Tuesday 6 October 2015

Watch the cents


With the renovations pending, the bills are piling up, so now is the time to reassess our spending. The one thing I've learnt, is it is very easy to overspend without realising it. So I've been looking at ways to cut costs without altering our way of living.

I've realised the trick is to be organised, and each year, re-evaluate. Laziness can cost us greatly. We saved approx. $600 by switching car insurance. For all services you use that have competition, it is worth shopping around before each renewal. If you do this with energy, phone bills, internet etc, it could save you thousands.


Look at petrol prices, if the stations near you offer the same price, then look at the bonus you get with it, flybuy points turn into supermarket cash or Virgin points can be spent on hotels or flights. If you can't get a lower price, at least get a discount later on, but make sure it is one that you will use.

With Christmas coming, start on the list now. As things go on sale, or there are gifts with purchase, then be prepared. If you have a lot of people to buy for, it helps not to have the whole credit card bill hit in January.

At the Supermarket, look at the specials. You don't have to alter your list, just buy ahead non perishables when on sale, or switch chicken for beef if there's a discount.

For me, the big one is the credit card fees. We were spending easily $30 a week just to use the card. This is easy to reduce, if the vendor is passing on the fee, use bpay or eft instead. If your card gives points, use them to pay the annual fee.

My aim is to shave dollars off our cost of living without any of the enjoyment of our lifestyle...I've set myself a three month challenge, in which to monitor it.

These are just my ideas - what's your budget busting suggestions? (As I'll need all the help I can get!)

Linking with #TrafficJamWeekend (sorry, still can't get the badge to work?)




11 comments:

  1. I'll be following your comments with interest. My husband is being made redundant at Christmas so we will have to be careful with our spending too.

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    1. I sorry to hear that. It's stressful, and for men it's a very emotional thing too (probably for everyone, really). Will monitor my progress and keep you posted...

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  2. I definitely buy perishables we usually use on sale and buy fruit and vege that is in season.

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  3. Insurances and credit card fees are such a minefield. I hate having to shop around all the time but it really is the only way to save money and avoid being rorted!

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  4. It is so hard to find places to save these days. I usually buy what's cheap or marked down when buying meat, and make sure I know what we are low on in the pantry and what I do not need to stock up on, before I go shopping.

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  5. Great tips! We use our supermarket loyalty card to save money on petrol and make a point of making sure we can get to the affiliated petrol stations. I'm a huge fan of buying special offers, meal planning and eating seasonal produce, all of which can save lots of pennies. In England we used to say, look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves. It's so true! Happy saving!

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    1. (Your comments form is not displaying for me today so I'm hitch-hiking on a reply!)
      Great tips. I tend to avoid looking too long at my credit card statement as it gives me the shivers! I like to bake as much as possible. I have invested lots of cash into kitchen appliances so that over time, I can save and make most things myself. (That's a tip on a round-about way isn't it?!)

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    2. Argh - all these comment dodads are so fussy!! Thanks for making the effort!

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  6. Pre-planning and cutting out the impulse purchases work for us when we need to tighten our belts. I'm a terrible spendthrift when I'm not mindful!
    #TeamMM

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  7. Shopping around before renewal is such a pain but man, you can get some amazing deals. I did it with my Vodafone contract. Scored me an iPhone6 Plus, doubled my data and my plan only went up $10 a month!

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  8. Pre-planning and trading down have worked well for us. As some of the other commentators have pointed out, being mindful is the key thing. It's easy to spend when you're not thinking #mummymonday

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