topic Tips on frugal living (for the financially struggling) in Staying well

Tips on frugal living (for the financially struggling)

Guest_322 — Sun, 25 Sep 2016 01:51:29 GMT

Hi everyone,

So I thought it would be helpful for anyone who (like me) is financially struggling to share tips and tricks on how to make a dollar stretch that much further. I was inspired by Dizzy and her wonderful advice on anther thread.

Here are mine:

1. Do the bulk of your shopping at Aldi (it's a LOT cheaper than Woolworths or Coles for the most part).

2. Wait till the afternoon/late evening to stock up on bread at supermarkets as the prices are often heavily slashed.

3. Your freezer is your best friend to keep cheap/discounted groceries that you buy in bulk.

4. Plan your meals to save money and avoid waste.

5. I understand that obviously you can't always do this but (& always check with your doctor/pharmacist first) see if you can ask for the generic brand of meds.

6. If you live with other people, you will probably eat better if you all chip in.

7. Markets and op shops are great for updating your wardrobe.

8. If you live in an inner city suburb, see if there's a not-for-profit local food co-op to get really cheap veggies and fruit.

7. If you're a bit of a TV junkie, Netflix is a lot cheaper than Foxtel.

8. Many (phone) service providers offer $10-$12 vouchers for cinema movie tickets. Use those to save at the cinemas.

9. Candy bars at the cinemas are notoriously expensive. Buy your snacks from a supermarket.

phew...that's all I have for now.

I WOULD love to hear your tips!

Thanks in advance!

Dottie x

Tips on frugal living (for the financially struggling)

Guest_322 — Sun, 25 Sep 2016 01:59:53 GMT

Hi again,

I forget to add always carry your student/pension/etc card on you.

Some shops offer discounts to students and pensioners.

I can't afford to shop at, say, Topshop and Glue (for example). But for those of you who can afford it, I think some stores (all?) give you a 10% discount if you show your student card.

And I'm pretty sure iTunes offers a special for students (might look into that myself).

Okay, I'm wiped. Catch ya around.

And again, if anyone has any tips, please share!

Dottie x

Tips on frugal living (for the financially struggling)

Guest_3072 — Sun, 25 Sep 2016 06:19:48 GMT

Great tips Dottie!

I would also add that as a student, you can save on bills by doing uni work at uni to lower your internet ahahah

...Maybe also taking shorter showers and looking at the free meals and discounts at the back of receipts,

If people wanna be particularly stingy, they can always not flush after using the bathroom and stocking up on toilet paper rolls from school or public restrooms, not saying I have ever done this but it does sound like a money saving tip ahahaha

Gabby x

Tips on frugal living (for the financially struggling)

Guest_322 — Sun, 25 Sep 2016 07:21:13 GMT

Hi Gabby,

Awesome suggestions! Love it!

Thank goodness for free uni wifi 😊

Oh yes, good one. I do like to collect various vouchers on the back of receipts too.

The not flushing one made me laugh. It's not entirely a bad idea although I'm not sure how my housemates would feel if I did that ha, ha.

Dottie x

Tips on frugal living (for the financially struggling)

james1 — Sun, 25 Sep 2016 07:54:20 GMT

I'd also recommend buying a second hand bike and either walking or riding as much as possible. It's annoying at first, but you eventually get used to the idea of riding and walking everywhere, even avoiding public transport. Saves money and makes you healthier.

Tips on frugal living (for the financially struggling)

Clues_Of_Blue — Sun, 25 Sep 2016 08:58:27 GMT

Hey Dottie, this is a great thread, and I expect pretty useful for a lot of people. As we touched on in the Café, I've done my time as a student and know all about living on next to nothing. I also have appalling financial luck in general, so it's been top priority for me to be good with money. I do have a few tips.

Maybe instead of not flushing, put a full water bottle into your toilet cistern (just an old 1.25-2L Coke bottle or something is fine). The cistern still fills to the same level so with the bottle taking up space it will use less water.
In stares where cans and bottles can be taken to a depot for a deposit, do so instead of throwing them out. You'd be surprised how much you can get out of taking in the beer and soft drink bottles/cans after a house party.
When making a budget, include entertainment. If you don't, big blow-outs are likely to occur because you're not having any fun and start to go nuts.
If you have finite debts (i.e. paying off a car or TV, rather than an ongoing bill), aim to wipe out the smallest first. Allocate as much of your budget as you can to it, and put any spare cash onto that to ditch it as quick as possible. Once it's gone, allocate the portion of your budget from that to the next biggest debt so you're paying off more at a time and knock it out quicker.
When you cook, do a big batch and freeze portions. That way you use less power/gas and have lunches ready for work, uni, etc. that you don't have to buy when you're out.
Hot water bottles and blankets. You'll save on power at night, and can water any plants you have from them when the water goes cold and you have you change it.
If you're bad at saving, get your work or Centrelink to take out extra tax from each pay. Even $5 a week adds up if you're getting it back annually in your tax return. It can then be stuck in a high interest savings account to make a few extra dollars.

Just a few ideas to start off with. I've found them handy.

Blue.

Tips on frugal living (for the financially struggling)

Clues_Of_Blue — Sun, 25 Sep 2016 09:01:52 GMT

Er, states, not stares in point 2. Nice work, auto-correct.

Tips on frugal living (for the financially struggling)

Guest_322 — Sun, 25 Sep 2016 10:08:33 GMT

Hi James and Blue,

Thanks for the awesome tips 😊

James, maybe it's time I get my hipster on with the bike idea ha, ha.

Blue, incredible suggestions!

No. 1 is pretty ingenious. Gotta hand it to you.

I also really like the one about budgeting to include some semblance of a life like entertainment. That's a good one.

Hmmm...as for the old cans and bottles. That gives me an incentive to offer to help my housemates, uh,"clean up" after their parties ha, ha,

Oh yeah, autocorrect can be pretty creator at times

Tips on frugal living (for the financially struggling)

Guest_322 — Sun, 25 Sep 2016 10:09:38 GMT

*creative

See autocorrect hates me too apparently...nothing personal 😉

Dottie x

Tips on frugal living (for the financially struggling)

Wandercharm — Sun, 25 Sep 2016 12:36:33 GMT

Great tips everyone!

I have a dilemma now, as I've been trying to tell myself that shopping at Aldi can't make that much of a difference because I didn't want to ride my bike to multiple shopping centres to do the shopping. 😛

Walking and biking is a key ingredient of my lifestyle at present. It's good for my budget, good for my physical and mental health, good for controlling impulse shopping, and good for helping me develop planning skills and patience (gr argh).

My suggestion to add is using Gumtree and second hand stores for household items and furniture. I've moved a lot and it's been a relief to always get what I need at an affordable price pretty much everywhere. It helps me not become snobby about the decor too, haha. Eclectic is a valid style choice, right?

Wandercharm.

Tips on frugal living (for the financially struggling)

Guest_322 — Sun, 25 Sep 2016 20:17:10 GMT

Hi Wandercharm,

Thanks for sharing the Gumtree tip! Yes, eclectic is a perfectly valid sense of aesthetics 😊 Better eclectic than being pedantically matchy-matchy in my opinion. Makes things more interesting.

Seems you and James have bike riding in common. It does seem like a very healthy way to get around.

Dottie x

Tips on frugal living (for the financially struggling)

Guest_322 — Sun, 25 Sep 2016 20:26:50 GMT

Hi Wandercharm,

Re: frugal grocery shopping.

When my housemates and I shopped at Coles or Woolworths, our weekly groceries was about $250-$280/week (between the 4 of us).

But we got it down to about $150-$180/week after switching to Aldi.

We still go to Coles and Woolworths here and there (especially for their cheap bread in the evenings) and occasional deals on fruit. But it's mostly Aldi for us 😉

Dottie x

Tips on frugal living (for the financially struggling)

Clues_Of_Blue — Wed, 28 Sep 2016 14:39:09 GMT

Glad my tips are potentially useful to you Dottie. I got some of them from online, spent a lot of time searching for ideas.

Wandercharm, the vast majority of my first pieces of furniture were second hand. As long as they function, eclectic is just fine. 🙂 That said, I went looking for a new couch recently and actually found a decent new one significantly cheaper than its second hand equivalent. There's something to be said for research.

It's great that some of you guys can get away with riding a bike where you have to go. Personally I've always had to cover too much distance for that. My tip on being a bit frugal with driving is get better fuel. Sure it costs a bit more in the immediate to get 95 or 98, but you get more distance for it. I found I was getting a good 50km extra out of a tank of fuel, and it's better for the engine than regular unleaded (i.e. reduced mechanical costs).

Blue.

Tips on frugal living (for the financially struggling)

MsPurple — Wed, 28 Sep 2016 14:51:04 GMT

I have some tips for saving money

1. Shop around. I check online at a few stores and compare prices so I don't waste money for the same product.

2. Use coffee vouchers. Some let you get on coffee free every 5 or so, so if you need your coffee go to a place that has loyalty vouchers

3. If you are needing to catch a flight compare prices. Jetstar has a price beat guarentee (if the competitors flight is within the our of one of their flights and it's to the same destination). I use this all the time. Also don't pay by credit card unless it is free. Jetstars free option uses poli or something like that

4. Check out savers. They sell second hand stuff but some of it is really good and super cheap. If you want some around the house clothes it is perfect.

5. Buy fruit and veg in season as it is cheaper

This is all I can think of for now 🙂

Tips on frugal living (for the financially struggling)

blondguy — Wed, 28 Sep 2016 20:06:02 GMT

Hey Dottie

Excuse the late post....these are some of my tips on being fiscally restrained 🙂

Australian frozen veggies...the same nutrients if not more and way way cheaper..(Woolworths)
Top 3 appliances for mega power usage....The Evil Oven...An Electric Kettle....A Toaster
Tumble Dryer.....no way....emergencies only....or get rid of it....
Many Homebrand products (Generic) are made by the major manufactures and great value....(avoid the Homebrand tinned tomatoes.....made in Italy but they also grow tomatoes near nuclear waste areas)
Ive done many checks on power costs (kwh)...Red Energy is cheap power...
Simple rule...Never pay full price for anything....It can be done....95% of the time...

Happy Thursday to you Dottie (thanks for your caring input with the new posters too)

Paulx

Tips on frugal living (for the financially struggling)

Guest_322 — Thu, 29 Sep 2016 11:03:31 GMT

Hi,

Steph, thanks for the thoughtful tips. I appreciate the coffee loyalty card reminder as I often lose mine ha, ha.

I agree that in season fruit and veg is definitely cheaper!

Paul, happy Thursday to you too 😀 Wow, you've certainly done your research. Great tips!

Homebrand and frozen are life savers indeed! And yes, I'm with you on avoiding full price as much as possible!

Dottie x

Tips on frugal living (for the financially struggling)

romantic_thi3f — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 01:05:07 GMT

Ohh great tips!

Thanks for starting this thread 🙂

Here's mine -

1. If you like reading magazines and have a tablet or an iPad, try your local library. They link in with an app called Zinio. Long story short I read the latest magazines free every month.

2. Go to the library anyway - books and DVD's are all free and you can do interlibrary loans if your library doesn't stock it. (I like to read a lot).

3. Meal planning. I do this once I have the catalogue so I can plan my meals based on what's on special.

4. Shop online. I do this with Coles for my groceries and it helps because I can easily add/change things in my cart without hassle (or anxiety) and I can stick to my budget so I don't get to tempted by what's on sale that I don't need.

5. Budget. I do an automatic bank transfer into a savings account and don't touch it - so I get added interest into my account with no effort whatsoever.

I also make lots of shopping lists, price compare and think a lot about what I buy.

6. Switch off your appliances at the wall. It's amazing how much money this saves. You can also get giant buttons to press with your feet that do the same thing.

7. Definitely approve of Netflix but I also like Stan as they have a great selection of TV shows and are pretty cheap.

8. Take advantage of loyalty cards. I get points and rewards on my Amcal and Priceline cards pretty fast which help save money.

I also use Velocity when shopping as I get extra points just for shopping with the site - it's only two clicks but it means one day I'll be able to have a cheap flight!

9. Freeze and store. I do a lot of juices in the morning so food prep is important to me.

I also make my own lunch and find ways to use overripe food - overripe bananas make awesome banana icecream. Chicken can also be used in lots of different ways like pasta, sandwiches or salads.

10. Keep up with the specials and discounts from the shops you like - some places have free shipping or deals for people signed up to email lists.

11. Have a vegetarian meal. I'm not vegetarian but having even just one meat-free meal can save so much money in the grocery bill.

12. Have a look at your phone and internet plans. It takes time and effort but it can save you in the long run; even prepaid deals can be cheaper than phone plans.

Tips on frugal living (for the financially struggling)

MsPurple — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 04:33:21 GMT

Hey everyone. I just thought of some other ideas

-share netflix passwords and accounts. I know some people have multiple streaming networks so maybe go in with family and some friends

-buy larger sizes. Don't buy the small cokes, buy the two litre ones and if you want to take a smaller amount with you put it in a take away bottle

-Drink water at a restaurant or go to a byo restaurant

-Go to a restaurant on special days E.g burger Tuesday and Happy Hour

-share books with friends, or go buy second hand books.

Tips on frugal living (for the financially struggling)

Music_Freak — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 09:44:16 GMT

Great idea for a thread 🙂

I'll see if I can think of moreto add when I've had a proper read through

Tips on frugal living (for the financially struggling)

blondguy — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 09:53:10 GMT

Hey Dottie

Romantic_thi3f Said: "Have a look at your phone and internet plans. It takes time and
effort but it can save you in the long run; even prepaid deals can be
cheaper than phone plans"

Nice1 Romantic!

blondguy has a Sony Xperia Z5 with 4G Data and unlimited everything for $65-00/Month through Vodafone and their sales staff are based in Tasmania too!