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Budgeting

17 Ways I Saved Money in 2023

Every year I try and think back to all the ways I tried to save money over the last twelve months I think it’s always nice to have a record and it a great way to pay yourself on the back for a year for all your hard work to save money over the year. 

I also love that every dollar we save each year, and each new habit we adopt compounds over the years to help us save even more in the future. 

Here are 17 Ways I Saved Money in 2023. I hope they help inspire you with some ways for you to save more money in the coming year! 

Disclaimer: None of the suggestions below are sponsored products, they are all just my own genuine attempts to save money that I am sharing in the hope they will help inspire you with some ways to save money as well.

17 Ways I Saved Money in 2023

  1. Utilised food apps or memberships to save on dining out 

Eating out is getting ever so expensive and it is something we like to do so this year we tried to find ways we could save whilst still getting to occasionally skip cooking. Some things we tried were signing up for discounts such as to Rashay’s for a discount on our total bill, Or signing up to get a free dessert, and using KFC and the My Maccas apps to save on food. This meant rather than paying full price for meals we could get a discount or find cheaper meal options to save money.

  1. Joined Cinema memberships to save on movie ticket prices

It now costs about $25pp to see a movie in Sydney which imo is getting just too expensive. This year to help us save on cinema tickets we paid $15 to join Hoyts rewards VIP program which saves us 25% on tickets for the whole year and let’s us gain access to reward points that can get get us a free movie ticket and offers discounts on food and movie of the week for $10 a ticket. We’re also a lot more selective on what movies we go out to the cinema to see.

  1. Used fuel apps 

To save money on fuel which is a huge chunk of most of our budgets, I utilised my State’s fuel app which tracks the price of service stations around my State. It helps me plan out where to get petrol. With the app I was aware of the petrol price cycle which is currently ranging from highs of $2.20 to lows of $1.70 on any given day. By checking the app before fueling up for both our cars this helped us save up to $0.50/litre on both cars which is no small savings. 

  1. I started paying more attention to reward discount offers 

This year I made more of an effort to take advantage of rewards discounts and offers I was being offered such as from my utility provider, private health insurance and NRMA roadside membership. 

My private health insurance offers many discounts on gift cards from 3-10% so now before buying things I check my list of discounts to see if I can get a small discount before buying them. I recently discovered that with NRMA I can save 20% on parking which will help save some more $$.

  1. We cooked at home more 

I don’t think this is a new one for any of us, but in 2023 my husband and I really made an effort to cook at home to save money and experimented with new recipes. We found ways to have more expensive meals we’d normally buy out at home without the high cost. 

We tried Hot Pot for the first time in Jan 2023 and loved it but knew dropping $120 on Hot Pot was going to be a very expensive habit. So we found a way to have Hot Pot at home using our One Pot which only costs us about $40 rather than 3 x that to dine out. 

Some other meals we have learned to do at home are Beef Brisket, a range of Japanese dishes including Okonomiyaki and Katsudon, Pork Knuckle or Indian curries. To dine out for many of these would cost us $60 and upwards but to have them at home works out much cheaper for us and we still get to eat the food we love. 

  1. We started brewing our own beer

This is a really new one, but friends of ours started brewing their own beer at home this year. When they mentioned after a small initial outlay, the cost was only $1 per bottle of beer I was for the idea. 

My husband bought a home brew kit with a gift card he won at work and is awaiting his first batch in the coming weeks. We are yet to see if these first batches of home brews can live up to his beer ratings. Some of his favourite beers are priced at $18 a can, so fingers crossed this could be a good saving! 

  1. We changed our dining out habits

With the cost of living crisis and the very high cost of living in my hometown Sydney, dining out is becoming more of a luxury than ever. We used to love dining out on the weekend but with the cost, it’s now getting harder to justify that expense. I felt like everytime I went out to a cafe or restaurant, I was just outraged by the cost of everything and it wasn’t so enjoyable, at least not on a regular basis. Especially now that we are semi-chefs hehe. (See #5 ;))

Now when we want to eat out for dinner, we usually just get take out rather than dining in, this way we can save money on things like drinks (which are now $5+ for a soft drink), and can cook our own rice rather than paying $8-10. 

We’ve also done our best to find new restaurants that are more affordable for us to dine in and left the more expensive ones for more special occasions.

We also reduced what we order when we go out. In the past we would have shared an entree and ordered two mains, but now sometimes we just order two mains and skip the entree or just order one main to share. 

  1. I became more of a bargain hunter

I’ve always been someone who tries to find the best deals, but felt like I could do better and keep more of my money in my pocket. 

Recently I found myself about to pay full price for some new beach towels. These were $70 beach towels so not some cheap towels from Kmart. Instead of paying full price I put the towels back on the table at the store and set myself weekly reminders to look out for a sale. Within two weeks I was able to get the towels I wanted for 40% off and didn’t have to wait much longer at all. 

I’ve now implemented this habit for things I want to buy to help me get the best deal and go that extra step to make sure I really want to buy something before I hand over our hard earned cash. 

I’ve done the same for more pricier groceries where if I could hold off on getting them, I just waited a week or two until they were on special again before I bought them. 

  1. I shopped around for my mobile plan

Each year I review my mobile plan about twice a year to make sure I am getting the best value on my plan. This year I waited to until Black Friday to buy a sim card that was on special that would that would cost me half the half the price per month then my current mobile plan. This will save us $360 a year between two plans! 

It’s an annual plan, which I have never had before but I am keen to give it a go, and it I don’t like it I can always change it next year 🙂 

  1.  I started looking into how to propagate fruits and veggies at home

This year we started growing our own fruits and veggies from seeds from items we bought. I’d seen a lot of these seed propagation videos on pinterest that helped inspire me to get started. And the great thing is you don’t really need to spend a cent to do this. We have just been taking seeds from food as we buy them, and using takeaway or butter containers to plant the vegie seeds in.

This is still a new process, and we are yet to set up proper veggie gardens but we are hoping it will save more money in the coming years. As we speak we have attempted strawberries, basil and capsicum and have some thriving chives and spring onions, hopefully with more to come.  

  1. We meal planned more frequently

This year we really tried to find our groove with meal planning and eating out less. We were consistent with our meal planning so we shopped with more intention, wasted less food and saved on our grocery budget and found the more we stuck to our meal plan the easier it got and the more it become a routine. We also got better at making different meals so we could change things up a bit an avoid getting sick of eating the same meals. 

Some of our favourite meals this year were katsudon, pulled pork tacos with pineapple salsa, beef brisket burgers with coleslaw and salami napolitana pasta with red capsicum. 

  1.  I identified what really brought me joy

This year I honed in more on what really brought me joy. This meant I spent more in some budget areas, like on Entertainment, namely concerts/festivals but cut back in other areas like dining out.

When I saw one of my favourite bands the Foo Fighters play in Sydney recently, watching them play for 2.5 hours I knew my tickets were the best use of my money vs having an average overpriced dinner out. 

Whenever I go to a concert it’s something I really enjoy so I will do my best to be more mindful of that next year when I need to decide what’s more important in our budget and prioritise.

  1.  I spent less on takeaway coffees

My husband loves coffee so this was more of a saving on his part. This year he found a coffee he loves from Coles that’s a bit more expensive than the Aldi one he used to buy, but it means he’s more than happy to make coffee at home rather than having it out. With some coffees now $6 or $7 it’s a decent saving of $5 or more per cup of coffee and will go a long way to helping us save. 

We ended up buying the coffee straight from the supplier so it is much fresher, albeit a little pricier but still a huge saving. 

  1.  I focused on finding free activities when we travelled 

This last year we went on numerous weekend trips and on our first trip to Japan. 

When we travelled this year we focused on finding free activities to stretch our budget further whilst still having a good break, such as watching the sunrise and sunset, walks on the beach, stargazing and watching movies at our Airbnb. 

We ate breakfast at home and grabbed dessert from the supermarket to save on buying expensive restaurant desserts. 

  1. I spent less time at the shops browsing

This year I spent less time going to the shops. It meant I often wasn’t aware of what sales were happening which meant I was less tempted to buy anything I didn’t really need. 

Instead of browsing stores on my lunch breaks to pass the time, I’d watch a show or go for a walk. If I did go to the shops I would get what was on my list and leave which helped me be more intentional with my spending and save money. This isn’t too difficult for me, as I don’t particularly enjoy shopping these days but limiting browsing as a hobby certainly makes it less tempting to spend.  

  1.  I was more mindful of our electricity use

In July our electricity cost per KWH went up 20% so it was going to add a hefty amount to our bill over the coming Summer. So to try and keep our bills down we checked our electricity app frequently (I set a reminder on my phone to check it at least once a week), we made sure to turn off lights we weren’t using, we used blankets as much as possible in the colder months before turning on the heater, and utilised our fans and windows when it wasn’t hot enough for air conditioning. 

When we had to put the heater or aircon on we made sure to adjust the temperature so it was on higher or lower setting to use less power and a lower fan speed and would only turn the ducted on in the rooms we needed to. We are currently looking into getting solar to try and save even more money on power next year. 

  1. I organised my home  

Over the last few months, I really made an effort to organise my home more and get more clarity over the things we had in our home. 

I wanted to make sure if I had something I needed in the future, that I would be able to easily find it, rather than having to go and buy something and waste money on something I already had at home but couldn’t locate. 

I tried to declutter things I didn’t need so that I could store the things that really mattered.

Now I am much more aware of what we own and where it is located, and this will hopefully save me money in the new year. 

I would love to know what you did in 2023 to save money. Share yours in the comments!

Photo by Cristian Escobar on Unsplash

Budgeting

How To Do An Energy Audit On Your Home

A row of lightbulbs that are turned on

Have you ever conducted an energy audit on your home? 

Conducting an energy audit on your home is a great way to help you reduce your electricity bill and save some cash on your upcoming and future electricity bills. With electricity bills on the rise, and record temperatures expected this coming Summer, it’s as good a time as any to start looking at ways to save money on your power bill. 

6 Steps to Conducting a Home Energy Audit

To make your home more energy efficient, you can carry out a home energy audit. You’ll pinpoint appliances to upgrade, save big bucks on your energy bill, and make your home more comfortable to live in. 

Here are 6 steps to get you started.

1. Find out your energy usage in kilowatts per hour (KWh)

For any Aussie’s out there, the government has a super handy dandy energy benchmarking tool to work out the average electricity use in your local area. (If you aren’t from down under do a google search and see if there is something similar offered in your country :))

You simply need to enter your homes postcode and the number of people in your household:

Then answer 3 more questions to find out what the average energy use is in your suburb. 

The following results will display based on your selected postcode area:

This will help you to compare your energy use from your electricity bill and see if you are perhaps using more energy than you should be. You can then compare this figure to your most recent electricity bills. This information can help you see if you might need to make changes such as upgrading old appliances, or being a little more aware of how much electricity you are using.  

2. Identify energy guzzling appliances 

It’s important when you are armed with your energy use, that you start to identify older energy guzzling appliances. When appliances last longer than expected it can be a positive thing, but sometimes when we hold onto these appliance for too long they end up costing us in higher power bills such as; old fridges, pool filters and small fan heaters. 

There is number of ways to identify which appliances are more energy consuming than others. 

The first is using a smart meter and utilising your electricity providers app to identify what your appliance is costing to run, by trying to run only that appliance. I.e. Have your regular stand by power on and then only run the dishwasher at 11am. Then the next day check the app and see how much your energy use shot up at 11am. Experiment over the coming weeks to determine how much other appliances are costing. 

Another simple trick, if you don’t have a smart meter, is to turn off all your appliances except the one in question and look at your electricity meter to see how many revolutions it does in a minute. The faster (more revolutions) the meter goes, the more energy the appliance is using.

Another method is to multiply the wattage of the appliance (often found on the base) by the number of hours used per day. Divide this by 1000 to obtain your daily kWh and then multiply by the rate per kWh on your energy bill to find out how much the appliance is costing you each day.

Related Posts: Want more money saving tips? Check out 11 Every Day Tips to Save Money

3. Upgrade old appliances 

If your appliances are 10 years or older, it is likely they are using more energy than more modern and energy efficient appliances. This may seem like an expensive investment to update appliances, and it likely will be depending on how many you need to update, but the energy savings will help offset the cost.

Remember to go for the highest energy star ratings where possible. You can also check with your government and see what rebates are available. Some governments offer rebates to help you purchase new energy efficient appliances such as replacing lighting to LED downlights.  

You might even be able to pick up some good second hand bargains or floor models that are still energy efficient models, but that are discounted.

4. Check your lighting and heating/cooling is optimised  

A great way to save on power is to replace inefficient halogen lighting with LED lighting. Heat and cool only the rooms you are currently in in your home. Set your air conditioner or heater temperature to a lower temperature in winter such as heating at 23 degrees or higher temperature in Summer such as cooling at 25 degrees so it still heats or cools the room as desired and makes the room a comfortable temperature, but uses less energy, saving you money. 

Related Posts: If you loved this post you may love 22 Things I Did in 2022 to Save Money

5.  Install adequate insulation and ventilation

If your home is hot in summer and cold in winter, it’s time to look at insulation and ventilation. Installing insulation can help keep your home warmer in winter and cooler in summer, such as by installing batts in your roof. It can be difficult to install insulation in walls of a pre-built home but there are alternatives such as wall insulation foam sprays that can provide a workaround (albeit an expensive one). 

It may be worth getting a few insulation experts out to provide you with quotes on what it will cost to insulate your home better. Remember this should provide you on savings when it comes to your future electricity bills. 

6. Check for air leaks

You don’t want your heating and cooling to flow out of your home under the door. As part of your home energy audit you should check for any air leaks under doors, and through the sides of windows. These can easily be fixed with caulking and weatherstripping such as caulking around window gaps or using door seals.

Check your local hardware stores for solutions to stop air leaks in your home so you can keep your home air cool or warm as desired. You might even hire an energy assessor or other weatherization expert to test your home for air tightness to help you make sure your home is more airtight and saving you on electricity.

Well there you go, 6 steps you can carry out to do a home energy audit and hopefully save some money on your electricity bill. These tips may not be something you can implement overnight, but over the coming months you can try and work towards each step, such as saving up to buy a newer appliance to replace a less efficient one and doing your research on what government assistance or rebates are available to you in your local area which may help offset any costs involved. 

If you are keen to save money on your electricity bill this upcoming quarter, if might be well worth the effort to conduct an energy audit on your home to make sure you are savings as much money (and energy) as possible. With the cost of living going up, every dollar you can save will really help to stretch your budget further and keep more dollars in your wallet!  

The above six steps are courtesy of Energy Australia’s DIY Energy Audit. This post is not sponsored and I do not receive any commission from it, it is merely to share helpful advice with readers in the hope they can reduce their electricity bill. 

I’d love to know what you found from your energy audit. Leave a comment below if you found this post helpful, if you were able to identify anything from your home energy audit or if you have any extra tips to save on electricity. 

Do You Want to Learn How to Spend Your Money With Intention?

If you want to take control of your financial future, stop stressing about money and learn how to spend your money with intention, book in for your free Q&A call to see how Minimise With Me Financial Coaching can help you gain clarity around your finances! 

You can learn more about Minimise With Me Financial Coaching services here

Photo by Anthony Indraus on Unsplash

Budgeting

22 Things I Did In 2022 To Save Money

4 balloons that are 2 0 2 2 for 2022

At the end of every year, I like to take a moment to reflect on the money-saving tips and tricks I implemented or attempted to adopt during the year in order to save money. For the last few years now I’ve compiled these into a blog post in the hope that they might be helpful to inspire your own saving goals in 2023.

You can check out my prior ones here…

17 Things I Did in 2017 to Save Money

19 Things I Did in 2019 to Save Money

I think it’s always helpful to think bigger picture when it comes to saving money. Often it’s implementing regular habits and behavioural changes that you repeat that end up saving you the most money rather than once-off attempts to save money. 

Some of these tips may be things I did to save money in prior years and others might be completely new ones. The magic of these tips is the more you repeat these, the more you will save month after month, year after year! 

So here they are without further adieu…

22 Things I Did In 2022 To Save Money

1. Set Up Google Flight Tracker Notifications

Now that 2020/2021 has been and gone, this year we wanted to make up for lost time and so, booked 3 seperate holidays. In order to try and save on those pricey flight prices I utilised Google Flight Tracker to try and get the best deals on flights. 

If you are interested, simply google a flight I.e. Syd to Melb flights 

Click the Flights tab

Enter your preference options and dates, and then toggle on the Track Prices tab. Google will then email you when there is a sale on your chosen dates.  

You can also select the price graph and date grid to see the price history and select the cheapest dates to fly. 

2. Used An Expense Tracker For Travelling to Ensure I Stayed In Budget

For my most recent overseas trip I utilised my own Travel Expense Tracker to track our budget to actual expenditure across different categories. This way I could see how much we were spending on a particular category and could be more mindful of spending on our trip. You can grab the same one I used here!

3. Paused Memberships

I love my Audible membership but can’t always get through a book a month, so whenever my book credits start to pile up, I’ll pause my membership temporarily and save the monthly fee until I am all caught up and can start using my credits to select some new books to listen to. 

Likewise, with TV streaming I stick to having one or two at a time and swap them in and out as I need them. I find having around two more than enough to watch, especially when you add in Youtube content.  

4. Only Bought Clothes When I Need to Replace Something

It’s a good thing that clothes shopping is no longer a hobby of mine, so it’s fairly easy for me to wait to replace clothing until I need something. But rewinding several years back this is where a huge chunk of my money would have gone.

I like to keep a list of clothing items I need in my Trello app so I can replace things as I need to and can easily find exactly what I need to replace. Now I focus on quality over quantity and let my clothes tell me when I need to update my wardrobe, rather than advertisements or shop windows. 

5. Upgraded Our Appliances

This year my dishwasher and dryer after 11 plus years of loyal service both bowed out. After previously paying a service tech to attempt to save our prior washing machine, only to have to call him back to fix a remaining leak and then ending up having to replace the machine anyway, this time we just started a new and bought new appliances (with much research!). 

We also decided to enter the year 2022 and updated our 11 year old 40″ TV to a 75″ one. I always prescribed to; if it works, why update it – but after achieving some of our huge financial goals the prior year we thought a new TV was a great way to celebrate our financial journey progress!  

These updates certainly cost us money upfront but would have given us a slight energy efficiency increase (even if only a small one), saving us on our power bills. Unfortunately dryers even a decade later still seem to still have horrid energy efficiency ratings (but don’t worry it is not used too frequently!)

6. Decanted Products When Travelling

On prior trips, I’ve always ended up needing something I forgot to bring or didn’t have and had to resort to buying things I needed at my destination. More often than not I am irked at the price of things that seem to be so much more affordable at my local discount chemist or supermarket. 

On my most recent trip, I tried to think ahead and bring those items along whether it be Panadol, eye drops, Dencorub, or makeup wipes to avoid having to keep buying things on my travels. Of course, you can rarely plan for everything that you need, but you can always try and limit what you end up having to buy whilst on holiday.

I used small travel containers to take only a small amount of what I needed to use to save on extra baggage and make sure they fit in my makeup travel bag and were convenient to travel around with. 

Even with my best efforts, I still did need to go and buy a few items at my destination but at least for the most part, I had everything I needed. I am trying to make my life easier but adding these items to a pre-made travel packing list I can refer to before each trip I take. Easy!  

7. Found More Fun Free Activities

With all the extra time we had at home in recent years (skipping over that part), we had to find more fun and free activities we could do at home. 

We started online gaming and now enjoy playing some PC/Nintendo switch games in our free time. These may have a once-off cost involved to purchase a game (though sometimes PC games are free!) but they do in the long run save us paying for other entertainment. We can also play with friends and family so it has a social aspect as well 🙂 

We now love listening to vinyl, look for local walks in our city to enjoy, and take advantage of star gazing on clear nights. All are completely free! We even invested in bikes, although we do need to make an effort to use those more!

When we venture out to see a movie we’ll try and use a gift card (yay for experience gifts!) and search for discounted movie tickets (if you are an NRMA member you get discounts at Event Cinemas or you might be able to get a discount via your health insurance, it is always worth a try!). 

I extend these efforts to try and find as much free entertainment when travelling as possible as well; such as walks, gardens, lookout points, museums, and art galleries which often are free entry. There is so much to do when travelling that doesn’t cost anything. By taking advantage of nature and walking as much as we can it helps us save on entertainment when travelling. 

8. Transferring Extra Cash To Savings

Each time I get paid, I check my pay amount and if it is slightly higher than normal (I.e. I got leave loading or a small bonus) I will transfer the extra straight into my savings account. This way I actually can utilise that extra cash for something important and spend it with intention rather than just letting it slip through my fingers. 

9. I Stayed Out of Debt

Back in May 2017, we repaid the last of my husband’s student loans. That was our last consumer debt owed and we have now been consumer debt free for over 5 years! And I promise there were no regrets about becoming debt free. This has allowed us to fast-track paying off our mortgage as we only had one debt to focus our efforts on. 

Even though my husband is back at University now doing his Master’s, we are cash-flowing his studies rather than taking on more student debt. By staying out of debt we can save much more money each year and continue to work on our next financial goal whatever that may be. 

10. Found Quality Coffee at Home 

My husband is a lover of coffee, I on the other hand don’t drink it so that at least helps hehe. But to try and save money on buying coffee out (and irking at the price to get a takeaway coffee – Sheesh!), which is now about $5.50 or more by the time you add in specialty milk, we were able to find a good quality ground coffee at our local Coles supermarket which my husband was more than happy with after much trial and error of other varieties. 

Although this coffee does cost more than other brands at the supermarket, it is a lot cheaper than paying $5.50 a coffee, 7 days a week. 

So a huge thanks to my hubby for hearing me on this one and keeping his takeaway coffees to only very occasionally. And a bonus, for tea lovers, supermarkets now even sell Bubble Milk Tea packs for under $10 which again at $8 odd a pop, is helping us save $. 

The savings here are great, let’s say a $10 pack of coffee lasts you a week vs $5.50 x 7 days a week, we are already at a saving of $1482 a year (grabbed these rough estimates off my husband based on his consumption). 

11. Planned Ahead for Gifts

Have you ever noticed, that when you shop last minute you end up paying more? And then you are stuck paying $8.99 for a card as you didn’t get to the cheap shop earlier and then you don’t have any wrapping paper or tape, so now you are forced to buy a $5 bag on top of finding a last-minute gift that is full price, even though you could have got it online cheaper if you just had more time. 

I used to be a serial last-minute gift shopper, but over the years I have attempted to try and be more organised when it comes to buying gifts. My general rule is to try and prepare at least a month out when it comes to gift buying. For Christmas I like to start a bit earlier in October, and take advantage of the Black Friday sales come late November. 

Whenever I am in a cheap shop I’ll have a quick think about what birthdays or events I have coming up and what cards I will need. This saves any last-minute expensive gift-related purchases. And gifts do certainly add up in your budget over the year!

12. Asked For a Raise

I’ve never been that confident at asking for raises but I found some awesome advice a few years ago so I got into the habit of tracking what I did above and beyond my job description. Every time I worked on an additional project I would keep a note of that somewhere so I could refer back to it. 

When it came time to have our pay review discussions, I had my achievements in black and white to justify my case for a raise ready to go and could demonstrate my added value across the last 12 months.

This enabled me to get a slightly larger raise than had I not asked, so I highly encourage you to do the same and ask for what you deserve. Remember, no one cares about your income or budget as much as you do! 

Every dollar is going to be an extra dollar to put toward your goals.    

13. Maintained Good Tax Records to Maximise Refunds

Over the years I have set up a fairly easy to maintain tax filing system in Google Drive. It’s a great way to keep records for tax and ensure we can claim as many allowable tax deductions as we can. 

When you spend money for your job and are entitled to a deduction for those amounts, you want to make sure you’re keeping track of those expenses as you go and saving yourself a paperwork headache come tax time! 

And this could be some serious cash. If you earn over $45,000 per year in Australia, each dollar you can legitimately claim as a tax deduction can put 32.5 cents back into your pocket (As per ATO tax thresholds 2022-23)! 

Disclaimer: Correct at the time of writing this but subject to change. This example is based on a 100% deduction for work purposes, with receipts and subject to tax assessment. Please note this is general advice only and should not be relied upon as personal tax advice. Please consult a tax professional for specific advice for your personal tax scenario. 

14. I Used Up What I Had First

Before my minimalism journey, I would often bring new beauty, hair, and makeup products home to try, more often than not, just because they were on sale and I couldn’t resist. 

Since identifying these unhelpful spending habits, I have made an effort to use up what I have first, and only replace things like foundation, or lotions when I am running out. This way I am conscious of what I already have at home and can avoid buying things I don’t need!

I keep a rule of only having 1-2 spare ready to go when the current item I am using runs out and so far this has gotten me by. If I am ever really that desperate I can usually get the item from the shop that same day.   

15. Stocking Up On Sale Items

I used to avoid having too many items stocked up in my home, but with frequent stock shortages and the cost of living crisis we are facing, it now makes more sense to me to stock up on things I buy frequently when they are on sale to make sure that I have them when I need them and ideally on sale. 

If things I will definitely use are on sale, I will now stock up a bit more than I used to.

I won’t buy a year’s supply but I will grab 1 or 2 extra to help save some $! Things I try to stock up on now are vitamins, hand soap, dishwashing liquid, dishwashing tablets, lotions, shampoo, conditioner etc.  

16. Utilised 7/11 and NSW Fuel Check Apps 

I am sure I don’t need to remind you about the increase in petrol prices at the moment, we are all feeling the cost of living increase this year. To help with this wallet pain, I regularly check the 7/11 and Fuel Check Apps to see what petrol prices are around my local area so I can stay aware of when petrol prices are going up or down and plan to fill up my car accordingly. 

I am lucky to have a friend who is as vigilant as I am with fuel prices so between us we keep on the ball with when the best time to fill up is.

I’ve used the 7/11 fuel app to lock in petrol prices that are low and saved myself $20 on a tank countless times. It’s definitely worth the slight hassle for me. If you aren’t using a fuel app like the 7/11 ones or NSW Fuel check one, this is something that could really help you save some serious dollars!  

17. Invested in Quality Shoes

A while ago, if you looked at my shoe collection you would have a common theme of budget shoes, all under $30 a pair – bargains! This past year I spent the most I have ever spent on a pair of shoes before ($240) and I will sing from the rooftops about it. When you hit mid-30s, you cannot put a price on a good pair of comfy shoes! 

Although this is an example of me spending more money than before, and may not be a saving in that respect, technically I am saving money as I am buying one pair instead of many shoes, that are quality, will last me longer and I am certainly going to save money on massages for a sore back and feet! 

And so I am counting it a savings win for me.  

18. Used Bank Cards with no Fees or Reimbursements

My bank card refunds me all ATM fees and International fees and charges me no monthly fees, all of which can be expenses that add up quickly. 

I extended those savings on my recent overseas trip where I managed to save myself around 3% of each transaction as international transaction fees were reimbursed to me as well as $5 overseas ATM withdrawal fees. It sure pays to look into your banking card options before you travel! Look at all these green refunds! 

19. Cut and Died My Own Hair

I have been trimming and dying my own hair for years now, which came in particularly handy over recent times. To hit the salon with my locks, I would be forking out over $250 every six to eight weeks versus the $20 or less it costs me to DIY my hair at home.  

If I dye my hair 9 times a year thats $20×9=$180 vs $2250 if I went to the salon each time.

I keep my hair the same colour so I am not worried about any colouring mishaps, but of course, if you want to do something more experimental please do see a good hairdresser and save yourself any unwanted heartache. 

20. Dined Out Less

I am not sure about you guys, but after months of being stuck at home, I kind of got used to eating in the comfort of my own home, away from the noise and squishy, awkwardly placed tables. 

We started to adopt the habit of eating out less a couple of years back to save money and have carried that into 2022. 

Sure, I still love to dine out on occasion, but nowhere near the number of times I would have in prior years. We now prefer to save eating out for more special occasions.

By eating at home we can save much more money than eating out. We usually stick to buying only two mains, often make our own rice for Indian or Thai curries, and drink what we have in the fridge to save even more. 

So to add in some dollar values:

  • At home, we can pay $1.77 for a bottle of Coke No Sugar vs paying $8 (or more) for two glasses in a restaurant. Again, repeat that once a week, and hello savings! Estimated savings: $323 a year.
  • If we skip ordering rice and make our own at home we pay 50c vs $5.00. Again, $4.50 saved once a week is $234. 
  • I even asked for some alcohol for Xmas last year for a mini cocktail bar so I could make myself some of my favourite cocktails at home, saving a whopping $18 a pop. Say $18 twice a month I am saving $432. 

Of course, it isn’t all sacrifice! These small adjustments have made our “Outings” budget stretch a bit further so we can enjoy ourselves when we do go out. 

21. Found a High-Interest Bank Account

It’s always good practice to look around for the best high-interest savings accounts. When I did this earlier this year, I found a new bank account my current bank was offering that was paying a much higher rate of interest than I was currently getting. So after a quick change, we were able to earn a lot more in interest than we had been. 

If you have just $5000 in a savings account earning 3% the interest alone might cover one of your subscription costs per month and I think that’s a win 🙂 

22. Learned For Free

There is so much free knowledge available out there whether it be books, online courses, documentaries, Youtube videos, podcasts – you name it. This year I did my best to take advantage of as much free educational content as I could. 

Not to say that I didn’t spend any money on my own personal growth this year, as I did, and I think that is always a worthy investment, but I did take advantage of as much available information as I could. 

Don’t forget to sign up to the Minimise With Me Mailing list for your free eBook ‘101 Ways to Save Money, Whilst Still Living Awesomely’!

Of course, this is all in unison with everything I have done over the prior years, don’t forget to check out my prior posts 17 Things I Did in 2017 to Save Money and 19 Things I Did in 2019 To Save Money

If you found value in this post I would be super appreciative if you could share it with others who might also find value in it 🙂

Question: Which of the above suggestions are you hoping to implement in 2023 to save money? Let me know in the comments 🙂

Photo by Eyestetix Studio on Unsplash

Budgeting

How I made $5000 Selling Our Clutter Online

A notebook with a $ sign on it
 

In early 2016 after decluttering many items in my home, and really leaning into our #debtfreejourney I got the idea to combine my decluttering and savings goals and try to make some extra cash by selling our clutter. I knew some of our things were worth something and wanted to try my luck at getting some cash for them.

Of course, there are some things you will have to just accept as a Sunk Cost (the money is long gone now). The fact that they are no longer bringing you happiness means they are now costing you in space, time and quite possibly your mental health.

Think about how good it will feel to see your savings climbing. Or how good it will feel to finally get your car into your garage. Or how much easier it will be to find your favourite outfit when you don’t have to pull out 10 pairs of jeans just to find your 1 favourite pair.

If you are holding onto some clutter that no longer adds value to you, it might very well be something someone else would be happy to take off your hands and gain value in. This way you can be kind to the environment by passing it on to a new owner who will love that item as much as you probably did at some point. And a bonus, you can use the cash you bring in from selling an item to put towards a financial goal that is important to you.

One of the hardest things when it comes to decluttering is to think of all the wasted money you spent on these things that you are now getting rid of. There can be a feeling of guilt around all the things you could have done with that money intsead. But it is important to not get frozen by those thoughts. Give yourself some kindness. Remember, that was in the past. Now we are going to move past any feelings of guilt and take action so that we can avoid making those same unintentional purchases in the future.

How I Got Started Selling

When I hit my late 20s, I had been living in my first home for about 5 years. And was amazed to see how many things had accumulated in such a short space of time. I had stuff every where in our modest sized home. Over time I started to notice all the STUFF. I was surrounded. I couldn’t open my drawers. My dining table was covered in crap. And it didn’t feel like a relaxing place to return to.

So I started to go around my home and declutter things. After a bit of decluttering I realised that some of the brand name items or electronics might be worth something. I came across 4 boxes of brand new hair dye that I hadn’t used.
I thought about selling them and soon enough I had put my first item up on eBay. I had bought those hair dye boxes for only $5 each. I wasn’t really sure if I could donate them so I figured I figure I’d try and sell them to someone else who would find value in them.

I listed them on eBay for $10 thinking it would be nice to get some of my money back. By the end of the week, I was amazed to hear my phone go off with numerous bidders for my unwanted hair dye. That listing ended up selling for $37. I couldn’t believe it, I had almost made back double what I had spent on them and also gotten rid of four items out of my house. Talk about winning.

How to Start With Identifying Things to Sell

To get started, you must first identify what you no longer want to hold onto.

In order to do this, you need to get decluttering.

Start with one room at a time so you can focus your effort on a single space and feel like you are moving forward as you finish decluttering each room or space.
To declutter the items that you will (sell or donate) use 4 boxes or containers and label them with the following labels:

  1. Keep

2. Toss

3. Donate, and lastly

4. Sell.

Once you have sorted your items in the room or space you are decluttering, Toss your trash items, put the Keep pile back in its home and pop the Donation box into your boot, ready to be dropped off as soon as possible to a friend or local charity bin/store.

For your Sell pile, find a location to store your box or container. Perhaps set up a “sell station” in a garage or spare room if you have one.

Question To Ask As You Declutter

To help you get started decluttering here are 3 Questions to help you make decisions on what to let go and what to sell.

1. ‘Do I love this?’

If I did I kept it.

2. Have I used this item in the last 12 months?

If not, it is probably time to let it go. Remember if you really need the item again, you could borrow it from someone or get a second hand one.

3. ‘Would I buy this again today?

That usually helped me differentiate between what I should and shouldn’t keep. Most often the answer to this was No.

With these three questions, I was able to minimise about 70% of the contents of our home.

My Favourite Selling platforms

During my decluttering journey, I used three selling platforms to sell my unwanted times: eBay, Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace. I am sure there are much more available now, but these are the ones I have tried and tested and will limit this blog to discussing. I will go in detail below as to when is best to use the three mentioned above and what the pros and cons are of each.

eBay

When to use eBay:

  • You have something to sell that is easy to post domestically
  • You want to reach a larger audience
  • You want to sell something for what it is worth rather than just what you can give it away for
  • To avoid the hassle of meeting with strangers and wasting your time with no shows
  • Items are of higher value so you can accept the higher fees
  • You want to build up an eBay account with feedback to make your selling into a side hustle

Pros:

  • free to list
  • no need to pay to bump up ads
  • access to the eBay search features with high-detail posts so your items are more easily found by potential buyers
  • only pay final value fees & Paypal fees for what you sell
  • feedback over time will let your buyers know if you are a quality seller
  • you can tick the relist option which will automatically list your ad for the next three auctions
  • You can pick the ‘auction’ option and potentially sell your item for more than your base price

Cons:

  • high fees, eBay charges on average 10% and Paypal 3-4% so everything you sell will come with a 14% fee
  • fees are chargeable on shipping
  • the hassle of posting items (but this is offset by no timewasters and not having to give our your address or meet a buyer
  • it can be hard to estimate postage costs correctly and you can leave yourself short, not to mention postage is ever going up
  • if you take too long to post something or it is damaged in transit etc, you can potentially get negative feedback or have to pay the costs by refunding the customer
  • even though with eBay you are entering into a contract, I have had to refund bidders their money when they bought without reading the listing properly. E.g. assuming shipping was free or buying something that was local pick up when they lived interstate.

How to get started: In order to use eBay you will need the following:

  • an eBay account
  • a Paypal Account (and email address).
  • The eBay app (ideal for quickly uploading listings and pics straight from your phone)

Setting up your eBay and paypal accounts are fairly straightforward. Check out the links to get you started. A few things to note:

  • Before you start using eBay if you may have to wait around a month for eBay to release your first lot of sale funds. This meant for the first 4 or so weeks of selling on eBay I had to use my own money to cover the shipping costs. It was certainly a hassle, but that was just a once off and I didn’t have to wait for that again.
  • You will be billed monthly for the final value selling fees which in my experience are really hard to estimate. But from my averages, it works out to being about 11% of your combined sales and shipping and an additional 3-4% in Paypal fees.
  • Your Paypal fees are deducted automatically at the point of sale, and eBay fees are billed monthly. So make sure  you don’t spend all your new cash and forget to leave some to cover the fees to eBay.

Selling Tips:

  • Before your list your item, do some research and see what the item is worth. You can make an estimate based on the original cost, but I prefer to check eBay for like items before I set the price to see what others are selling them for. I usually start my price at the higher end of what I think I can get for it and then drop it on subsequent listings from there if need be.
  • Be aware, once someone bids on your item you have entered a legally binding contract so you won’t be able to change your mind and cancel the bid. Don’t set the price lower than you are willing to take for the items otherwise you will be in for some disappointment.
  • eBay has sophisticated data recognition technology so don’t try and dodge out on eBay’s profits. I once cancelled a listing because a guy asked us if he could pay cash on pick up and within a matter of hours we received a warning from eBay that the account had been placed under review. If you make a sale on eBay you are obliged to pay the associated fees. If you don’t your account could be locked or completely banned so keep that in mind and just insist any buyers pay via the app even if they are picking up an item.
  • Put as many photos of an item as possible. The more the buyer can see of your item, the more likely they are to buy it and it saves you answering more questions about the item than necessary.
  • Provide as many details as you can I.e. Manufacture date, colour, material, wash instructions (I.e. dry clean only, 100% cotton)
  • Leave feedback for your buyers. It helps maintain the eBay buyer/seller feedback feature.

Postage Tips These are some lessons I learnt along the way with shipping items. There is a lot to get your head around and it’s best to do your research before you set your shipping prices and leave yourself short.

  • Research your shipping costs well. I got stung quite a few times where I only charged say $8 for shipping and ended up having to pay $15 or more! Ask the post office questions when you are there about the cheapest way to ship your item. I found that for months I was being charged $8.50 for posting something I could have posted for $3-4. That was a lot of money down the drain for me and the buyers. I found with the post office staff, they don’t always tell you the cheapest option so do your research on the website in advance as well so you know what it will cost so you can charge appropriately. Be sure to add in the cost of postage bags, bubble wrap and anything else you need to pack the item.
  • Don’t guess your item weight, because you will be wrong just get the kitchen scales out and be sure. Funnily enough just this week I paid for a 500g gram bag thinking I would be well under and the item ended up coming to 525g. That extra 25g brought my bill from $8.50 to $13.50 so it was a pretty expensive oversight.
  • Pack things well. I had one item get damaged because I assumed it would be okay in a regular bag. I lost my positive feedback streak and was really upset I had ruined someone’s buying experience. Bad feedback hurts so always make the effort to pack things so they arrive safe and sound!
  • Don’t ever try and short-change postage. I once sent something and through no knowledge of my own, I had underpaid the postage costs and had to reimburse the buyer. If you try and send something that is heavier or larger than what you paid, your buyer will have to pay the excess when they receive the parcel and you will need to reimburse them if you want a positive experience for the customer and positive feedback on your account.
  • For higher-value items, pay extra for tracking if it is not included. I once sent a $150 iPod without tracking and spent the next week crossing my fingers it wouldn’t get lost in the mail. Thankfully it arrived on schedule but definitely worth it for peace of mind to ensure most items, particularly high-value ones have tracking on them!

FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE

When to use Facebook Marketplace: Facebook Marketplace has pretty good reach so for that reason alone it is better than Gumtree, but as it is predominately a local selling platform your main buyers will be within driving distance so you won’t have the reach you would have on eBay. It’s also, at least in it’s current state, fee free which is a huge bonus! The app allows you to enter a location range, so no one will know your address until you decide to give it to them but they will have a rough idea of the area where the item is located so they can decide if your item is in driving distance for them.

Pros:

  • No fees
  • Great reach to local buyers
  • Easy to post listing with the Facebook app
  • There is a 🙂 and 🙁 rating system which helps know if people are worth working with which I think is a great feature

Cons:

  • The marketplace section of the Facebook app can be buggy, I found it defaulted to some European locations and I had to log into my PC in order to fix it. I also had one post that said it was listed but I couldn’t find it under my listings.
  • With the ease of the direct message I found at times I was being bombarded with messages with people asking silly questions E.g. Will you deliver the item? I didn’t have those issues with eBay or Gumtree.
  • I found people were generally more rude and annoying on the messenger app. I’d often get default messages saying ‘Is this available’ and then no response to my reply. Or being asked what is your address before I had even engaged in a conversation with people which made me feel pretty uncomfortable. Again, eBay and Gumtree were preferable for that reason as their message systems are a bit more removed so you don’t get very abrupt messages at least not in my experience so far.

How to get started:

You more than likely already have a Facebook account (if not simply sign up at www.facebook.com). All you need to do is select the menu item at the top middle of your Facebook home page or Facebook app ((that looks like a market).

For more info on using Facebook Marketplace check out the following link. Then click on Sell Something + and fill in the form below with your items details. Next add your photos. Don’t forget to mark your item as sold when it is no longer available and leave a 🙂 or 🙁 for your buyer.

List your item on Facebook in a quick moment.

Selling Tips:

  • Similar to the above ones I listed for eBay, make sure you put lots of photos and as much detail about your items as possible. The more you include, the less questions you will be asked… hopefully.
  • For your safety and convenience don’t give out your address or meeting place until you have agreed on a price and time. The last thing you want is someone rocking up at your house when you are out and insisting you hurry up to meet you. Or meet in a public place to avoid any risks with someone coming to your house.
  • Price your item higher than what you actually want for it. You will more often than not have to accept a lower offer.
  • Don’t be afraid to stand your ground on your lowest price. If you have patience you will sell it. But of course, if it is something you just want to get rid of it, negotiate and get rid of it!

GUMTREE

When to use Gumtree:

  • You want to sell something locally especially big bulky items like furniture or a BBQ – avoiding postage costs and hassle.
  • You want to try and limit fees on the sale like Ebay and PayPal fees
  • You’re not to fussed on what money you can get for an item

Pros:

  • Reach local buyers
  • Sell items quickly
  • You can list items as negotiable, free or trade or swap
  • Can pay to boost ads to get more reach for a quicker sale

Cons:

  • Low balling of prices
  • Be prepared to negotiate on price
  • Risk of people coming to your house if you choose to do that. Facebook seems a bit more connected to the actual person. 
  • Low reach visibility of listing after a couple of days unless you pay to bump or sponsor your ad

How to get started: Sign up for Gumtree and select Post an Ad.

Add a Title for your item and select the most appropriate category. Gumtree will pick one for you by default which you can change if need be.

Gumtree also allows you to select whether the price is negotiable, free or a swap or trade and allows a minimum offer amount to be set.

You can select a free listing which is what I usually do, but if your item is something more valuable it might be worth investing a few bucks into getting your ad Featured to reach more buyers.

Selling Tips:

  • Price the item higher than you want. People will lowball you, so if you want to sell something for $50, price it at $75 and you’ll generally be able to get what you wanted for it. Though of course, avoid overpricing your item or it will not sell.
  • When posting on Gumtree the first few days will be when your ad is most visible on the Free listing options. After a few days, it will start to be dropped into the abyss of items available for sale which means not as many people can see your ad. This is Gumtree’s attempt at getting you to bump up your ad to the top, which is of course how they make their money. If you are selling something for $300 or more it might be worth paying the fees to get a featured ad to sell your item quickly, but if you are trying to sell something for $20 I don’t recommend it. What you can do, is delete the ad and relist it as a new ad which will bring your ad back to the earlier search results.
  • Monitor your Ads position in your chosen categories pages. The ad will tell you what page it is listed on. If it’s anything after page 5 or so, it is going to get harder for people to find your ad and you might want to bump it up or try and relist it or relist it somewhere else.
  • You don’t have to provide your address until you are ready to accept an offer. Meet in a safe public place ideally. Never invite someone into your home and make sure someone is always home with you if people are coming to your house. 

There you have it! What are you waiting for? 🙂

Now I set you a challenge. Go through your home and start looking for things you can sell and get selling!
Good luck and please let me know in the comments how you’re going with it! 🙂  

Do You Want Help With Spending Your Money With Intention?

If you want to learn how to spend your money with intention and in line with your values and take the stress and anxiety out of your money, book in for a free Q&A call to see how Minimise With Me financial coaching can help you gain clarity around your finances! 

You can learn more about my financial coaching services and how I can help you achieve your financial goals here

How much money have you made selling your unwanted clutter online? And what items did you find were the most successful? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear about your successes 🙂 

[Photo: Raw Pixel, Unsplash.com]

Budgeting

14 Reasons Why You Might be Broke

Have you ever looked at your financial happens to consider why you might be broke? Check out these 14 reasons you might be broke to get you started managing your personal finances now.

One of the reasons many of us are broke and don’t realise it, is because we’re all doing the same thing. We see friends, family and colleagues and those around us buying new cars, taking on large mortgages, buying the latest gadgets and accessories. When everyone else is doing it, it can be hard to admit the truth, that maybe you are broke?

Being broke will have a different definition for each person.

To me, being broke is not having enough money to pay for things in cash.

It’s the person with no Emergency Fund to cover unexpected emergencies like a car breakdown. It’s the person who spends every dollar they earn and saves none. It’s the person who has debt they can’t repay, or that they can only afford the minimum repayments. Or the person who is behind on their bills.

Maybe you’ve convinced yourself that you aren’t broke – that’s as long as your car doesn’t break down. Or you don’t lose your job. Or have to fork out for an unexpected insurance excess.

Maybe it’s easier to believe you aren’t broke whilst the times are good, but with one unplanned financial emergency you might be faced with some harsh truths about your finances.

The important thing to remember is not to give up hope! Being broke doesn’t have to be permanent. Although your “brokeness” won’t disappear overnight, every little effort you make is a step in the right direction.

These 14 reasons why you might be broke below might help give you a new perspective on your finances and help you take the necessary steps you need to take to leave your broke days behind you.

**This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase of a product from the links in this post I will receive a small commission, at no cost to you. This allows me to keep my blog advertisement free and support the running costs of my blog. I only recommend products I believe will add value to others and that I love myself.**

14 Reasons Why You Might Be Broke

  1. You’re saddled with debt

You might be broke if you are snowed under by a large amount of debt. Are you the not-so-proud owner of a car loan, student debt & credit card with a balance? The repayments on those debts can quickly eat away a large chunk of your paycheck each pay period. Once you add a few subscriptions, dining out a few times, increasing grocery, utility & petrol bills and other expenses like child care you might find yourself struggling to keep your head above water.

It might be possible to afford the minimum repayments and use that as your justification to keep up current spending habits, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get to a point where it is going to be harder and harder to keep your head above water, financially speaking.

When you take into account interest rates increase, high cost of living, and stagnant wages if you haven’t curbed your excess spending and reliance on credit, that so-called manageable minimum repayment won’t stay manageable for long.

2. You have one or more car loans

When you see friends and family posting about their new wheels, it can be very tempting to get a new car and car loan to go with it. USA Today reports that Americans purchasing new cars in 2018 agreed to pay an average of $551 per month for 69 months according to car-buying advice site Edmunds. That is a lot of money going out the door not even taking into account food, utilities and housing costs!

Financial Expert Dave Ramsey’s ‘the car rule’ advises you should not invest more than half your household income into things with motors, that go down in value. If you are earning $60k and you have a vehicle that is worth $35k with a similar car repayment, it might be one of the reasons you might be broke and time to consider selling that car. If you are living above your means when it comes to your car, it might be time to consider selling your vehicle for a more affordable one. You can always buy that car of your dreams later on when you have the cash!

3.  You still have cable

With subscription services like Netflix available and a vast array of digital channels coming onto the market, there is no need to keep paying expensive monthly cable bills. Swapping out the $50 a month Foxtel subscription for a $9.99 Netflix one will save you $480 annually or close to $5,000 over ten years! If you are paying for the top of the line Cable at $100 a month, double that figure! See what I mean? That’s some serious *cha-ching*!

Not to mention you will avoid wasting valuable time and attention listening to those never-ending ads that you don’t get with services like Netflix! (And here’s hoping it stays that way!)

So if you are still paying lots for your cable, why not cancel it and see if you even miss it? You can always get it back if you really feel it adds value to your life.

4. You try and keep up with the Jones’

If you constantly give in to pressure to buy the things that everyone else around you have, you are going to potentially end up living above your means.

Are you working in a high-paying field with other high earners and trying to keep up with the pressure to buy and drive only the best? And get every beauty treatment under the sun to “look as good” as everyone else?

Stop and think for a second before you rush out to buy the next ít’ thing. Consider:

  • Do you earn similar money to them? Are you trying to live the Kardashian lifestyle on an office assistants wage and making unreasonable expectations of your income?
  • Do you already have enough of what you are buying or something equivalent? Maybe you already have a sufficient makeup collection or wardrobe and you might need to shop more intentionally?
  • Is it possible, those around you are buying all their new awesome stuff with credit cards and are struggling to keep up with repayments?

Trying to keep up with the Jones’s is a race to the bottom and one of the reasons you might be broke. Consider spending your time and attention on people who make you feel good about yourself and accept you for who you are rather than making you feel inadequate based on what you can or can’t afford.

5. You don’t pay yourself first

You look forward to payday every week or month only to realise days later that you’ve spent all your money and have to scrounge what coins you can find in the bottom of your handbag or what notes you can locate your pants in the laundry hamper.  If you don’t have a plan in place for your money from the moment it goes into your account, it is going to get frittered away before you even realise it’s all gone.

With one simple strategy, you can make living paycheck to paycheck a thing of the past.

By creating a Zero-based budget you can give your dollars a job before they are spent and make sure your spending is prioritised to not just your needs and wants, but your financial goals.  

Setting up an automatic savings transfer to transfer your goal savings amount to a separate savings account each payday ensures you have funded your financial goals before the money is spent.  Soon enough I promise, you won’t even miss it and will revel in watching it grow month to month!

6. Shopping is your hobby

One of the reasons you might be broke is if you use shopping as a hobby. If you shop when you are bored, sad, happy, for entertainment, or to be social, you might be heading for a life saddled with debt. Particularly if your shopping trips are happening more frequently. If you would describe shopping as your main hobby, it might be time for you to branch out and get some new ones.

One way to retrain your consumerist habits is to declutter your home so you know what you do and don’t have and create a Capsule Wardrobe of clothing you love to remove the temptation to be on the lookout for more clothes.

7. You don’t invest time to learn about finances

One of the reasons you might be broke is because you’ve never taken the time to learn about finances.

A common habit with millionaires is they read 1-2 books every month! And if you’re broke, reading the occasional finance book is a great place to start. Even just reading one is going to jump-start your financial knowledge. With apps like Audible you can easily listen to one on your morning commute to work.

You can read more about my favourite financial books here.

You might also consider investing in a financial coach to help your gain clarity around your finances and help you work towards your financial goals.

8. You don’t have a budget

One of the reasons you might be broke is if you don’t have a budget. This means that you can’t tell your money where to go and you’re probably going to spend more than you planned to, each pay. When you tell every dollar where to go, you can take back control of your money and make sure more of your hard-earned money is going where you want it to, whether that be to your retirement account, savings, investments, or even just spending your money more intentionally.

9. Your housing is unaffordable

Most financial experts suggest that you should keep your housing costs to 30-35% of your combined after-tax household income. If you are paying 30% or more of your after-tax household income to your rent or mortgage, it might be one of the reasons you are broke. It’s a term most refer to as ‘house poor’.

If you are living in a 4 bedroom home with rooms that are sitting unused most days of the week, and finding it hard to pay your mortgage or rent, it might be time to consider downsizing.

Even a $100 a week reduction in rent can add $5,000 to your annual savings total or could be used to help pay down your debts quicker. You may even need the extra space, but it might be time to consider temporarily downsizing for a year or so until you can get ahead financially.

If your home is pushing more than 30-35% of your after-tax household income, it might be time to at least consider your options when it comes to reducing your housing costs.

Selling a house comes with other costs such as stamp duty, so this might be more expensive and not so helpful. If that is the case, you could consider other options to save on housing costs such as renting out part of your home such as your garage or shed for storage, or your driveway, or even a spare room.

Check out these 13 benefits of a smaller home to help you understand how downsizing might not be such a bad thing.

10. You only pay the minimum repayment on your debts

If you are only paying the minimum repayments on your debts, it’s going to be hard to ever get on top of your debt. If you are roped into a 7-year car loan as well as credit cards that could take 10 years to pay off, that’s a lot of dollars that are not going to your financial future.

It can be easy to live in debt denial when you can meet the minimum repayments, but all it takes is a job loss, a medical emergency, or a car breakdown and it can throw a huge spanner into your finances and make it difficult to meet your repayments, even just the minimums.

Don’t live your life on the financial edge and try and convince yourself you are not broke. Break the debt cycle!

11. You surround yourself with other spenders

Do you spend the majority of time with people who encourage you to spend? Is there a friend that constantly wants you to go for expensive beauty days or to high-end restaurants? Or one that drags you shopping and then insists that you have to buy something because you can’t possibly leave empty-handed? Or maybe you just enjoy watching haul videos on YT?

Surrounding ourselves with people with different (or lacking) financial goals can impede the ability of your savings and keep you broke. It’s never fun being the one to say no to nights out, or a trip with friends, but it is a must if you are want to say goodbye to #thatbrokelife.

Be honest with your friends and let them know that you are trying to improve your finances and pay off debt and that you would love to come out and see them, but suggest some more frugal ideas that won’t hurt your budget. You might even find that some of them are happy to help you participate in more budget-friendly catch-ups and you might even inspire them to have a look into their finances.

12. You don’t have Financial Goals

If you are just coasting through life without giving any thought to your financial goals you might be broke. No one saves money, invests in their retirement funds, or pays off their debt by accident. These things all take thought, intention and action.

Start setting yourself some financial goals and take control of your finances and say no to being broke!

Some of your financial goals might be:

  • To review your retirement account performance
  • to create a budget
  • to sell your stuff to help you save up an Emergency Fund
  • to pay off your debt faster
  • pay off your mortgage or save up a house deposit
  • save for a holiday to be paid in cash
  • save up for your next semester of college

It doesn’t matter how big or small your financial goals, the key is deciding on them, writing them down, and making plans to achieve them within your chosen time frame.

13. You don’t have an Emergency Fund

If you don’t have a rainy day fund, you are opening yourself to unnecessary stress and financial hardship.

When you are going through a stressful event such as a car accident, injury, or another emergency, you don’t want to have that added stress of worrying about how you are going to pay for things. Emergencies are going to happen. Instead of just hoping for the best, take action and plan ahead. Put away an Emergency Fund of 3-6 months of expenses to give you peace of mind.

I guarantee you, at some point, it might not be next month or even this year, but you will feel a lot better knowing that you have that extra cash there ready to go to cover any unexpected emergencies.

14. You don’t earn enough

Sometimes you have to face the elephant in the room, that you don’t earn enough money to cover your lifestyle. But don’t feel defeated, it doesn’t have to stay that way. Here you have two options. You can earn more income or cut your expenditure.

Consider the following options if you are struggling to make ends meet:

  • Decrease expenses so the pressure to earn more is reduced I.e. sell the second car if you can do without it, cook more at home, cut the cable, tell your kids they can only choose one after school activity this year – you get the idea.
  • Pick up a Side Hustle, here is a list of 40 Side Hustles to get you started in addition to your current job
  • Ask for a raise. If you have been going above and beyond at work and your pay review period is coming up it might be a good time to try and request a raise.
  • Get a better paying job – if you are not earning much in your current job, it might be time to broaden your pay horizons and get a better paying job.
  • Do overtime at your current job – if possible, ask your current employer for overtime or extra hours so you can boost your income.

Minimise With Me Financial Coaching

If you want learn how to spend with intention and take the stress and anxiety out of your money, book in for a free Q&A call to see how financial coaching can help you gain clarity around your finances! You can learn more about Minimise With Me Financial Coaching here.

What does a debt-free future look like for you? Let me know in the comments how your future would change if you could pay off your debt?

[Photo by Michael Longmire @ Unsplash.com]

Budgeting

11 Everyday Tips to Help You Save Money

Sometimes finding more ways to save money can seem too hard, especially with the rising cost of living, it seems like everything is going up!

You research tips and think to yourself how is saving $12 a month on bank fees or a few dollars on a coffee really going to have any impact on my savings? How will that help me get on top of my debt or save for a holiday?

It may all seems like too much effort with limited results, but it is important to stay focused on the bigger picture.

Savings can be found anywhere you spend your money.

In order to find savings, you need to look at where you currently spend your money and get creative about ways to reduce that expenditure.

It could be as simple as a phone call to ask for a better deal, or taking ten minutes to research something a little bit more before hitting the buy button.

Becoming complacent about spending can end up costing you more than you may realise. And with most expenses being something you fork out for each year, saving more money sooner than later really pays off!

Here are 11 Everyday Tips to Help You Save Money. Each one alone may only give you a small increase in your savings, but together they can make a big difference over the space of a year, and the less money that comes out of your pocket day to day – the better for your savings goals!

11 Everyday Tips to Help You Save Money

1. Review insurance annually

Shop around for all insurance bills annually. Insurance can increase significantly year to year and most companies will take advantage of loyal customers who don’t put the time in to compare what they are being charged.

Most insurance companies offer quick online quotes and allow you to adjust the market value and excess coverage in order to get a true comparison and potentially save on your premium. Within minutes you can have a few price comparisons for the insurance you are renewing and be well on your way to saving money. I’ve often saved hundreds of dollars each year reviewing my insurance before renewing it.

Do your best to review these insurance prices every year to save:

  • Car insurance
  • Greenslip (medical vehicle insurance)
  • Home and Contents Insurance
  • Health Insurance
  • Death and Permanent Disability Insurance
  • Income Protection Insurance
  • Mobile Insurance

Another option, once you have some online quotes for reference is to call your insurance provider to ask if they can make you a better deal on your insurance premium.  

Whilst you are there, consider if you even need the insurance you are paying.

Insurance is highly recommended when it comes to things that can ‘change your life’ such as home insurance or health insurance. If you own a car that is only worth $1,000, you might save some money on insurance premiums by buying Third Party Fire and Theft insurance cover, rather than comprehensive insurance (so you are covered if you hit someone or something, but you aren’t paying to cover your car if it gets totaled).

If you are paying for insurance premiums like mobile insurance or extended warranties, you might be able to just cancel those as they aren’t going to “change your life” if they break. You are probably better off just setting some money in a savings account in the event that you need to replace those items.

2. Only shop when you have something specific in mind

Avoid going to the shops unless you specifically need something, particularly if the only reason you are shopping is that you are bored.

Make an ongoing list in your phone or planner of what you need as you think of it (I use Trello + it’s free! *Not sponsored just something I love) and take your list with you on your next trip to the shops.

Sticking to a list will allow you to limit your shopping to specific stores and aisles, helping you avoid the temptations of items not on your list. Not only will this help you save money but also save time, allowing you to use your time more wisely such as on a side hustle to help you pay off debt.

3. Shop around for mobile phone plans regularly

Phone bills can add a significant cost to your annual budget. To save money shop around for phone plans, particularly if you are on a no-lock-in contract arrangement and have the flexibility to move around.

Phone companies are always updating offers to attract new customers and if you haven’t researched in the past twelve months what offers are available to you, you may be losing out on some amazing savings.

By changing my phone provider, I was able to take up a phone plan for new customers that was half the price I was paying to my current provider for the same inclusions. This added up to a saving of $210 in the first year. It may not sound like a lot but that saving alone covers my gym membership for the next four months and that is definitely money better spent on my health. 

4. Limit dining out

Limit eating out where possible. With food delivery options at our disposal, it can be very tempting to just order food out more often than we should when it comes to our budget.

If you do want to go out, buy the meal you most prefer to eat out whether that is breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert. For me personally, I can easily make toast or pancakes at home so I would rather use my dining out budget to pay for dinner which is something much more time-consuming for me to create. I often opt for take away now, over dining in so I can drink my preferred drinks at home at a fraction of the cost (Coke’s are now $5 AUD at restaurants and I’m not loving it) and save more on dining out.

For dessert, often instead of paying $30 on top of our dinner bill at a restaurant, I’ll opt for ice cream at the movies or occasionally have some store-bought waffles on hand in the pantry which comes out much cheaper and certainly doesn’t seem like a sacrifice to me!

If you have a dinner outing that you don’t want to miss, opt for one of the cheaper menu items so you can socialise whilst avoiding blowing your budget. Alternatively, staying home and making dinner with friends or your partner is always a good compromise.

5. Start with reducing one of your regular expenses 

What do you buy regularly? Is it coffee? Chocolate? A soft drink at lunch? Pick one expense you buy regularly and try and reduce your spending on that one item. If you love coffee, buy a good quality coffee to have at home and bring your reusable coffee cup out with you.

Can you bring in a bottle and have water at lunch instead of spending $4 daily on a coke? Or just bring a can from home at a cost of $0.50 saving you $3.50 for each drink.

Could you cut back on buying the pricey vending machine chocolate on your afternoon tea and just bring some from home? Even if you just cut back slightly, or even make small reductions to a regular expense that will give your savings a kick start. Once you have swapped out one, try adding another!

6. Create a wish list with a wait period

Sometimes we don’t even realise we are making impulse purchases and taking a step back, or waiting just 24 hours to think about a purchase can help us be more intentional with what we are buying and bringing into our homes. 

Creating a wishlist is a great way to think about future purchases. When you come across something you want to buy, write it on your wishlist (again I use Trello for this!) and try and wait a period of time such as 30 days before buying the items you have listed. This will help you to avoid impulse purchases and make more informed decisions.

A wishlist allows you to truly assess whether this new purchase is a need or want if it will add value to your life and whether you want to part with your hard-earned cash in exchange for it. It also allows you time to consider other products, look into reviews, ask friends for recommendations and do price comparisons to make sure you are getting the best product for your needs at the best price.

Your wait period can start small and you can gradually increase it to what suits you. To begin with, set a goal to walk away from the shop, and say to yourself if I really want this I will come back to buy it before I leave. If you still want the item when you are ready to leave you’ll make the effort. I have saved so much from this method alone as it is a lot of effort to go back to a store. 

Making educated purchases can help you avoid suffering any buyer’s remorse, having to go through the hassle of a return, and save you any disappointment in your purchase.   

7. Review your utility plans

Have you been paying your utility bills on autopilot without reviewing what plan you are on? A quick call to your service provider or an online search for us Millenials who hate phone calls can save you hundreds in a matter of minutes. By contacting my utility provider I was able to switch to a new plan that offered a 16% discount for on-time or early payment. A quick ten-minute phone call has added up to hundreds of dollars of savings that have helped us to save money and significantly reduced our utility bills.

8. Unsubscribe from store mailing lists 

We are constantly exposed to advertising whether it be on the radio, TV, Youtube, or when we are checking our email. I even get a little ad at the bottom of my new TV, these ads are unrelenting!

My inbox is constantly being populated with new sales and offers from stores and became an unnecessary distraction. Unsubscribe to your unwanted shopping email subscriptions as they come into your inbox. When you aren’t being informed on sales 24/7 you will reduce the desire to go shopping and buy unnecessary things as well as the fear of missing out. Instead of having advertisements telling you what you need to buy, you can be more intentional and only add to your wish list the things that you need.

No knowing about a holiday or store sale is so freeing and goes a long way to help you spend your money with intention.

9. Stop paying ATM and monthly bank fees

No one likes paying bank fees, there is no benefit to us for these costs which makes this expense a great place to start saving money. Learn where your bank’s local ATMs are and avoid withdrawing cash from other bank tellers.

Each withdrawal is at $2.50 or more which does add up, particularly if you are only withdrawing small amounts. Think ahead or pay by card where you can. Consider getting a card that gives a 100% ATM fee rebate. More and more banks are offering this now which is great to see!

I recently used my bank card overseas and saved $$$ on international transaction fees as they were reimbursed by my bank (do your research before travelling to see which bank card will be best for you when travelling).

Another expense that adds up is monthly bank fees. If you are being charged a monthly bank fee, contact your bank and ask them to waive fees on any bank account. Generally, they will if you deposit a certain amount or more into the account each month. If you are being charged monthly bank fees on your mortgage consider changing your home loan to a fee-free one (this always grinds my gears, I refuse to pay banks a fee for the privilege of paying them interest) or asking for those fees to be waived. These small banking fees add up month to month, year after year, and are much better in your bank account.

10. Review your super accounts

Do you have one superannuation account for every job you have had to date and have yet to consolidate them? Each superannuation account charges administration and investment fees, and insurance fees which you could be paying for twice, or more across multiple accounts. By having more than one superannuation account you are throwing away a large chunk of your retirement savings.

Consolidating your super is a lot easier than some might think. Most super funds just require you to fill in a Consolidate Your Super form and will contact your other superannuation fund to transfer your balance into your new account on your behalf. You can learn more about this process here. It may seem like your retirement is a lifetime away but every dollar you can save today is going to make your life a lot easier in the future.

11. Sign up to your local library

I recently joined my local library after hearing about the access to borrowing eBooks and audiobooks. I never go to the library, but could not pass up access to free ebooks and audiobooks on my phone. You only have to go to the library once to sign up and after downloading the OverDrive app you can borrow eBooks and audiobooks for free without having to leave your chair.

I’ve listened to and read countless audio and eBooks this way. If you aren’t too set on only reading physical copies this is a great way to read more and save money on buying books. They might not have every book you are after but you can go on a waitlist for your preferred one.

There you have it, 11 Everyday Tips to Help You Save Money. I hope these were helpful for you to save some extra cash this year.

Do You Want to Learn How to Spend Your Money With Intention?

If you want to learn how to spend your money with intention and in line with your values and take the stress and anxiety out of your money, book in for a free Q&A call to see how Minimise With Me financial coaching can help you gain clarity around your finances! 
 
You can learn more about Minimise With Me Financial Coaching services via the link below. 

Which one of these are you going to take action on in the next 7 days? Comment below with your favourite you want to get started saving with!