Cash Bonuses

To kickstart 2026 there are cash bonuses you can get fast but some have a limited time. Including:
​$30 from Up. Get $15 instantly when you join then another $15 if you complete 2 transactions on your card by 23 January 2026.

​$125 from ING for new customers with a few steps. Ends 31 March 2026.

$30 from Ubank when you sign up with the code S7VL6WF and complete 5 transactions on your card in the first month.

​$20 from Shopback when you join and shop through them for cashback within 2 weeks.

​$5 from WeMoney, a budgeting app.

​Find more discounts and freebies for January here.

How to Afford School Expenses

It's that time of year, Christmas is over and now we have to work out how to afford school expenses.

My older two children have graduated (one finished year 12, the other left school to do an apprenticeship and is now studying fitness and coaching to align with her wrestling.) My younger 3 are not in daycare but one will start school when we return to Australia.

My stepdaughter goes to a private school in Vanuatu so she can get the same education as the kids in Australia.

I know exactly how expensive school expenses can be and how stressful this time of year can get.

The camps, extra opportunities, afterschool activities, tech required and the rate at which they go through shoes because they love sports, it's so much!

I compiled a huge list of all my tips from school fees to school shoes to help you afford the cost of school.

Fundraisers That Don't Cost Money

With back-to-school comes school fundraisers. If you have kids in sports or robotics or other programs, chances are you have to fundraise for those too.

Last year 20 students from my kids high school went to Spain with Real Madrid. My eldest was chosen so we worked together running BBQ's every weekend, a sale at school, a GoFundMe page and media attention. It was great to see everyone connect and help to ensure all 20 kids could go and they had an amazing time.

We've had to fundraise a fair bit over the years and when money is tight, it can be hard.

Here is a list of ways to fundraise that require minimal effort and don't cost everyone money.

How to Reduce the Cost of Raising Kids

The cost of raising kids can vary greatly and while it can be relatively cheap in some circumstances, if your kids need anything extra such as psychology, occupational therapy, extensive dental work, surgeries or anything else, it can get expensive fast.

​This article is massive and includes everything I could think of but I love to hear from others what they do so leave a comment on the article to help others too.

Yes, Australia has a pretty good medical system but you can be on waitlists for years and not everything is covered. NDIS is good too and there is help from Centrelink but it's limited.

Then there is the other side of things such as if your kid excels at something and all the costs associated with that.

In my home, my older kids needed extensive assistance and therapies due to autism, ADHD and PTSD (they had an abusive father). Those therapies were hundreds of dollars per week for a few years but worth it.

They excel in certain areas which are expensive such as robotics and wrestling at an international level.

My 18 year old needed dental work when they were younger, which cost $7,000 as well but was worth it and could be paid off interest-free over time.

My stepdaughter lives with her mother in Vanuatu and goes to a private school so she has access to the same education there as her siblings get here. There have been a few unexpected medical and other emergencies in the past 2 years which cost thousands but that's part of being a parent and having a blended, multicultural family. She needs braces which we knew would happen and we'd planned accordingly, much to the relief of her mother.

My younger two kids are quite obviously neurodivergent as well but I haven't had them fully assessed as yet due to travel, moving, pregnancy issues etc. But since my older two were and I am, we have things in place in our home already and the doctors agree.

Kids can be super cheap at some stages, and expensive during others. Having kids means you need a bigger home and a bigger car and can be limited in some ways e.g. travelling in school holidays so they don't miss school which means you pay higher prices etc.

That said, there are lots of ways you can reduce the cost of raising kids so check out the tips and add your own.

Back to School Savings

With kids going back to school, there are some incredible savings to be had. The most common one is stationery and anything school-related usually gets discounted now.

​If you combine the discounts using my tips in this article, you can save even more. It's amazed us how many things we got on clearance, collected VIP points, got extra vouchers and cash back on making the items virtually free!

We only do this with things we need because if you are spending money purely because it's cheap, you aren't saving anything. You are spending unnecessarily.

Back to School Food

A solid breakfast, well packed lunches that are school approved and afterschool snacks are all part of the school food expenses. Yes, they come in under the regular budget but they still add up.

Our lunches are simple with leftovers in a thermos if they are warm such as bolognese, soup, stirfry etc. Or wraps, veggie sticks, hummus, fruit, sometimes muffins or something we've baked, yoghurts and similar.

Basic, nutrient dense food.

They loved breakfast muffins (quiche style loaded with vegetables), breakfast burritos or smoothies. We rarely did cereal but sometimes did egg on toast or variations of that such as French Toast.

Afterschool they usually had fruit, dip with crackers or something simple as we don't like to fill up on snacks.

If they had snack food, we'd buy the bigger packet and put it straight into the section of the lunchbox instead of using small packets. It is more environmentally friendly and cheaper.

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