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Tips on frugal living (for the financially struggling)

Guest_322
Community Member

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

29 Replies 29

Touille
Community Member

Hi James 1,

I agree with your tip on getting a second hand bike to use for exercise and to save money. I have while living in Canada for 2 years, a bike in cities was the best way to travel. I have a ute now, but only use it when I really need to.

Touille

Hey Touile, where in Canada did you used live? I was brought up in Niagara Falls ONT as a kid.

In a city a bike is smart move..:-)

Paul

Hi,

romantic_thi3f, fantastic tips! Thanks for sharing 😊 Hmm...this Zinio app is very intriguing...might look into it.

Smart! Switching off appliances at the wall is a good tip indeed!

Also, now that it's getting warmer, I like the sound of your frozen banana as a healthy alternative to ice-cream 😊

Steph (Ms Purple), a big thank you for the awesome tips! I especially like the one about saving at restaurants. I usually just get tap water ha, ha.

Paul, that's a really great phone deal 😊 You did well for yourself ha, ha.

Thanks everyone! You all rock!

Dottie x

Hey Dottie

just a teenie tip that makes a big difference on the power bill....

Plasma TV's have great picture quality (mine just died...) but really draw the power...

The newish LED TV's dont have the same depth of colors (the cheaper ones like I just bought) but dont have the same hunger for power as the old Plasma flat screens used to

An old Plasma flatscreen TV will increase the power bill...heaps...

Great post Dottie!

Paul x

Thanks Paul,

Appreciate all the help and tips 😊 You're awesome!

Dottie x

When filling the kettle, only put the water you need in it. It's better to boil twice at minimum than over fill it to be ready for the cuppa.

Libraries are a great source of kid's toys, DVDs and most have space, power points and free internet to use. Recharge your mobile devices there.

There's growing numbers of trade groups on facebook to exchange home grown foods in exchange for labour, excess junk or your own grown food among other stuff.
Also try the 'leg up' groups that can help, and often have where you can get cheap food.

Write down what you spend where. There's free apps for this stuff if you prefer using technology. Actually seeing where your money is spent is really useful.

Put the plug in the bath if you have a shower/bath - use that water for plants or flushing.

Compare your electricity supplier. There's gov websites to show how much you could save getting away from the big company.

A cheap as chips/budget shop coffee travel mug will make you feel like the rest of the crowd sipping through their lid but let you use your home brand caffeine fix of choice.

Cheap as chips/budget shops are good for buying lunchables for school kids. You can buy either the smaller packets of stuff or the bigger packets and a container to send them to school with.

Rice is cheap, and easy to flavour. Pasta & melted cheese can be another cheap option. Use frozen or real veg in it.

Nearly all washing powders work the same, regardless of what active ingredients they advertise.

Shaving razors will last months if you use an old toothbrush to clean the grit in blades.

Track when your local shops do their mark down specials, often early am or just before close.

Selling stuff on gumtree or craigslist doesn't cost. Selling on ebay does.

Hi Grok,

Thanks, that's a fantastic list!

I particularly like the "leg up" and apps ideas but they're all great 😊

Dottie

ecomama
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor

Reviving this thread, since it has SO MUCH useful stuff on it to read and we can keep adding more, how fun lol 🙂
New posters always welcome. 

 

I have a few tips for "frugal living" to add for today: 
CAR
* try doing multi purpose trips when you can. So IF you're going out in your car anywhere, have the errands ready to run for "that direction". I just stuff it all in my car in sections. One North, One South lol. It works on savings heaps of PETROL and TIME. 
* check your oil, water and tyre pressure levels regularly. Have some oil handy at home to refill. 

 

WATER (water is very exxy where we live)
* use some old buckets in hidden places in your garden. When it rains they fill up. After a week of dry weather, empty them out. I put a plank or log in them for the frogs to get out! And check for frogs before I empty lol. 
* you can re-use the RINSE water from your washing machine for the beginning of the next load. 

FOOD
* please use Community Gardens as much as possible. The more we use them, the more they'll grow to feed us. 
* turn last night's meal into a different meal. Risotto is my best example.. risotto one night, Arancini balls 2 days later. 

 

Love EM

ecomama
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor

LOVE this thread. It has so many great tips for us to get more bang out of any bucks. 

 

I wanted to share the Savings Challenge I've been doing for the past approx 70 days. 
I saw these Savings Challenges on YT, they were intriguing, seems like a great trend. 
A 7 day Savings Challenge will reap savings of $28 for the week. 
Day 1 save $1

Day 2 save $2 and so on for 7 days. 

 

As usual ecomama style I went the whole hog and created a 171 Day Savings Challenge x 2. 
Meaning 171 Days from $1 up to $171! (Yeah it was nuts lol). I drew up a 2 page GRID and other charts for them. Used 2 different coloured pens for each one. I chose BIG amounts every time I could, smaller when it was harder and created an adjustment plan when things got REALLY tight. 
One Savings Challenge was for saving money against my mortgage.
Another one for paying my credit card down. 
I was doing both simultaneously. 

It wasn't long before I hit difficult times (DTs), SO adjustments had to be made. 
During the DTs lol, I saved $1 per day.
I also made paying my credit card the priority which surprisingly didn't take that long to get down to a $0 balance. HAPPY DAYS! 

 

It's just an idea I wanted to throw out there in case you're feeling yuck about money atm. 

 

I have huge things I need to save for including: 
* A new fence (or half of it)
* a berm our neighbourhood needs against the road for flooding
* repairs to my roof... other stuff and also 
* a cabin to rent out. 

 

On my way now. Feels a lot better! 
Love EM

Guest_1584
Community Member

l'll def have to come back but just on a quick glance , you know you can also check the wattage of a tv before you buy the bugger , led are very low but you ca cut that in half again by just getting the right one or a bit smaller or whatever.

Aldis , man , l dunno how or why anyone shops anywhere else in this country you can get double near the groceries at Aldi for your buck. They even have quite a nice 6pack of beer 9bucks- where else are you gonna get a 6 pack for 9bucks.

Watch that damn netflix on your data to if you don't have much it uses a fortune, one movie can use up to 6 to 8 gig. Also if you use ytub, you can set it down to 360 l think it is and watch 10x as much stuff without using up all your gig.

 

l'll be back.

rx