$100 Winner is....

Thank you so much to all who did our survey and the results were interesting and have given me a lot to think about. Also, thank you so much for the well wishes with running The Thrifty Issue and sharing my experiences.

Our winner is Catherine, who has been emailed separately as well.

Tips and Advice

There were a few common themes in the survey, some of which have been covered on the site.

By far, the biggest issue was groceries, followed by housing. I share some tips for groceries below.

We are exhausted! The comments about not having energy, lacking motivation, no time plus some with disabilities were felt. Everyone I talk to feels it is so much harder. Longer work hours, extra expectations around parenting compared to previous generations, no hobbies or money for it etc.

There was definitely more interest in ways to save money rather than make more money which surprised me.

Groceries

Many asked me to test the tips again to see if they still work right now which I will be doing. All the tips for groceries on The Thrifty Issue can be found here.

I started by testing the meal kits since a popular tip is to use the discounts and rotate them. The initial free box or discount can be great, but they are way overpriced compared to the supermarket. They can save a few hours in terms of meal planning, shopping, unpacking at home etc though.

EveryPlate was extremely average in terms of the recipes but good customer service. Marley Spoon messed up severely but I got $500 worth of free food as a result. Delidoor this week accidentally sent my order twice so now my little freezer is FULL! I will be sharing with my neighbour, an elderly single man who is so lovely and helpful.

I will be testing all the tips such as shopping around, combining discounts, meal planning in season, growing things from scraps etc and seeing how long they take, how much energy they take as well, not just the money part.

If there is a specific grocery tip you have heard (or any savings tip) that you want tested, reply to this email and we will add it to the list!

Monthly Challenges

You wanted monthly challenges where I test things such as using everything up, a no spend month, meal prepping, testing all the grocery/food type tips to see how relevant they are today, which side hustles actually work.

You want the real results for things such as how much is really saved vs the time and energy to do it which I think is super relevant because we all have limited time and energy.

If there is a month or even a week challenge you want done, reply to let me know.

Side Hustles

In terms of side hustles, the focus was easy/no cost/things you can do online. A lot of you wanted higher-paying online surveys. Sadly, online surveys simply do not pay much and never will. The highest paying ones are Octopus Group.

Other easier side hustles include renting out your space such as your garage or driveway through Parksy or Spacer. Clinical research can be an option but it generally takes you away from home.

​Market research is easy but inconsistent. The pay is usually $100hr or more. Octopus Group do this as does Farron Research.

Most of the other side hustles you wanted tested such as Etsy, self-publishing, freelance writing etc Kylie has done for years and they are typically only as good as your marketing and portfolio or networks. For Etsy and similar, it comes down to marketing and popularity of what you are selling.

With books or self-publishing, it is about how you market, your platforms and where you can get promoted along with the quality of it. So without a budget to do that or without the time and energy to learn the skills to do it, it isn't feasible for most.

Freelance writing is more competitive but can be done. Getting started is the hardest part.

I will be testing all of these again though, it is a matter of how much time I have so I might be getting my sister Jess to test some for us.

What I Am Reading

None of these are finance based, they are all life based but I was curious as there seemed to be more of this style in my local shop.
​Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life​
​The Book of Ichigo Ichie: The Art of Making the Most of Every Moment, the Japanese Way​
​Kaizen: The Japanese Art of Taking Small Steps to Transform Your Life with Patience, Discipline, and Consistency​
​The Courage to be Ordinary: The inspiring guide to letting go of competition and living authentically​

As you can see, they are all Japanese themed but I like the premise of them. I had more time that usual this month to read so selected these ones.

Discounts For You!

​The latest freebies and discounts can be found here.

We had a few new ones from smaller, Australian businesses this month which is great. If you have a business and want to offer a discount or special offer to readers of The Thrifty Issue, you can reply to this email.

The Thrifty Issue Community

For more and to connect with others check out The Thrifty Issue Facebook group, Facebook page, Instagram, Pinterest.​