Money money money! - Real Mum story on MoM

Wow, what I would give to live in a world where money was a ‘non-issue’.

The world has become such an expensive place!

Post Christmas we really struggled to catch back up. We didn’t go away anywhere (and haven’t been anywhere since) in an effort to save some money… But it just seems to be an uphill battle. Everyone I speak to is in the same boat… It seems everything is getting more expensive. You think you are going to have a good month and your power bill comes and puts you in your chair!
So all we can do is keep plugging along. Here are my biggest tips for attempting to get on track

Make a budget (and stick to it!) Think before you spend (do you REALLY need it?)
Minimise power and gas use (short showers, power points off at night, rug up in the cold, lights off)
Embrace the great outdoors (my kids love playing outside and will choose it everyday over watching TV! And it’s free!)
Embrace the ‘Chinese laundry’ (my husband read that the dryer costs around $10 per load! Wowzah)
Beef mince is your friend… A staple in my kitchen which costs barely anything and creates big hearty meals
Shop around…. By changing from woollies to Coles I have saved a bomb!
Don’t be a brand snob. Food, clothes etc… There are some great budget options out there that are just as great as the expensive brands!
Use local buy swap and sells to your advantage… Find some bargains and offload the things you don’t need anymore!
Don’t stress…. You’ll get through this! If you are smart about this, you can be happy and tackle your money issues. This is something I tell myself every day!

We will be ok!

Posted by haldem337, 23rd April 2014

156 Comments

- - Nas01 said
  - 12 Apr 2016
    11:28 am
Great tips!! With four kids and hubby the sole income provider we always seem to be behind but we somehow still manage so I’m tgankful for that!!

- - mom81879 said
  - 20 Sep 2015
    11:56 am
It is getting harder and harder to cope with rising costs today. I am shocked to hear of power bills regularly $800-$1000 :0 Ours is never over $300

- - mom103936 said
  - 12 Feb 2015
    3:02 pm
Some great tips.
Woudl love to see some budget friendly meal ideas posted
It would be really helpful for other mums to share in our community at Mouth Of Mums!

- - mom94125 said
  - 07 Oct 2014
    12:05 am
great tips! they have been well thought out
thank you for this post

- - mom91134 said
  - 24 Aug 2014
    8:07 pm
Glad I click on this some great tips Thank you

- - 08jazfo1 said
  - 15 Aug 2014
    11:03 pm
Definitely true, always save and save where possible as life can hit the wrong turn at any point in life. So having extra cash for a rainy day is a big big bonus. So good luck and don’t worry about money as money really can’t buy love xoxo

- - angel.mum said
  - 15 Aug 2014
    12:30 pm
I find paying a small bit ahead for bills helps

- - Bela said
  - 10 Aug 2014
    10:32 am
Great tips, thanks. I’d have to add the rule “Never pay full price for toilet paper”. It seems to be on special every second week or so. Stock up then. When there’s an extra big discount on the brand I like, I buy even more of it and store it in the laundry.
- mom57522 replied
  
  11 Jan 2015 , 8:09 am
  You sound a bit like me. I have loads of it to.
- - mrsdew17 said
  - 03 Aug 2014
    9:09 pm
Absolutely love your story! So true the points you’ve mentioned and often so easy to apply. Thanks.

- - ozstarlett said
  - 31 Jul 2014
    3:14 pm
thank you for sharing your tips. I need to tighten the family budget so it is really going to help

- - makerschke said
  - 31 Jul 2014
    11:28 am
Local fruit and veg places are great for saving money local butchers also (not in shopping complexes!)

- - Mrsjharding said
  - 29 Jul 2014
    1:59 pm
Great tips ! Once I go off work to have bubs, we’ll be down roughly 1/3 of our earnings.. Will definitely be keeping these tips in mind.

- - ozstarlett said
  - 29 Jul 2014
    8:04 am
thank you for the tips – we are needing to tighten our budget at the moment and I am sure these will help.

- - kegsy76 said
  - 25 Jul 2014
    7:05 am
I am finding it very hard now as I no longer get Child Support (since Feb) and I am not game to use the heater so we rug up and use extra blankets. I just wish I could use all these luxuries but the thought of the high Power bills really scare me. I buy alot of mince to make different meals. I turn off the power points of a night time, and yet I still struggle to pay my bills, and it is so stressful, I can’t even take my kids anywhere as it costs so much these days Heartbreaking at times.

- - mrsnixo said
  - 25 Jul 2014
    1:46 am
Sums it up perfectly and I have done all this recently as we save for our first home. Gumtree is a favorite now and we also swapped to coles and do a meal plan every week.