Your best tips for saving money?

**Mumma T** · April 2nd, 2013, 08:35 AM

There are pages on FB that are PIF (pay it forward) and you can pick up almost anything. I got a full sized trampoline on there, bookshelves and a single bed. People are always giving something away.

We have a retractable clothesline set up under our undercover area outside and we only ever use the dryer now when I have more than 5 loads of washing - which is never than goodness.

Groom the pets yourself. I have just started clipping our dogs myself, its a bit time consuming but certainly saves money.

Having been made redundant a week ago we were already tight but now have to tighten the belts too. I hope you can manage to find enough savings that the money stretches

**nothing2lose** · April 2nd, 2013, 08:50 AM

I have never owned a dryer so you can definitely live without it altogether.

At the end of the day put all of your loose change in a jar. It adds up very quickly!

**Tinks** · April 2nd, 2013, 08:59 AM

THe change thing is a good idea, we put all of ours in a tin every day. It actually funded our Summer holiday. The tin is currently half full already and it's only April.

**Rouge** · April 2nd, 2013, 09:06 AM

Clothes hoists and heater ducts are a beautiful thing!

The jar is awesome and definitely works.

It's coming up to winter, so do a couple of big slow cooker meals and put them in containers for lunch. And I have a word doc of WW slow cooker meals I could send you (it's not 12WBT but its something).

Can you leave the house earlier and come home earlier? My DH does this and it's free to travel in the mornings if you arrive by 7am in the city. Saves us heaps.

Buy yourself a French press portable coffee thingo and keep it at work with some ground coffee. Will save you heaps.

Sign up to the Melbourne mailing lists that tell you all the free things happening in and around Melbourne. There's always stuff for the kids. Free festivals are always a great day out.

I'll send you the details of my butcher. Also check and see if there are co-ops near you for fresh produce. It's a lot cheaper than most super markets/green grocers.

**black_rose** · April 2nd, 2013, 09:10 AM

We do the loose change too, its been paying for all the school and kinder fundraising with plenty left over. We bake our own bread, cakes and snacks and freeze them to save money as well.

**sepata** · April 2nd, 2013, 10:59 AM

Get YNAB (You need a budget) is budget software but is really quite different to anything else - the phone app is now free on all phones and I really find it helps looking at that and seeing the amount in each category (is just an electronic way of cash in envelopes really) helps avoid the unplanned things you list.

Is YNAB really worth the $60 sign up fee?

**wysiwyg** · April 2nd, 2013, 11:18 AM

Is YNAB really worth the $60 sign up fee?

I believe it is but I did use the free trial first to check (you get 34 days) and would recommend anyone does that to see if will suit them. I saw easily in trial period that would help me save 60 within the trial so had no doubts at signing up. Even if dont want to sign up I think alot of the free info on site and saving philosophies could then be incorporated into other tracking methods. I was skeptical before trying it (after using ms money for years) but now complete convert - even though often it is actually pointing out that my position in reality is not as great as in my mind but the method is improving our actual situation every month.

**BellyBelly** · April 2nd, 2013, 11:56 AM

A great method in here: https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...wesome-159089/

**Rowellen** · April 2nd, 2013, 11:58 AM

Pinterest, liking FB pages etc - very very bad! Looking at pinterest makes me want to go shopping. And spend money. Unsubscribe from Pinterest. Unlike FB pages. You can always like them again later but in the meantime, you won't be tempted by the "great deals" and "competitions" that are really just trying to get you to part with your $$. Hide your "friends" that insist on sharing these pages & competitions from your newsfeed.

Also, I agree with Artechim regarding allowing yourself some miscellaneous spending money. Having none budgeted makes it very hard to stick to a budget. DH & I both have a set amount we get at the start of the month for things like clothes, eating out, gambling, golf, gym, extras for the kids (necessities are budgeted). When it's gone, it's gone. It saves fights too. If he decides to blow the lot on race 7 horse 7, well & good. No bother to me. He gets no more money. He similarly can't complain if I decide to buy a new pair of shoes. We each have our own fee free savings account. Our joint account is where all our income goes. We don't have card access to this account, so we can't be tempted. It works for us. I know that if we didn't have this "spending money", I would not be able to stick to a budget as I would see the money there in the joint account and want to spend it & I'm pretty sure we would be divorced by now to as DH likes to play golf & gamble which are rather expensive hobbies that I find rather annoying. He thinks it's great too as he knows how much he can spend without feeling any guilt.

Totally understand about needing two cars. We survived with just one for years but now we live in an area with poor public transport and with two kids, stupid work hours (DH starts at 2am somedays!), it's just no longer feasible to have only one car. I insisted on having two after being stuck at home with two kids unable to go anywhere or do anything because DH needed the car for work or having to wake DD from a nap to go pick DH up. Total PITA. Do you use your car for work? If so, have you been claiming a tax deduction? For every $ you can claim, there'll be some extra in your refund.

All just suggestions so feel free to ignore anything that's not relevant. I think it's great that you are taking on board people's suggestions

**Olive** · April 2nd, 2013, 12:08 PM

What's an energy saving plug?

Google Embertec

**wysiwyg** · April 2nd, 2013, 08:06 PM

Google Embertec

How do you get them - we continually get leaflets and I have filled out the thing on website twice but heard nothing.

Rouge - Thanks for reminding me about the EarlyBird free travel - I had completely forgotten about that - can't do when have daycare drop off to do but might adjust times on other days if not cycling, to save the fare.

**Olive** · April 2nd, 2013, 08:30 PM

I got them installed when a girl came around

**peanutter** · April 2nd, 2013, 09:56 PM

so many awesome ideas!

and it's funny how many things are making me think, "oh yeah - when did we STOP doing that?!?"

I think I'm going to challenge DH and myself to adopt one or two of these a week, and cumulatively, incrementally improve our habits

Happy to hear more ideas!

Re the train tickets - the pre-7am thing doesn't help for me, as I frequently have to catch the tram here and there during the day for work, plus the ride home, so what is actually cheapest for me is a yearly ticket, because you pay for about 10.5 months BUT if you join the public transport user's association, and buy your yearly ticket through them, you get another 10% off!! So you end up paying about 75%

**Butterfly Dawn** · April 2nd, 2013, 10:55 PM

Subbing.
Spotlight doesn't do blackout curtains cheap? we use the silver insulation curtains behind reg curtains.

We pay 1¥ for mac ice cream that's about 20c nz, its gonna hurt to pay 60c x3! lol

Do you need internet on your phone? perhaps you can just use wireless rather then package data?

**wysiwyg** · April 3rd, 2013, 04:35 AM

Re the train tickets - the pre-7am thing doesn't help for me, as I frequently have to catch the tram here and there during the day for work, plus the ride home, so what is actually cheapest for me is a yearly ticket, because you pay for about 10.5 months BUT if you join the public transport user's association, and buy your yearly ticket through them, you get another 10% off!! So you end up paying about 75%

Oh I could kiss you! DH year ticket is up for renewal - last year he got through work who did a loan plus discount but different employer this year - so will tell him to get on case with that association.

**Beach Mama** · April 3rd, 2013, 07:29 AM

Loving this thread - subbing. Things are tight here - neither DH or I have had permanent work since December, and although I have been doing CRT work and am starting something next term, the next few weeks mean we need to be super frugal or risk eating way into our house profit from our sale, of which 5k is already gone. Going to take notes and read back thanks ladies. xoxo

**Butterfly Dawn** · April 3rd, 2013, 08:50 AM

Double post

**Butterfly Dawn** · April 3rd, 2013, 08:50 AM

I remember when growing up mum use to do shopping on Friday after dinner and she'd get so many specials! must have been great, these were the days when everything closed for the weekend. -my point is, every supermarket had days or times when they have to discount their fresh stuff like bakery goods. Shopping around those times can help save, and I know I would rather buy the discount bakery bread then the cheap white bread-when I can.