And reality is the panels may well be dead in 10 years or less.
Frugal Living Ideas
- Thread starter Singo
- Start date
I just cant see it.
We have one near us, its hopeless but I have a mate who swears by it.
I went shopping with him a few weeks back and we probably got about 1/8th of what we needed and had to go to woolies and a nearby asian grocer for the rest so in the long run given fuel used for two lots of shops it would have been cheaper just going to woolies.
It's all relative of course but I've recently chopped $350 per month out of my expenses by
- only buying lunch once per week (or less)
- only buying coffee once per week
- not grocery shopping one week per month - sometimes need to pick up a couple of things but it makes us use what's in the fridge / cupboard rather than buying more & throwing things out.
I also buy at the markets & do my best to buy in season.
Buy bulk when practical / buy up when things are on sale.
Once we move I'll get a freezer, probably chest so I can buy more in bulk
- only buying lunch once per week (or less)
- only buying coffee once per week
- not grocery shopping one week per month - sometimes need to pick up a couple of things but it makes us use what's in the fridge / cupboard rather than buying more & throwing things out.
I also buy at the markets & do my best to buy in season.
Buy bulk when practical / buy up when things are on sale.
Once we move I'll get a freezer, probably chest so I can buy more in bulk
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That's actually very reasonable. Thanks for sharing.
Solar panels is definitely something I'd look into once I get my own place.
I'll run the numbers on it - but I reckon they would definitely be worth it.
The only thing is, I don't use all that much electricity. I'm sure they'd be more worth it in houses that use more electricity.
We used to have a very generous FIT scheme here in WA, but you can't get it any more (cost the government a stupid amount of money)
I thought that I'd seen you at Vinnies in the druitt.
You forgot to mention dumpster diving at Woolies/Coles (you get better stuff at Thomas Dux)
Ride your bike to work/shops etc rather than using the car (too overrated).
Hire a car/cab when you need one rather than owning or join one of the community car hire groups eg Go get
Use a long extension lead from the common area stairs for vacuum cleaning etc.
Add water to the paint before using it, mix well.
Use tinted undercoat and one coat of finish paint.
Buy only top quality leather soled shoes & have them resoled & heeled (before the first wear) this will extend their life. (You won't wear them out).
Buy quality, not cheap.
1) Get a bike.
Use it instead of a car, when you can.
Need a boot? No you don't. Get a bike trailer. You'll save thousands, and be fitter.
2) Shop at Aldi + independent butchers/green grocers.
Those are the significant ones.
And one thing people never seem to thin of: Cash out credit card rewards for cash, not products.
Use it instead of a car, when you can.
Need a boot? No you don't. Get a bike trailer. You'll save thousands, and be fitter.
2) Shop at Aldi + independent butchers/green grocers.
Those are the significant ones.
And one thing people never seem to thin of: Cash out credit card rewards for cash, not products.
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You probably was making fun of "frugality". But actually we lived this sort of life for 2-3 months. Wife joined me for the first time while I was studying. No centerlink or such for overseas students. Used to buy 5 kg bags of rice, carrot, potato and tomatoes. And small portions of meat. Didn't use fridge; hand washing the clothes most of the times. Being together for the first time, we were not wearing any clothes most of the time anyway. (DT, datto and DaveM are not supposed to reply to this part
) We were not spending much, but had lots of fun. Now can't imagine how we managed!
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On Saturday I made a curry. I bought two kilos of beef mince at $3 a kilo (on special). I made meatballs, which I fried, then added curry paste, spices, onion, garlic, potatoes, carrots, peas, tinned tomatoes, powdered coconut milk, lentils and barley. The pot was massive and fed family and friends. It is Tuesday and we had the last of it tonight. That big pot of food cost me no more than $10.
I didn't want to pay $20,000 to have curtains professionally made for our new house. So I bought fabric (pure silk) from Ebay for $250 and $100 postage from the US. I bought backing fabric from Ikea. Altogether I spent no more than $900 and saved myself more than $19,000.00 by making the curtains myself.
I didn't want to pay $20,000 to have curtains professionally made for our new house. So I bought fabric (pure silk) from Ebay for $250 and $100 postage from the US. I bought backing fabric from Ikea. Altogether I spent no more than $900 and saved myself more than $19,000.00 by making the curtains myself.
Hiya
My kids actually are my biggest expenses...for eg. last month alone i spent 6K on them
braces for 3 kids are 7K each but spread out over 1 and half years tho...music tuition $500 a month...extra tuition as son sits for HSC soon...$150 a week....school expenses appear and disappear like magic...petrol to drive them hither and wither hurts too
What to do? You can't bring up your kids with crooked teeth and no musical ability can you?
Me too.... spent the same for my girls (2) now they have perfect teeth, so I also now have braces, fortunately only the top, if they can have perfect teeth so can I, after all I am paying for it
Sick of these girls bleeding me dry.
You assume that all the two bit companies that manufactured a lot of the cheap imports used will be around in 25 years
Here's an aussie site
http://frugalandthriving.com.au/
Here's a good post on the definition of frugal and cheap
http://frugalandthriving.com.au/
Here's a good post on the definition of frugal and cheap
Thanks for the example spludgey. We just moved to the new PPOR, so not sure about the energy usage. 5kW should be enough for us. If we can get the money back (savings) in 5-6 years, that would be sufficient.
Most solar panels ROE results in them paying themselves off between 5-7 years on current installs, depending on FITs and how people use their power. Obviously smart meters are impacting this significantly, as the old expensive peak period (daylight) is when solar returns are the best and it's therefore most logical to run systems.
Ausprop, I wanted to know a few ideas, that's all. Both money and environment are not the motivations to me. It is about time. Finding some ways to cut costs will enable me to work less hours
Each to their own. It is not about a total frugal life, but about different ideas to find out better use for money. We were buying vege in a local shop for an year without knowing that Spudshed existed just a few suburbs away with cheap but far better stock.
