...Back When I Was A Spoilt Brat
About 20 years ago I was fortunate to have a rather highly paid job. There was plenty of stress that went along with it but I was earning really good coin. As the saying goes, most good things come to an end and that gravy-train stopped eventually. 
No longer was I able to buy what I wanted, where I wanted it and when I wanted it. I got tips from friends about saving money including things like buying meat in bulk, heavily discounted from a wholesaler, picking your own fruit straight from the farm and downsizing to a car that was cheaper to run.
I also learnt some very valuable lessons along the way and I can now live on a lot less than I ever have before. I’d love you to share on things you do around your home... just the little things that we can all do.
Here’s what I’ve learnt over the years:
- Have a written budget – I use an online budget service that pays my bills for me. While there is a fee to set this service up, it has changed my life. I no longer dread the walk to the letter-box in case it’s a bill. The budget looks 12 months ahead which is great for planning and also keeps a history which is great to track spending.
- Shop around on your Bills – since starting at the FiftyUp Club, I’ve learnt the value of shopping around and sometimes switching to get better value. On energy bills, for example, you can save hundreds if you’re on a poor plan in just a few minutes.
- Learn to say no to your kids – One I’m learning to be better at but one child in particular costs me more than the other two. Is that child just more persuasive? The buck stops with me and I’ve realised I’m not doing that child any favours by not saying no occasionally.
- Have a weekly dinner menu and stick to it – This is great on so many levels. Everyone gets to decide on a meal, you can pre-shop for the cheapest ingredients and it helps to balance the diet. For example we have a vegetarian option one night, fish another night and there’s no rush home from work stressing about what to cook.
- Make your own takeaway – Two favs in my house is pizza and KFC. Home made pizza is easy with tomato sauce, Lebanese bread, grated cheese and salami. I found a recipe for southern fried chicken which tastes just as good as the bought variety and works out a lot cheaper.
- Learn to love petrol station coffee – Coles do it for 80’s and 7/11 for $1. Thousands of tradies can’t be wrong!
- Refill your water bottle – Keep doing this as long as you can. Bottled water companies poo poo this idea because they want to sell you more water but as long as you wash the bottle out with hot soapy water between uses (like you would a drinking glass), it’s fine.
- Ditch your credit card – With debit cards doing the same thing, there isn’t any need for a credit card any more. I haven’t had one for 10 years and have never needed it.
- Check your bank balance for sneaky dishonour charges – Know when you’re direct debits are coming out and make sure the money is there to cover them otherwise those “dishonour” fees add up.
- Shop at low end retailers – Everyone raves about top brand retailers but seriously, there isn’t much that Kmart and Target don’t have when it comes to the basics.
- Think before you call – If you don’t have unlimited calls included in your phone plan, decide whether the call can wait til you get to a landline.
