The Best Ways I Have Saved Money Lately

I have been experimenting with loads of frugal tips to see what is saving me the most money, time and energy. Here is what has worked (in no particular order):

1. Cancelled all my subscriptions and went back to basics. How many subscriptions do you have and how many do you actually need? I cancelled ALL services such as Netflix, Disney+, AmazonPrime, Audible, Spotify etc.
2. Redirected marketing emails from loyalty programs to a specific folder so I didn't see them and wasn't tempted but could search them for discount offers IF I had something specific I needed. I deleted all apps related to them too.
3. Removed social media from my phone. This way, I had to actively download them or log onto my laptop and choose to scroll. The desire to spend reduced drastically.
4. Repeating meals. I got boring with our meals and set them on repeat. Whatever vegetables and meat were on sale, everything was based around those and I did not care if we had had it a few times recently. I rotated mainly around bolognese, curry/laksa, stir-fry, stews, salads/wraps, tacos, enchiladas and shepherds/cottage pie.
5. Stopped all treats and takeaway except for 1 day a week. On that day my kids could pick a few snacks. No more food when out, takeaway when I cannot be bothered cooking. None of it.
6. Reusables where possible. I had slipped into the habit of paper towels, cleaning wipes etc. Eliminating all of that and using what we had already in terms of cleaning cloths etc made a difference.
7. Walk or ride everywhere. I essentially eliminated the use of our car the past few months and ended up selling it. I know not everyone can do this but wow, the difference is HUGE.
8. Hydrate! Quitting alcohol and all other drinks for water to use up the selection of gifted teas I had made a difference to how I felt, my energy levels, emotions and sleep. Not to mention the flow on effect financially.
9. Returned things e.g. I bought the worst meat of my life at Coles. They have a money back guarantee so I took the receipt, no questions asked they processed it immediately. Anything with a money back guarantee that genuinely did not live up to what it should such as solar lights I bought that do not light up at all, anything that broke within warranty, all of it, I got more organised with and actually processed. This was HARD. I tend to forget so I grouped it all together and set a day to do them all. I hated it but it saved me hundreds.
10. Swapped and reduced skincare. I was one of those with a multi-step process and full face of makeup. The past few months I focused more on drinking a lot of water, healthier foods, cleansing + tone + moisturise + sometimes a face mask. My skin has never been better. I did not need all those things I thought I needed.
11. Repaired things immediately instead of leaving it. This went for everything from clothes to a minor issue with my car (before I sold it). If I kept wearing the clothes or driving the car, the damage would get worse. Clothes would have had to be replaced instead of mended and the car would have cost 10x the amount if I left it a few months.
12. Grew my garden. I already had a few fruit trees and some herbs. I experiemented with growing things from scraps and got more herbs, spring onions and a few other things as a result.
13. Shorter showers and redirecting water from my washing machine to my lawn reduce my water bill a little.
14. Using pasta water as weed killer (works better than vinegar!) and it is a by product of cooking pasta.
15. Nothing new. I didn't buy any clothes, things for the home or anything new. I focused on using what we have, repurposing it where possible, selling what we didn't need and really considering if we needed whatever we were thinking about buying. Most of the time, we didn't.

Articles related to all of the above

Here are the articles that relate to the things that helped me.

​11 things that will make your life more eco-friendly on a budget​

​How to live without a car​

​9 things to grow in your garden to save money​

​How to do a no spend challenge​

​How to stop food waste​

What I Am Reading

​Get Good with Money: Ten Simple Steps to Becoming Financially Whole by Tiffany Aliche is a great 10 step guide with real life experience. She rebuilt after a massive finncial setback so it is not your average advice from those who have never faced obstacles.

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