Frugal tips to save money
- Thread starter hupto
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@hupto Give up:
- phone contract
- Netflix subscription
- coffee
- beer
- your car
Change your power / gas provider
Change your insurance to a cheaper one
Change your isp + reduce speed
Buy fruit and vegetables from Asian supermarkets
Only buy food on special
Buy:
- a scooter to travel to work
I do all of this stuff (and more) and could easily live off the benefit. Give up life's luxuries for a while and reap the benefits later
- phone contract
- Netflix subscription
- coffee
- beer
- your car
Change your power / gas provider
Change your insurance to a cheaper one
Change your isp + reduce speed
Buy fruit and vegetables from Asian supermarkets
Only buy food on special
Buy:
- a scooter to travel to work
I do all of this stuff (and more) and could easily live off the benefit. Give up life's luxuries for a while and reap the benefits later
@hupto If you can afford upfront costs sometimes bulk buying non-perishable goods directly from the supplier means you can keep a few more fancy options for less.
eg. peanut butter. We tend to buy "fancy" because we buy the stuff with no salt or sweeteners added because we give it to our dog as a high value treat when we need him to do stuff he really doesn't like, like... baths.
as well as eat it ourselves.
found it cheaper to buy no-additive peanut butter directly from an NZ manufacturer in 2kg tubs for $20 than from the supermarket.
speaking of cheap dog treats. Carrots are a great choice. (and chopped apples which are coming into season).
We make sure there aren't any apple seeds. but a carrot as a treat is not only healthier but costs less than meat based ones. our dog has a super sweet tooth so will choose both over dried meat. The only thing that he likes more is peanut butter and cream cheese.
eg. peanut butter. We tend to buy "fancy" because we buy the stuff with no salt or sweeteners added because we give it to our dog as a high value treat when we need him to do stuff he really doesn't like, like... baths.
as well as eat it ourselves.
found it cheaper to buy no-additive peanut butter directly from an NZ manufacturer in 2kg tubs for $20 than from the supermarket.
speaking of cheap dog treats. Carrots are a great choice. (and chopped apples which are coming into season).
We make sure there aren't any apple seeds. but a carrot as a treat is not only healthier but costs less than meat based ones. our dog has a super sweet tooth so will choose both over dried meat. The only thing that he likes more is peanut butter and cream cheese.
@hupto Grow stuff - but hear me out. Only bother with the easy-to-grow things that are expensive in the supermarket. Salad greens of all kinds are like $4/bag which makes 1-2 salads (depending on the size of your household), but are quick, easy and non demanding to grow. Herbs are pretty easy and you get a lot of flavour bang for your buck. Rosemary, once established, will truck along for ever. You can do herbs in pots if you need to (don't even need to buy pots - use 1l yoghurt containers or whatever with a couple of holes in the bottom) and don't require top notch soil. Most herbs can be started from cuttings, just Google or YouTube it. IMO every house should have a lemon tree; in a large pot if you're renting. You should compost your food waste for lots of reasons but def if growing things.
Skip broccoli, cabbage, corn, potatoes - all that bulky stuff that takes ages and has lots of stages (= opportunities for things to go wrong). Tomatoes are a maybe, maybe not thing depending on what you've already got set up. Don't grow things if you have to buy lots of supplies (bags of compost, raised beds, tools) because you'll never make your money back.
Remember, when you grow your own you'll be harvesting it when the produce is at it's cheapest in the supermarket, since it's in season. So be selective.
You can buy whole ears of corn when they are super cheap and biff them in the freezer (if you have space). You can just microwave them when you want to eat them.
Some towns have a community orchard you can go pick basic fruit at.
Skip broccoli, cabbage, corn, potatoes - all that bulky stuff that takes ages and has lots of stages (= opportunities for things to go wrong). Tomatoes are a maybe, maybe not thing depending on what you've already got set up. Don't grow things if you have to buy lots of supplies (bags of compost, raised beds, tools) because you'll never make your money back.
Remember, when you grow your own you'll be harvesting it when the produce is at it's cheapest in the supermarket, since it's in season. So be selective.
You can buy whole ears of corn when they are super cheap and biff them in the freezer (if you have space). You can just microwave them when you want to eat them.
Some towns have a community orchard you can go pick basic fruit at.
keepcalmandagree2disagree
New member
@keepcalmandagree2disagree We actually worked out we went through enough olive oil to get those huge tins and use that without it going rancid. it works out about 5 bottles of olive oil of similar quality for the cost of 4. we decant the olive oil into a glass bottle to use in day-to-day cooking.
Sorry, realized I didn't answer your question. Utilities, if you have wel networks then you can't beat OurPower for electricity provider. I have a great deal on fibre from contact energy though and need it because I wfh a lot. Also for mobile plans go with the top up ones from skinny or the warehouse one. I have 2 degrees but I think others are a bit cheaper. Transportation, cars are hella expensive. Try to sell your car if you can share with a partner or flatmate. E bikes, e scooters, bus, moped are all way cheaper than owning and maintaining a car.