Bulk

I am a major fan of buying in bulk.  At my favourite store Costco www.costco.com.au I have saved packets of money.  For example, we needed toilet paper and our usual brand was on special at Coles for 0.37cents per hundred sheets.  Costco had the same brand selling for .19cents per hundred sheets.  Of course I did have to buy 60 rolls.  Our pantry is full bulk purchases.  I even buy bulk in fruit and veg.  What I cant cook up over the week, I chop and freeze.

I also like to give some away to family members.  Often they will give us the produce from their gardens, or are extremely generous in buying gifts for us, so it  feels good to share in our 'abundance'.

If we dont have spare cash however, we do not buy in bulk.  Buying in bulk on a credit card that can't be repaid before the end of the month is not really any saving at all because you are paying interest on your bargains.

BPAY

I really love rewards linked to credit cards, but when it comes to paying bills, sometimes you are better off using BPAY.  Our telephone company charges a payment processing fee of 2%.  With an average bill of $100 per month, that is a saving of $2 per month, and $24 per year.

The other benefit is that it has already used my cash and I dont have to pay off the credit card at the end of the month.

Breastfeeding

To start with breastfeeding for me was boring and a little uncomfortable.  How do I hold the baby? Which side did I feed last? etc, but now I love it.  In fact, I love it so much, that at 15 months, my son is still on two feeds a day.   Check out http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/ for more information on breastfeeding your baby.

I will be honest, my main motivation for breastfeeding was because I had heard you can lose massive amounts of weight and eat what you want.  I believed that myth, and consumed a packet of chocolate biscuits daily, until the figures on the scales started to rise.

In addition to all the pros regarding the health of the mother and child with breast milk, it saves heaps.  I have read that it saves approximately $2,500 a year on formula.  Now that is pretty substantial.

Brushed Potatoes

Shopping for vegetables at the supermarket is not ideal as far as I am concerned.  I prefer to go to a green grocer, or a market, because they are usually cheaper but convenience rules when the pantry resembles Old Mother Hubbard's Cupboard. 

I found that buying the dirty looking 'brushed potatoes' saves around $2 a kilo, when compared with washed potatoes.  I usually buy a kilo of spuds a week, so that saves me over $100 a year.  Yay for saving.

Apples

My husband likes an apple a day, and because I am not such a fan of them I find it hard to get nice ones.  Last week I got a kilo on special thinking I had made a great deal, came home to find that they were floury and yuk.  I would normally have thrown them out, but I just cant waste now, so I have added them to some other older fruits to make a yummy juice.  I just throw them in the juicer, and viola, there it is.

Another thing I like to do is stew them up on the stove, just de-core, peel and chop into a saucepan of water with a bit of cinnamon.  Once they have been cooked to my liking, I can add them to the top of porridge or any baby cereal for my son.

Act Now

I have never been good with money, whatever came in, went out, and then some.  I wanted to live a much higher lifestyle than I could afford.  While I tried this for about 10 years after leaving home, my husband taught me to save, and that didnt mean plan to save after next pay...it meant 'acting now'.  So regardless of where my finances were at, I had to act now to get things in order.  I started by paying off my credit cards and chopping them up.  Boy that was hard!  Then I started investing in the share market.  After I started to see my money growing, I was really excited and started to save big time.  I actually started enjoying it. 

I still want to live like I am a millionaire, but I have a bit of time before that will happen, so its time for me to act now, so that I can enjoy the fruits of my riches later.

Air Conditioning

We live in a small apartment, which is double brick, but after a couple of 40 degree days, it really heats up.  We have scraps of insulation taped on to all the air vents, to keep the hot air out and the cool air in.  At the end of summer we just take these down, they dont really look that bad. 

Then we close all the blinds and curtains early in the morning.  When we finally do turn the air conditioner on, we position the air flow in such a way that it oscillates through the three living areas.

Another thing that you can do, is put a container of water in front of the air con/fan, and the air will bounce off the water and spread the cool air around.

Afternoon Shopping

Supermarkets reduce prices on meats and packaged items in the afternoon.  My local supermarket does it around 3.30pm, so I have found it to be a great time to shop and save a fortune.  I can pick up items at up to 80% off, which means we are able to eat very cheap.  Meat is the main item reduced, however, often milk or yoghurt is also reduced.  But this for me is only a bargain if I use it up before it expires.

I buy as much meat as I can and freeze it for meals in the following weeks.  As long as it is still fresh when I purchase it, I get my money's worth.