10 tips to being money brilliant - part 3

In the last 2 “top 10 tips” posts there has been some pretty obvious stuff. And now we’re on to the not so obvious. Some of these tips may take a bit of work, a bit of time or be thinking outside the box a little.

Find your top tip to help you save some money!

1) Cook like nana does

Make stuff from scratch. Instead of purchasing pre-made sauces, make your own. Make pizza dough from scratch. Make your own gravy. Make your own toasted muesli.

Nana probably didn’t have the flash kitchen gadgets that you might own, but work out how you can get the best value from them.

2) Clean like nana does

Every now and again be inspired to find out what you can do with bicarb soda, vinegar, water and lemon. It’s definitely a cheaper way of cleaning and making the mix isn’t too labour intensive.

If you don’t already own some microfiber or long lasting cloths, consider purchasing them. You can just throw them in the wash and use them over and over again.

3) Freshening up your gym gear

Just recently I read an awesome tip for getting the smell out of sports clothes. Soak in one cup of white wine vinegar and water before putting in to your washing machine.

Disclaimer: I haven’t tried it yet!

4) Grow your own herbs

For an initial outlay that is around the same cost as a bunch of herbs in the supermarket it is possible to grow your own. Plus no more waste, you only harvest as much as you need to use.

5) Unsubscribe to retail store emails

Purchasing in store often becomes more attractive – think extra 10% discount – if you sign up to the email list. This is very effective until you are bombarded with sale emails. So sign up, get your discount and then unsubscribe. If you shop somewhere regularly it might be worth staying on the distribution list for sales, however consider setting up an email rule to direct the emails somewhere you can go through at your leisure.

6) Rethink your holidays

Go back to nature. Camping? Glamping? Sure holiday resorts are great fun, but they’re also money suckers! Consider your options. There are cheaper holidays out there that still include a bed and bathroom.

7) Do a loop of the house before leaving

Make sure all the lights are out, especially the heat lamp in the bathroom. Turn off all appliances, especially the coffee machine.

8) Be mindful with your gift purchases

Think about how many people you will be buying for over the next twelve months. Set a realistic budget. Commit to putting away money each pay period towards this. When it’s time to get gift ready consider what the person really needs. Would they appreciate the gift of labour? Rather than buying an item can you go to dinner, lunch, or to the movies and make that your gift to each other? Do you have rewards points on your credit card that you can redeem for a voucher? If you have an item or experience in mind do some online research. Often once you start looking you can find discounts and bargains without too much work.

9) Practice discipline – don’t impulse buy

Recognise what you want as opposed to what you need. If you want something, give it a few days to mull it over. If you still really want it, look at your budget and consider what you may need to give up to get that. If it’s still attractive consider using it as a reward. What can you convince yourself to do, or not do, to get that reward?

10) Understand your State’s public transport

Each public transport system is different. Check out yours online. Mine is Sydney. We have a free city shuttle bus. We have Opal cards. Using the Opal card allows you to take advantage of (a) free travel after the first 8 trips in a week, (b) unlimited travel for $2.50 on a Sunday, (c) Off peak train discount and (d) capped weekly travel to the airport.

Do you have any other money saving tips to add to the list? Please share in the comments below.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.com

31 Comments

- - mom486197 said
  - 05 Jun 2024
    2:13 pm
I am so bad at impulse buying, i really need to get better at this and also getting better at batch cooking. This article was a great reminder.

- - meedee said
  - 09 Sep 2021
    12:04 pm
Im a saver and not a keen shopper which plays in my favour 🙂

- - ella12 said
  - 06 Sep 2016
    4:31 pm
I am guilty of a bit of impulse buying 0-:

- - mom94125 said
  - 04 Sep 2016
    9:19 am
budget and try to reduce your biggest areas of spending
- mom94125 replied
  
  05 Oct 2017 , 3:41 pm
  planning ahead sure does help to keep on track with a budget
- - Melissa89 said
  - 26 Jul 2016
    4:55 pm
These are all very good tips. I like the loop around the house tip. I am generally quite good but from time to time I will come home and realise I have left a fan on.

- - jacqbeckett said
  - 28 May 2016
    7:26 pm
I love reading some money tips, I do waste a lot of money. each week I promise myself to do things differently and sometimes its the laziness that I cant be bothered. I need to change, I need to see more of these ideas from everyone.

- - pakeko said
  - 23 Apr 2016
    2:00 pm
I do a menu planner but check the supermarkets for reduced meat and plan my meals around this

- - sharna_booth_weinrowski said
  - 10 Apr 2016
    12:21 pm
Fantastic tips thank you!

- - ebonyj84 said
  - 01 Mar 2016
    9:51 pm
I love menu planning. I start with an inventory and build my week from there

- - runofffeetmum said
  - 01 Mar 2016
    7:45 pm
I’m good with all of these tips except impulse buying when it comes to that I’m hopeless so I definitely have to get that in check

- - madlac2 said
  - 29 Feb 2016
    4:16 pm
i do need to start baking more for the kids lunch boxs rather than buying pre-packaged foods.

- - rovermum said
  - 29 Feb 2016
    11:59 am
Things were so much easier back in the day. When there was less choice, less options. I do follow some of these tips, and could definitley follow a few more.

- - KrysGrace said
  - 29 Feb 2016
    11:38 am
Addition to number 7 – do a loop before leaving the house and before going to bed.
- mom162548 replied
  
  02 Mar 2016 , 7:52 am
  Too right!! I just have to train my husband. He’s last to bed, most mornings I need to switch off about 5 lights and 2 fans. Grrrrrr! Jen
- - Mummytoabeautifulprincess said
  - 28 Feb 2016
    10:21 pm
Great tips, thanks! We’re definitely putting alot of these into place this year.

- - mom134803 said
  - 28 Feb 2016
    3:31 am
Great tips, we try to put most of these in practice.

- - mom112217 said
  - 27 Feb 2016
    7:59 pm
Excellent tips and l can relate to alot of them.especially impulse buy which l use to do alot,not so now! Thanks.

- - mom71820 said
  - 27 Feb 2016
    4:39 pm
Some really great tips, thank you.

- - bronnyc said
  - 27 Feb 2016
    9:35 am
I’ve saved a fortune on birthday/Christmas presents by getting vouchers for experiences from websites like Scoopon, Groupon, Cudo etc. Gave a voucher for a wine tasting including cheese platter & bottle of wine to take home as a wedding present cost me $29 valued at $70. Son’s 20th birthday this week we gave him a paintball experience for him & 4 mates & paid $25.

Check out the discounts offered on everything from beds, attractions etc on your private health insurer & automotive association eg RAA (they had a Drive In Movie night $12 car of 5 people incl goody bag, candy bar vouchers & amusements I gave 4 of these as Christmas presents for friends with children.

Hubby thinks I don’t know how to budget!

- - aprilb1 said
  - 26 Feb 2016
    11:28 pm
Thanks for the tips i definetley need to start cooking more

- - rachelvk said
  - 26 Feb 2016
    9:47 pm
Great tips. Further to the public transport tip, trams are free within Melbourne CBD.
- june11 replied
  
  26 Feb 2016 , 10:05 pm
  Always travel during off peak times on public transport if you can. In some capital cities you can buy multi-trip tickets which you can use for as long as you still have money on it. Fares are cheaper that way. If you know you are going to travel both ways in peak time and don’t have a multi-trip one, and only go occasionally you can buy a return ticket or day ticket as it is a little cheaper too, even for a child.