Main > Living > Living on a budget > LETS
LETS can alleviate poverty, by using an alternative currency to pay for local items like food and accommodation, thereby increasing the proportion of your federal currency available for bills.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget
General:- Disconnect the power to any items on standby power (i.e. turned off PCs, TVs etc).
- Rent a small unit (one bedroom) with two people - the rent can't rise too much. Rent near places of work so fuel usage is minimised.
- Buy a pushbike for short trips to save on fuel.
- Get a new air filter for your car every year as they save fuel.
- Buy a front loader washing machine with a short cycle time or quickwash (1.5hrs) to save on power and get government water rebates in some areas. Also, if you buy a good brand your clothes will last longer, saving there also. Sell your old washing machine.
- Keep a record of all car repair and other warranties so you don't go over the warranty period when something might need a second repair. If you don't know when something expires, you can't take advantage of the warranty if there are any initial signs of product or service failure, as you don't know when it ends.
- Download free electronic copies of books instead of buying the hard copy. Same with movies, TV series, software on filesharing sites.
- Hire DVDs on "$2 Tuesday" (or the equivalent, where you live)
- Always stay on old broadband, mobile or phone plans if the monthly access fee is low. Big companies will not kick you off a plan you've had for years — but they want to, because they often release cheap deals when a new service is offered that is no longer profitable after a few years.
thesource (378)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Shopping
Look on the bottom shelf for the cheapest items, because those products with the lowest profit margin are made the least visible, in the hopes that you won't buy them.
[guest]
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Shopping
At Aldi there are a number of products that are half-price compared to normal supermarkets, and the quality is usually indistinguishable from the more expensive products.
myxlfidian (150)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Shopping
Buy in bulk. Find the closest bulk wholesale warehouses open to the public in the yellow pages. Not only is it cheaper, but you can be free of shopping for months.
[guest]
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Garage/yard sales > Selling
Consider finding a clutter buddy. When it comes to culling clutter, two heads are better than one - and a two-family yard sale will get more traffic. Back one another up, and dare to clear your clutter to the bone.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Garage/yard sales > Selling
You'll generally have a better turnout if its a non-holiday weekend.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Garage/yard sales > Buying
Generally, you have to get to a yard sale early to have the best choice of items. But if you arrive late you may be able to purchase items very cheaply, since owners often want to clear them out.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Garage/yard sales > Selling
Yard sales are more relaxing if there is some easy-listening background music on.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Garage/yard sales > Selling
If you are planning your yard sale on the hot day, consider selling cool drinks or having the kids run a lemonade stand.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Garage/yard sales > Selling
Don't sell anything before your advertised opening time. Some people, including second-hand dealers, will try to pressure you into selling things beforehand. Be prepared for them.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Shopping
Beware of buying in bulk, or you could end up bulky yourself.
[guest]
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > DIY
Bread: 600g wholemeal flour, 1 tsp yeast, and warm water makes a kilo of bread. Mix, knead, leave to prove in a warm spot 40 minutes. Another light kneading and 40 mins proving. Bake at 380F 30 minutes. Leave to cool.
[guest]
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Garage/yard sales > Selling
A bouquet of helium balloons will magically draw people to your yard sale.
sdw (11)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Holidays
Couchsurfing is a good way to cut-down on your accomodation costs. The idea is that you make your home available to travellers, and other members of the couchsurfing community make their homes available to you when you're travelling. link
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Holidays
Cycle-touring is a cheaper way to travel and see a region, if bush-camping, cooking food yourself, and buying it from supermarkets.
Panoculus (40)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Holidays
Accommodation: The daily rate is often reduced if staying for 3-7 days.
Panoculus (40)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Holidays
Cutting rental car insurance excess: Some car rental companies offer reduced insurance cover excess when you book through an airline's site or use an airline frequent flyer points card. You can reduce the maximum insurance excess you would have to pay by as much as 40% (from $3000 to $1800 for example). There is nothing so good about renting a car on a holiday as knowing that if it gets stolen, written off, heavily damaged etc, your liability will be $1200 less than the usual.
myxlfidian (150)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget
Buy a compost bin and use the compost you scoop out from the bottom of it as fertiliser for your own vegetable garden. Saves on vegetable and fertiliser costs at the same time, and you get free exercise when you dig. Also, you don't have to empty the garbage so often as you accrue vegetable waste in a seperate container so your bin doesn't fill up as fast. In that way you also save on bin-liners, which you should buy in bulk rolls of 100. These are often cheaper at large hardware/homeware places, and of top quality.
myxlfidian (150)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Shopping
Specials: Don't buy anything unless it is on special or on sale. These days the "special", or "sale" price is the price you should normally be paying anyway. That is, the "special" price is really the normal price, dished up to make it seem you are getting a bargain.
thesource (378)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Shopping
Bread: When buying bread, have a look at the weight of the loaf. Heavy loaves often cost the same amount as light loaves, and the heavy loaf contains more food, and will last longer.
thesource (378)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget
Always rent a unit with the newest kitchen you can afford. Money saved on cooking at home will be money saved off your rent. Old kitchens are often uncomfortable to cook in, increasing the likelihood of eating out. Kitchens don't have to be that large, but must be relatively modern with sufficient cupboard space and a relatively new stove, fridge, sink. Microwaves also encourage eating at home.
Never rent a unit with an electric stove. Gas is much cheaper. Over three months, I regularly paid about $2 for cooking gas (30 times more for hot water heating). There is no way electricity would be that cheap.
myxlfidian (150)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget
Keep a running list on your PC of things that pay for themselves. There are many items that return a profit over time. For example, a stick-on fridge thermometer to monitor the internal temperature will save on overcooling.
Some of the best skills that will save you money are computer technician skills, car repairs (mechanical/electrical/body(rust)), electrical (power points) and phone skills (wiring new sockets). Also, knowing how to pipe away split system airconditioning water into a drain is useful. Woodglue is a useful product to own around the house so you can save wooden things from falling into greater states of disrepair when left neglected for too long.
myxlfidian (150)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Holidays
If you travel with a friend, accommodation packages that offer food and board are often quite affordable even in top resorts, especially when you book over 2 nights (i.e. 3-4 nights). Keep an eagle eye on their websites for price changes that happen by the hour, and haggle with places that have a dearth of clients (i.e. remote lodges). A remote, poorly visited lodge will gladly take an $80 cut off a $1000 booking for four nights. Never take a room or cabin until you look at it, unless you are turning up there so late that you don't have the luxury of choice, and don't care as you will be leaving in the morning anyway.
myxlfidian (150)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget
Compost in-ground: Dig a deep hole in the ground and leave the dirt in a mound next to the hole. Add the composting material daily (immediately is better, but if you leave it in your house longer than a day, you will attract bugs) and put a light layer of soil over each layer of composting material. This saves a significant amount of work.
If you are free of disease, you may also consider erecting a privacy screen around your compost hole, place a seatless chair over the hole (can be obtained from medical supply stores or used medical equipment) in order to participate in humanure composting. You will want to put a larger layer over the human biological waste in order to eliminate the smell. Wood shavings sprinkled over the humanure is also helpful.
ElizabethI (6)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > DIY > Cleaning products
It is at least four times more expensive to buy toilet paper than to use washable cloths. Use a cheap laundry-soaker without phosphates or chlorine, and hand-made cloths from old towels.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget
Save money by buying versatile cheap products:
- liquid soap: cleans hands, body and hair, dishes, clothes, and windows (add some vinegar). Put it in a pump bottle for better hygiene.
- mouthwash = disinfectant = antiseptic
- antibacterial pre-soak laundry powder = toilet-bowl, basin, and bath cleaner
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget
Dental: Save huge money by availing yourself of free dental work at public dental hospitals. In Australia, you qualify when you are unemployed OR a low income earner. I even got a gold crown with a metal core fitted that saved me over $1800 (the quote I got from my private dentist). By that I mean a full gold crown made in a lab (took a few weeks) molded to my tooth from a prior impression taken of them, and a drill out of my tooth's filling material to replace it with amalgam metal (that was due to a soft material being used to fill the body of the tooth after a root canal 11 years earlier).
The point is that even if the work you need is complicated, if you say you are in pain, they have to technically take on the job, regardless of how extensive it may be. The funny thing about my case is that teeth that have had a root canal have no nerve so cannot cause any pain sensation - all the drilling was done without anaesthetic. However, they can cause pain with gums and nearby teeth.
It pays to get a full diagnosis BEFORE you go to the public dentist from a private dentist you can trust, because what he tells you is what you must tell the free dentist, so he doesn't miss anything important. Furthermore, if you commence your treatment while you are unemployed, but later get work, they are obliged to complete the treatment regardless because they cannot leave it unfinished.
myxlfidian (150)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Shopping
Generally, go to the big chain warehouses like Home Depot (or Bunnings in Australia) for most products as the prices will be lower. Car cleaning products for example are much cheaper. ALDI is the cheapest supermarket by a long shot and fruit and vegetable shops are always cheaper than at the supermarket. Check your local newspaper for vouchers for fruit and veg shops - some run weekly giveaways to attract you to the store.
myxlfidian (150)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Shopping
Supermarkets: ALWAYS check the prices meticulously when you get a docket. If the price is wrong, don't say anything to the checkout person - go straight to the counter and get a refund. This can be tricky if you don't have a head for remembering prices. The big chains (Woolworths, Coles, IGA, Bi-Lo) get it wrong about once every four visits.
myxlfidian (150)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget
Internet Sharing: If you are in a block of units, ask neighbouring tenants if they want to share the internet with you. Charge them by the month only and buy an ADSL 4-port router and some long blue network cables (CAT5). Make sure you get the cash by the end of the first week of each calendar month. Cables are more reliable than a wireless connection, and cannot be tapped as easily. You can get cable skirting to run them around the walls or run them through the roof via ports on the walls.
myxlfidian (150)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget
Shaving: Electric shavers save you money on buying disposables, and you get a better shave. Buy the replacement foil and cutter every 18 months from the US, where prices are usually half that in Australia. Do not throw out your old foil because they can break easily at which time they are useless, so keep a worn spare. Shavers that have a cleaning station take the hassle out of that and can cost as little as $11 per three months to stock with cleaning agent. Given the amount of time you will lose cleaning stubble out of the shaver, it's worth that small amount as the shaver won't work as well when not clean. ShaverGuard spray helps preserve the metal components and makes shaving smoother.
myxlfidian (150)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget
Hobbies: Develop hobbies that require little or no cash, such as jigsaw puzzles, computer games, bush or beachwalking, mountainbiking, car repairing, language translation, many home and garden improvements.
Hobbies like scuba diving, interstate or overseas travel, collecting DVD movies, restaurant eating, country drives, constantly upgrading your PC and going to concerts may be more glamorous but really dig into your pocket.
myxlfidian (150)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Garage/yard sales > Selling
If you have any uncertainty about whether you really want to sell an item, give it some more thought. If you still can't decide, keep it. You'll probably use it later and be glad. Go with your gut feeling.
myxlfidian (150)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Garage/yard sales > Buying
Sometimes sellers are happy to sell you their advertised items the day before the official opening time. You may pick up a bargain in this way, and it doesn't hurt to ask.
thesource (378)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Shopping
Buying online (in Australia): A lot of things are as cheap as half-price in the US with current almost 1:1 exchange rates. Add a small postage fee and you are still looking at a substantial saving. Be careful of delivery times however: from the west coast (LA, California) is much quicker as they are always sending stuff to Hawaii anyway, from where Sydney is an well-trodden freight route. I recommend Techsunny.com - I have received technology products within a week from their LA warehouse - and many items are not available in Australia. Try to get a recommendation from a friend on delivery times as you can wait as long as three months for sea shipping as I have on most occasions before.
myxlfidian (150)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Cheap meals
Eat like an Italian contadino: Farming folk often have just 1 or 2 ingredients per meal: fresh garden vegies and pasta. But they add condiments at table: olive oil, salt and pepper, a small bowl of freshly grated parmesan, and crusty white bread.
Panoculus (40)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Cheap meals
Buy plant-foods grown in your area in season for better prices and quality. It is also healthier to eat foods of your climate.
Panoculus (40)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Cheap meals
Toast stale bread.
Panoculus (40)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Cheap meals
Fast-growing salad vegies: rocket, radish, parsley, chicory, bokchoy, spinach, silverbeet, nasturtiums. The more flavoursome and pungent, the less snails will eat them.
Panoculus (40)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget
Dental Prevention: Brush and floss daily. Purchase a dental tartar scraper, and use that weekly or more often. Before brushing, rinse with hydrogen peroxide, then rinse with hydrogen peroxide again before flossing. Brush and floss with the bubbles still going - so not rinse with water first.
ElizabethI (6)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Cheap meals
Go fishing.
Panoculus (40)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget
Housing: If you want to own your own house and land, you should look in places that are too far away from cities for commuters to travel to work. Try and find a large block with good soil, so you can grow your own food.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Cheap meals
Hot dogs: These were definitely created to bust hunger, whatever flaws they may nonetheless have. They are also almost always lower in cost than most alternatives. I get the feeling it takes the stomach longer to process it than other foods because by weight you would not think it would be that filling. Could be like a muffin.
myxlfidian (150)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget
Grow your own food as much as possible. As the cost of fuel rises, the price of food in shops will only increase.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget
Cheap land: In most cities you can find landlocked parcels of land. They have owners on all sides and no ingress. You can buy those parcels of land for very little money. You wouldn't be able to get a vehicle to the property but you could get there by foot. You could move a trailer onto it and plant evergreens around it to block the view. If you do it discreetly no one would ever care.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Shopping
Stack it!: Do you sometimes go to the supermarket and see a favourite canned food item on special, but think you shouldn't buy many because of storage issues? You know they won't reach their use by date but you just don't know if your pantry can fit 15 cans. Cans are designed by the manufacturers to be stackable (the bottom diameter is slightly less than the top diameter). So you can store large amounts in relatively small areas, and not have to go shopping for basics more frequently than you need to, saving "stacks" of time, energy and money in fuel!
myxlfidian (150)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Running a vehicle
How to reduce running costs of a vehicle: maintain good condition of the car and its parts, and so avoid or reduce necessity of repairs.
The main running costs are:
petrol, oil, antifreeze, tyres, filter, light-bulbs, other mechanical items
repairs and maintenance: labour costs of a mechanic (or DIY), windscreen repairs, wheel-truing, etc.
registration, compulsary third-party insurance, comprehensive insurance (fire and theft), mechanical inspections, automobile associations for emergency assistance.
Your national vehicle association should have a breakdown on the weekly running costs of different vehicles. Vehicle size matters.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Running a vehicle
Vehicles are expensive to buy and to operate. If you must have an automobile, get the smallest and lightest model possible for which spare parts are common and cheap, and do most of the repairs.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Living > Living on a budget > Running a vehicle
Reducing the cost of part-wear:
- Tyres: don't drive recklessly, skid around corners, or drive long distances in hot temperatures. Drive more carefully where the road has pot-holes or corrugation.
- Glass: drive slower on gravel or loose surfaces, especially with an oncoming car.
- Chassis: be aware of your car's ground-clearance, and don't go bush-bashing. Avoid excessive physical stress by using momentum, not driving strictly within the road-markings but taking a smoother line through space.
- Car body: get a light-coloured car, and avoid driving in cities or parking where everyone else parks.
- Gearbox: memorise the RPM for each gear, so you never grind gears.
- Engine: always ensure there is plenty of good quality water, coolant, and oil in the reservoirs.
- Battery: keep well-charged (run the engine in neutral at a higher RPM for 5-10 minutes before turning off the engine), don't overcharge or overheat above 70 degrees Celsius, and keep terminals free of corrosion.
kellyjones00 (593)
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