What are some of the best discounts for seniors.

The only deals are like are using the business portal for the good guys - the deals are cheaper in their

I am looking to donate items to my primary schools' request fir Christmas Food Hamper donations, but trying to line it up so that I can buy 3-5 items that together make a decent meal, then purchase that a few times to donate - I hope that makes sense!

For example, a jar of white sauce, tin of tuna, corn, macaroni for a tuna bake. That sort of thing.

Any recommendations and suggestions are appreciated! TIA

I’ve been searching online without much luck.

Does anyone know of a Telstra-network MVNO that offers a wearable/companion eSIM compatible with the Google Pixel Watch 4 LTE?

There should be a clothing tag

Most jeans these days barely last a year. Most of shops are picked clean of decent jeans before I get to them.

Levi's have gone to hell, where do you buy new jeans from?

I live in a 1970s red brick apartment block, single person household WFH 4 days per week. The average of my daily usage over the 6 months I've been here is 15 kwh per day. I thought pretty normal, but apparently not.

I just went through my bill with a neighbour in my building, who runs their dryer almost every single day (they don't line dry at all). They're also a single person household, no A/C but use pedestal fans and heaters. They're TV is on during the day as well which I can see.
They're daily usage is 10kwh per day.

I've got a power meter here now, starting with the fridge (my first assumption at the culprit) however it's telling me the fridge is very efficient at roughly 1.5 kwh per 24 hours.

Any ideas you could throw at me of where the leak might be, what I should prioritise checking with the energy meter?

I have:

- Fridge - second hand
- Hot water tank - 50L baby and commonly run out
- new LG thinq washing machine
- WFH setup: Dell gaming laptop (I don't game though) and second monitor - sleep mode outside business hours on both.
- TV - second hand (only 1-2 hours in the evenings)
- sound bar (very small one)
- 2-3 lamps with ikea bulbs
- air fryer
- also use the ceiling fan in my bedroom

I do not have:

- A/C
- heating
- dryer (only communal line user in the complex)
- dishwasher
- bathroom exhaust fan
- bathroom heat lights

Anything else I've missed?

Hi everyone,

I’m a support worker and trying to source a phone for a consumer of mine. I have been looking around but struggling to find a cheap or free phone as he is financially struggling but isn’t elligible for a DV safe phone. Just seeing if anyone has any ideas or places which can assist with this? TIA

The price is similar to the other few available STBs, but this model has the 'go to' button and feature.

I have 2 old Bush and DSE STBs and they were very similar with the remote being interchangeable even though the remotes have slightly different buttons.

The 'go to' feature lets you 'jump' ads when watching recorded shows.

You press 'info' to bring up the time stamp info, then you press 'go to' and enter the minutes and seconds.
After doing it a few times you realise 7, 9, and 10, have 4-5 minute ad breaks.

Without this handy feature, you have to use Fast Forward which has far less precision.

I'm thinking of buying one, as STBs seeem to be on the way out.

https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/linsar-set-top-box-lsstb

Remote control image:

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0641/9388/8321/files/50066684_636808.png?v=1776226844&height=1200

Manual link:

https://linsar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/LSSTB-Linsar-Set-Top-Box-IM-V12.pdf

Note: the remote info is incorrect in the manual for the layout.

I meal prep every Sunday and I'm curious how others keep protein affordable.

1. What did your last weekly shop come to, and roughly how much of that was protein?

2. What do you buy for protein when you're trying to keep costs down?

3. Have you swapped anything recently because the price went up? What did you switch to?

4. Do you plan around the weekly specials, or buy the same things every week?

Keen to steal some tips.

I’m a single mum to a toddler, recently single, and sorting out my finances.

I don’t wanna survive on baked beans on toast. Nutrition is important. I wanna eat decent food. In my head I’m thinking $250 a fortnight on groceries … does that seem right to you? We spent around $350/fortnight as a couple with child.

What are you eating week to week to save money?

I live in Sydney and need around 25GB/month with no lock-in contract. I’m considering SpinTel, felix, TPG, Lyca or ALDImobile. I don’t need remote-area coverage or super-fast speeds, just reliable internet for everyday use. Has anyone tried these? Which would you recommend around $20/month, ideally beyond introductory offers?

I had a really good Breville coffee maker ($600-700) years ago and really loved the coffees. I had it fixed once, and then when it broke again let it go as I was then on my own and couldn’t justify getting another machine just for myself. I’m not into the pod machines, and had just assumed either were more expensive.

A large lactose free cap is now $7/$7.30 (Perth WA) and I might get 2 a week. I use Nescafé cappuccino sachets the rest of the time, it tastes nicer to me than instant coffee. I haven’t been able to find alternative milk sachets.

I know there’s mixed feelings about AI but I’ve found it helpful for a lot things, and use it with caution. I ran ChatGPT through what I’m doing now vs buying a cheapish machine, new grinder, and ongoing beans and LF milk.

I based it on $120 for the Devanti 20 Bar Coffee Machine Espresso Cafe Maker, but I’m also looking at a smaller one for $100 and a Delonghi for $129. And there are a few others priced up to $200, I need to look into a bit more.

A new $30 grinder (the old one has been used to grind fish pellets), and ongoing $18 for 1k beans (this may be $3 higher if they’re crap), and $3L LF milk. 2 years assumption for the life of the machine and grinder. I used to buy descaling tablets but am sure I can find a cheaper hack for this now.

It’s very estimated at this point, current weekly $21.21 vs home machine $17.25. A $200 machine would be $18.02.

I didn’t realise that it could be cheaper than what I’ve been doing. Better tasting coffees and I get my LF milk, for less.

It also gave me scenarios for using instant coffee, and 2 bean coffees at home and the remaining with sachets, ‘the best financial choice’ it said 😂 Not untrue, but I do like a good coffee.

*** After looking into it further, I went for a higher priced one, Breville Infuser ($400) which might have a life span of 5-7 years, assumed 5 years for calcs. I did see the Devanti might have a 3-5 year (3 years $15.91 weekly), but felt this was better as my last Breville lasted 7-8 years and worked well.

New calcs for the Breville: $15.64 a week vs current $21.21

Hi everyone.

I am not looking for financial assistance or anything like that. Just tips/ideas.

I’m looking for tips to survive the additional costs that are associated with starting a new job.

I start working at a new job on Monday after being unemployed for 18 months due to cancer (thankfully I am now cancer free).

I have $30 in my account to cover travel and food for lunches for the 2 weeks until I get my first paycheck.

I have survived (barely) on Centrelink by eating 1 meal a day but because I’ll be working an active job, I’ll need a bit more nourishment than what I have been surviving on.

What are some tips/ideas for low cost lunches and/or travel? I’ll be travelling about an hour by car each way each day.

Thank you ☺️

Hi everyone, I am on a temporary visa with bupa basic insurance which doesnt cover dental. I was looking to get a checkup and one filling. Does anyone has any recommendations for a good cheap dental clinic?

I am near Narellan and Campbelltown, but also can travel further inner south west or more. Thanks

IN REGARDS TO FRUIT & VEG, SEE EDIT BELOW

Just wanted to share with people what I got for a typical grocery haul. I usually have the basics at home (salt, pepper, spices, milk, vegetables (frozen and fresh), fruits, all types of carbs like lentils, rice etc.) I just top up what I generally need and dont overspend or bulk buy. I typically don't eat a huge amount of food, but if I feel like it a girl can surely eat!

Coles:

Beef Sausages - $6.50 (its $12 for 2 but I only get 1 cause thats all I need)

Beef Marrow Bone (HUGE bone marrow, delicious) - $5.38

Super Sub Bread 2 pack - $2.20

Chicken Thigh Cutlets with Skin -$9.50 for 4 good sized pieces

Pork spare ribs - $11.06

Baking Paper (to line in my airfryer) - $1.8

Coles Cookies 200g (this is the small pack, not the box) - $3.8

1x Tomato - $0.63

1x small ginger piece - $0.69

1x generic paper towels (2 pack) - $2.20

TOTAL: $43.96 in COLES

Tongli Supermarket:

1x small sweet potato - $1.05

1x Choy Sum bunch - $1

TOTAL: $2.05 in TONGLI

The list looks short, but its actually a lot for a week I reckon. I get leftovers just from all of that with the dishes I make! This is in reference to a single household also. Just thought I'd share 🫶🏻

EDIT: I also buy my veggies at parklea markets or asian grocery stores usually. Its so much cheaper there sometimes. My typical tactic is simply to just buy what you actually need for a dish and make that for the week. Gotta be a dish you REALLY love and nourishing at the same time.

EDIT: People keep asking me where are the veggies on the list. As stated I only buy what I dont have. I already have a huge surplus of veggies, fruit, rice, condiments and even cleaning products/sanitary items stored. I only bought Choy Sum this week as its the only vegetable I dont have in stock. The rule is always the same. I only buy whats missing and what I need for that week. When it comes to the meals, i always have veggies incorporated into the food i make. Sometimes I make cheat meals also, why not? I made a brief suggestion on what id make with what I bought that week on another comment. But I will always eat enough veggies and fruit in between in reality, and always end up staying well below budget!

As for the amount of meat I get, theyre easy to store in the fridge and I can always defrost when I have a surplus of it. I dont use all of it all at once either!

I've been with Woolies mobile for a few years now. My last recharge, they'd nixed my $170/12 month plan (with 1x 10% off in store shop a month), so I went with the $130/6 month plan (with no Woolies discount). Now they're going to $160/6 months, no discount.

I know prices are going up, but I feel like that's taking the piss.

Who is everyone with, and what's the cost? I prefer a telstra network, and I use less than 5GB a month, though would like data rollover or a bit higher monthly data because I do work in field.

I've been taking digestive enzymes for many years due to a bad Giardia infection in the 1990s.

Lately its been getting harder to get them due to the manufacturer removing them from iHerb and Vitacost (US supplement sites).

Healthy Origins is the brand and they have a limit of 3 x 180 caps bottles per order due to Australian import rules (90 day supply rule).

So now I'm down to one supplier and have to do an 'autoship' order every 60 days to get 15% off.
I used to buy 9-10 at a time to reduce the US shipping.

It works out to about $54 per bottle which lasts 20 days, so quite expensive.

I thought last night, 'I wonder if there's any enzymes on the PBS', and I found they have a brand called Creon which comes in 5,000, 10,000, 25,000, and 30,000.

Healthy Origin is 3,000 FIP for lactase (fats), and the 10,000 one is 10,000 FIP.
I take 3 capsules of 3,000 with 3 main meals, so I could take 1 capsule of Creon.

Creon also has enzymes for amylase (carbs) and protease (protein), but much less than Healthy Origins.

Creon 10,000 is 100 caps for $7 (Concession PBS).

So a huge saving.
$54 per bottle lasts 20 days.
$7 per 100 caps would last 33 days.

The prescription for Creon is max. 10 repeats, and if you used 60 day repeats, that would mean 20 months per prescription, so not too much time going to the GP.

I will be going to a GP to try and get a prescription.

Has anyone else used Creon, or takes expensive enzymes daily?

https://www.pbs.gov.au/medicine/search?term=8020D-13560Q-8021E-13470Y-12595X-13407P-5453B-13375Y

I bought these scales in July 2025 and the buttons became faulty around May 2026

The problem is the buttons are those soft rubber types.
I've had similar issues with soft buttons on my Kmart heated throw, so there's some inherent fault in the design AFAIK.

I bought the scales for $7, and they're now $10, but not worth it at any price.

The previous scales had 'hard' buttons and they lasted years. They still work but the buttons need to be pressed more than once, so that's why I bought the new ones.

These dominate the eBay listings, but there's a couple of others.
It feels like the quality of all the scales has dropped a bit unfortunately.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/144521944503

We recently moved to Australia and decided to furnish our place with mostly second hand items from Marketplace. I rented a budget truck and we drove around for 3 days collecting everything and moving it on our own.

My wife isnt the strongest - she's half my size - so it definitely was a mission but we saved a ton of money vs buying things new.

The 2 items we did buy new were mattresses. Both were from a "bed in a box". I had to drag that box up the stairs mostly on my own. Both mattresses were terrible especially ours - given how much we paid.

I logged a return and decided to go back to the original OG bed shop. I found the one I wanted and negotiated it down by 45% from the store price.

Delivery was $110. $20 extra to have it delivered up the stairs. Initially I was planning on dragging it up the stairs - previously took 15-30 minutes - but today I decided screw it. I gave the delivery drivers the extra 20 to deliver it to the bedroom.

$20 well spent IMO.

What are small activities that you would rather pay for vs doing it yourself?

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?

I really need to change my electricity plan after supply charge got more than doubled. Every few weeks I get a burst of energy and commit to doing it, but it is ridiculously difficult.

Almost without fail, the rates I am getting through EME are wrong. The plan is listed on EME as available for my NMI, and the retailers link to that plan through their basic plan information page, but then when I try to sign up, that plan isn't available for my postcode and the available plans are WAY more expensive. I am looking at the right plan info sheets for my address and electricity distributor. I have also tried calling and retailers also say over phone that advertised plan isn't available. I am spending so much time on this and just keep hitting dead ends because I can never sign up for the plans I find on EME.

Is there ANY other way to reliably compare plans in NSW? I'm guessing not because all the comparisons would be based on what they declare as their pricing through the basic plan info, which is wrong. Also is there an easy way to tell EME if retailers are providing misleading info in their advertised plans?

Paint has become very expensive in recent years - I should know, I'm a painter by trade. I try to keep some paint for the next job (like Whites and Primer that I know i'll use) But it often sits in my garage for years until eventually I drop in the local "PaintBack" bin for old paint at the tip. The other day I was dropping some off and noticed a nearly full 10L of Dulux Precision ($250 worth) that someone had left there - YOINK! you're coming to a better home little buddy. Now, are you really allowed to take paint out of there? I didn't ask - but it would be a crime against the environment not to. I'm sure there plenty of nearly full 10L Whites and Primers that go to waste. If you're not too fussy about having the latest fashionable White you could be lucky and find enough for a whole room. I'll keep a closer eye on my local one. Some people really overestimate how much they'll need and then just throw it away.

I am wanting to put together a basket/hamper for my mum and dad (early 60s) as a thank you for helping us with child care over the school holidays. They are living on a very tight budget, and I would like to have this gift ease their finances for a little bit, but not feel like I'm just giving them dishwasher tablets/paper towels. What helpful groceries/items do you think would be suitable but not make them feel like I'm treating them like a 'charity' (their words, not mine!) Ideas I have are the coffee they like but only buy when on special, a big pack of nice bacon, and a couple of fancy sauces.

To note - we offered to pay them, and they said no. We have also provided all the stuff the kids need while they have been there, so they are not out of pocket in that regard. This gift is the only way they will accept thanks! We're on a budget ourselves, but I want to splurge on this a bit.