Are you shocked by the sudden price rises of essentials such as food and petrol?  But what if some prices had gone down? Knowing where true value lies can help buffer us from the storm of price rises where some substitution is possible. You might be surprised, but as a keen food shopper, I was more reassured to learn some foods and staples do not cost more. A few, such as oranges, appl... read more>

There’s no end of advice on how to save energy and hence reduce your power bills, but how much is true and how much is just BS? Many energy-saving myths and crazy extremes exist, such as insulating your windows with cling film. But what works? I was drawn to this topic by 50Up member Kathleen from Qld, who hyped the benefits of acrylic bedsheets. She replied to last week’s blog on this... read more>

We can never get enough money or at least so-called tips to help save it. Last week's blog elicited some fun responses, including swapping eating out (or bicycled delivery) for eating in with so many lower-cost essential ingredients (bar lettuce) and BYO grog! There's also much free money advice from various 'experts' who dismiss the conventional wisdom. One of them is Ramit Sethi, author... read more>

I'll admit it. I like natural gas and want to hang onto it. I cook with it and appreciate its warm flames on a winter's night. The prevailing winds suggest domestic gas has had its day because it's a fossil fuel and is far more costly than it was. In the ACT, new homes are no longer obliged to be connected to the gas, and various plans to de-gas homes are afoot in a bid to save us money. ... read more>

If you trust Wikipedia, Australia has more slang expressions for money than any nation on earth, ranging from a ‘lobster’ for the red-coloured $20 note to a ‘zac’ for the sadly-gone sixpence. Sadly we are also up there in terms of inflation and the galloping cost of living. We are number seven in the top ten most expensive countries to live in, according to the World Population Review So ... read more>