We are all very aware than increasing inflation around the world is making it hard for people to pay for for their basic living needs. Salary increases ( if you get one ) are not keeping up with the rate of inflation and many people are forced to choose between eating or heating.
These 10 inflation beating tips could help you to pay the next bill or lesson the impact of rising prices on your family's budget.
* Ring around or do an internet search for a better deal on all your insurances. We've found that it doesn't pay to be loyal to the same company year in, year out. Increase your excess to reduce the premium but please make sure you have that excess amount set aside in an emergency account in case you need it.
* Visit your local op shop for clothes, homewares, bedding, toys and gifts. Find out if your local op shop has a concession / seniors / student discount day, sale day or offers discount vouchers when you donate. Over the last 5+ years I've helped both my girls fit out their kitchens with casserole dishes, coffee mugs, baking items, cutlery, tea pots, pasta bowls, utensils and containers at bargain prices. Most items were new or near new and a classic look so they won't date.
* Grow a veggie garden. With floods, wars, illness and petrol prices increasing food prices and reducing availability, it has never been more important to grow your own. Everyone can grow something and if space is an issue, even a few herbs or lettuce in a pot on a ledge, windowsill or balcony will save you money.
* Use up what you already have. We all have wardrobes full of clothes, bathroom cupboards with half used makeup / toiletries and a pantry with forgotten about food fads. Resist the urge to buy more until you use these things up.
* Mend your clothes. Sewing on a button or mending a split seam is quite simple and doesn't require any great skill. You could save big dollars by threading a needle and making a few stitches.
* Repair your furniture if it needs it. A screw or nail added in the right place could mean the difference between keeping or replacing. Does your piece of furniture look out of date ? Then maybe a coat of paint could be the answer. Have a look on Marketplace or local Zero Waste Freebie Facebook pages if you really need something.
* Ditch the takeaways / meal subscriptions / home deliveries. They are luxuries that should be eliminated from your budget especially if you are struggling to make ends meet. If you have trouble getting food on the table at night then dig out your slow cooker in the morning and throw some frozen veggies, cut up meat ( or not ), seasonings and a liquid. Simple. We all have the same 24 hours in a day and taking 10 minutes in the morning to put the slow cooker on is all you need.
* Swap excess items for something you do need. Maybe you are having a bumper crop in your veggie garden. Swap this for other foods, household items, more plants or a service like a simple home repair. Ask around your friends and family or put an ad on Facebook Buy, Swap, Sell. I did this when I needed glass coffee jars for my pantry. I swapped them for handmade greeting cards and had many offers. I even had a return ' customer '.
* Don't look at what other people have. Fads come and go and in the end, op shops will be flooded with unwanted items. I see bread machines, waffle makers, chocolate fountains and Tupperware in abundance at my local op shops on a VERY regular basis. Be happy with what you have and more importantly, use that saved money to pay a bill or put extra food in your pantry.
* Keep a healthy food, cleaning and toiletry stockpile at all times. For example, buying 4 bottles of dishwashing liquid at 99 cents a bottle is far better than paying $1, $1.10, $1.20 and $1.30 each time you run out. Use this trick for every item you buy to save a substantial amount of money. Also, when certain items are out of stock on the supermarket shelves, use your stockpile until the item is available again. Then replenish what you used.
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| Op shopping is awesome |
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| Coffee jars received from a swap. |
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| Coffee jars turned into kitchen cannisters |
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| Marketplace find for $40 |
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| My makeover |
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| Op shop buys for my girl's kitchens. |
Good morning Wendy. We are trying to use our heating as little as possible but find as we get older we seem to need it a bit more to keep moving. I close all the blinds and spare room doors at dusk. I also volunteer at an op shop and observe that this weeks 'special buys' turn up regularly in a few months time for us to resell!! Have a lovely week.
ReplyDeleteI visited Savers today and their kitchenware section was bulging with goodies.
DeleteWhat a timely post Wendy. I love your set of drawers makeover. It looks so fresh and new. Your girls have been well stocked with those kitchen items. I love to op shop and now only buy what I need, not what takes my fancy. I bought a Breville bread machine recently for $5 and 2 cast iron frypans for $2 each at a garage sale.
ReplyDeleteMy veggie garden is growing well and I’m dehydrating as much as I can. This week we added another big bed and instead of buying soil etc to fill it, which I estimate would have cost at least $300, we filled it with our compost, cow manure and chicken manure from a farm that has been sitting in the paddock for 2 years.
Last night I was out late at a meeting and had defrosted a serve for 2, of spaghetti bolognaise pasta bake I had leftover from another meal I made. Quick, delicious meal on the table in minutes for free!
I usually freeze quite a lot of leftovers, like bbq chicken, and forget to use them. This is a problem I’m working on and being aware of.
Wendy, I’ve always been a stockpiler and with the world situation even more so. I am worried, that as I don’t do canning, that I’m unprepared. Can you please give me an idea of what products in cans you stock in your pantry? So many people are canning chicken, beef etc and I’m worried I won’t have enough protein to use when I need it.
I have followed your blog for a long time and love that you are so down to earth in what you do and achieve in your frugal life. Thankyou, Lorraine W
Hi Lorraine. I only op shop for things I need too or for gifts.
DeleteI don't do canning, I just don't have the time and I'm not sure it saves money. I do have tinned toms, corn, creamed corn, baked beans, tuna, salmon, beetroot, pineapple, asparagus, soups ( for casseroles ), coconut cream and fruit.
Great post Wendy, thank you. I haven’t bought much in the way of clothes or shoes for some time. I’ve been wearing the same winter shoes to work for 3 years now. I like them and they’re comfy. I’m finding it hard to get some decent quality basics.
ReplyDeleteI remember Mum going to the op shop for my first kitchen and I got some great Tupperware and utensils I still use 27 years later! Take care. Rachel :)
Hi Rachel. Like you, I don't buy clothes often and the op shop is the first place I visit. Department stores just don't offer good quality clothes for a decent price and in lovely colors.
DeleteI use red lentils in soups and casseroles . It is a good source of protein well priced and does not need soaking.Silver beet and red chard grow well in my beds can be cut up and used in many dishes.A menu plan often helps you to see where you can use eggs or salmon Pattie’s in some meals.Remember it is the whole days nutrition you are looking at not all the food groups in every meal.Marie
ReplyDeleteMarie, we love to use our silverbeet too.
DeleteI grow silverbeet too, Marie. Isn't it a versatile veg! My fsvourite thing to make with it is Silverbeet Impossible Pie.
DeleteMeg
Great tips, Wendy!
ReplyDeleteWe have joined our local Buy Nothing group and give and receive items through the group. I keep an eye out for things people are gifting that we need or use. We are also member of a local produce swap. I don't have a huge veg patch but I have still been able to swap veg like silverbeet and lettuce for lemons and passionfruit and chokos. Every little bit helps!
Meg
Hi Wendy,
ReplyDeletethank you for the money saving tips. We already use some of them and will try out the others.
We use a web app called RipeNearMe to swap, buy, sell and give away fresh produce. I think this service operates all over Australia but relies on people listing their produce for others to find.
The produce is freshly picked and often organically grown. It is a great way of sourcing produce that is grown locally and in season. Some people will give away their surplus produce so it doesn't go to waste.
We have been selling our free range eggs for five years to a lovely couple who have become good friends. We share and swap our home grown produce with them and they do the same with theirs.
Currently, with fruit and vegetables being so expensive to buy, this is a way of saving money and reducing the amount of perfectly good food going to waste. I often walk past gardens with fruit trees over laden with ripe fruit, some of which is covering the ground underneath. I feel sad seeing that waste when there are families who can't afford to buy fresh fruit.
Regards, Maria.
Thank you everyone for your tips. At present we are eating form the freezer. Tonight I discovered that I do not like a certain brand of instant potato. It was bought for the stockpile. It was getting old so I used it up! I am glad I had not bought huge amounts of the stuff. this backs up my belief not to buy anything just because it is cheap. If you find a good bargain, buy one and try it to see if it fits into your lifestyle. You can always go back for more and if they don't have it ask for a rain check.
ReplyDeleteI have worn a t shirt and a homemade skirt routinely for years. In fact my now 25 year old girl told me off for not wearing my uniform when she was in preschool. This year I have treated myself to some dresses and hope I can have a good few years where out of them. It is so easy when your choices are limited.
Love how you used those jars to make canisters.
ReplyDelete