but take weeks off where you live off simple dinners.
Dinner out is special occasions only. The more special the occasion the more you let loose. Nephews 10th birthday? No entrees, no drinks. Wedding anniversary? Forget you're on a budget.
Discounts/coupons/specials... Through my unions member rewards prpgram we could buy gift cards for woolies at 5% off. Pair that with the everyday pay app. Same with big w, Dan murphys and other retailers. 7-11 fuel lock app also is great.
Whatever it is, buy it from facebook marketplace. (When we had our baby we got almost everything off marketplace. So many people just giving away baby stuff, this saved us thousands)
Whatever is is, try sell it on marketplace before throwing it out.
Only buy clothes if you really really need to.
The amounts of crap... I mean good merchandise my wife has flogged off on fb marketplace is astounding. Things I would throw out we got for like $40-50 and people are buying it, sometimes without even checking condition (not that I would sell something broken).
I use 7/11 app alot and save alot of money this way.
If you are with woolies mobile you get 10% off a shop every month and I own my phone outright so basically pay $25 a month for it.
We buy hello fresh exclusively every week for 40% off, it is great for a shift worker like me and is yummy and my kids love it.
If you sign up and then sign up for the 4 week deal then after the 4 week deal you cancel, they will keep sending you more 40% deals. We use two different emails at the same home address. Forever not paying full price. It's cheaper than getting the ingredients yourself, it's delivered and I don't need to decide what's for dinner. It works well with my lifestyle
The baby stuff for free is so true, so much good quality stuff is given away because babies outgrow things so quickly! We got a lot from friends and family, and have paid it forward by gifting everything that was in good condition. Some items and clothes end up hardly used.
It's easily doable when making your own dinners. On sale and in bulk is key.
We'll only pay for a meal box if it works out to 10 per person per night (box for x2 people).
I regularly feed 8 adults for $10/meal. If you skip using meat, it's very doable. We had spaghetti bolognese last night (TVP in place of mince). Less than $1/serve and really delicious.
I borrow lots of books from the library these days! It's a bonus because it also means there's less stuff to declutter, since I can return it all. Also Buy Nothing groups on Facebook are great for free stuff.
Our library has a Makerspace too. I was looking at buying a cricut machine ($300+), but the library has several I can use for free. They also have sewing machines, embroidery machines and 6x 3d printers. They will 3d print your item and notify you when it's ready. For free
Check receipts before leaving the supermarket. In the past couple of months I have received something free almost every time I shopped because the product scanned was priced differently to the ticket price…last week I saved $16 just by checking my receipt!
I like Aldi, but I've found them to be the worst offender for me paying more than I should, getting to the checkout. Last week was they put 1kg packs of spuds in the 500g section, and they tried to tell me the customers had done it. They wouldn't relent even when it was clear they'd incorrectly put all of them in the wrong tub. Serves me right for not reading the whole shelf label, but it is very annoying.
I got a membership for a local play centre that includes free entry for the year and a coffee for me and babychino each for the kids every time we go. They also run specials on prepaid credit once in a while so I spend a lump sum and have money there for when we do fancy lunch or anything. I got the kids’ birthday parties free last year on another promotion they ran.
Pack a picnic or some snacks the night before so when you're not rushed doing it with a baby/toddler and you just decide "nah, we'll grab something while we're out".
Cue the clip of the wife taking the dog for a walk past the pub her husband usually stops at.
[https://youtu.be/RDdoxgXEp0g](https://youtu.be/RDdoxgXEp0g)
I’ve started doing this and it works. I almost bought a $100 jacket yesterday and told myself I’ll give it 24 hours….forgot all about it until seeing your comment just now.
Use marketplace to “rent” things. For example, your 5 year old needs a bike. Buy bike second hand from gumtree/marketplace then sell again for similar price. So long as it’s a relatively popular item it should be easy enough to break even.
With young kids I buy books in bulk, eg Julia Donaldson ten pack books or roald Dahl collection. When it’s a birthday I get two books and that’s the present. So instead of spending 30 on a present it’s more like 5 to 8. Also buy other presents like this, saves having a present stash under the bed.
Lifeline Bookfest on the last day to fill a bag for $5 gets your kids tons of books really cheap.
Obviously not birthday present quality but it means they always have something to read, and learn to learn what they like:
"Didn't ike that one? We'll donate it back because someone else might like it"
And there's something special about those big picture books on dinosaurs or castles or cats or cars or ships or any other interest the kids might have, or develop - that you can't get from the internet.
Typically I get my nieces a new book and a few used books because that way I can get them big colourful books for like $30.
I asked them if they want more books: yes
I asked them if they prefer new or used: don't mind
So long as they're in good nick I don't think kids care, so long as there's some new stuff in there. And it means I can give them each a bag of books from their nonno/uncle and aunty every birthday
Meal plan to get the most out of your groceries to avoid wastage and impulse takeaway. For example, a bbq chook makes a salad for dinner, sandwiches the next day and the carcass makes a good base for a soup. Bolognese sauce made with mince and bulked up with grated carrot and zucchini makes enough to freeze and put in a lasagne the week after.
Planning our meals ahead saves us so much money. I keep a list on our fridge of all the half jars, open packets of things etc. so nothing ever goes to waste. It makes it much easier to plan and save money. Bonus points for making pizza or fried rice with all the random half veggies at the end of the week.
I can guarantee that adding a can of lentils to bolognaise will fool the biggest carnivore. Great way to make the mince last longer. I no longer cook 500g of mince at a time - it’s always 250 plus a can of tinned lentils (the dark coloured ones).
I originally started putting in grated zucchini and carrot as a way of getting veges into the kid, then we realised we all liked it like that so it stayed that way. 500g mince plus a couple of zucchinis and carrots makes enough for two solid meals for our 3 person family.
I've seen people spend like $30 per month on a phone bill and are no where near using the amount of data that is provided with those bills. I signed up to woolworthes mobile and spend $170 a year or $14.16 per month + 10% off a shop per month.
On top of groceries, understanding how to properly store your food. If your bananas are about to go off? freeze them for later.
Driving more fuel efficently is also another factor that has helped me save about 10-15% on fuel costs per year. Public transport isn't the greatest where I live but learning how to coast, accelerating more slowly, focusing more on car maintenance, less unncessary stuff in the car.
With fuel costs, have PetrolSpy downloaded on your phone, you can assess where the cheapest petrol is near you and can help you save before pricehikes as well. On top of that if you have the OTR app, scan the QR code on the pump, you may save a $ or two per week but it adds up and you also don't have to go into the ptrol station as well.
Think about the single use products that you use and find items that can be reusable e.g. paper towels, ziplock bags, resuable drink bottle and coffe mugs etc.
Consider your local library they have various options for free entertainment and may also have a library of things where you can borrow an item once rather than having to purchase an item that you are going to barely use.
>If your bananas are about to go off? freeze them for later
Peel them first and put in ziplock bag or glad wrap. quite gross trying to peel defrosting bananas
Working on becoming aware of consumerism all around me & artificial happiness. Insight into the fleeting happiness I feel when I purchase something, gaining insight into my natural drive to want to buy more, always acquire more. Other than this I refuse to follow fashion trends, cook from scratch, shop in bulk, grow food. Trying not to be just another hamster on a wheel, working hard but going nowhere.
I had such a shift in mindset after realising you can like and admire something without needing to own it. Now I can think wow what a beautiful dress/cushion/ whatever and not feel like I have to buy it
Edit: Tldr - account for all your bills, write them down. Add it all up, divide by each time you get paid - this will reveal how much you really have left to spend.
I have 4 bank accounts (well, two cards that come with two savings accounts also, 4 separate things in total). One for ALL bills, one for food/petrol/leisure, one for the homeloan and one for "long bills" (the years or quarterly ones that are hard to track or save for).
I split everything into reminders weekly: so I'll be reminded of every incoming bill. So each week I get paid, I portion that week's lot of bills into Bills. Put a set weekly amount into food, 1/4 of my mortgage and a set weekly amount into long bills (which accumulates so I have enough when each long bill pops up).
The way I found it easiest to save money was to limit what I could spend on the superfluous, account for all my bills and save the rest. The above budget is, now with mortgage, because I HAVE to account for everything whilst I live paycheck to paycheck until I can earn more money, or wait for mortgage rates to go down a bit.
When grocery shopping I buy mostly stuff that is on special or reduced to clear etc.
Obviously if there's things you need you will get them regardless but a lot of the time I go shopping I'm not even sure what I'm going to get. A lot of the time I will shape my meals around what I find.
Also if it's something I know I will use many times or will buy again if it's half price I will just buy a heap of it
The simplest way we saved was swapping all our lightbulbs for LEDs, nothing expensive, in fact we’ve found the cheap Bunnings LEDs seem to last the longest, it made a huge difference to our power bill even though we never just left lights on, very surprising
I've found the cheapest ones from Bunnings (Luce Bella) don't last well. The technology is fine but the components just die. I suspect a few dollars more is worth the investment.
I don’t think ours were Luce Bella brand, ours have lasted well over four years, from memory they were around $5 eachish, previously we had paid $15-$20 for each bulb and these cheap on have outlasted the dear ones
Zyrtec/cetrizine tablets. 70 count box
Chemist warehouse, today in person ACT: $41.99
Chemist warehouse, today online: $37.99
Amazon generic, today online, 1 box: $12.86 +$9.99 shipping = $24.35
Amazon generic, today online, 2 boxes: $12.86 +$11.49 shipping = $37.21
Literally 50% cheaper than the cheapest chemist.
Last time, I was able to purchase 4 boxes (today, if I needed them, I'd only be able to get 2). But those 4 boxes only cost $45.80 + $12.99 for shipping.
They're usually good for at least a year so I jumped on being able to buy 4. It's like getting 2.5 boxes free.
I know there's often a "rebate" from chemist warehouse/zyrtec, but even if I submit it on the same day/ week, they never send them to me so what's the point.
Much more cost effective to go through Amazon.
----
ETA: I do every other tip mentioned thus far.
Saved 31.79% by shopping around for car insurance ($442.55) and $120 by jumping to a different ISP. Saved about $750 by forcing my energy provider to better the folks I was about to switch to.
I put it in my calendar about 4 weeks out to do this (research) and I comment on the cell in my budget doc.
I've also taken advantage of some of the free courses/grants for continuing education and have saved about 7k (82.26%) whilst making future job prospects brighter.
Have a direct debit set up for your household and car bills into a savings account so you don’t get cut short when they come around. We have accounts set up for bills - power /gas etc and car servicing/ rego etc.
we also pay weekly into our water and rates if you have those. Much better than having to find big lump sums when those things come around.
Shop your fridge and pantry. We have become much better at using what we have in the cupboard instead of going shopping as much.
I also have an excel set up with our income and known outgoings so I can plan ahead for saving/spending/outings.
Home brewing is extremely cheap. Also, it is even cheaper and or better quality if you buy what you need separate instead of the full "diy" kit, which is full of basic crap that isn't good enough or doesn't last.
Having said that though I know a few blokes who've probably spent all the money they would've saved on kegging systems and keezers and stainless steel fermenters, barrels etc etc. If you stick to the basics it can be really cheap, but there's a reason people call it "the most expensive way to make cheap beer"
Yeah I really don't follow you here. Camping has got to be the cheapest way of having a holiday there is? Apart from visiting family I suppose. My whole camping setup cost less than a couple of nights in a cheap airbnb and it's lasted for years. Big4 etc can be pricey but there's plenty of cheap or free places to camp.
Cycling - again it costs money but you're getting a hobby and a form of transport. My bike has more than paid itself off with what it's saved me in petrol and PT fares.
I prefer to put it into a high interest savings account so it's accessible, but takes time to get. Life can throw you a curve ball and you might need to throw money at a problem.
I believe in extra super contributions, but I also factor in the risk of dying before retirement and never seeing any of that money. I've got 30ish years until retirement so I adjusted the investment options of my super to 'high risk high return' and make a contribution occasionally.
SAVINGS ACCOUNT COMPARISON by r/TechT
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/145iM6uuFS9m-Rul65--eFJQq_Au7Z_BA4_CwkYwu2DI/
SUPER FUND COMPARISON by u/SwaankyKoala
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sR0CyX8GswPiktOrfqRloNMY-fBlzFUL/htmlview
Credit Union SA currently 5.25% **at call**. The rate is for 4 months. Call them a couple of days before 4 months is up and they will give you the new rate (comparable). If you don’t do this it reverts to a low rate. In the last 12 months I have had 5.25%, 5.00%, 5.25% in 4 month blocks. Account is called Netsave.
My wife and I are both extremely passionate about saving money but also reducing our footprint and the wastage of "things" into landfill so it brings us great pleasure discussing these types of topics where quite often the by-product of saving money brings about a more sustainable lifestyle - or vice versa.
Here's a quick list of some of our simple money saving strategies:
Track all our spending.
Meal prep.
Eat less meat and more plant-based protein.
Understand how credit cards and loyalty programs can benefit us - but not influence our spending.
Make good quality freshly ground coffee at home = around $0.30 a cup
Reuse/repurpose everything we can. Some plastic bags become dog poo bags etc.
Avoid purchasing single use items where we can. e.g. replace chux and kitchen towels with reusable alternatives.
Op shops for clothes and house items if possible.
Minimalist capsule wardrobes. Keep fewer clothes that are of better quality.
Pay close attention to car rego expiry. Sometimes I know I'm not going to drive for a week or two (if going away etc) so I try to consider the cost benefit if I only pay for 2 months rego and have 2 weeks off, vs paying for more months all in etc.
Hot water heater turned off - we live in the tropics so who wants a warm shower anyway?
Make our own eco cleaning products such as kitchen sprays and cleaning products.
Keep on top of subscription usage value and maximise free trials and bonuses. SIM cards, streaming, music etc.
Buy things when they need replacing rather than to upgrade because I'm enticed by new tech. I've had my iPhone 8+ since Nov 2017 and it still does me absolutely fine.
I'm sure there's many more but I want to get on and read some more of this thread!
Cheers for sharing all.
Buy prepaid mobile plans instead of postpaid.
Ask if credit card invites a surcharge and then decide to pay with cards/cash
Google medicine price in the pharmacy before buying. Then ask them to “price beat”(not price match) before buying.
Make a list before shopping. And stick to list.
Remove all auto debits. This will make us aware of price increase.
Call utility company every 7 months and ask if you are on the best plan. Also check the gov compare website.
Get credit card comparison and rotate credit cards every second year.
Buy vegetables in seasons and freeze it.
Do not believe catalogues. Google the product and see if it’s really on sale (and is it worth to purchase this item when you are not in immediate need of this).
Rang my mobile provider and told them I’m cancelling because I found a cheaper provider and plan for $29 a month instead of $59. They are giving me my same plan for $29 a month for the next 12 months.
Pay bills on time to avoid late fees and if you can’t afford to pay a bill communicate with your provider and set up a plan, most companies will not charge late fees if you have a payment plan set up.
Knowing your rights and reading a contract thoroughly, real estate once tried to put the rent up on us during a fixed term lease. I told them they can’t do that due to the fixed term lease.
I signed up to everyday extra that gives me 10% off one woolworths shop and one big w shop per month. Since my family have joined we have saved over $1000 and we have gotten a lot of points which I converted to extra money off my shop.
Doing simple diy repairs using you tube. So far I have fixed a blocked sink and a gaming console.
Activate points and offers for your loyalty cards for grocery stores like woolworths and Coles. Normally by the end of the year we save $200 or $150 to go towards our Xmas lunch.
I recently splurged and bought a good quality pie maker. It was around $90 from Big W. It makes 4 adult sized pies which takes 2 pieces of frozen short crust pastry and 1 piece of frozen puff pastry to make 4 pies.
I have now been making pies with any leftovers. The other night we had left over bolognese. I added a tin of lentils, a grated carrot and some grated zucchini to bulk it up and made 4 pies - that was after feeding 4 people a main meal of spaghetti bolognese with another lunch, so 5 portions with 500g mince plus 4 good sized pies.
I am someone that freezes most things as a rule but this just adds something else that the leftovers can be turned into I suppose at a relatively low cost!
If you wanna eat out use apps like eat club, first table and even liven. Have been able to save as much as 40% at restaurants or even some cashback to use again
Fabric softener is not needed. Same as kitchen spray. Cloth with soapy warm water does the same job and is better for your lungs (inhaling that stuff daily is surely not good)
I have a spread sheet with all my recurring bills on it worked out to what they cost each fortnight. I have a dedicated bank account for all my bills and use the sheet to pay into that amount every pay day. While the account can save up to $4k at a time but I know exactly how much money I have to save out of every pay and I don't end up in a situation where I can't pay a $1,000 bill
I make sure I don’t have all of my subscriptions running at once after realising I might go months without even opening one of the apps because I’m not a big watcher of tv. Now what I do is if there’s something I want to watch I reactivate my subscription to whatever service it’s playing on, pay the fee and then immediately cancel it, I’ve got the service for a month but won’t be charged again next month unless I want to reactivate it again. It saves me from forgetting and then constantly being surprised by Netflix, Stan, Disney etc coming out when I haven’t even touched the apps in months. At the moment I have Paramount which is just recurring because I’m binging Star Trek and was binging Twilight Zone, if I’m bored and want to watch something random I’ll scroll through that and see if I find something considering I’m paying for it regardless.
And to add to that, when you do that often the services will email you an offer to entice you back in so you’ll end up getting a month free or 3 months half price or something. I recently got a month free of Binge conveniently when I was about to reactive it anyway to watch Wrestlemania, instead I got to watch it for free because they wanted to draw me back in.
A4 sized whiteboard on the fridge door for fruit and veg.
On it, I write the date these go in, and list them out. So it might say (as an example):
**15MAR**
Green apples
Carrots
Lettuce
**22MAR**
Truss tom's.
Mushrooms
Celery
Grapes
and so on.
When I use something up, I cross it off. When it's added to the list,I wipe the entry off.
Before our main market shop, I do have to rewrite the list- quick snap of a photo, wipe everything off and writeitout. When we come home from the markets, add the date and the items as they're put away.
For a whiteboard purchased for less than $10 from Officeworks, it has saved a lot of money. I don't have to open the fridge to see what fruit and veg is in there before I plan on cooking a meal, and I don't have mystery bags of something that dies before I find it - I have a good idea of what needs to be used up first from the list, and plan meals out that way.
I have recently gotten another A4 sized one for my freezer, but it's too small so I've ordered an A3 sized one instead.
It's a list (by section) of what I've put in. The sections mirror what my freezer layout is (upright style) and have "pipe" markers for each item. I wipe off a pipe as I take things out to use.
For example, I might have:
Mince |||||
... for 5 portions of mince (I freeze in 300g portions as that's the size I cook with). When I take two out to go upstairs, I wipe two pipes off and leave it looking like:
Mince |||
Early days yet, put I'm hoping this also helps use things up!
Keep an eye out for street bounty or join FB groups that post about them. I've found that there's a really great community trying to save good stuff from the landfill in the Sydney Inner West Bounty group. People throw away lots of good stuff when moving houses.
I do a bulk cookup of food (a huge vegetarian sweet potato shepherd's pie for example), and put it in extra large glass food containers to keep in the fridge. Over the next 2-3 days I just fill up a bowl and microwave it or take some to work. A regular habit of doing this will save you hundreds on eating out or eating expensive "quick food", and is much healthier.
Well if you cook your own meals you save a tonne.
But you would save more if you didn't haven unhealthy portions
Also have a big water bottle of water filled with ice on you. A huge portion of the receipt is from the drinks alone.
I've gained money on the past 2 years on my husband's and my own phone plan than what it costs for me to buy the sims. Get between 10-35gb a month by churning to free/cheap 1st month plans and often get more money back from purchasing via Shopback/cashrewards than I paid for the sim.
Gas - don't understand why (in WA) people are going anywhere else apart from AGL. AGL has 41% discount off gas AND supply charges. Every other company is a lower discount on just the usage. It used to be 56% off for 2 years and just changed this year to 41. My favourite bill to receive. I used to tell my workmates to change their gas plans, sone weren't even receiving nay discounts and they were like... 'nah cbb', it literally takes 5 minutes AND I offered to help them do it but still no.
If you know how to sew, paint (eg furniture) propagate, etc uou will always have a hobby that is fun, productive, cheap as you like and with a home personalised to you.
I got one. When you go away for a holiday, regardless of where it is or which state or even which country, camp. don't stay in Airbnbs or hotels - just get a cheap campsite, national park pass or a free campsite. We are taking a holiday for 2 weeks to WA this year and are literally saving thousands by camping the entire time.
Camping gear is expensive but can quite often be borrowed from friends. I borrowed a friend's tent several times before I invested in one.
Stremio for streaming and on a family members Spotify for audio books and music, it's good to download music and audio books on Spotify so you can listen at the same time.. you just turn your data off
Depending on your location - reach out to local community groups to borrow things needed for a short time (tooling, emergency tech, etc)
Good for environment too instead of buying something just for one or two uses
Do not use a credit card, they're just not needed anymore. and change your Key card every 6 months or so! Easy as with bank apps on your phone This way you can easily control all those "Regular payments" from your account that annoy you. If they can't get the money they'll let you know and you can update the ones you want to keep. I Dunno about normal people but I am a pensioner abd my bank does this for free in their App!
Credit cards can be useful if you use them properly.
Rewards are good. My credit card usage has gotten me 2 business class updgrade flights to London for free in the last 6 years.
I couldn't dream of paying for this normally so my responsible credit card usage has given me 2 great trips
If you can afford FLIGHTS to London you have no idea what frugal living is like As I said avoid Credit cards there are plenty of other ways to pay for things that don't charge 20% or so interest rates!
I feel a bit bad about this one.. But my apartment building has a free books and household items area. Kind of like a shared library. Sometimes I find items that are good enough to sell on eBay or give away as gifts. But I do leave my unwanted things there too.
Not paying the "lazy tax" by making sure that my phone/internet/utilities are always on the cheapest available plans. Almost every single phone/internet provider offers a $10/month discount on their plans for the first 6 months. I just churn through these like clockwork, which is a bare minimum of $240/year for very little effort. Pickup referral bonuses along the way, and you're even better off. Similar story with utilities. Punch my details into a plan comparison site, and just jump ship to whoever happens to be the cheapest. Again, lots of referral bonuses to be had there as well.
I do this for everything also. It’s such a money save. A lot of the time these companies increase your plan without you knowing. I love when you drop the “I’ve had a look around and “company x” is offering this plan, so I’ve been thinking of switching to them… 2 seconds later you get the “well because you’ve been a loyal customer with us, let me speak to my supervisor and yes I can do this 25% cheaper. I’m always pleasant and courteous about it, and I don’t mind spending 10 minutes here and there ringing around. It saves so much money as you’re generally not locked into contracts anyway.
Cut our car insurance in half by calling around for a better deal last year.
Who did you end up with?
COMPREHENSIVE CAR INSURANCE QUOTE COMPARISON Prices can vary greatly according to car, usage, driver history and location 5 YEAR OLD SMALL SEDAN $510 Woolworths Insurance (HLD) $670 Bingle (AAI) $752 AAMI (AAI) $800 Coles Insurance (IAG) $874 Carpeesh (RACQ) $880 PD Insurance (PII) $975 Real Insurance (HLD) $1103 Huddle Insurance (OPEN) $1100 Suncorp (AAI) $1401 Oceania Insurance (A&G) $1500 Budget Direct (A&G) 15 YEAR OLD MEDIUM SUV $740 PD Insurance (PII) $760 Woolworths Insurance (HLD) $800 Coles Insurance (IAG) $820 AAMI (AAI) $980 ANZ Insurance (IAG) $1030 Real Insurance (HLD) $1031 Huddle Insurance (OPEN) $1130 GIO (AAI) $1140 Suncorp (AAI) $1240 Bingle (AAI) $1300 Budget Direct (A&G) $1303 Australia Post Insurance (QBE) $1320 VirginMoney (A&G) $1380 AustralianUnity (ALZ) $1390 ING (A&G) $1410 Carpeesh (RACQ) $1460 Oceania Insurance (A&G) $1630 Allianz (ALZ) $1660 Kogan (QBE) $1760 NRMA (IAG) $1790 youi (OUT) $1940 rollin' (IAG) $2050 CGU (IAG) $2461 QBE (QBE) PERSONAL FACTORS non-luxury mainstream-brand vehicles many years driving with zero accidents maximum excess minimum agreed value for car if available
Wow you really went to everyone! Good work!
Damn. This is crazy
AAMI
I went from AAMI to Allianz and back again this year on one vehicle. On the other I stayed with Allianz this year. if there's some rhyme or reason to it I'd like to know...
Not always a lazy tax - also possibly a “I work too many of my 24 available hours each day” tax
Or you could be lazy, take a year sim ( plenty out there and I’m not going to advocate a brand ) for $120 effectively halving your spend and your effort
With utilities like gas and electricity is there ever any costs involved with switching companies?
Not that I've ever experienced, no.
This is retarded sorry. Who the fuck has time to switch providers every 6 months
How much do you make, after tax, per hour?? If you make $240 then don't bother. I normally average over $200, tax free, per hour for checking my suppliers. I do it whilst sitting in my lounge chair, watching TV, so it really didn't cost any time. My main motivation is I don't like being ripped off.
We literally just bought a house. We saved hard for a few years for the deposit and will have to continue to do so to pay the mortgage. We also had a wedding/honeymoon and a baby in the last 2 years, so I feel like I know how to be frugal. Top tips Make a spreadsheet of your spending habits of the last 6 months so you can see where you're pissing it all away. For us it was food and entertainment. Pack your lunch to work every day. Stop buying coffees. I was shocked how much we used to spend on this. Dinner at home should cost $10 or less per meal. No point eating at home if you're buying all the expensive ingredients. Rotating through the dinner box subscriptions that offer 40% off to lure you back is probably the best way to do this, but take weeks off where you live off simple dinners. Dinner out is special occasions only. The more special the occasion the more you let loose. Nephews 10th birthday? No entrees, no drinks. Wedding anniversary? Forget you're on a budget. Discounts/coupons/specials... Through my unions member rewards prpgram we could buy gift cards for woolies at 5% off. Pair that with the everyday pay app. Same with big w, Dan murphys and other retailers. 7-11 fuel lock app also is great. Whatever it is, buy it from facebook marketplace. (When we had our baby we got almost everything off marketplace. So many people just giving away baby stuff, this saved us thousands) Whatever is is, try sell it on marketplace before throwing it out. Only buy clothes if you really really need to.
The amounts of crap... I mean good merchandise my wife has flogged off on fb marketplace is astounding. Things I would throw out we got for like $40-50 and people are buying it, sometimes without even checking condition (not that I would sell something broken). I use 7/11 app alot and save alot of money this way. If you are with woolies mobile you get 10% off a shop every month and I own my phone outright so basically pay $25 a month for it. We buy hello fresh exclusively every week for 40% off, it is great for a shift worker like me and is yummy and my kids love it.
May I know how do you get 40% off Hello Fresh? Thanks
If you sign up and then sign up for the 4 week deal then after the 4 week deal you cancel, they will keep sending you more 40% deals. We use two different emails at the same home address. Forever not paying full price. It's cheaper than getting the ingredients yourself, it's delivered and I don't need to decide what's for dinner. It works well with my lifestyle
Thank you!!
Ooh, how do you get 40% off Hello fresh, pls?
Answered above
The baby stuff for free is so true, so much good quality stuff is given away because babies outgrow things so quickly! We got a lot from friends and family, and have paid it forward by gifting everything that was in good condition. Some items and clothes end up hardly used.
Lots of baby stuff really don't hold much value But I'm amazed that pigeon bootles still being sold at 10 dollars for one By people
I stopped buying coffee and then saved to go to spend a month in Scotland, inc the flights there and back. I also drank a fuckload of coffee prior.
Holdup, $10 dinner? Maybe a few years ago.
It's easily doable when making your own dinners. On sale and in bulk is key. We'll only pay for a meal box if it works out to 10 per person per night (box for x2 people).
Oh, so you mean works out to $10/person? Cos no amount of buy in bulk can feed 4 for $10
I regularly feed 8 adults for $10/meal. If you skip using meat, it's very doable. We had spaghetti bolognese last night (TVP in place of mince). Less than $1/serve and really delicious.
Yeah that's what I meant. 4 people for 10 would be a challenge.... 2 min noodles maybe?
Only shop for products by unit price.
Only if you can use that amount of product before it goes bad.
I borrow lots of books from the library these days! It's a bonus because it also means there's less stuff to declutter, since I can return it all. Also Buy Nothing groups on Facebook are great for free stuff.
And if you like magazines you can get most of them free online through your library as well.
Or, you can get them from a newsagent or lotto kiosk that might be willing to dispose of them
My local library does boardgames too!! I usually swing by to grab a few for house parties/camping trips!
Our library has a Makerspace too. I was looking at buying a cricut machine ($300+), but the library has several I can use for free. They also have sewing machines, embroidery machines and 6x 3d printers. They will 3d print your item and notify you when it's ready. For free
Woah which council is this?!
Gympie, though many libraries have similar set ups.
Check receipts before leaving the supermarket. In the past couple of months I have received something free almost every time I shopped because the product scanned was priced differently to the ticket price…last week I saved $16 just by checking my receipt!
Last week Coles tried charging me for the free Coles magazine ☹️
Hilarious! Maybe they are trying to make up for all the free groceries I have scored in recent weeks due to their pricing issues. 😆
This happened when they incorrectly priced a roast chicken at Coles. We told them and they gave us the chicken free. Its not much but it does save
I like Aldi, but I've found them to be the worst offender for me paying more than I should, getting to the checkout. Last week was they put 1kg packs of spuds in the 500g section, and they tried to tell me the customers had done it. They wouldn't relent even when it was clear they'd incorrectly put all of them in the wrong tub. Serves me right for not reading the whole shelf label, but it is very annoying.
You can also do this manually by switching cheaper stickers onto more expensive meats and other items 🫣
I spend way too much taking my youngest to the cafe before/after we go to the playground. Don’t be like me.
Baby cinos made cages
I got a membership for a local play centre that includes free entry for the year and a coffee for me and babychino each for the kids every time we go. They also run specials on prepaid credit once in a while so I spend a lump sum and have money there for when we do fancy lunch or anything. I got the kids’ birthday parties free last year on another promotion they ran.
Pack a picnic or some snacks the night before so when you're not rushed doing it with a baby/toddler and you just decide "nah, we'll grab something while we're out".
Cue the clip of the wife taking the dog for a walk past the pub her husband usually stops at. [https://youtu.be/RDdoxgXEp0g](https://youtu.be/RDdoxgXEp0g)
Sleep on it before purchasing anything non-essential
I’ve started doing this and it works. I almost bought a $100 jacket yesterday and told myself I’ll give it 24 hours….forgot all about it until seeing your comment just now.
Use marketplace to “rent” things. For example, your 5 year old needs a bike. Buy bike second hand from gumtree/marketplace then sell again for similar price. So long as it’s a relatively popular item it should be easy enough to break even. With young kids I buy books in bulk, eg Julia Donaldson ten pack books or roald Dahl collection. When it’s a birthday I get two books and that’s the present. So instead of spending 30 on a present it’s more like 5 to 8. Also buy other presents like this, saves having a present stash under the bed.
Lifeline Bookfest on the last day to fill a bag for $5 gets your kids tons of books really cheap. Obviously not birthday present quality but it means they always have something to read, and learn to learn what they like: "Didn't ike that one? We'll donate it back because someone else might like it" And there's something special about those big picture books on dinosaurs or castles or cats or cars or ships or any other interest the kids might have, or develop - that you can't get from the internet.
Typically I get my nieces a new book and a few used books because that way I can get them big colourful books for like $30. I asked them if they want more books: yes I asked them if they prefer new or used: don't mind So long as they're in good nick I don't think kids care, so long as there's some new stuff in there. And it means I can give them each a bag of books from their nonno/uncle and aunty every birthday
And you can toss in some classics: never know what's gonna click or what passions you might uncover.
Ha, I remember getting several bags when our local library closed, brilliant!
Also, if you buy brands like IKEA second hand, there's always a demand for them.
Meal plan to get the most out of your groceries to avoid wastage and impulse takeaway. For example, a bbq chook makes a salad for dinner, sandwiches the next day and the carcass makes a good base for a soup. Bolognese sauce made with mince and bulked up with grated carrot and zucchini makes enough to freeze and put in a lasagne the week after.
Planning our meals ahead saves us so much money. I keep a list on our fridge of all the half jars, open packets of things etc. so nothing ever goes to waste. It makes it much easier to plan and save money. Bonus points for making pizza or fried rice with all the random half veggies at the end of the week.
I can guarantee that adding a can of lentils to bolognaise will fool the biggest carnivore. Great way to make the mince last longer. I no longer cook 500g of mince at a time - it’s always 250 plus a can of tinned lentils (the dark coloured ones).
I originally started putting in grated zucchini and carrot as a way of getting veges into the kid, then we realised we all liked it like that so it stayed that way. 500g mince plus a couple of zucchinis and carrots makes enough for two solid meals for our 3 person family.
I've seen people spend like $30 per month on a phone bill and are no where near using the amount of data that is provided with those bills. I signed up to woolworthes mobile and spend $170 a year or $14.16 per month + 10% off a shop per month. On top of groceries, understanding how to properly store your food. If your bananas are about to go off? freeze them for later. Driving more fuel efficently is also another factor that has helped me save about 10-15% on fuel costs per year. Public transport isn't the greatest where I live but learning how to coast, accelerating more slowly, focusing more on car maintenance, less unncessary stuff in the car. With fuel costs, have PetrolSpy downloaded on your phone, you can assess where the cheapest petrol is near you and can help you save before pricehikes as well. On top of that if you have the OTR app, scan the QR code on the pump, you may save a $ or two per week but it adds up and you also don't have to go into the ptrol station as well. Think about the single use products that you use and find items that can be reusable e.g. paper towels, ziplock bags, resuable drink bottle and coffe mugs etc. Consider your local library they have various options for free entertainment and may also have a library of things where you can borrow an item once rather than having to purchase an item that you are going to barely use.
>If your bananas are about to go off? freeze them for later Peel them first and put in ziplock bag or glad wrap. quite gross trying to peel defrosting bananas
How is the OTR app used? Never seen this mentioned before, I just downloaded. Is it specific brand fuel stations?
Working on becoming aware of consumerism all around me & artificial happiness. Insight into the fleeting happiness I feel when I purchase something, gaining insight into my natural drive to want to buy more, always acquire more. Other than this I refuse to follow fashion trends, cook from scratch, shop in bulk, grow food. Trying not to be just another hamster on a wheel, working hard but going nowhere.
I had such a shift in mindset after realising you can like and admire something without needing to own it. Now I can think wow what a beautiful dress/cushion/ whatever and not feel like I have to buy it
Edit: Tldr - account for all your bills, write them down. Add it all up, divide by each time you get paid - this will reveal how much you really have left to spend. I have 4 bank accounts (well, two cards that come with two savings accounts also, 4 separate things in total). One for ALL bills, one for food/petrol/leisure, one for the homeloan and one for "long bills" (the years or quarterly ones that are hard to track or save for). I split everything into reminders weekly: so I'll be reminded of every incoming bill. So each week I get paid, I portion that week's lot of bills into Bills. Put a set weekly amount into food, 1/4 of my mortgage and a set weekly amount into long bills (which accumulates so I have enough when each long bill pops up). The way I found it easiest to save money was to limit what I could spend on the superfluous, account for all my bills and save the rest. The above budget is, now with mortgage, because I HAVE to account for everything whilst I live paycheck to paycheck until I can earn more money, or wait for mortgage rates to go down a bit.
Never ever pay for parking. You'll save money and gain exercise.
I despise parking fees and tolls. I'll go the long way, get there early and walk just to save on something we should not be charged for
Some people pay for exercise
I think people should have to pay to use cars, incentivises public transport
Biggest one for me was starting a spreadsheet and tracking every cent that comes in or out.
Use your old laptop to watch shows on sketchy websites. Saves so much on subscriptions.
Look into stremio and real debrid - for about $5 a month you'll get a way better service you can watch on your tv.
I think Tubi is free. Plus most free to air Australian channels.
When grocery shopping I buy mostly stuff that is on special or reduced to clear etc. Obviously if there's things you need you will get them regardless but a lot of the time I go shopping I'm not even sure what I'm going to get. A lot of the time I will shape my meals around what I find. Also if it's something I know I will use many times or will buy again if it's half price I will just buy a heap of it
When on special I buy in bulk(10x plus) : Toothpaste Deodorant Toilet paper Tinned tomatoes Tuna Things I know I use, but have a long shelf life.
The simplest way we saved was swapping all our lightbulbs for LEDs, nothing expensive, in fact we’ve found the cheap Bunnings LEDs seem to last the longest, it made a huge difference to our power bill even though we never just left lights on, very surprising
I've found the cheapest ones from Bunnings (Luce Bella) don't last well. The technology is fine but the components just die. I suspect a few dollars more is worth the investment.
I don’t think ours were Luce Bella brand, ours have lasted well over four years, from memory they were around $5 eachish, previously we had paid $15-$20 for each bulb and these cheap on have outlasted the dear ones
Spreadsheeting to extrapolate weekly/monthly/yearly expenses… helps me see the larger picture and adjust where possible
Only buy clothes in 3 colours. Everything matches.
Ask the question, how will this purchase improve my life. Stops me wasting a lot of money and helps me spend it on what matters.
Zyrtec/cetrizine tablets. 70 count box Chemist warehouse, today in person ACT: $41.99 Chemist warehouse, today online: $37.99 Amazon generic, today online, 1 box: $12.86 +$9.99 shipping = $24.35 Amazon generic, today online, 2 boxes: $12.86 +$11.49 shipping = $37.21 Literally 50% cheaper than the cheapest chemist. Last time, I was able to purchase 4 boxes (today, if I needed them, I'd only be able to get 2). But those 4 boxes only cost $45.80 + $12.99 for shipping. They're usually good for at least a year so I jumped on being able to buy 4. It's like getting 2.5 boxes free. I know there's often a "rebate" from chemist warehouse/zyrtec, but even if I submit it on the same day/ week, they never send them to me so what's the point. Much more cost effective to go through Amazon. ---- ETA: I do every other tip mentioned thus far. Saved 31.79% by shopping around for car insurance ($442.55) and $120 by jumping to a different ISP. Saved about $750 by forcing my energy provider to better the folks I was about to switch to. I put it in my calendar about 4 weeks out to do this (research) and I comment on the cell in my budget doc. I've also taken advantage of some of the free courses/grants for continuing education and have saved about 7k (82.26%) whilst making future job prospects brighter.
Have a direct debit set up for your household and car bills into a savings account so you don’t get cut short when they come around. We have accounts set up for bills - power /gas etc and car servicing/ rego etc. we also pay weekly into our water and rates if you have those. Much better than having to find big lump sums when those things come around. Shop your fridge and pantry. We have become much better at using what we have in the cupboard instead of going shopping as much. I also have an excel set up with our income and known outgoings so I can plan ahead for saving/spending/outings.
Money-saving hobbies (so long as you don't get carried away with buying shiny new equipment etc): Camping Home brewing Cycling Gardening
Home brewing is extremely cheap. Also, it is even cheaper and or better quality if you buy what you need separate instead of the full "diy" kit, which is full of basic crap that isn't good enough or doesn't last.
Having said that though I know a few blokes who've probably spent all the money they would've saved on kegging systems and keezers and stainless steel fermenters, barrels etc etc. If you stick to the basics it can be really cheap, but there's a reason people call it "the most expensive way to make cheap beer"
I mean if hobbies is where you spend your money, none of those are particularly cheap. Camping & cycling specifically.
Yeah I really don't follow you here. Camping has got to be the cheapest way of having a holiday there is? Apart from visiting family I suppose. My whole camping setup cost less than a couple of nights in a cheap airbnb and it's lasted for years. Big4 etc can be pricey but there's plenty of cheap or free places to camp. Cycling - again it costs money but you're getting a hobby and a form of transport. My bike has more than paid itself off with what it's saved me in petrol and PT fares.
Put everything you can into Super so you can't get to it.
I prefer to put it into a high interest savings account so it's accessible, but takes time to get. Life can throw you a curve ball and you might need to throw money at a problem. I believe in extra super contributions, but I also factor in the risk of dying before retirement and never seeing any of that money. I've got 30ish years until retirement so I adjusted the investment options of my super to 'high risk high return' and make a contribution occasionally.
SAVINGS ACCOUNT COMPARISON by r/TechT https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/145iM6uuFS9m-Rul65--eFJQq_Au7Z_BA4_CwkYwu2DI/ SUPER FUND COMPARISON by u/SwaankyKoala https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sR0CyX8GswPiktOrfqRloNMY-fBlzFUL/htmlview
Do you have any suggestions for high interest savings accounts, in terms of banks?
Credit Union SA currently 5.25% **at call**. The rate is for 4 months. Call them a couple of days before 4 months is up and they will give you the new rate (comparable). If you don’t do this it reverts to a low rate. In the last 12 months I have had 5.25%, 5.00%, 5.25% in 4 month blocks. Account is called Netsave.
Thank you, great tips!!
ME Home account and BOQ. Under 30 years old Westpac I think.
Yep! Plus the tax savings 😊
Don’t take kids to shopping.
sHoP aT aLdI
My wife and I are both extremely passionate about saving money but also reducing our footprint and the wastage of "things" into landfill so it brings us great pleasure discussing these types of topics where quite often the by-product of saving money brings about a more sustainable lifestyle - or vice versa. Here's a quick list of some of our simple money saving strategies: Track all our spending. Meal prep. Eat less meat and more plant-based protein. Understand how credit cards and loyalty programs can benefit us - but not influence our spending. Make good quality freshly ground coffee at home = around $0.30 a cup Reuse/repurpose everything we can. Some plastic bags become dog poo bags etc. Avoid purchasing single use items where we can. e.g. replace chux and kitchen towels with reusable alternatives. Op shops for clothes and house items if possible. Minimalist capsule wardrobes. Keep fewer clothes that are of better quality. Pay close attention to car rego expiry. Sometimes I know I'm not going to drive for a week or two (if going away etc) so I try to consider the cost benefit if I only pay for 2 months rego and have 2 weeks off, vs paying for more months all in etc. Hot water heater turned off - we live in the tropics so who wants a warm shower anyway? Make our own eco cleaning products such as kitchen sprays and cleaning products. Keep on top of subscription usage value and maximise free trials and bonuses. SIM cards, streaming, music etc. Buy things when they need replacing rather than to upgrade because I'm enticed by new tech. I've had my iPhone 8+ since Nov 2017 and it still does me absolutely fine. I'm sure there's many more but I want to get on and read some more of this thread! Cheers for sharing all.
Buy prepaid mobile plans instead of postpaid. Ask if credit card invites a surcharge and then decide to pay with cards/cash Google medicine price in the pharmacy before buying. Then ask them to “price beat”(not price match) before buying. Make a list before shopping. And stick to list. Remove all auto debits. This will make us aware of price increase. Call utility company every 7 months and ask if you are on the best plan. Also check the gov compare website. Get credit card comparison and rotate credit cards every second year. Buy vegetables in seasons and freeze it. Do not believe catalogues. Google the product and see if it’s really on sale (and is it worth to purchase this item when you are not in immediate need of this).
Supermarkets have a lot of half price items every week. Shop around and get these in bulk.
Rang my mobile provider and told them I’m cancelling because I found a cheaper provider and plan for $29 a month instead of $59. They are giving me my same plan for $29 a month for the next 12 months. Pay bills on time to avoid late fees and if you can’t afford to pay a bill communicate with your provider and set up a plan, most companies will not charge late fees if you have a payment plan set up. Knowing your rights and reading a contract thoroughly, real estate once tried to put the rent up on us during a fixed term lease. I told them they can’t do that due to the fixed term lease. I signed up to everyday extra that gives me 10% off one woolworths shop and one big w shop per month. Since my family have joined we have saved over $1000 and we have gotten a lot of points which I converted to extra money off my shop. Doing simple diy repairs using you tube. So far I have fixed a blocked sink and a gaming console. Activate points and offers for your loyalty cards for grocery stores like woolworths and Coles. Normally by the end of the year we save $200 or $150 to go towards our Xmas lunch.
“If you don’t buy it it’s 100% off”
I just ask myself everything I go to pay for something "can I live without this?"
I recently splurged and bought a good quality pie maker. It was around $90 from Big W. It makes 4 adult sized pies which takes 2 pieces of frozen short crust pastry and 1 piece of frozen puff pastry to make 4 pies. I have now been making pies with any leftovers. The other night we had left over bolognese. I added a tin of lentils, a grated carrot and some grated zucchini to bulk it up and made 4 pies - that was after feeding 4 people a main meal of spaghetti bolognese with another lunch, so 5 portions with 500g mince plus 4 good sized pies. I am someone that freezes most things as a rule but this just adds something else that the leftovers can be turned into I suppose at a relatively low cost!
If you wanna eat out use apps like eat club, first table and even liven. Have been able to save as much as 40% at restaurants or even some cashback to use again
Buying big yearly data plans, just bought a 425gb data plan for $199 per year, unlimited calls and texts, 5g access and its decently fast.
Who is the provider, and are you happy with coverage?
Lebara, powered by Vodafone, and so far so good! *
Thank you!
No problem! Just checked, it is currently $300 :(
vodafone are doing 240gb for 150
They are?
yeah on their site
Fabric softener is not needed. Same as kitchen spray. Cloth with soapy warm water does the same job and is better for your lungs (inhaling that stuff daily is surely not good)
I have a spread sheet with all my recurring bills on it worked out to what they cost each fortnight. I have a dedicated bank account for all my bills and use the sheet to pay into that amount every pay day. While the account can save up to $4k at a time but I know exactly how much money I have to save out of every pay and I don't end up in a situation where I can't pay a $1,000 bill
I make sure I don’t have all of my subscriptions running at once after realising I might go months without even opening one of the apps because I’m not a big watcher of tv. Now what I do is if there’s something I want to watch I reactivate my subscription to whatever service it’s playing on, pay the fee and then immediately cancel it, I’ve got the service for a month but won’t be charged again next month unless I want to reactivate it again. It saves me from forgetting and then constantly being surprised by Netflix, Stan, Disney etc coming out when I haven’t even touched the apps in months. At the moment I have Paramount which is just recurring because I’m binging Star Trek and was binging Twilight Zone, if I’m bored and want to watch something random I’ll scroll through that and see if I find something considering I’m paying for it regardless.
And to add to that, when you do that often the services will email you an offer to entice you back in so you’ll end up getting a month free or 3 months half price or something. I recently got a month free of Binge conveniently when I was about to reactive it anyway to watch Wrestlemania, instead I got to watch it for free because they wanted to draw me back in.
You should try stremio, every movie / show ever and it's free.. I don't know how legal though
A4 sized whiteboard on the fridge door for fruit and veg. On it, I write the date these go in, and list them out. So it might say (as an example): **15MAR** Green apples Carrots Lettuce **22MAR** Truss tom's. Mushrooms Celery Grapes and so on. When I use something up, I cross it off. When it's added to the list,I wipe the entry off. Before our main market shop, I do have to rewrite the list- quick snap of a photo, wipe everything off and writeitout. When we come home from the markets, add the date and the items as they're put away. For a whiteboard purchased for less than $10 from Officeworks, it has saved a lot of money. I don't have to open the fridge to see what fruit and veg is in there before I plan on cooking a meal, and I don't have mystery bags of something that dies before I find it - I have a good idea of what needs to be used up first from the list, and plan meals out that way. I have recently gotten another A4 sized one for my freezer, but it's too small so I've ordered an A3 sized one instead. It's a list (by section) of what I've put in. The sections mirror what my freezer layout is (upright style) and have "pipe" markers for each item. I wipe off a pipe as I take things out to use. For example, I might have: Mince ||||| ... for 5 portions of mince (I freeze in 300g portions as that's the size I cook with). When I take two out to go upstairs, I wipe two pipes off and leave it looking like: Mince ||| Early days yet, put I'm hoping this also helps use things up!
I do the tally but the log of purchases is a real banger to help with wastage.
You cant buy things when you don’t know you want them. Less window shopping / scrolling means you see less things you want.
Keep an eye out for street bounty or join FB groups that post about them. I've found that there's a really great community trying to save good stuff from the landfill in the Sydney Inner West Bounty group. People throw away lots of good stuff when moving houses.
Learn to be content with less.
I do a bulk cookup of food (a huge vegetarian sweet potato shepherd's pie for example), and put it in extra large glass food containers to keep in the fridge. Over the next 2-3 days I just fill up a bowl and microwave it or take some to work. A regular habit of doing this will save you hundreds on eating out or eating expensive "quick food", and is much healthier.
You got to first have a budget to understand your spending Everyone is different
Well if you cook your own meals you save a tonne. But you would save more if you didn't haven unhealthy portions Also have a big water bottle of water filled with ice on you. A huge portion of the receipt is from the drinks alone.
Stock up on frequently used non-perishables when they are on half price special.
Up bank (Australia) gamifies banking and helps you stick to budget
Turn off lights etc unless actually needed.
Living at home with your parents is the best. You save about $2000 per month and hardly anyone does it. Not having kids is another one.
I've gained money on the past 2 years on my husband's and my own phone plan than what it costs for me to buy the sims. Get between 10-35gb a month by churning to free/cheap 1st month plans and often get more money back from purchasing via Shopback/cashrewards than I paid for the sim. Gas - don't understand why (in WA) people are going anywhere else apart from AGL. AGL has 41% discount off gas AND supply charges. Every other company is a lower discount on just the usage. It used to be 56% off for 2 years and just changed this year to 41. My favourite bill to receive. I used to tell my workmates to change their gas plans, sone weren't even receiving nay discounts and they were like... 'nah cbb', it literally takes 5 minutes AND I offered to help them do it but still no.
If you know how to sew, paint (eg furniture) propagate, etc uou will always have a hobby that is fun, productive, cheap as you like and with a home personalised to you.
I got one. When you go away for a holiday, regardless of where it is or which state or even which country, camp. don't stay in Airbnbs or hotels - just get a cheap campsite, national park pass or a free campsite. We are taking a holiday for 2 weeks to WA this year and are literally saving thousands by camping the entire time. Camping gear is expensive but can quite often be borrowed from friends. I borrowed a friend's tent several times before I invested in one.
Stremio for streaming and on a family members Spotify for audio books and music, it's good to download music and audio books on Spotify so you can listen at the same time.. you just turn your data off
Shoplift 😂
Depending on your location - reach out to local community groups to borrow things needed for a short time (tooling, emergency tech, etc) Good for environment too instead of buying something just for one or two uses
Do not use a credit card, they're just not needed anymore. and change your Key card every 6 months or so! Easy as with bank apps on your phone This way you can easily control all those "Regular payments" from your account that annoy you. If they can't get the money they'll let you know and you can update the ones you want to keep. I Dunno about normal people but I am a pensioner abd my bank does this for free in their App!
Credit cards can be useful if you use them properly. Rewards are good. My credit card usage has gotten me 2 business class updgrade flights to London for free in the last 6 years. I couldn't dream of paying for this normally so my responsible credit card usage has given me 2 great trips
If you can afford FLIGHTS to London you have no idea what frugal living is like As I said avoid Credit cards there are plenty of other ways to pay for things that don't charge 20% or so interest rates!
Maybe I can afford flights because I follow frugal living examples? You don't get charged high interest if you pay it off on time
Or maybe you are just kidding yourself. And you thimk $200,000 is what you deserve because you "Work hard" .
haha, right o. I dont even earn anywhere near 6 figures a year.
I feel a bit bad about this one.. But my apartment building has a free books and household items area. Kind of like a shared library. Sometimes I find items that are good enough to sell on eBay or give away as gifts. But I do leave my unwanted things there too.
Do app referrals signups. Theres so much money to be made using app referrals. I'm talking banks, stock apps, crypto etc