A few years ago I got obsessed with always buying the absolute cheapest version of everything. The problem was some of those purchases needed replacing far more often than the slightly more expensive alternatives. It made me realise that being frugal and being cheap aren't always the same thing.
Winter is hitting hard and the temptation to run the reverse cycle heating all day is real. Aside from the obvious things like electric blankets and closing off unused rooms, what are the small, hidden power drains that people completely overlook?
That’s all really. Not a frugality post so much as an appreciation post from a frugal living DSP recipient. These are tough economic times and people are struggling, for people on the lowest rungs of income though there are genuinely helpful programs. I also recently renewed my license for free and the car rego was free. It keeps our heads above water, I really feel for people in my situation in places like the United States, they have nothing compared to us.
Hi Guys, with 30th June approaching soon, here's our quick checklist to make sure we are not leaving money on the table this end of financial year:
Any other smart deduction strategies that you are using this year?
Paying for Netflix, Stan, Disney, and Binge simultaneously is starting to look like a second utility bill. Thinking about moving to a strict rotation system where we only subscribe to one service for a month, binge everything we want to see, and then swap. Anyone else doing this successfully?
UPDATE: Thank you all for your suggestions! i have switched to Boost Mobile & am paying $250 a year!
I've been paying $53 a month with Vodafone for 60GB but only using about 10GB monthly for the past 3 years! (stupid i know) i've just switched to the pay-as-you-go contract.
is this going to save me money? or is it worth switching to one of the other providers that are recommended on here?
Frozen peas, corn, and broccoli are incredibly cheap compared to fresh right now, but every time I boil or microwave them they turn into a soggy mess. I want to use them more to keep costs down, but I need some actual cooking techniques or recipes where the texture doesn't ruin the whole meal. Air frying? Roasting from frozen?
I got the cheapest washing powder i could find, 7.5kg at BigW for $17. They recommend 43grams so I measure that on the kitchen scales and put it in the Pyrex jug. I mix it thoroughly in the Pyrex jug with warm water and put it in the soap dispenser of the machine. Sometimes I’ll use fabric softener (whatever is cheapest) and if a dirty load I’ll boost it with Aldi Napi-san, that’s usually the cheapest. We soak things like bedding and the dog blankets, we usually have a bucket of whites soaking and often something soaking in the tub. The whites soaking bucket is always there though, things like singlets get put straight in instead of the dirty clothes basket. It keeps your whites white without fancy products.
We’ve also taken to getting refills. We do it with spray and wipe (whatever’s cheapest, S & W was last shopping), hand washing and dishwashing liquid. The handwashing goes in the light coloured dispenser in the last pic, the dark one is dishwashing liquid. Different sinks have different dispensers but the light and dark colour indicates which is which at all of them. We use any empty spray bottle for spray and wipe. I’ll be getting refills of fabric softener next wash too.
For me, it's insurance multi-policy discounts. Companies love to convince you that bundling your car, home and contents insurance is an absolute bargain. In reality, they often gradually increase the base premiums over time. I've found that shopping around and switching each policy separately usually works out cheaper than sticking with the standard bundle discount
Bit of a spicy pattern I see here, how’s it ok to be able to build a business off the back of people not remembering the price of stuff week to week
68 year old female. Life insurance premium went up $30 a fortnight
Tried doing online comparisons, but lots of mixed user reviews
Anyone recommend a decent one?
Looking for things that either have a virtually zero entry cost or use basic stuff I probably already have lying around the house. What are your favorite low-cost ways to kill time without getting bored?
Hi all
We need a new Queen mattress and was wondering if people could recommend some places for good mattresses at a good price. Our friend has a couple from WCF (warehouse furniture clearance) and is happy with it but the one they have is $650 but isn't available in medium firmness, so we've been looking at another one that place has that is cheaper at $350:
Budget would preferably be around 300-400 for a queen and we want medium firmness. Anything better than the one linked above?
Thanks all
Is it possible to access some super after age 60 for house deposit?
Still see properties under $250,00 where we live
On a good wage
Okay, so my family has a few big spend items coming up. Holiday (we haven’t been on one in 8 years), $5k on the front yard (required) and need a new car as this one is costing a bomb fixing all the time.
At the moment we are just trying to adjust to new normal after a large mortgage.
We are trying no spend for June and July, especially during the week and try to do it as much as possible on the weekend.
What are your tips and tricks to spend less on the weekends, especially when there are birthday parties, dinner invites and other social events. Also any other no spend tips welcome 🙏🏼.
We already cook a lot and budget our money. This is about reducing the spend of the surplus every fortnight to increase savings.
Partner and I are with NIB & paying almost $300 on couple’s insurance we can’t afford it anymore so on the market for a new provider
I moved to Melbourne, and dispute having double glazed sliding glass doors it's bloody cold inside!
Does anyone have any tips/deals they can share on how to keep their place warm?
I signed up for the 3 hour free Ovo energy deal in summer, but given its coldest at night, it's not really working just blasting the heated aircon (split system) during those hours only when WFH. I didn't replace my electric heater when it broke as that was so expensive to run! Would a gas heater be any cheaper?
I also have a heated blanket in all rooms + warm clothes, but those don't take away the chill in the air 🥶
Edit: Amazing tips, thanks so much everyone! Especially re putting up heavy curtains and the energy testing kit from the library to see where heat is dissipating - will let you know my results!! 🤓
Is there any kind of app or website that allows you to do your shopping and it will automatically add it to your woolies or Coles basket depending on which is cheaper?
It would result in 2 pick ups (or deliveries) but it would also save you quite a bit.
For me, it was buying the absolute cheapest office chair I could find because I was convinced a chair was just a chair. It looked like a great way to save money at the time. But the chair caused me so much back pain and even my hips ached, as even though it looked soft, sitting there for long hours made me realise how hard the chair actually was. I spent extra on a medical checkup as well. In the end, I spent more than if I'd just bought something decent the first time around.