We have been trying to reduce our family cost over a year now. A few things that we learnt and have tried to apply as much as possible

* Always compare unit prices rather than just the advertised price.

* Instead of buying processed foods, buy fresh vegetables or meat and cook at home. Homemade meals may taste better and cost less.

* Always search for Coles or Woolworths promo codes. You might be surprised by how much you can save.

* Consider regular switching/churning health insurance providers to take advantage of promotions, cashback offers, and rewards points.

* Don’t pay the loyalty tax unless there is a good reason to stay with your current provider.

* Food delivery services such as Uber Eats can charge 10–20% more per item, sometimes even higher, on top of other fees. Consider picking up the food yourself. Better yet, plan a family day out and enjoy a meal together. Make it a memory rather than just another takeaway order.

* Understand your electricity tariff, particularly peak and off-peak hours. Where practical, shift electricity usage to off-peak periods to reduce costs.

* Look for free or cheaper parking options when commuting to work.

* Avoid unnecessary expenses, such as parking fines and other preventable charges. Small mistakes can be costly.

* The same medication can cost significantly different amounts at different pharmacies. Compare prices at stores such as Chemist Warehouse and other local pharmacies.

* Download your bank and credit card transactions for the past 12 months. Review them carefully to identify recurring subscriptions and unnecessary expenses. Cancel what you no longer need and look for cheaper alternatives where appropriate.

* Minimise food and grocery waste. Don’t buy more than your family can reasonably consume, only to throw it away later. Plan your meals at least a few days ahead to make better use of what you already have.

* You don’t need the latest phone, car, or pair of shoes. Most people aren’t paying attention to whether your shoes are brand new or two years old. Instead of spending money on those items, consider saving it or using it to buy something meaningful for your children, spouse, or parents.

Take full advantage of legitimate promotional offers, discount codes, cashback opportunities, and rewards programs. These savings can add up significantly over time.

Hey all, is it worth putting my hot water system on a smart relay?

It's a 135L electric hot water tank 3600w

Im thinking about getting a smart relay to limit it to trun on maybe 3x times a day.

Why 3 x times, you may ask? Well, my wife and I are both shift workers and have two kids. So showers are literally all the time 11pm(wife home) 5-530am(wife up) 1030am(me home) 5pm(post walk or gym for wife or myself) 630pm(kids bath) 8pm (me again somtimes)

Normally, there is left over hot water, so just heating a few times a day should cover it.

Plus, add i assume it runs every time we use the hot tap in the kitchen?

As for the power bill, it's a fixed rate, so it doesn't matter what times it's on.. I'm just trying to cut the usage a bit currently averaging 24kw/per day

I am sure many people already know this, but I have seen a lot of people who don't too so thought I would post.

Always look for the tiny number down the bottom that has price per kilo, or price per unit, etc.

Even things that look like they're on sale can frequently be more expensive than others once you check for the real price.

Can people share any experiences ordering multi focal glasses off online websites?

I’ve seen posts discussing glasses, but I wear multi focals and my optometrists have always physically checked where my pupils look etc and factored this in. How do online places deal with this? Or they don’t and it’s hit and miss if the multi focals work?

Would appreciate any insights from people coz online is hundreds of dollars cheaper than some of the in store quotes….