It’s so tough right now with prices rising everywhere! A few things that have helped us cope: we’ve really leaned into meal planning to cut down on food costs and avoid waste. Shopping in bulk for pantry staples and using rewards programs has helped a bit too. For petrol, we try to combine trips and use fuel discount apps to find the cheapest stations nearby. For the mortgage, we’ve reviewed our other expenses and cut out anything that wasn’t essential. It’s still a stretch, but finding small savings in each area has made a difference. It’s a tough balancing act, but every little bit helps!

I try to reduce all the food wastage to make sure nothing is thrown out.
We rarely go to the movies or anything like that, preferring to spend time outside, going for bushwalks or bike rides etc.

We’ve been getting our fruit and veg from a place called funkyfood (available in Vic, NSW and QLD), which has saved us on our fruit & veg shop each week. The only downside is you don’t know what you’re getting until the day before – but the quality and freshness is better than the supermarket, and it feels like half the price we’d normally spend on the same things.

Saving for retirement is not possible. Husband is self employed and there is no spare money yo put into super for him so we’d have to live off my super and pension. Hopefully by then the house is completely paid off.
If you have a spare bedroom or can get by for a year by squishing two kids into one room, then look into taking in an international student. It’s tax free money. This is something I’d definitely consider doing when the kids have left the nest. Things like surveys eventually add up. When I had only one child I used to deliver catalogues- getting paid to exercise.

shorter showers, bulk cooking, walking places as much as possible, selling unused items on line, buying things on special and definitely not going out much.

Buy what is cheaper between Coles, Woolies and IGA every week and we don’t have to save for retirement anymore as it is being taken from our wage every week!

I’ve found that Woollies has a lot more of our items on special than Coles lately. I use the apps to compare, and I definitely recommend doing that. I make sure to get enough school snacks so I’m not running into the shops and can do some baking.
We take out $50 to $100 the week my husband is at work and doesn’t need to fuel his car. The week he’s home, I put less in because we don’t drive mine as much. $65 is direct debited each week for the power bill, and I need to do it for the rates because at the moment I am PayPal in 4’ing them at $300 a pop.
We have baby number 4 on the way, and I’ve gotten everything we need. Every other week, I’ll buy nappies to start stocking up.
It definitely helps to have a friend to whine to as well, so you don’t feel like you’re drowning alone.

I’ve had to pick up an extra shift a week at work and I’m still struggling at times. There’s some great advice on here thanks.

Try go shopping alone and less often

It’s tough! I try and buy stuff on special. I wait until the shops have huge sales on end of season clothes and stock up on next year’s clothes and shoes for the kids!

Live within your means. You can’t ‘keep up with the Jones’!’ So to speak. But you have to live also. Prioritise what you need against what you want. That goes for everyone in the household.

I completely changed how i spend last year. I plan our weekly meals based on the catalogue sales and shop for half-price specials. Our grocery shopping is done exclusively online except for bread and fruit top ups once a week. I also check the clearance markdown areas when buying these. I’ll often buy a half-price hot chook and shred it, then freeze it into portions. I can get about 2-3 meals out of it by making things like Gumbo with the shredded chicken.

I do groceries online so I can see the price and take out extras to not go over budget! I also use the woolies rewards to my advantage especially the 10% every month I’ll go in store specifically to use it and do any other errands in town that day to justify the fuel of driving in.
As someone else said I watch Aussie debt free girl on YouTube she has great advice.
We also budget our weekly income setting aside a pool for our bills so when something unexpected comes up I can pull from that instead of the weekly wage.
I’m also looking for work and my partner for a 2nd job
You can look up foodbank or other community supports in your area to help with groceries too

It’s tough. Some weeks I make really cheap dinners which are healthy and then other weeks splash out on some nice meat or fish. We don’t go out for dinner as often and I only buy clothes on sale if we need them.

How are you keeping up with the prices of groceries, electricity and petrol? I didn’t get a pay rise recently and i am really struggling. We don’t waste money and go out all the time. I wish i had more Odesa’s, i do buy things on special and when i can in bulk. Everything has gone up so much i hope the rates don’t go up any higher.

Forget saving for retirement in the current climate, its just not possible when we need to focus on keeping our heads above water. They claim interest rates and reducing inflation will bring down the cost of living early next year. But seriously, you just know nothing will drop down to what it was because the banks and big companies are too greedy. Makes me so angry to see the billion dollar profits posted by banks, big retailers, big businesses while most of us deciding between medicine or food. It’s so unfair

I try not to think too far in advance and just enjoy what I have now. Who knows what may happen sooner than retirement? Practically I incorporate every money saving tip I have amassed over the years and make sure that hubby (and the kids too, to an extent) are on the same page. We see it as a fun exercise to do rather than a burden to bear. I also lower my expectations by a lot because we can be our own worse critic.

It’s a really hard time xx

I find I am able to cut cost back down the most, is on our grocery bill!

For meat I have been buying a bulk tray of chicken thigh, chicken breast & 1kg of mince. I stretch it out by dividing it up / cutting up into smaller portions.

Look up Aussie debt free girl on YouTube, she has some good ideas.

It’s a tough time to be living. Unfortunately my family have been priced out of our location. We are leaving next year and moving in with my Dad, there’s no other option. We just can’t afford to rent anymore and my partner and I both work.

Sometimes you need to stop and catch your breath. I know I’m also having issues. I’m finding it hard juggling my family plus I have one parent I care for and another with Alzheimer’s in a nursing home I am a guardian for. Have had to take time off work to look after all the family but now have to go back to try to pay the bills. It’s hard, I’ve tried to cut out as many things as I can – no travel, no lunches and coffees out……it’s not nice. We’re all in the same boat unfortunately.