What Are Your Best Money Saving Tips?

lemc6125 on 02/03/2015 - 17:44

2015 is our year of saving, so I'm brainstorming ways in which we can save. We're currently in our own home and have a 10 month old son. So far, these are some of my money saving methods:

Review the mortgage, our biggest expense! Talking with the broker about getting 4.35% with an offset account.

Stocked up on rainchecks for nappies and baby wipes when they were more than half price. It's saving us hundreds over the year.

Making my own baby foods.

Borrowing books from the library instead of buying.

Reviewing health/car/home insurance.

Reviewing electricity/gas provider.

Cancelled gym membership and using workout DVDs at home.

Reducing food wastage by planning meals for the week (and using the WOW/Coles weekly specials to plan).

If we have time, walking to destinations instead of driving.

This year, we're only doing camping holidays (already have all the gear) instead of international.

Anyone care to share techniques they use when saving money?? I'd love to hear more tips!

Financial

Comments

    • inherentchoice on 05/03/2015 - 09:25

      This saves about $0.013 for each less flush and $0.007 for each less half flush. (based on a price of $0.667 pee kL.

      • edfrane on 05/03/2015 - 11:46
        +2

        Well this Ozbargain…
        Going by your figures, and lets say a house 1/2 flushes 20 times a day.
        (0.007x20)x365 = $51.1
        Compared to Logical(extra flush for poop):
        (0.013x2)x365 = $9.49
        So questions is, if saving $41.61 a year, is worth a years' stench.

        • lemc6125 on 05/03/2015 - 13:27

          Not worth it. Take my money and let me maintain my hygienic house.

        • lemc6125 on 05/03/2015 - 13:27
          +2

          Wait, 20 times a day??

        • inherentchoice on 05/03/2015 - 13:28
          +1

          Or since Australia is blessed with public toilets maybe just use them. The effort to walk there will also discourage you from eating too much so you'll save on food too.

    • MelbBargainChaser77 on 05/03/2015 - 15:39
      +2

      YUCK. Thats desperate and disgusting. YUCK

    • HN Professional on 07/03/2015 - 04:11
      +1

      Hahaha,
      "If it's Yellow, let it mellow
      If it's Brown, flush it down"

      Didn't work for me - lots of calcification and ahem, gunk. I must be diabetic and/or kidneys failing.

    • altomic on 09/03/2015 - 21:15

      get an old wheely bin and use that as a rain collector which you then plumb in to your cistern.

      • inherentchoice on 10/03/2015 - 08:37

        Actually a lot of houses do this with a rainwater tank.

    • Geewhizz on 12/03/2015 - 08:12
      +1

      Uric acid CAN eventually eat the enamel on your toilet bowl.

      Source, a friend who lives on the sunshine coast and had to replace theirs when the extreme water restrictions were in place.

      • altomic on 18/03/2015 - 18:03

        Use uric acid to make your whites whiter. The Romans did it.

        • Geewhizz on 19/03/2015 - 07:11

          Or to move along a nest of ants, I am told.

        • lemc6125 on 21/03/2015 - 23:31

          Uric acid is the active ingredient in Heel Balm, a cream to cure cracked heels.

  • congo on 05/03/2015 - 00:32
    +3

    Spend less, Invest more.
    Buy and do things that will add value immediately or over time.

    • Logical on 05/03/2015 - 08:15

      and if you make bad investments then you can use your savings to bail you out.

      • congo on 05/03/2015 - 09:31
        +1

        If you make bad investments, then you can offset and reduce your tax…

  • Cluster on 05/03/2015 - 02:29
    +3

    Make your own yogurt using a $15 kit and those $3 sachets, but don't use the entire 140g sachet at once. Use only about 20g at most, and substitute the rest with generic milk powder. The end result is exactly the same and produces yogurt at about $1/kg. The best part is you can control the flavour and sugar content to your liking.

    • inherentchoice on 05/03/2015 - 09:19

      $1 per kg sounds good. How long does it take to make? If I add vanilla and sugar will it still taste like the Aldi $3 yoghurt?

      • Cluster on 05/03/2015 - 12:04

        About 8 to 12 hours. It's natural yogurt without thickeners and starches, so need to give it a mix with a spoon for about 20 seconds and it becomes nice and smooth.

        I add a teaspoon of alcohol based vanilla extract and about 50g of sugar for a very nice flavour. Add more sugar to make it taste like commercial yogurt.

        $1 cost is based on using $6.50/kg milk powder from Coles or Woolworths. Costco sometimes has it for $5.50.

  • inherentchoice on 05/03/2015 - 08:38
    +2

    Never buy a new car. This may be obvious but I don't think it's been mentioned. Let someone else take the hit of depreciation on a new car. Even if you buy it with salary packaging or a novated lease it is still costing you more than a 2 year old car because of the massive depreciation.

    Buy furniture and household items 2nd hand. I furnished a two bedroom apartment for $1000 including bed, fridge, washer, lounge, microwave and dining suite. Still using all these items 2.5 years later.

    When you get a pay rise or your income increases, avoid increasing your spending. If you get a $10,000 increase you will probably only see about $6,000 of that after tax.

    • lplau on 05/03/2015 - 11:43
      +2

      Novated Leases aren't really worth it if you don't drive it enough. I remember doing a calculation before, you must drive more than 15,000km per yr to break even with Novated Leases.

      Also depends on what new car you want to buy. Depreciation on small compact cars aren't actually that high, if you look up Honda Jazz or any small cars you will notice the price difference is like $1000 lol, I would rather pay that extra $1000 for peace of mind, don't know what the previous driver has done with the engine or break in.

      Bed, I wouldn't use a 2nd hand mattress…. you will be sniffing in all the previous owners dead skin every time you sleep with your face down haha

      I just force myself to invest more, so i have less to spend. HAHA When you have the feeling of "I am poor" or "I got no money" is when you will want to save more and more and discover new areas to save in. People always think about their bank accounts not their net worth (taking in consideration of investments), so if you have too much money in your bank account it will make you want to spend it. Decrease this by investing more…. it will make you feel poor… but at the same time it will make you money haha

      Also another way to save, sign up for all those "free" qantas points offers and make sure you cancel the cards before they charge the annual fee 1 yr later. You can use the points to go on your next holiday! Instead of buying tickets outright.

      • congo on 05/03/2015 - 12:25
        +1

        I agree with the Novated Leases.
        Only worth it if you drive 20,000 - 30,000 kms per year.

        I do however Salary Sacrifice laptops and other IT equipments.

        • inherentchoice on 05/03/2015 - 12:47

          The range of things you can salary sacrifice often depends on your employer and the industry you work in. People who work in a hospital or not-for-profit organisation generally have more options. For me I can only do it for a car or for super.

        • hayne on 05/03/2015 - 19:46
          +1

          I don't think the novated lease 20k - 30k kms applies anymore. It used to but they've changed the tax laws around the impact of distance travelled each year.

          Now the distance travelled makes more of a difference on maintenance and upkeep (e.g. you put more fuel and maybe tires through pre-salary) rather than the rate applied. So that's really around the edges.

          Check whirlpool for more on this topic, I'm going from memory, they have very extensive threads with some very knowledgeable posts.

        • Peanut money on 06/03/2015 - 05:32
          +1

          @hayne:
          Correct. Kms don't apply anymore
          But novated leases even when salary sacrificed aren't that beneficial.
          Compared to a post tax lease yes but IMO you shouldn't be leasing a car on lease any way.
          But if you taking one out look into all the additional insurances they load up and package so you don't realise you are paying for it.
          Novated leases generally benefit car dealers,finance providers(good if you shareholder) and salary packaging companies.

      • inherentchoice on 05/03/2015 - 12:49

        Hmm my sister bought a brand new Getz for $13k and then 12 months later advertised it for $9k @16,000km but still couldn't sell it.

        • lemc6125 on 05/03/2015 - 13:29
          +4

          That's because it's a Getz.

        • Ughhh on 06/03/2015 - 00:03

          Don't buy a new car unless you plan on keeping it for at least 10 years or for forever? who the hell buys a new car thinking it would appreciate, almost everything depreciates (except for houses and actual investment stuff), phones, clothes…. buy everything secondhand? Including underwear and makeup.

      • Azn310 on 05/03/2015 - 13:06

        The question is where to invest money in? Also, investing does not necessarily mean you will have more, sometimes you will end up with less, therefore negative bargain :) E.g. Australian economy is currently at the edge, its possible it could tumble down in a year or 2

        • congo on 05/03/2015 - 13:21

          Crash and boom cycle happens every 80 years.
          The last one happen in 1929, so we are due for another one soon….

          Maybe it's time to pull out of the Stockmarket and invest in less speculated vehicles.

        • lplau on 05/03/2015 - 14:03
          +2

          Well look at it this way.
          You have a chance of winning if invest it.
          However if you spend it, often it gets spent on depreciating assets, which means you are definitely losing money.

          So either way its win win, get a chance of winning if you do, but if you don't then its guaranteed loss. haha

          Which i never understand why all the people at my work seems to have no investments but keep saying they are poor, then I ask them what they spend it on, they said Smokes and Alcohol. Which really dumbfounds me.

        • Azn310 on 09/03/2015 - 22:04

          @lplau: its true. I hear this one radio's competitions a lot, makes me giggle everytime:
          - what are you gonna do when you win the $50,000 today?
          - i dunno, i'd put it towards a new car / new boat / go shopping

        • altomic on 09/03/2015 - 22:57

          @Azn310: I remember 10 years go when we just had our first child and were in a shared room inthe maternity ward. The other new mum in the room was talking with her partner about the baby bonus. Partner says "so yeah, I'll buy a motorbike with the money".

        • Azn310 on 10/03/2015 - 00:51

          @altomic: oh god, thats idiotic and selfish combined

        • altomic on 10/03/2015 - 10:58

          @Azn310: yeah, the Mrs and I just looked at each and were like OMG (except it was before OMG days).

          though I guess if the guy had bought a sidecar as well….

        • Geewhizz on 12/03/2015 - 08:32

          That is exactly why it is no longer paid as a lump sum.

  • cuteseal on 05/03/2015 - 15:43

    Biggest ones for me this year:

    • Joined a Buy/Swap/Sell group on Facebook for my local area, and got rid of a lot of unused stuff sitting around the house. Exercise machines, old kitchen appliances, etc. Extra spending money and decluttering is a bonus as well!

    • Be more stringent in tracking spending.

    Before I used to put absolutely everything on the credit card (to earn points) and pay it off in full at the end of the month. Even though I have a budget, it made it really hard to track daily or weekly spending though as it all goes into one big bucket and one month later I could not remember what half the things were on the bill.

    This time round I'm putting only fixed expenses (e.g. petrol, bills, insurance) onto the card and then using eftpos for day to day living expenses. I put x amount into the bank account each month, and I know roughly how much I can spend each week. Any left over gets put into savings, and start the cycle again each month.

    • JimB on 05/03/2015 - 16:14
      +4

      I don't see the point of putting fixed expenses on the C/C and eftpos for day to day living expenses.

      You'll be better off putting everything on the credit card and not buying stuff you don't need.

      If you don't remember what half the things were on the C/C, you're not remember what half the things were on eftpos.

      I don't see the advantage/benefit.

      • mmd on 05/03/2015 - 23:37

        I don't see the advantage/benefit.

        I think the benefit of the eftpos is that you are more in control of your spending habits. EFTPOS can not go into negative i.e. u must have money in the actual savings account. If you normally deposit 1k per month and use it all up in 2 weeks, then alarm bells should be ringing that you're overspending.
        This should suit the more impulsive consumer who would normally just whip out the credit card.

        Personally I put everything on the credit card to get points. Having said that, I'm pretty stingy and not impulsive (How unozbargain of me :) ).

        • JimB on 06/03/2015 - 09:38

          Eftpos is only for people who can't get credit or can't control their spending :)

          Well my old man is an exception. Doesn't want the hassles of a credit card and still pays in Cash! lol

          I get a phone call every time he wants to purchase a airline ticket online or at the travel agency.

        • cuteseal on 06/03/2015 - 14:21

          You've pretty much hit the nail on the head for me.

          I've used my credit card for years for points, and have always paid it in full every month. However, my credit card (citibank) has the worst online site/app and it is such as hassle to check in to see how much I've spent. And with ozbargain, there's always the temptation of snapping up bargains and think about paying it off a month later. Added complexity is that my wife and I have a joint credit card so it's not just my spending that I have to control.

          With using EFTPOS and an allocated amount each month, I'm explicitly limiting my spending. No money in bank = no money to spend. And the bank I'm with (ANZ) has a pretty good iPhone app which makes it a breeze to track daily spending.

        • cuteseal on 06/03/2015 - 14:24
          +1

          @JB1: You are not wrong there. In my case I've grown lax in controlling spending and the tools I have to track spending make it easier for me to do it via EFTPOS, so I'm choosing to forgo earning CC points for the sake of better transparency.

          If you can be disciplined with your spending (credit card or otherwise) then all power to you! :D

        • mmd on 07/03/2015 - 22:53
          +1

          @cuteseal:
          Back in my uni days, I did something similar. I only had $100 max in my savings account at any one time. The rest was stashed away in the high interest account. :)

    • lemc6125 on 05/03/2015 - 21:15
      +1

      Great changes. We're the same with Buy/Swap/Sell on Facebook. I've got a little piggy bank which I use for the money that I get selling baby's old clothes/toys etc. If I want to buy him something new ('new' is often second hand), then it has to come out of his piggy bank. It stops me from accumulating too many things and overspending.

      We used the cc for everything to get the points and then realised we'd lost track of our spending. So we kept receipts for EVERYTHING (if it was paid with cash, it was written down) and at the end of the month looked at our spending. That was great for breaking it down into categories. It's so easy to overspend on a cc but with cash or eftpos with only a little bit of money in it, you can quickly tell when you've overspent for the week.

  • pernunz on 05/03/2015 - 17:09
    +6

    Buying fruit and vegetables from a specialist store, and not a supermarket. If you go to a shopping complex that has a fruit and veg store, go there first and note a couple of the prices, then compare it to that of the supermarket.

    An example from yesterday. Fruit and Veg had continental cucumbers for 89c each, whilst the Coles at the same shopping centre they were $2.49.

    This has 2 benefits:

    1. You pay less for fruit and veg
    2. You will eat more fruit and veg because it is cheaper, and likely eat more healthy
    • lemc6125 on 05/03/2015 - 21:08

      There's such a big difference. It can be crazy how much more the supermarket is for fresh produce.

    • jamestownfx on 13/03/2015 - 16:23

      I agree with this and like to do this myself, however just be aware that sometimes the fruit and veg isn't from Australia and some times this is the reason for the lower prices.

  • centrelink on 05/03/2015 - 19:32

    I find the best way to save more money is to make more money so you use that money to save..

  • grabngo on 05/03/2015 - 20:18
    +2

    1.Get rid of Foxtel
    2.U don't need a landline.
    If u have to ,get a $30 landline just to receive calls
    3.Drive slower.Roll down hills etc
    4.Do not go to the car wash.
    Pay your credit card in full on time

    • lemc6125 on 05/03/2015 - 21:07
      +1

      So if you see a filthy slow car, that'll be me :)

      • JimB on 06/03/2015 - 09:41
        +1

        Actually, if you clean your car, technically it should be more aerodynamic and therefore use less fuel.

        And driving slower can increase your fuel consumption- Accelerating slower will reduce fuel consumption.

        • Azn310 on 10/03/2015 - 01:03

          Well u can clean and wax it in the backyard. The amount of people taking their car to car washes amazes me, like its never ever gonna rain again.

          Quick tip from a mechanic i know: wash and wax (or even double wax) your car at the start of a season. So 4 times a year. That should be easy to remember, and sufficient to protect paint work.

          Agreed on the driving style. re: Aerodynamic, sounds logical, but whats the difference does it make? If its saving 0.1 to 0.2L/100km then i cant be bothered washing the car too often :D

    • inherentchoice on 05/03/2015 - 21:58

      2.U don't need a landline.

      Never use my landline, but it's cheaper to have one for the ADSL connection. $40 a month including line rental and 100GB is wayy better than data on a mobile phone.

      • Azn310 on 10/03/2015 - 00:53

        Thats a really good price, may i ask which company you with?

        • inherentchoice on 10/03/2015 - 08:18
          +2

          Exetel. And I split it with my housemate so it works out to $20 each.

        • Azn310 on 12/03/2015 - 20:03

          @inherentchoice: hm.. Can you really be an ozbargainer with only one housemate? Lol

        • bobwokeup on 19/03/2015 - 00:41

          @inherentchoice: Damn not bad at all…Can't believe I'm an Ozbargainer and I didn't know about that. I'm with TPG paying the same for 20GB although they have never noticeably slowed us down. Exetel has a $99 activation which is a bit high…know anyway around it? :)

  • AsSeenOnTv on 05/03/2015 - 21:57
    +2

    buy gift cards at 5% off (if you don't have a 5% paywave card, or for purchases above $100). i think there is a woolies deal on ozb atm, otherwise you can get them through a lot of clubs, entertainment book, RACV, national seniors, etc. This is not huge, but it saves you a bit when used for petrol, groceries and anything else you can use it for.

  • Mysterious on 06/03/2015 - 01:11

    Two words of advice here if you're out of contract with any plan:

    Retention offers.

  • DEvok on 06/03/2015 - 05:05
    -1

    Oh yeah, baby's need to be able to play the piano and sing like Justin Bieber, and dance, sarcasm" I think I'm missing the point, don't waste so much money.

    Edit: or you could always play psy"s gangnum style on utub, just for the dancing part.

  • freakatronic on 06/03/2015 - 10:21
    +1

    I read the whole thing and didn't see this one - DIY car servicing. I see "deals" for low price car servicing that are $100 or more. I change my own oil ($20 for a bottle when it goes on special at supercheap), pop a new oil filter on ($10 or less?), and vacuum the air filter. Takes all of 1 hour. Even if you factor in opportunity cost (eg. my time is $30 per hour), DIY car servicing can save you a couple of hundred per year easily.

  • gekiyasu on 06/03/2015 - 13:37
    +2

    Spend less than you earn.

    • gekiyasu on 06/03/2015 - 13:38
      +1

      And for shares - buy low and sell high.

      • tooblue on 19/03/2015 - 11:11

        And for lotto, buy the winning ticket.

  • Stevecro on 06/03/2015 - 14:14

    Don't buy anything

    • inherentchoice on 06/03/2015 - 14:28
      +1

      Okay but I think the only alternatives are dying, stealing, bartering, leeching (or relying on someone else), going off the grid (e.g. becomming a hermit, joining a nudist hippie commune or isolated jungle tribe or move into the gated compound of a religious cult after giving all your money to it's corrupt leaders and agreeing to arranged marriages)

      Or maybe buying through a proxy, but that is still buying.

  • swilso on 06/03/2015 - 14:22
    +2

    I found this interesting and some people's comments insightful as my wife and I are pretty much in the same situation with a 10mo old too. Luckily and I guess unluckily in some ways we live in rural QLD which means our mortgage is a lot less. We both work mostly stable jobs that pay the same as city counterparts; teacher & nurse. What we did this year is to both go part time and share care of our little one. It also allows us to pick up extra days here and there especially over school holiday times.

    It sounds like you guys are doing the right things, more than I'd be prepared to do. Still kept gym, the car is a necessity, play sport, car loan etc probably more the car loan kills our income. Monthly It is equivalent to 50% of our mortgage repayments. Can't wait to get it paid out in four more years :-/

    • lemc6125 on 06/03/2015 - 16:09

      It's great that you're both working part time and have more time with baby. Unfortunately that wasn't an option for us but it would be lovely.

      Everyone has their own limits for what they're willing to do to save money. I could never have a car loan but understand why some have them. I've found it interesting to read everyone's tips. Some of them we will apply but some others… maybe not.

  • spaz84 on 06/03/2015 - 15:05

    how to save more money, make more money…

    • inherentchoice on 06/03/2015 - 16:27
      +2

      $1 saved is more than $1 earned. You have already paid tax on the 1 saved.

  • Reverse Snorkel on 06/03/2015 - 16:15
    +1

    Shower with a friend.. or a stranger.. All depends on how comfortable you are with others. If your workplace is an office and has a shower, why not shower there. Said tip may also apply for taking a crap. It's all for the saving of your water bill.

    Look at changing your electricity to a TOU usage plan and then do your washing at night off-peak and pay less for your kw/h.

    Don't rack up credit card debt. CC's have the highest interest rates.

    Consolidate all your debits into one single one. While it makes tracking easier also clocks up less charges.

    Drive a more efficient car and use less fuel.

    Setup a budget. It really helps you break down your costs and see where your bleeding cash.

    • inherentchoice on 07/03/2015 - 08:43

      So do you practice what you preach? Who do you shower with?

  • Thaal Sinestro on 06/03/2015 - 22:44
    +2

    Moving overseas to a cheaper country is the best way to save money and escape the blatant price gouging that is ubiquitous in Australia. In the US you could have a house similar to what you live in now, in a similar suburb. for half the price. The amount of private debt in Australia is astronomical because of how expensive housing has become over the last 2 decades. Australia is going down the drain and neither of the mainstream political parties is opposing the rot; in fact they are just hastening the decay, the way seeping water nourishes mold in a ceiling.

    • lemc6125 on 06/03/2015 - 23:04
      +1

      I agree that there are many places where the cost of living is cheaper but the wages in Australia for us are far greater than any other country.

      Going down the drain?

    • rygle on 09/03/2015 - 22:02
      +1

      United States. Cheap housing, expensive medical…

      • Shadow54 on 19/03/2015 - 11:05

        Australia - super expensive tradies…. and frequently unreliable
        Super expensive car rego
        Super expensive water
        Super expensive gas
        Super expensive electricity
        Super expensive, books, DVDs, tools, car servicing and repairs, etc.etc. Even people earning a reasonable income struggling to keep ahead of the bills.

        25 years ago I never had to give a second thought, to gas, water, electricity bills, etc. - they were never of problematic size.

        • bobwokeup on 19/03/2015 - 11:49

          Yeah goods and services are expensive in Australia but you just need to be smart. The best way to be smart is to save money, buy online (I know it's selfish and doesn't help our economy) and look for promotions (most important is to be flexible).

          I'm on reasonable money supporting my wife and 2 young kids. Because we saved before having kids we don't have to think twice about bills. However I will still look for better deals…hence why I'm an ozbargainer ;)

  • inherentchoice on 07/03/2015 - 08:46

    ING Direct 2% perpetual cashback on all paywave transactions. This is well known among Ozbargainers but maybe not to all.

  • supaderp on 07/03/2015 - 10:45
    +1

    Saving money has a different perspective depending on your status and role. For people who are often busy, you must consider the time you used to save that money. Walking 10minutes to save 20cents on a kilo of apples is not worth. Time is money.
    Also if you are tight on air conditioning on a hot, humid day, is it worth for your household to be grumpy and frustrated? Certainly not, I usually get headaches when it gets too hot and that is my day gone.

    • omghi on 07/03/2015 - 13:37
      +3

      If you are busy sitting an office in front of a computer for 8-10 hours a day, that 10 minutes of walking is a lot more valuable to you than just 20c/kg.

      10 minutes of fresh air, light exercise, natural light (vitamin D) and personal thinking time and a bonus saving of 20c/kg? Yea please!

  • JoyVee on 07/03/2015 - 14:37
    +1

    join the Australian Cheapskates Club here www.cheapskates.com.au $35 per year.
    Lots of helpful hints. I just subscribe to their newsletter which is free. Have lots of hints on saving money and
    also recipes for MOO products, Make Our own cleaning products. Also run Saturday workshops on variety of topics.
    Also publish cheap recipes and have blog on how to feed a family of four for $300 a month.

    Make sure you are on a flexible electricity tariff and plan your usage to be at cheapest time.

    I have joined powershop.com.au which is electricity only and is cheaper for me.Available only in Victoria. have a look at the detailed info on Whirlpools forum. Go to Green tech in Forums and search for the Powershop archive. you get $75 for joining up and if you photo your cost to changeover and send it to them , they will reimburse that cost as well. that happened to me, not sure if that offer is still current.

    This whirlpool thread has info on Cheapest Power in Melbourne http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2343817.

    Good luck and happy savings.

  • SaberX on 07/03/2015 - 15:04
    +1

    Financially:

    Shave off $$ on your home loans, insurance, etc. I reckon you can get better deals these days on all, and am tring to free up time over the next month to revisit insurances myself. Including my super fund (Yes, a commonly overlooked area given they money is socked away. A small change in your management fees paid out could make a huge diff to your money in 40 years time).

    The next two most expensive things that come to mind:

    Eating out
    Drinks

    With the gf away for secondment overseas, and me being a FIFO this year for the first time I've noticed that the lack of restaurant meals makes a huge diff. Let alone when you do eat out stop with the degustation meals and 3 course meals at restaurants… go for a main or a noddle dish, eat and leave sorta thing… YOu'll be surprised how $30-45 mains per person, can contrast to $120-170 for two people when you all get entrees, dessert, a glass of wine …

    Drinks - no brainer: I hardly buy drinks outside unless on holidays. Paticularly in aus, way too overpriced for a simple beverage that comes straight from a bottle you can buy from dan murphys.

  • BH1 on 07/03/2015 - 20:14
    -4

    Drink water & eat grass :)

  • altomic on 07/03/2015 - 22:48

    go vegetarian.

    lentils are cheaper than mince (healthier as well).

    a red lentil curry for 5 costs > $4. (500grams lentils, 1 chopped onion, couple of carrots, some vege stock) with some rice for and extra $1.

    • altomic on 08/03/2015 - 04:37
      +3

      That should be <$4.

      Another saving tip is don't drink scotch (and then go on ozbargain)

  • phokati on 08/03/2015 - 03:25
    +2

    Cancel your phone membership plan. I use optus SIM Card incoming free and i do $5 recharge for data a month which gives me 500MB a month. Which is enough for me. Incoming is free, for callout i use mobilevoip app which is very cheap or any other voip app. Also 500MB is enough for whatsapp facebook and as such.

    For family calls you can use like facetime audio, video, viber as such. This is saving me $30 a month.

    • inherentchoice on 08/03/2015 - 09:30

      Do you use wifi for voip/Viber/Facetime calls or do you use the data? I would probably find it hard to keep data usage under 500MB/month if using it for voice and video calls.

      • Malarkey on 18/03/2015 - 17:05
        +1

        Don't forget most work places and at home you usually have wifi ;)

  • oliviar on 09/03/2015 - 09:23

    According to me in 4 different areas you can negotiate. 1 Gym, 2 Phone bill, 3 bank fees or interest, 4 car dealer.

  • Rhianna7 on 09/03/2015 - 11:40
    +1

    When buying prescriptions or painkillers at the chemist, always ask for the generic brand. They contain exactly the same ingredients as the brand names, but are usually significantly cheaper.

    • sickllama on 10/03/2015 - 20:21

      Yeah not exactly true. I had a chemist explain it to me once over a few drinks (so take what I am about to say with a grain of salt). They contain the same active ingredient, but since of the other ingredients may be different. He said to go for genetic unless your doctor tells you otherwise or the outcome of the medication isn't what you expect (ie bad reaction or ineffective)

      • Geewhizz on 12/03/2015 - 08:42

        Yes, different carriers, and they can make a significant difference.

        I took a generic one once, for about a week until I realised that was what was giving me the frequent dizzy spells, coupled with auditory hallucinations. Now THEY were fun, not.

  • GoogleFroogle on 09/03/2015 - 14:16
    +2

    Stop buying things you don't need. And what you need is really not a lot! I suck at this, but whenever I do it, money stacks up in a hurry!

    That means even bargains that come along, they are not bargains if you are buying what you do not need.

    • inherentchoice on 10/03/2015 - 08:45
      +2

      Buying things also creates clutter which makes it harder to organize all your belongings and harder to clean.

      If you buy something and put it at the back of your cupboard and never use it, what was the point? It just depreciates and becomes something extra to throw out get rid of when you move. Worse is if it goes in the fridge or pantry and just goes off.

  • Azn310 on 10/03/2015 - 01:19

    This i just found recently, but to my surprise, fish can be a cheaper option compared to meat. They are trickier to cook and smell funny but at least the trade off is healthiness.

    Few days ago i got 4 yellow tail fishes cleaned for $1.82 ($2.99 a kilo)..also notice blue mackerel for $7.99 a kilo.. And i have put off going to fish shop for a year, thinking it would be expensive.

  • Carpe Diem on 12/03/2015 - 09:31

    Turn the Fridge/Freezer cold setting down unless needed.
    Say no to portable plug-in heaters - Instead electric blanket & jumpers
    Learn about the price of your shopping, what is seasonal etc. Makes a huge difference.

  • Shadow54 on 14/03/2015 - 12:27

    Here are a few random ideas which I use to save money…

    Buy grocery basics at Aldi ….definitely cheaper than Coles/Woolworths and IGA

    Buy clothes, toys and books at selected Op shops or at garage sales. Some Op shops are charging silly prices (Salvos and Vinnies) so better to go to the small church Op shops. Op shops have better prices in poorer areas

    Grow some of your own veggies and herbs, but grow what you use regularly, not exotic stuff that you'll never use!

    Compost your biodegradable scraps to make compost so you don't need to buy fertiliser for the veggie and herb plants. Healthier too!

    Buy a good quality takeaway coffee for just $1 at 7/11 stores (but do not be tempted by the Krispy Kreme doughnuts!) Why pay $3 to $6 for a takeaway coffee?

  • Vash1984 on 16/03/2015 - 20:32
    +1

    Always keep all your insurance bills. No doubt the prices will increase annually and all you have to do is ring insurance company and ask why the increase. If they can't give you a good answer they better match previous year or give a decent drop in price. other day I was in the phone for less than 5 min and got my annual price to drop $80 (still $20 more than previous year). same with any other bills. I happened to look at my parents water bill and looked higher than usual. I checked around the house and found the toilet was trickling water. I calculated my parents lost $300 in wasted water.

  • myshaldan on 20/03/2015 - 13:41

    Get a 'Orange Everyday' bank account from ING Direct - www.ingdirect.com.au

    They have free ATMs withdrawal anywhere in Australia and 2% cash back on Visa payWave purchases under $100. Doesn't sound much but this adds up to be big savings in the long term if you use it for everyday purchases like supermarket run, petrol, restaurants, clothes, movie tickets etc…

    It use to be 5% cash back but they were quick to change it to 2%.

    All you need to do is make a deposit of $1000 or more each month into the account.

    Hope this helps :)

    • lemc6125 on 21/03/2015 - 23:34

      Thanks for the tip, we did have an ING account but it proved to be a hassle (moving money from the offset account took days). It's a great deal for an everyday account. We had it back when it was 5%

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