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Article ‘Bargain Boss’ Reveals 5 Top Money-Saving Tips

September 11, 2025

15 Comment

Are the looming winter energy bill and upcoming Christmas expenses getting you stressed?



As a Bargain Boss, here are my five tried and tested tips that will help you save some extra money for the upcoming Christmas period.

1. Make planning your best friend

Planning is an essential part of saving money, especially when it comes to your weekly grocery store visit. We’ve all done it before; we’ve gone to the grocery store and walked through the aisles, unsure of what we need or want, looking at all the sale stickers everywhere.

Once I started to notice the items I had purchased still sitting on my pantry shelves weeks later, I knew I needed to do something different. For me, it was to introduce product planning. To plan for your grocery trip, assess your fridge and pantry by creating an inventory of essential items you need, near empty containers and staple items you need to restock.

Want to go a step further? Meal plan for a week’s worth of breakfast, lunch and dinner and take note of your ingredient list. All this planning will ensure that the next time you go shopping, you will only spend what you need and you won’t end up buying unnecessary items.

2. Embrace sales

Being a savvy shopper also means doing your research, being aware of promotions and shopping smarter when it comes to sales. When finding the best deal, ditch the brand loyalty mindset and explore different options that other supermarkets may offer.

Not sure where to start when it comes to research? Join Instagram and Facebook groups that are focused on sharing information on sales and bargains, research content creators and find their unique discount codes, or look up the brands on social media and specifically check their tagged posts section – there is often discount codes in the posts there. Embracing sales means to keep comparing and researching, because you will always find a better deal.

3. Use cashback platforms

One of the lesser known but extremely helpful ways to save money is to use cashback sites like TopCashback. As an avid online shopper, I get notified while browsing when one of my regular online shops has amazing deals.

From grocery shopping for household essentials to buying back to school supplies for the kids, I’m able to find the best deal whilst earning cash back at the same time. I’ve found that over the course of a year, these returns add up to significant savings. I tend to leave them in the cash back account, and then withdraw them at Christmas time, to reduce the Christmas expenses.

4. Buy second-hand

Thrifting and secondhand shopping are a great way to save money. Forget paying full price for items that can be found in excellent condition for a fraction of the cost. My go-tos are Facebook marketplace, eBay and op shops. They’ve helped me secure incredible deals on everything from fashion to home decor.

On the flip side, consider selling the things you don’t need anymore. Other buyers may be looking for exactly what you’re trying to clear out and you can make some extra cash while you’re at it. I have had a lot of success selling my secondhand items on Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and markets such as the Bumblebee children’s market.

5. Patience is key

When online shopping, I always add items to my cart but delay the purchase. Online retailers often send discount codes via email or price drop alerts to encourage customers to reclaim their ‘abandoned cart.’ On some websites, like Amazon Australia, it even allows the item to be moved out of the cart and into a save for later section. I add everything I’m interested in there, and whenever I log in, I can see whether the prices have gone down. Not only does this give you time to consider if you truly need an item but it also allows you to score a better deal.

I’ve tried and tested a lot of money-saving tips over the years, and this is just a few of the ones that I find helpful and work. These tips will equip you to navigate your budget with confidence in order to effectively hit your savings goals faster. For more tips, check out my Instagram and Facebook pages.

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Comments

  • As far as grocery items are concered I have learnt to memorize the prices of the things I buy often and if im out and see a bargain I stock up.
    We have electric toothbrushes and recently I saw 10 packs of toothbrush heads for sale for $12.50 which is insane as normal price is arounf $80. I grabbed the last two packs.

    Reply

  • These are really fantastic tips; I already do some of these now but there are some new tips I had not thought of. I try to use cash back programs as much as I can but i need to be more across these and really stop and check before making purchases.

    Reply

  • I go straight to the half price specials and stock up.

    Reply

  • Love these money savers ! It confirms that I am doing a lot of what I can to save, doing most of the ideas in the article. I am however, I bit of an impulse buyer at times – so, the idea of putting things in a cart and leaving them to simmer, in the hope that the price drops or your given some sort of incentive discount by the seller is a really good idea. This is one that I will start to use from today, in a way to not only save money, but to try to help with all the bits & pieces I tend to buy impulsively 😆

    Reply

  • I also like to find ways of saving with the food budget because quite simply the cost of groceries, meat, fruit & vegetables and other household necessities is expensive. I shop for bargains and in bulk; again it takes planning, storing and plenty of organisation but it is well worth it to make savings and to apply the savings to other financial ‘buckets’.

    Reply

  • I think I pretty much do all those things mentioned already. Making a shopping list and preparing a meal plan is one of the top ways to avoid buying things you don’t need in the weekly shop. If it’s not on the list do not allow yourself to buy it. No impulse buy!

    Reply

  • I agree with planning being key and planning and organisation is essential in every area of life including finance. In our household it is important to keep on top of finance daily and to find ways of saving. I agree with patience and also thinking about purchases; it can indeed pay good dividends,

    Reply

  • Hi Bella, I personally use ‘Shopback’, it has been great so far, there is daily boost opportunities for different retailers, and even higher boosts with your selected purchasing bank card, so it’s endorsed by the banks too, for example if you use Westpac and on an extra boost day, you already get 20% cashback, you will also receive an extra 10% for using your Westpac card, its great! I have found that the longer I keep using, the savings do add up and it’s totally worth it. I have a code in case you are interested; you get $20 credit after using it, no pressure, but in case you want to give it a try, you can download app and enter: dfTKca

    Reply

  • Sadly my preferred cashback site (CashRewards) announced this week that it’s shutting down. I wonder if there’s too much competition in the market? But they were very good about paying cashback, it was easy to enquire if something didn’t track, and they had great bonus’ from time to time. Even tiny amounts added up over time.

    Reply

  • Loyalty member shopping has been amazing for me. I currently have $280 with Woolies banked for Christmas, and over $500 with Coles. I don’t buy anything on purpose to get points, just boost and keep an eye on what store will give me more points each week. Its excellent at the end of the year to have that bonus

    Reply

  • Yes, planning is great but I still find if you go shopping hungry you will be more likely to grab extra tasty treats! Never shop hungry and be careful who you take with you! Lol hungry kids or a hungry husband can blow it all out of the water if you aren’t careful

    Reply

  • Some good tips. Never done the cash back deals, so will trial that. Little things like paying bills on time also saves you money. And if I pay my bills via my ING account, I get cash back. Look at your fees on your credit card and super accounts too!

    Reply

  • Great tips! I’m happy to say that I’m doing most of them already but the cashback sites are new to me! I’m glad to hear they are worth it. I wasn’t sure if it was one of those things where you get money back but you’ve spent more than you would have normally paid

    Reply

  • Oh i love bargain boss! I definitely follow her on insta. I do all these steps, something as easy as writing my shopping list before i head into store, i know exactly what i need from what store depending on their prices. It makes shopping so much easier and faster too!

    Reply

  • Great tips. I have heard a lot about cash back sites but am yet to join.

    Reply
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