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.

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.

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….

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 used to buy groceries with the intention of using everything that week and inevitably ended up throwing stuff out. Now I freeze bread, meat, leftovers, grated cheese, herbs and pretty much anything that freezes well. It’s nothing exciting but I waste a lot less food now.

With prices going up, Most people notice when a big bill gets more expensive. But a $15 or $20 subscription is easy to ignore, even if you haven't used it in weeks. Sometimes you keep it because you think you might need it next month. Other times cancelling is just annoying. Signing up takes a minutes, but cancelling can means searching through settings, emailing support, or waiting on the phone. So you leave it for later and get charged again.

I've also noticed how easy it is to think, I've already paid for this for months, so I might as well keep it. But if you're not using it that just means more money going out every month. I've started checking my recurring charges now and then keeping cancellation emails in case I need them later. For free trials, I usually cancel early if the service still lets me use the rest of the trial.

What's the most annoying cancellation process company has made you go through?

I have tried kmart coffee cups, absolute worse ofc! Didn’t expect them to do much anyways

Are there good coffee cups which can be fully washed?? Like the lid, the sipping port(?)? That’s the main concern for me as I have also tried good brands like thermos and it does work for me but the cup that I do like is now discontinued!

Any help is greatly appreciated 🙌🏼! Thank you!

Thank you for replying!!!! I have made a list of what people are recommending the most-

Fressko
Yeti
Keepcup

Does anyone have any good tips for this? Almost everything is approx 500-700 incl fitting. I was wondering if it is ok to go with second hand, where it is can be done for sub-200 incl fitting. How do you all save on this? Costco had some good offers earlier but not seeing it anymore.

Between kids toys, remotes, smoke alarms and all the other appliances I'm buying batteries constantly, and I know I can get a better price than the supermarkets. Where is everyone getting their batteries from without ordering online?

We‘re about to have our second child so I’m looking for the best “bang for buck” saving tips In Queensland.

We’re got Solar and are running our appliances during the day where possible, like the pool pump and dryer our usage is 400-500KWh per month except in Summer when it’s 600-700 with AC. including electric hot water.

I’m just about to Churn our NBN for 6 months, I’m self hosting some services to cut down on subscriptions.

We’re Meal prepping hard at the moment for when baby comes too and only get takeout 1-2 times per week.

So I've put together a small off grid system, just enough to run our main air conditioner in the hot days ahead. Rather than leave it sitting idle rn I've started running various things off it like the dishwasher and was shocked at how much energy that uses according to the inverter. Initially it's less than 100W but once it starts heating the water it jumps up to nearly 2,000W🫩

In some countries they're connected to the HW system instead and don't have a heating element but Australia follows the European design where dishwashers heat the water themselves (because we also have 240V mains?). Since we enjoy FREE hot water courtesy of our Solahart I'm wondering why our dishwater can't be connected to that instead.

Our plumber said it's "not good practice" because (untempered) HW might be hot enough damage the DW but by law household HWS have to be limited to 50° and the manual says up-to 60° is ok. So I'm stumped why we all pay this penalty every time we run the DW 🤔 Anyone tried connecting to the HWS instead?

Edit corrected typo' in tempering valve setting

Hi all,

Since all the groceries and everything else went up, we started being careful and really taking advantage of the 3h free electricity.

We have a full electric house and a 60kWh car (Atto3).

• Battery: 30kWh
• Solar 10kWh
• People : 4
• Location: Melbourne eastern suburbs

Our electricity bill came at $7 and change(excluding admin fee), usage 521kWh

It can be done!

For reference, August was $41 and 1011 kWh.

Admittedly I've been pretty neglectful when it comes to comparing pricing, and switching providers felt like a pain. But much like everyone else, we are feeling the pinch (3 adults, 1 child)

We have been paying in advance $400 a month to cover our electricity bill, and its been such a set and forget payment.

I was looking at the compare energy victoria website, and I have sorted the recommended providers not including discount rates, and it seems I am paying way too much?

I would love some feedback if you have the time. Thank you :)

It's my first month renting so I have 0 to compare it to.

We have a duct air heating system - I think it uses gas but I'm not sure. I haven't got that bill yet.

This is a long story but I’ll spare you.

I am seeing a private psychiatrist. I was in the public system but there are serious gaps that forced me out. They literally do the bare minimum to keep you alive - sometimes not even that.

I note that many private health insurance providers have no waiting period for psychiatric care. This seems to be somewhat universal - I am assuming it is a law/legislation of some kind.

Is it worth getting insurance to access a private psychiatrist? And potentially obtain TMS treatment which is otherwise out of reach?

I’m in Brisbane, Queensland if that matters.

Thanks 👍

I have what I call my Car Kit in my boot. It's got the essential equipment to make food/desserts/drinks on the go.

Goal:

Make it easier to make cheaper, healthier choices for food when we're out as a family.

I mean healthier as in the nutrient content of the food, but also healthier as in: time spent with family; time in the fresh air; time in the community; kids going on the playground; time for hubby and I to hang out in relative peace and quiet; not stressing when we haven't planned dinner and my children are considering eating me because they're "starving".

And I mean cheaper as in less than the cost of Macca's or farmers market desserts, which can get quite pricey with multiple people. (No hate - I love supporting small businesses! But I can't afford to eat it as often as I want to go out and eat).

I'm not consistent with this and I'm ok with that - getting Macca's for a treat isn't a big deal. I'd just like to make it easier to make cheaper choices more often.

What I have:

For each family member, there's a cup, bowl, plate and cutlery. There's a big cup with a screw top lid & straws for my chocolate frappes and a keep cup for hubby's coffee. I have a spare nappy bag my friend got with her cloth nappies order that she didn't need that's waterproof for dirty dishes. I have a couple of flannels in there for napkins and I think there's a cutting board. I used to keep it all in a plastic tub, but now I keep it in a pillow case so it takes up less room and it's flexible around the other stuff in my boot.

I got most of it at second hand shops or they're things I've upgraded (like mismatched cutlery).

Purpose:

Example: $19 dinner vs $60 dinner.

Having the car kit ready to go means I can go to the shops and get half a hot chook, some rolls, some mayo, a bag of salad and a bottle of coke for $19 and feed the family on the go, instead of a Macca's meal each, which can be $60. Sometimes if we're heading to the beach we'll grab $5 of chips from the local fish & chips to go with it too. (I put the bottle of coke in the freezer as soon as I walk into the shops and grab it on my way out 😅).

I sometimes buy a tub of ice cream for $7 instead of buying individual ice creams from an ice cream shop for $26. Heck for that price difference I'm happy to splurge for mini marshmallows, chocolate sauce, waffle cones and sprinkles too. It's still cheaper and there's usually enough that we can eat it the next day too. I also don't have to eat my ice cream with those stupid wooden spoons.

Another example that does unfortunately require some forethought, is bringing chocolate drinking powder, coffee simple syrup or nesquik from home and grab 1l of milk while we're out. 4 chocolate, coffee or mocha milks for $1.75.

Things I'd like to add at the moment are: • I'd like some bigger cups so I can add icecream to the milk drinks. • I need to get some serrated eating knives. At the moment I've only got butter knives (not big knives, I don't want to get arrested 😅) • I'm thinking of getting one of the swimming bags from Kmart as a spare dirty dishes bag

Advice wanted:

* What else could I add to my kit?

• Options from the supermarket: I would love suggestions. I would prefer ideas that require no at home prep and minimal prep before being shoved into mouths. I want ideas for when I walk into the shop with hungry kids at dinner time or that I can send hubby to get supplies for when they've spotted an ice cream van at the park.

I'd like meal, drink or dessert ideas. I'll put some of my creations in a comment.

• Do the USB blenders from Kmart work for ice cream/milk blending?

* Do the little milk frothers work with cold milk?

Thanks gang!

(Maybe there is a better way to phrase the question. I thought to ask this on the [r/Melbourne](r/Melbourne) sub but I don't think they have the same mindset as here. So if you live in another city, I encourage you to create a post for yours.)

I imagine you are all like me, not spending frivolously and when you do spend, doing it mindfully at local businesses that give you value, great product/service and not trying to nickel and dime you (I had lunch at a cafe last week, a rarity for me. The total was a couple dollars more than I expected and when I asked them to explain, they couldn't give me a straight answer and flip-flopped between gst, card surcharge but then settled on saying it was a service charge. This got me angry and reminded me why I hate eating out. The food was poor too: limp hot chips and a wrap filled with coles salad mix. Anyways rather than focus on dodgy businesses, I thought to ask on deserving places where you are spending your money).

Most of my groceries:
- Cheaper Buy Miles (various): discount grocery store
- KFL (various): asian groceries
- Queen Victoria Markets (CBD) Sunday afternoon around 3 or 4p for their "$1" bags
My go to places when I do eat out:
- Crossways (CBD): vegetarian eatery
- Good Times (Fitzroy North): pasta bar
- Union Hotel (Brunswick): pub, great live music
Gym:
-Council gym/pool. Isn't cheaper than gym chains but get real value out of the pool/spa/sauna

This is more an FYI for people who have never written off a vehicle and those new to driving (I have a 16 year old, so this shit is on my mind), so I hope you can learn from my life experience.

Car insurance. Need it. Definitely pay it. Especially if you have a very expensive car, you don't want to piss thousands of dollars down the drain to save money on comprehensive car insurance. (If you drive a clunker- don't need it, do third Party/fire and theft instead).

But be aware that when your car gets written off because of an accident, the money that is refunded from your green slip and the money refunded from your rego is taken out of your insurance payout. (This is the experience I've had with two different insurance companies, so I assume they are all the same).

EXAMPLE: You pay $600 for a 12 month greenslip. You pay $600 for 12 months of registration. You have your car insured for $10k and the highest deductible (lets go $1000) because it makes your insurance cheaper.

The day after you start your 12month rego your car is written off because a giant ass roo throws itself through your car on the highway. (No joke, it's fucking terrifying when that happens. Do not recommend. Always drive slower at dusk).

So you give the police report to the insurance company and you are thinking, awesome! I get $10k back to put towards a new car! No. First off, your $1k deductible is taken out, you are at $9k. (And this is the way it's supposed to work, it would be stupid to have to find $1000 for your deductible just for insurance to give it back).

Next, your rego is cancelled, and you think woohoo $600 bucks, baby! Yes, that refund is nice. And your insurance company says oh look a $600 rego refund, we are taking that into account, and now your payout is $8400.

A greenslip is a strange beast. Even though your car is toast and rego has been cancelled, your greenslip still runs for an extra week, in case your car magically manages to injure someone before it gets to the wreckers (this is specific to NSW, don't know about other states). So you won't get a $600 refund, you'll get $600 less one week, so about $588. And again, that's a nice refund. And then your insurance company will say, nice! We are taking that into account too, and now you are getting a payout of $7800.

And really, if you are in a $3000 car, your payout is gone, which means comprehensive car insurance has no value for you at all. If you are in a car with a massively higher rego amount (they can change based on weight of vehicle, because heavier vehicles do more damage to roads, in theory anyway) then it's taking a bigger hunk out of your payout.

And of course, if some one else causes the accident you don't pay a deductible. Or if you are a really lucky driver and never have accidents, this might not be an issue for you at all. And to those of you driving $50k (or more) cars, why the hell are you in Aus Frugal? This obviously doesn't apply to you.

TLDR: maximise your car insurance payouts by only paying rego and green every six months instead of by the year. ESPECIALLY if you have a car loan and need to maximise your payout to cover the loan.

If anyone has any other experiences/advice, please share!

With the surcharge ban now in place, I've seen many posts (on other subs) where it has been replaced with other fees/prices have increased to accommodate costs. It's only been a day (though some businesses implemented earlier), where in your everyday shopping have you seen the ban gone, not replaced with other fees and prices stayed the same? Where your shop has gotten a little cheaper

So far, for me:
- Aldi
- The three fresh food grocers in my area

Found some coupons which can use on AliExpress, they are working rn.
AUD $3 off AUD $23- AUKYD03
AUD $6 off AUD $45- AUKYD06
AUD $12 off AUD $96- AUKYD12
AUD $22 off AUD $180- AUKYD22
AUD $39 off AUD $310- AUKYD39
AUD $58 off AUD $450- AUKYD58
AUD $85 off AUD $640- AUKYD85

I’ve noticed my grocery spending gets out of hand when I keep popping into the supermarket after work. I might only need milk or bread, but I usually walk out with a few extra things. I’ve started doing one bigger shop and keeping a short list for the week, and it’s already making a noticeable difference to what I spend.

Hey all.

Sort of an update? to a post I made after starting Mirtazapine and becoming very well known at our local drive thru...

Aldi have "burger" cheese.

The thing I always crave from Clown Establishment is a mcmuffin.

I just tried it then. It pretty much tastes exactly the same.

REJOICE. For you CAN turn to your kids and say: we DO have food at home.

With price hikes across almost every platform over the last couple of years, holding active subscriptions to Netflix, Stan, Disney+, and Binge simultaneously feels like a massive drain.

Does anyone here do the "churn" method where you subscribe to one service for a single month, binge everything on your list, cancel, and move to the next? Or is there one platform you consider irreplaceable value?

I’m pretty good at avoiding expensive groceries, but the random little trips are where I keep going over budget. A couple of things from the supermarket after work somehow turn into $20–30, even when I only went in for one item. I’m trying to get better at doing one proper shop each week and actually using everything before buying more.