We make a lot of meals from scratch and bulk them up with lots of cheap veges. Buy gifts that are on clearance during the entire year when you find you have a little extra on some weeks. We have a whole box of gifts now that we can use for birthdays and Christmas. Don’t go overboard on food, i see a lot of families that have heaps in the pantry but still buy anyway. Use what you have and then shop again. Make a list of meals and stick to them and only buy that. Cheap stores are not always cheaper – look through your catalogs and shop for specials but do not impulse buy or shop when hungry. Take food and drinks with you when you leave the house to stop yourself just getting a drink etc. Also don’t get caught up with pre done baby food – it is so simple and easy to make your own. Good luck and congratulations on your home 😀

Buy everything second hand off Facebook garage sales at garage sales or markets always bargain prices and have a old tin can or formula tin and fill with silver coins it adds up quickly and u dnt even notice

I have a big freezer. Only buy meat when on special. Plan meals for the week and only buy what you need. Try to use up as much as you can from the cupboards and see if you can restrict yourself to just buying bread and milk on week a month so you have to used up what is in the fridge, freezer and cupboards!

We buy half a side of cow each 6 months and find that yes it’s a big expense in one go but in the long run saves us so much and also make out you meal plans for the whole week and only stick to the items you need when shopping, I’ve found doing online so much better and cheaper.
Good luck.

Meal plan and buy accordingly, trying to do only one weekly shop. We find we spend more when we go to the shops more frequently or without a plan. We also look for reusable household options instead of disposable products and buy more than we need that week (maybe a month or more in advance) if it is a great special eg 50% especially on things like washing powder

Some really good ideas here.

lots of vegetables like potato and carrots are always cheap and rice and look for meat reduced and freeze it

Funnily enough the cheapest way to eat is to buy whole foods and make your own meals, avoid anything packaged as much as possible.

Cooking and freezing in bulk always seems a bit cheaper to me.

Mrs Bucket’s list is amazing. Keep an eye on take away and food snacks when you’re out, Lots of money just disappears that way. Take drinks and snacks from home for your 3yo. Also making your own cakes or muffins once a week will save you heaps compared to buying them and you can make healthier choices too. Free activities, like picnics in the park, trips to the beach etc will provide fun days out at little cost.

I generally keep an eye in supermarkets for special fruit/veggies or sales catalogue. that really helps. Coles , woolies offer good savings in special fruit n veg.

thanks for the list Mrs Bucket 🙂

I find the best thing is really stick to shopping lists, check your cupboards before you shop. Bulk cook and freeze so you waste nothing

1. Limit takeaways
2. No impulse shopping
3. Check your previous bills, phone, electricity etc..work out how much you would need to pay each week or fortnight to cover them so that you don’t have a large bill to pay in one lump sum, organise to make those payments weekly or fortnightly to your provider – this is commonly known as bill smoothing.
4. If you receive any payments from Centrelink then you can organise payments through Centrepay (doesn’t cost you a thing).
5. Petrol, see if you can work out when your local servo discounts their fuel.
6. Lower income families can contact the Home Energy Saver Scheme to discuss vouchers/rebates, if not eligible then contact your electricity provider and discuss how you can cut down on the amount of electricity you use. Another Mum posted on here that her local library has some device on loan that shows you how much electricity your appliances use.
7. Meals – cooking from scratch is a saver, but not always. Sometimes I find pre packaged items on special that make cooking from scratch not worth it money wise. I make bulk amounts of food when I make casseroles, curries etc… out of cheaper cuts that were on special and freeze them in lots, not only saves money but will free up some of your cooking time down the track.
8. Presents – have a chat to family, friends to have an agreement on no presents – we did this years ago and have saved a small fortune.
9. I no longer buy cards as I can send an email or an e-card.
10. Hunt out the specials for groceries and other items you need to buy (sorry, this one is obvious) look online at Lasoo for most store catalogues.
11. Buy second hand if you can.
12. For entertainment there are plenty of free activities around, check them out online, local councils etc..

Once you get started you’ll soon work out what you can save and where and then you’ll be able to stick to a budget.

All the best.

When you are trying to stick to a budget even the little things help. Turning off lights when leaving a room. Saving your five cent pieces. Using coins at the self serve registers in supermarkets so you can see that you only have notes left. Turning off power points when not in use. Fixing taps etc. Go to the library instead of buying books. There are a lot of small ways to save on a budget. Stews are a good meal when budgeting. Every bit helps.

You can start saving money from small money in piggy bank and for the meals, make weekly list so you know what you want to buy and to cook.

Make a list of everything you purchase in one month. Look at these expenses to see if you can eliminate anything.

Even if it is only 5 dollars, put it in a money box. all of your change put in the box too and forget about it. it will add up very quickly

The only way that has ever worked for us is to commit to putting funds into a separate account on pay day, even if it is a tiny amount. Do it first before the money all goes. An automatic transfer if possible so you don’t even think about it as part of your accessible funds. If you can budget your available money and try to pay off any credit card debt, change to a debit card instead so you don’t throw away any more hard earned money on credit card interest.
Try to find a local online mums group who put up unwanted items to sell, buy, or give away. When you click buy it is no longer shows up for sale. You can get all kinds of good quality clothing(adult and kids), baby equipment or even unused gifts for ridiculously low prices that you pick up in your local area or sometimes the seller drops off the item to you and you pay when you get it.
To plan meals, I use an online supermarket shopping list because it saves my favourites, shows current prices and highlights specials. I browse specials in the food categories and try to choose specials whenever I can. For cheaper meals I always buy mince for bolognaise/ lasagne/ hamburgers, whatever chicken is on special ( whole, or drumsticks or thigh fillets usually) for roast, BBQ, curry, etc and always eggs (find heaps of recipes on MoM for yummy recipes for ways of including egg dishes like frittata and omelette). I try to include fish but if fresh is too pricey we have salmon patties or frozen fillets. Usually I see steak or chops on special too so there are lots of choices to suit your family’s tastes. Rice, pasta or potato add variety to how you serve your meals. I always get inspiration on MoMs recipe section.
All the best in this exciting stage of your life : )

The only way that has ever worked for us is to commit to putting funds into a separate account on pay day, even if it is a tiny amount. Do it first before the money all goes. An automatic transfer if possible so you don’t even think about it as part of your accessible funds. If you can budget your available money and try to pay off any credit card debt, change to a debit card instead so you don’t throw away any more hard earned money on credit card interest.
Try to find a local online mums group who put up unwanted items to sell, buy, or give away. When you click buy it is no longer shows up for sale. You can get all kinds of good quality clothing(adult and kids), baby equipment or even unused gifts for ridiculously low prices that you pick up in your local area or sometimes the seller drops off the item to you and you pay when you get it.