Ways to save money

I'll like to start a thread to get some suggestions on ways to save money for things you need or want e.g. cash for a IP reno, deposit for PPOR, pay for a holiday, etc without resorting to loans, credit cards or having to get a 2nd or 3rd job.

Here is what I've come up with so far ...

1. Have a garage sale and get rid of junk or ebay it.
2. Look at your mobile phone plan and switch to a cheaper plan.
3. Are you using your gym membership? Cancel it and start running outdoors - it's free (I did!)
4. Buy no-name products from supermarket.
5. Purchase ebooks instead of real books
6. Switch to online digital magazines instead of real magazines.
7. Eat at home more often instead of eating out.
8. Have a 'no buying anything new' for a month or two e.g. clothes, toys, etc.
9. Grow your own fruit and veggies.
10. Wash your clothes in cold water to save on your power bill.

Any more ideas?! :)
 
I'll like to start a thread to get some suggestions on ways to save money for things you need or want e.g. cash for a IP reno, deposit for PPOR, pay for a holiday, etc without resorting to loans, credit cards or having to get a 2nd or 3rd job.

Here is what I've come up with so far ...

1. Have a garage sale and get rid of junk or ebay it.
2. Look at your mobile phone plan and switch to a cheaper plan.
3. Are you using your gym membership? Cancel it and start running outdoors - it's free (I did!)
4. Buy no-name products from supermarket.
5. Purchase ebooks instead of real books
6. Switch to online digital magazines instead of real magazines.
7. Eat at home more often instead of eating out.
8. Have a 'no buying anything new' for a month or two e.g. clothes, toys, etc.
9. Grow your own fruit and veggies.
10. Wash your clothes in cold water to save on your power bill.

Any more ideas?! :)

What trade are you in? Can u relocate for a year or two to a live in position? Like on a island in the whitsundays? Darwin NT? Regional Australia?

What about overseas? For a pay rise for a couple of years?
 
one must, I believe in saving money is to have a budget. Excel Spreadsheet listing all incoming money balanced up against all bills and expenses. This gives you a good idea where money can be chopped when the budget slips into the red and at the top of the priority list along with rent/mortgage, food and fuel you'd have a portion going into your savings account. Diligently sticking to a budget and pruning the lower priority expenses when the budget slips close to the red I believe is the best way to save. It amazes me the amount of people who don't have a budget but complain about how their income doesnt last the fortnight
 
Sorry about my previous post.... I don't really recommend dumpster diving.

We use camping in our van when travelling and housesitting when we want to stay somewhere for awhile.

In Canada we pay alot of expenses with credit cards to take advantage of the grocery points. It adds up to hundreds of dollars a year in savings

and use the petrol discount coupons at the grocery store too.
 
more money saving ideas ...

* get rid of a car(if you have 2 cars) and take public transport
* move closer to work so you can either walk to work or ride your bike
* plan your holidays well in advance to get the best deal
* don't buy STUFF just because it's cheap - only buy stuff you need
* check all of your insurance contracts and get better deals or cut out some insurance contracts
* Get books from the library
* avoid buying processed foods - they are often more expensive and will probably take a larger quantity to fill you up
* downsize to a smaller house once you have sold all the stuff you don't use
 
The simple rule is maximise EVERY dollar. Sometimes you need to think outside the box to do that.

What to go drinking or eat out with your mates? have a bbq at home instead...everyone bring a plate. ( start a "dinner club" where you go to a differnt persons place every month)

Want a holiday? Head to your local tourist info and see what are the attractions in your own backyard.

Have a "nothing new" policy for MOST things ALWAYS there is a thrill finding a bargain at op shops garage sales etc... remember "antiques" or "vintage' are just 2nd hand stuff tarted up with a fancy name:)

www.simplesavings.com.au is agreat forum for this stuff ( paid membership though)
 
We used to have this little calculator on our wallets when bashing down or PPOP mortgage.

http://www.bendigobank.com.au/personal/calculators/lump_sum_repayments_calculator.asp

Plug in your mortgage details and down the bottom work out the "savings" if you put $1,5,10,20,50,100

eg: If you don't spend $20 but put it into (or leave it in offset) your mortgage instead the interest saving is ~$70 ( on a $200k mortgage @ 5% over 30years) all of a sudden that "cheap $20 thing" is bloody expensive.

Make a table that looks like this

Spend Costs
1 3.50
5 17.00
10 35.00
20 70.00
50 175.00
100 350.00
 
I'll like to start a thread to get some suggestions on ways to save money for things you need or want e.g. cash for a IP reno, deposit for PPOR, pay for a holiday, etc without resorting to loans, credit cards or having to get a 2nd or 3rd job.

Here is what I've come up with so far ...

1. Have a garage sale and get rid of junk or ebay it.
2. Look at your mobile phone plan and switch to a cheaper plan.
3. Are you using your gym membership? Cancel it and start running outdoors - it's free (I did!)
4. Buy no-name products from supermarket.
5. Purchase ebooks instead of real books
6. Switch to online digital magazines instead of real magazines.
7. Eat at home more often instead of eating out.
8. Have a 'no buying anything new' for a month or two e.g. clothes, toys, etc.
9. Grow your own fruit and veggies.
10. Wash your clothes in cold water to save on your power bill.

Any more ideas?! :)
I was sitting in back row of one of those free nights about investing from a person that no longer posts in this site 7 years ago,all your investment books you can buy at sunday morning flea marketsfor under 5 bucks and you have the copy for life to pass down ,,Take your own lunch to work ,,buy a s/s water bottle and take your own water with you,,and the big one was she said was buy cask wine no difference from bottle wine,,that's when I walked out,too save money just change your mindset.that's all she said but she belly-up now so you never know.imho..
 
Simon started a great thread years ago.
http://somersoft.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24892&page=7

It has some great advise.

I have never been a good saver, but once I started tracking what I was spending it certainly helped. I still send too much but I'm not going to become tight for the sake of it.
I run my accounts like a business. Focus on earning more while controlling cost. Spend money to make money.
N my opinion it's easier to make an extra $1000/ month than to cut costs by $1000 provided your costs are under control.
Saving a couple of hundred dollars a year by chasing around to save 3c/l on fuel just doesn't make since to me. Go and get a job at a fuel station and pump fuel for an hour a week. You will do better (an extreme example not to be taken literally - it's a conceptual point for the pendantic ones amongst us).

Control cost - focus on revenue.

Blacky
 
save your change. I dont ever spend any coins, save them all. 6 months worth is spending money for my family of 5 in bali....
 
Sorry about my previous post.... I don't really recommend dumpster diving.
Especially if there is no water in them, and your bathing attire is last season's.

Gauche.

One thing I heard was to never go shopping with your wallet on you. This way, you will quickly differentiate between what you would like and what you need.

My preference is to never go shopping at all.
 
Here's a couple of furniture ideas ;)

Rustic Wine table (or a limestone block on an old school desk frame)

4654074721_3a077239e8_z.jpg


Glas Italia Terraliquida Coffee Table at $6,876 (or a limestone block with glass)

04118d1d008853cf_1634-w265-h265-b0-p0--modern-coffee-tables.jpg
 
Here's a couple of furniture ideas ;)

Rustic Wine table (or a limestone block on an old school desk frame)

4654074721_3a077239e8_z.jpg


Glas Italia Terraliquida Coffee Table at $6,876 (or a limestone block with glass)

04118d1d008853cf_1634-w265-h265-b0-p0--modern-coffee-tables.jpg

And here I am wasting my Limestone blocks' potential by using them for retaining walls.
 
Yes will be having a garage/ ebay/ gumtree sale soon. The plan was to use the $ to reduce PPOR debt /invest further, however it will instead go towards

The 'fairer' fire levy which is 150% more than what I paid through my insurance company as well as the 7.5% council rates rise (to pay for the CEO's massive salary increase) plus the 10% Vicroads rego increase from last year.
 
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