$700k worth of savings tips from the government

I have found by doing shopping every other week we can save we don,t need to shop every week. Fresh meats and chickens can be put into freezer until needed. 

As I am retired I tend to shop regularly during the week rather than do one big shop. The special rewards and points should be on the week's shopping, not the weekly shop. I have also noticed that specials are repeated regularly so for example I buy 2 jars of coffee each time it is on special so always pay the cheaper price. 

Re ways to save on groceries: Items often scan incorrectly, especially if they are on special. If you get into the habit of checking your docket before you leave the store, you can deal with it then and there and usually get the item for free. If you wait till you get home, chances are you won't do anything about it. 

Gandhi once said "Be the Change You wish to See" so thats what my life path is now on. I'm on disability support but still manged to pay off my house set up a Solar power & water system that returns me credit each 1/4, planted a Permaculture garden with 4 chooks (yippee) and have joined the local Permaculture & Community Gardening groups in my area. I have also stopped totally reading newspaper (I turn them into 'good news' by composting and sheet mulching) and watching TV, I am now in the process of tuning my solar into a "Stand Alone' system and also adding to my water holding capacity (11500 litres at the moment). I am doing this on a 876sqm block in the suburbs very easily Its time for ALL of us to accept that we ARE responsible for our OWN actions and to ACT accordingly. WE CAN ALL DO THIS, SO LETS DO IT!! :-) Take care everybody & all the best. 

It is also much cheaper if you can buy your toilet rolls in bulk, I usually buy Quilton, which are triple layered, they are much better than the Sorbent brand, which are also sold in bulk. There are 24 in a pack, they last for ages, the full cost is $12.00 but you can often get them when they are on special for $10.00 which makes them even cheaper. That makes the Quilton brand 50 cents a roll at full price or about 42 cents a roll when they are on special. 

Try using the money sent overseas, to support other countries and provide aid to potential enemies, here at home to help the people that generated the capital initially. Charity starts at home. Polititians need to stop trying to score browny points overseas and concentrate on what's right under their noses. They seem to forget, they are public servents not public controllers. 

I have saved a bundle over the years but buying homebrand products also buy using the "junkmail' supermarket catalogue you can keep an eye on prices in general and thus be able to identify true specials. Bulk buying of these special is a big help to the budget. Living in the country means I only shop monthly and am not given to impulse buying. 

Can the banks be persuaded to have an account that gives you more transactions free per month than eight, I do most things using my debit card, because it saves me having to keep a lot of cash in my purse or having to draw it out at an ATM. If I want money I usually draw mine out when I do any shopping because that saves me charges and I often use the credit option because that also saves me charges. I believe the banks are taking pensioners for a ride when they have to pay a monthly fee and can't get as many free transactions because it is assumed that pensioners don't use their cards any more than 8 times a month. It is also safer to not carry any more cash than you need to on your person then you would not be a target for the criminals as a lot of us seem to be, it is also safer to get any cash you need when you do any shopping and put it away before you leave the shop. you should also keep your handbag zipped up, because that makes it harder for would be thieves to take your purse out of your handbag, which I understand often happens, this makes you less of a target for people who want your money. 

When you shop at Aldi you may not be able to get everything you need, then you usually you have to go to Woolworths or Coles to get anything you can't buy there.. What you can get at Aldi's is definitely a lot cheaper than the other supermarket's, the fruit, veg and meat are all sourced from Australian farmer's, the only time you get any fruit, such as cherries and grapes from overseas is in winter when they out of season in Australia. Most products are not branded, but I find they are just as good as those that are, for example 1kg of low fat fruit yoghurt is only $3.79, where as other branded yoghurt you buy are usually around $5.30 unless they are on special, milk is only $2.79 and it's permeate free the same as the milk you can buy else where, when you are on a pension every little bit helps, it could even allow you some extra money to buy yourself some kind of treat. I have only ever had one piece of meat that was not as good as it should have been and there was no kind of argument when I took it back to get it exchanged, They also sell other things as well, such as toys, sticker books etc. which i brought for my grandchildren for Christmas, which meant by the time Christmas came around I didn't have much left that I needed to buy for them at all, their tools and garden equipment are very good as well and they often have washing machines, dryers, dish washers and vacuum cleaners that would be ideal for anybody who are starting out on their own. I have been shopping there now for a number of years,it is well worth the effort to shop there your self, I think you would be surprised at the money you can save. 

As you have suggested ways to safe at the supermarket - one name mentioned was Costco - can we as Seniors request Costco to get rid of their $60.00 a year joining fee. Jenny from NSW