Saving money.

[sxereturn]

OK, at the moment I am on the money saving program, mainly because I hate wasting it and because I am looking to buy expensive stuff (reptiles and bikes).

I reckon I've got it down to a fine art. I'm spending $90 a week on rent, and I have got my food bill down to around the $50/week mark. I don't like living off baked beans and bread, so that's about as low as it can go.

At the moment I am depositing around $300-350 a week into my bank account. That's quite a lot of disposable income compared to most people. This doesn't include bills etc (basically 75% of the electricity bill every 3 months, and $40 a month towards phone/DSL), but they are unavoidable.

Some stuff that has helped me save money is -

-Buying energy saver light globes. Don't get the ones from the supermarket that are $12-15, go to the cheapo store and you'll get ones that have the same lifespan but are $3-4.

-Checking out the cheapo stores before doing grocery shopping. Make sure you buy only what you need and not something you want just because it's cheap. The other day I picked up 10 bottles of Spaghetti Bolognaise sauce for $1 a bottle, compared to the $2-3 you pay in supermarkets. It's also good for fruit juice and basic cooking utensils.

-Obviously turning lights off and not leaving the TV on etc...

-Managing to convince your old man to pay your mobile phone bill even though you haven't lived at home for over a year...(OK, that ones a bit tough, but I still manage to convince him it's a good thing every month when the bill comes...somehow).

-Find someone to live with. Whether it be sharing a house with a mate, or a partner, not only does it halve the rent, but it also splits the phone/electricity/internet bills.

What other tricks do people use to save a bit of coin?

[parallax]

My tip: Work on the weekend. You don't splurge $$$ on booze and durgs, but instead get paid a higher hourly rate and in my case, get to chat up chicks behind the bar and get them pissed. It's a win-win situation!

Cringe money saving tip: Buy VB. :(

[sxereturn]

I've been trying to hook up some grape-picking work, but it's harder to get than you think.

Who would have thought, a lack of grape picking jobs in the fucking Barossa Valley!?

[parallax]

Who would have thought, a lack of grape picking jobs in the fucking Barossa Valley!?
Quite your wining.




**Get it? A pun. sleeeep.

[naz]

gettin ur parents to pay rent/phone/internet

[wtr]

Centrelink... :idea:

[MrPlow]

My Money saving tip:Get married. No more expensive dates, and twice the income!

[Rexy]

getting married! worst money saving idea ever Mrplow!
i say if you want to save money have absolutely nothing to do with women at all!
another good way is to always go to partys saturday night, go without booze and eat lots of nibblies, you get a free feed

[dmwill]

Saving Money...urgh...I once found that vey hard to do!

I used to buy my food at work on weekends, so anywhere up to $10. If I was on holidays from TAFE I'd be working everyday and therefore buying food everyday...Add it up for yourself.

Have a reallly good think before you buy things...even if it is just a few dollars. I always ask myelf if I really need it, how often would I use it, Would I get by without it? I have a DVD player that I hardly ever use now.

Don't get into any relationships with chicks...it can be expensive...unless if you are EXTREEMELY LUCKY and have a chick who understands your financial issues. Since Breaking up wth my girl...I am saving a fortune!

Shop around! It's worth the time and effort.

If you're good at something, make money out of it. I am doing a Diploma of IT (Network Management) at TAFE, so I know a fair bit about computers, website design and data recovery.....I do a few odd jobs for people...the spread the word around...I get a fair bit of cash in hand!

Mobile phones...Do your research!

CDs...Download them..saves upto $30 a cd :D

If you still want to buy expensive things...find a guy who claims to be a legitimate business man and sells cheap stuff ("Fell off the back of a truck"). I know of a few people like that...but I think it's best not to get involved with them.

[Simo]

save all your shrapnel (small coins). I have piles of shrapnel in my room and whenever it looks big enough I sort it out and take it to the bank. Last time I deposited $162.30 in coins. It takes a while for it to build up to that level but something's better than nothing right?

[orchie]

Get engaged.... my girlfriend is now a money Nazi and I am saving an extra $1000ish per month. Only dilemma is that although I'm now saving heaps, I can't spend it on the good stuff anyway :(

Grant

[cam-o]

Get engaged.... my girlfriend is now a money Nazi and I am saving an extra $1000ish per month. Only dilemma is that although I'm now saving heaps, I can't spend it on the good stuff anyway :(

Grant

Plus you know that all that money you save will be spent on the weding anyway. Unless you get smart and elope to Las Vagas.

I'm saving at the moment for my wedding and by taking my lunch to work and buying a plunger instead of cappucinos I reckon I'm saving about $50 a week easy.

[scblack]

Plus you know that all that money you save will be spent on the weding anyway. Unless you get smart and elope to Las Vagas.

I'm saving at the moment for my wedding and by taking my lunch to work and buying a plunger instead of cappucinos I reckon I'm saving about $50 a week easy.


This might sound terrible, but ELOPE. It will save you between $5-20,000. My wife and I wish desperately that we did - its six years ago now, but the $12,000 our wedding cost, and we paid it ALL, goes a long way toward a home deposit, or a car or whatever you want.

If we had our time over, we would elope, then tell all the family, we're married, so come to our place for a party. A HUGE party you put together your self might cost $2,000, saving around $10,000 for our future. Many will get all shitty, but its your life.

[poridge]

HOME BREW! @ 50 cents a tallie(750ml), you cant go wrong! If you dont want to drop the cash on a kit ($60ish) find a mate who has one and borrow it for a while. Saves me a fortune

[orchie]

This might sound terrible, but ELOPE. It will save you between $5-20,000. My wife and I wish desperately that we did - its six years ago now, but the $12,000 our wedding cost, and we paid it ALL, goes a long way toward a home deposit, or a car or whatever you want.

If we had our time over, we would elope, then tell all the family, we're married, so come to our place for a party. A HUGE party you put together your self might cost $2,000, saving around $10,000 for our future. Many will get all shitty, but its your life.

You ARE going to hate me but the fiancee's mum is putting $10k towards our wedding. Realistically, we should have to put very little towards it. The money we're saving now is going towards a house or similar. I tried telling her that we should use that money to get her a nice bike to arrive on for the wedding but it didn't go down too well...

Grant

[MrPlow]

getting married! worst money saving idea ever Mrplow!
i say if you want to save money have absolutely nothing to do with women at all!

You haven't met my wife though.

Perhaps I should re-phrase, make sure you marry/date the right girl. Most girls just shit me with all their crap. And if they demand shit, get outta there.

Another way I save money, I get a set amount of money taken out of my bank account each week. Never notice its gone.

The best way to save money I reckon, buy a house as soon as you can, never a bad time to buy, if growth is low, rent a few rooms out to your mates.
You are actually saving when you make those repayments.

[scblack]

You ARE going to hate me but the fiancee's mum is putting $10k towards our wedding. Realistically, we should have to put very little towards it. The money we're saving now is going towards a house or similar. I tried telling her that we should use that money to get her a nice bike to arrive on for the wedding but it didn't go down too well...

Grant

Lucky bastard! :)

[MrPlow]

So you will probably hate me when I tell you that my inlaws paid for my entire $20k wedding + my First weeks honeymoon was paid for as a wedding present at Montville Cabins in the Sunshine Coast hinterlands :cool:

Oh, and did I mention the holiday to Germany after our honeymoon?? , and the free weeks accomodation there as well, at a place in the bevaria with its very own bruerie :D No I don't think I did :D :D
Marry the right girl, and save money.

[orchie]

Haha beats me by a mile :) I like your thinking though :thumbs up:

Grant

[Kona.S.P]

When i work for my dad i always bring my own lunch... it all adds up, round $25 a week, I have a part time job and it goes striaght into my bank account... i can't access it because my mum took my card off me, i told her to though, and it is saving me a heap of money...

[scblack]

Marry the right girl.

Thats all that matters. ;)



Its the only comeback I could manage :o

[toodles]

Get engaged.... my girlfriend is now a money Nazi and I am saving an extra $1000ish per month

That's doesn't work for everybody. In my case, the savings would be negated by the fact I'd have to buy my bride from one of those online Russian bride websites :)



As for the saving thing, I find trying to stay away from places where I have poor impulse control (bike shops, pubs, strip clubs) is a good place to start. If you go out drinking, just take some money and your ID and leave your credit and ATM cards at home, so when you get that 3am urge to hire a convertible/stay in a penthouse/buy a kilo of coke you can't blow your savings.

[Carlin]

If you go out drinking, just take some money and your ID and leave your credit and ATM cards at home, so when you get that 3am urge to hire a convertible/stay in a penthouse/buy a kilo of coke you can't blow your savings.

That's a good one except for the long walks home when you have spent your bus fare on drinks ;)

I'm saving now also by- going out less.

Stopping driving as much as possible, (bikes and bus fares are cheaper than fuel).

Not buying any new bike parts (failed a little on this one).

Living at home (The best one, but my family can do my head in sometimes).

Being a general tightarse.

[GrubNut]

Where possible buy second hand.

Furniture and clothes in particular. There are very few objects in my house that were bought new (ok not counting bike parts, undies and most socks). ALL my clothes come from op shops. They're not crap either. I have a fine collection of very nice suits. A couple of very nice hand stiched italian made numbers. My most expensive one was $40. usually i pay about $15. I also have dozens of designer shirts and trousers.

Most new furiture is crap. Even if you go to a trendy second hand shop you be paying a third of much for somethig at least twice as good.

All appliances (except for my DVD player) are from op shops ebay or second hand shops.

Basically I have every thing i could possibly need, and pretty much everying I want, all from op shops, garage sales flea markets and ebay.

[freeride_sweet]

stay at home, cheap board, free washing and good food (well in my case),
i got a door that leads out side and my own bathroom im set until i can afford to comfortably move out.

[Kammy]

just those small nigty gritty things that add up. like only buying magazines were needed or all those unnecessary food purchases they all add up :)

[sxereturn]

A good example of making/saving money easily. One of my work mates needed $1000 to go towards putting a deposit down on a new car. He has a credit card coming in the mail, so I loaned him the $1000, with the condition that he pays me $1100 in a fortnight. There's $100 in my hand for doing nothing...

[sxereturn]

Err...does this make me a loan shark? I hope so. I'm gonna put on a few hundred kilo's and start smoking cigards.

[ashhash]

Cleaned out my car today....$100 in change :)