6 Easy Ways to Save Money
Raise your hand if you love the thought of saving money but don’t quite have the discipline to be successful? With everything you ever want just a few taps away, it can be hard to save cash in our modern world, where rising costs mean we need as much loose change on hand as possible.
Traditional money saving hacks and budgeting tips don’t always take our changing lifestyles into account. We think it’s important to help you save money without having to sacrifice the things you love. Because we’re all here for a good time, right?
Here are 6 easy ways to save money in your everyday life.
1. Sign Up to Cash Back Websites
A new wave of money saving websites have popped up to help you get a little bit of money back on your everyday purchases. Websites such as Cash Rewards and Shop Back are the two main players in Australia. They earn a commission for advertising brands on their website and they share that commission with you when you shop, so you get real cash sent back to your account. You can earn money back on everything from travel to homewares, fashion and beauty, takeaway meals and even your groceries and energy bills.
2. Take on A DIY Project
Whether you’re moving out of home or off-campus into your first place or simply want to update your interiors without dropping thousands of dollars, taking on a DIY project is an easy way to save money. You can search through Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree and even kerbside during council clean-up to find pre-loved furniture. To spruce it up, often all you need is some wood glue, nails, sandpaper, and a lick of paint or some vinyl adhesive to create custom furniture for next to nothing. For more DIY inspo, head here.
3. Ditch Your Car
Next to having a child, and buying or renting a house, owning a car is one of the costliest things Aussies do. The average Australian household spends up to $18,221 on transport every year with the costs of buying and running a car making up a huge chunk of that. From insurance and rego, to fuel, parking and servicing costs – the expenses never end. Giving up your car in exchange for using public transport, walking, riding, using rideshare services of carshare services like GoGet, will seriously reduce your day to day and long-term expenses.
4. Make Your Coffee at Home
It’s one of the most obvious money saving hacks there is but that’s because it works. Not only does it save you money on your morning cup of joe, you won’t be tempted to use a single-use cup if you ever leave home without your keep cup. How about making a small investment into an espresso machine to avoid the wastage that comes with pod machines and to enjoy a café quality coffee for a fraction of the price. (Hint: coffee grounds are compostable!)
5. Order Your Groceries Online
There’s nothing quite like being faced with the total sum of your groceries before you have to pay online compared to paying at the checkout. Ordering online is an easy way to save money. It’s a simple tip that will put your expenses right in front of your eyes. You can choose to remove those extra few snacks you didn’t really need before having to pay. You also won’t be tempted to stray from your grocery list as you spot a special that’s been strategically placed at the end of an aisle.
6. Buy Small Amounts of Fresh Produce Multiple Times Per Week
It’s estimated that 35% of the average Australian household’s waste is from food. Not only is that doing serious damage to our planet, we bet our debit cards aren’t enjoying it too much either. Instead of buying fresh produce in bulk, only to let it wilt away in the fridge all week, plan two to three days in advance and only buy what you know you’ll need. If your local supermarket is convenient to pop down to every few days, opt for snap frozen vegetables where you can.