Great advice here. We are living in credit due to health issues, money may NOT be everything but it sure takes the stress out of certain situations.

I am also a money saver out of necessity. We have solar panels on our house which paid itself off in no time as it was purchased when the electricity buy back rate was more favourable than today. I got alot of hand me down clothes for my children which I have then passed them on to all my children then if they are still in good condition they are sent to charity or friends who could get use out of them. I also do not spend a lot on cleaning chemicals, I mainly use vinegar for cleaning which saves heaps on my shopping bills. I try to buy homebrand products when they are the same or similar to branded products such as flour, sugar and milk. There are other things to keep on a budget when necessary and an occasional splurge is good also at times so you feel you are not missing out on things.

Amen to you Stacey. I agree with all of your points. Fantastic article. I’m like you I had a massive custody battle brought upon that cost tens of thousands and at short notice I can get a $3000 bill that has to be paid in 7 days. I too learnt all of these fabulous tricks. Vinegar and bicarb soda have become my best friends, as have site like brand power and free sample sites. I have learnt the value of recycling and actually feel good about not only saving money but helping the environment. There is no wastage of food in my house – that is my pet hate. I didn’t know about the $10 dryer loads – strewth! I was doing an occasional load after 10pm as I work full time and on my own with son, thinking I was saving money as it was off peak. From now on I’m saving money and not going near that money sucking machine. Thanks so much I really enjoyed and appreciated your article. If you have more money saving or reuse of product ideas please post as I’m always keen to hear how others save and reuse.

Thanks for posting about this, it is s common concern. My neighbours snd i were tslking about how expensive groceries are now recently. I like the comment sbout the coin saving. I do that with silver coins – it still really adds up

I have worked by these sort of things for my whole 28 years of marriage and have always payed my bills before the due date always had food in the house and clothes for the kids. I don’t spend any coins I get and put them in a money box and it is a giant money box then I will not touch it until I have a goal like at the moment we are about to start an entertainment closed in huge deck with built in BBQ oven cook top sink lounges tv games area as well as a bar. So far my money box has bought $3000.00 worth of wood to start as well as a cement mixer trails cement sand gravel water as we are on tank also wine fridge 2 lounges oven and cook top sink we have the BBQ as well as all the metal angles and bolts and 2 kids lounges a Gazebo to go out and smoke in solar lights as well as solar spot lights party speakers and alot of other things. We plan on having every thing done by our 30th anniversary for a big party. I love doing things with mince but years ago I found a hundred and one things to do with sausages that the kids would eat. Things have gone up so much just your basics you notice it in so I shop at coles woolies IGA as well as Aldi as they are all so close to each other so I always check where the specials are at.
Life would be so much better if you did not need money but it can be done and you can aim for things you want. You never miss the coins you get and re easy to save. I have been doing a budget since I was 15 so that is 32 years now and swear by them and you always have a good idea when your electric bill ph ect are due so you just put them in as well as birthdays Christmas Vday Easter Anniversaries I put it all in. I always look for bargins and sales as you can save soooo much money. I have not payed full price for a single item for our deck/room as when things are on special I get some money out of the money box and grab what ever we need that is on sale for it. Also if you live in the country turm your septic and grey water pumps off as you learn to know when to switch them on to empty them this save you heaps as they are not on 24/7 and your pumps last longer.

Also a great one that i find brilliant is paying my bills weekly by bpay like to put $20 a week into my water bill and i just got my bill in and its only $13 because all those $20 add up.
You don’t miss $20 a week but $300 in one hit i know i would miss.

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  • • rhino333 replied
    • 23 Apr 2014 , 10:33 pm

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  i do this too!! $20 is nothing but it adds up and really helps. my account even ends up in credit during the warmer months when we aren’t using the heater and it’s lighter longer

Great tips here. I agree, prices are going up every day and everything is so expensive. I also think really hard whether I need something before buying. I think most of us have too.

Thanks for this, there are some great tips here. You can do a lot with mince!!!! We have a budget and try to stick to it especially after seeing our last electricity bill – $1,204 – OMG and we had been cutting back. Fortunately, my husband is starting a new job next week with a large pay rise and also we will be getting our electricity a lot cheaper because of the company he will be working for. Thank goodness!

definitely in the same boat here, single income family paying a massive rent(another great thing about Canberra…NOT!)
They are some great tips!! I imagine grocery shopping online could save a bit too as you are not tempted by unnecessary things and you can keep track of how much you are spending, not to mention saving on fuel costs.
We also get Hamper King at Xmas time, small weekly amounts and at the end of the year we don’t have to buy groceries for a few weeks

Thanks for the tips, I’ve definitely jotted these down…
I know exactly where your at, these tips will come in handy, thanks 🙂