With times being tough at the moment... petrol always on the rise, food costs increasing etc... I thought it would be a great idea to start a post on how to save money. Any tips and tried and tested methods would be fantastic.

What do you do to save money on a daily basis???

To start the ball rolling, I use energy saving light globes and make sure all lights are off except for the ones in the room I'm in. Also, when I bought new appliances for my unit, I made sure they had good energy ratings.

I try the $21 a week challenge. There is a website somewhere sorry can't find the link about feeding a family of 4 for $21 a week. You can print out the booklet has great tips.

I try the $21 a week challenge. There is a website somewhere sorry can't find the link about feeding a family of 4 for $21 a week. You can print out the booklet has great tips.

okay Av, I NEED TO KNOW ,does it work!!! My fortnightly food shopping is $400 and I am a family of 4 - if i could feed then for $21 a week, I would be impressed

 

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I use a fireplace instead of the heater - Have energy saver light globes - I have an undercover clothes lines so i do not use the dryer! ... Somedays I save on water and share a shower

Some common ones - I have a clothes hanger/frame/drier stand, so when it is raining, my clothes go on that in the garage and I try not to use the drier.

 

I walk to the shops and do multiple smaller trisp each week.

 

I save the water form each load of washing and use the same load of water for each wash.

 

You know, the basic things.

Neat read this -> http://www.simplesavings.com.au/radio/?month=2006-06 (go to the home page you can get the print out there)

 

yes it does work sort of, my sister and I got down to about $30 a week for us the Budgies and the Dogs tipped us over. Also I found that I need to get better quality fruit as there are alot of things I can't eat like pasta, bread & rice

 

My List

- turn things off at the power point.

- Use a lamp to light a room rather then the overhead lights,

- cook with gas rather then electric (if you can).

- I always pay bills on time and if there is a discount for paying them by direct debit then i do that also some bills charge a $2 bill cost for paper bills so I go for online if that is the case.

- I take my own bags when shopping (my local shop charges 10c per plastic bag)

- I buy in bulk from a butcher.

- I try and shop after 9pm to get the markdowns which occur at this time

- Check the use buy dates, if they are close then I ask for a discount (they hate me at my local safeways)

- I shop online (EzyBuys has great clothes and offers free shipping a few times a year)

- I don't push my car over 4 revs if I don't need to (I found out by changing the way i drive then I can get an extra 80 km out of my tank and I use a tank a week so that's alot in a year!)

I have tried that $21 a week challenge and i have a family of 6 with one in nappies and another one in nappies at night still so i spend $30 a week on just nappies so it does not work for big families.

I do shop late at night because like Av has said you get things markdown.

I buy things like washing powder and toilet rolls in bulk because it is cheaper.

If products are on sale i stock up on them.( coles have nappies on sale this week so i bought 6 big bags and i also got 500 bonus flybuy points for every 2 bags which was good)

I love op shopping and freecycle.

I get fruit and vegies from the market

I have found shopping at Aldi saves money.

You all put me to shame....

 

Best I can do is follow my husband Ken around turning off all the lights and tv's he leaves on unnecessarily.

Well since I don't pay the power bills and so on this part of it really doesn't affect me... :S

BUT to save money in our pocket each week we budget budget budget

Only buy the necessaties, e.g. Bird stuff, pay our own personal bills and a treat once in a while, other than that we Save save save until something we want comes along, Since we're always together we only have credit on one of our phones, things like that...

But to help my parents save money we do the usual stuff also, turn off lights, share quick showers etc... although Bog roll for our end of the house with 4 people using the one toilet, plus 2 kids and every house guest we go through a TONNE!

Smartest thing we did was stop eating delivery or take out restaurant food. We figured the 30-40 dollars we spent every week could buy us 2 weeks of fresh veggies, fruits & meats & cake ! And ... we didn't have to tip anyone or pay delivery fees & get our food cold or not the way we ordered it. It made sense. That & walking to the dollar store once a week & buying the little odds & ends that we would buy at the grocery store that are so expensive. Like spices & cake mixes, dish soap, cleansers things like that. It makes a difference just on the items you have to have in the kitchen & bathroom. Why pay the expensive prices at the supermarket if you can find good products that work for less money.

Edited August 9, 200817 yr by NickNack

With petrol prices, large mortgage, increasing food prices etc, our single income family needs to keep to a pretty tight budgiet.

We could probably do a lot better if we really tightened up but we try not to waste anything, and each meal we cook we try to make sure it will cover 2 meals at least. We buy specials over full priced stuff. I buy second hand stuff all the time. I am not a good saver though as i spend all my savings on my birds I spend more on the birds than i do on my kids that says something doesn't it

 

Oh and we save money by staying at home and eating home cooked foods.

 

I have friends who spend over $500 every week on food, entertaining and booze

Edited August 9, 200817 yr by **Liv**

Hmm - I found that denying ourselves stuff makes as impulse buy more - So each fortinght when dave gets paid he has " his spending money " and I have Mine -

 

I live in jeans and the Op shops ( salvo's St vinnie's ) are the BEST! I get 80% of my clothes and foot wear from there. Shoes OMG i got my pair of R M Williams Ridding boots in Near new condtion for ... $8

Knee high Black leather Boots $ 5 all shoes are great as you don't get the blisters that you normally get from Brand New ones - Kids clothes and shoes and toys I sell and buy them new stuff or i make donations to the slavo's and Mission Australia -

I use fuel coupons or i fill up on Tight a rse Tuesday in the morning as you get more in the tank ..

 

1 cook dinner 6 nights a week 1 night is take away 2 nights a week i cook a meal that will do for the nest night ( usually a pasta meal ) I make scones, piklettes and etc for morning T for the kids - Dogs are feed scraps too saves on the extra costs on Dog food - I buy Washing powder, Toilet paper, Shamppo and Conditioner and soaps etc laundry stuff in Bulk - Fruit is bought from locals here

 

Ummmm Thanks what I can remember now lol -

I thought long and hard and... mmm not sure what I do

NEAT- if you see some more I'll send you my size.... $8 bargain :fear

Love getting stuff on special at the shops

I get bags of meat and bones from the local chillers that isnt 'pretty' enough to sell to public; for nothing- saves them throwing it out and my dogs get fed. Id need an awful lot of scraps to feed my guys. Then I just buy a bag of biccies as well.

I shoot (not so much now) most of our meat too.

 

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how l save some money;

l do not leave my lights on if l'm not using that room.

l grow my own veggies(only in summer time)

l bake my own bread everyday

l do not go out to eat at restaurants or delivery, if l do then it is a treat.

I try the $21 a week challenge. There is a website somewhere sorry can't find the link about feeding a family of 4 for $21 a week. You can print out the booklet has great tips.

okay Av, I NEED TO KNOW ,does it work!!! My fortnightly food shopping is $400 and I am a family of 4 - if i could feed then for $21 a week, I would be impressed

 

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Oh my gosh Neat, what do you buy?? My fortnightly shopping is $600 and I am a family of 7 - 3 of them are teenage boys

When I am coming and going into a room. I leave the light on the whole time, even if I am away for 5 minutes. This $ because turning it off and then on again in such a short span of time uses up more energy than just leaving the light on for that whole time. If I'm not coming back I will turn it off.

Everything gets unplugged from the wall when not in use.

I use flourescent power saver lights

 

AV. Lamp lights use up more power than ceiling lights and light up less of the room, especially if your ceiling lights are power savers.

 

I go for walks, runs or dance instead of paying for the gym or sport

I eat left over dinner for lunch. Sometimes toast even.

 

I'm a student I have to save money, they government doesn't helps us out much at all. We get paid less than someone on the dole and we are working full time!