UPDATED: Australia's tightest family

Llaura85 on 02/08/2014 - 09:54
Last edited 08/08/2014 - 20:19 by 1 other user

Did anyone else see this on A Current Affair? It's a bit old now, but the family will be making another appearance and taking their money tips 'on the road' this week. What do you think of their money saving ideas?
http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/article/8864036/australias-tighest…

UPDATE: View the second ACA story on Wendy and her money saving tips which was aired tonight (4/8/14).
http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/article/8885804/wendys-super-savin…

[Power User]: Just a friendly reminder to keep comments civil as per the commenting guidelines

General Discussion

Comments

  • chloden on 02/08/2014 - 10:01
    +70

    I reckon I'm tighter than her, I mean who buys washing up detergent at 40% off? I don't even look at it if it isn't a minimum of 50% off!

    • blitz on 02/08/2014 - 12:54
      +3

      I don't even look at it if it isn't a minimum of 50% off!

      Pfft. 60% is the minimum in our household!

      • altomic on 02/08/2014 - 13:01
        +47

        pffft, 60%!! what is this?!?! amateur hour?!

        • easternculture on 02/08/2014 - 23:42
          +1

          60% ?? what !! Is this christmas !!

          Minimum discount in my household is 70% for any item.

        • [Deactivated] on 03/08/2014 - 00:32
          +73

          You guys PAY for washing detergent?

        • DARK KHAOS on 03/08/2014 - 07:22
          +25

          what's washing detergent? sounds like a waste of money

        • WT on 03/08/2014 - 09:31
          +36

          noobs, I refill our bottle from hand washing dispenser from the shops

          cost is free and my finger gets a good work out from pushing the button

        • OzJD on 03/08/2014 - 09:50
          +5

          you guys don't get paid for doing washing?

        • h4zey on 03/08/2014 - 15:59

          @OzJD: well not all of us work at dry laundry & cleaning :P

        • easternculture on 03/08/2014 - 16:09
          +2

          @h4zey:

          i think he meant Get paid by the wife

        • gimli on 04/08/2014 - 22:37
          +11

          @squall3031:

          Fail

        • cannedhams on 05/08/2014 - 14:25
          +11

          I live in a swamp and wipe my arse with a stick. Win.

        • Sick of This on 05/08/2014 - 14:36
          +3

          Well, that escalated quickly.

        • DARK KHAOS on 07/08/2014 - 07:55
          +1

          @paizuri:
          Shame on you. Waste of a good stick

    • team teri on 02/08/2014 - 20:36
      +17

      I have not paid anything for dishwashing tablets all year, thanks Fairy for all the free samples!

      • xsacha on 03/08/2014 - 08:33

        And pinchme samples.
        Also finish sent out some samples too.

    • GnarlyKnuckles on 03/08/2014 - 18:09
      +8

      I just wait until some young jerk-off prankster tips a whole bottle of detergent into the water fountain at the local park for a laugh, then I transport all the detergentified water from the fountain back to the water-tank in my backyard, using buckets.
      Who's laughing NOW, jerk-off!

      • smartazz104 on 07/08/2014 - 10:40

        Pfft, a pro would just take their clothes to the fountain and wash them in there.

        • [Deactivated] on 07/08/2014 - 15:09
          +2

          Then hop in for a free bath/shower.

        • GnarlyKnuckles on 09/08/2014 - 04:29

          @waterlogged turnip:
          Aw c'mon Waters… now you're just being silly.

    • bathuu on 06/08/2014 - 22:37

      classic

  • sparkles on 02/08/2014 - 11:53
    +66

    A truly tight person wouldn't buy a new car. Ever. If they'd bought secondhand, even six months old, saving a few thousand, they could have lived it up eating out each week for a year, going to movies on the weekend instead of only Tuesday, bought the kids a secondhand iPhone each, and perhaps even an additional holiday to Sydney.

    And she got ripped off on the Morning Fresh. You don't ever buy that at more that $1.75.

    ETA: You don't pay for movie tickets, even on TA Tuesday, you collect Coke labels. Duh. We could show her a thing or two LOL.

    • Davros on 02/08/2014 - 13:14
      +7

      You buy coke and go to movies? <rolls eyes>

      • tonyjzx on 02/08/2014 - 14:03
        +34

        just use tpb, your $299 msy laptop and your $249 aldis 47" led tv and $1.49 for 2 litres of pepsi next

        • WT on 03/08/2014 - 09:36
          +6

          saved hundreds using tpb, spent hundreds on hard drives :-(

          Note: not a true story

        • kobrien456 on 03/08/2014 - 11:25

          What's tpb?

        • stig on 03/08/2014 - 11:38
          +2

          @kobrien456:
          The Pirate Bay.

        • GnarlyKnuckles on 03/08/2014 - 11:39

          @kobrien456:
          I assume "The Pirate Bay".

        • [Deactivated] on 03/08/2014 - 19:51
          +2

          @kobrien456: the big list of porn. search it

      • [Deactivated] on 02/08/2014 - 18:38
        +63

        No OzBer really buys Coke. The proper way is to rummage through bins for the labels.

        (bonus points if there's still some Coke left in the bottle)

    • easternculture on 02/08/2014 - 23:45
      +1

      ETA: You don't pay for movie tickets, even on TA Tuesday, you collect Coke labels

      So true, today on my way to work, i found 3 coke labels (worth 30 points) and 1 diet coke labels(worth 20 points on Wednesday between 3 - 4pm) .. total of 50 points … yay

      • [Deactivated] on 02/08/2014 - 23:55

        Why is diet Coke worth fewer points than regular Coke??

        • easternculture on 02/08/2014 - 23:59
          +1

          3 X coke = 30 points
          1 X diet = 20 points (wed 3-4pm)

        • [Deactivated] on 03/08/2014 - 00:15

          @easternculture: ah, my bad lol

    • ronnknee on 04/08/2014 - 08:47

      How many Cokes bottles would you have to buy to get a movie ticket? I don't think it's that economical.

      • bluedufflecoat on 04/08/2014 - 10:18

        Think Woolies has 1.25l cokes for about $1.39(?) till Tuesday.
        So, at roughly 10 tokens per movie ticket, the 1.25l of Coke only costs 40c. So I think the value is pretty good.

        • ronnknee on 04/08/2014 - 13:29

          I can't find the movie tickets on Coke Rewards website for 10 tokens.

        • xsacha on 04/08/2014 - 14:12

          @ronnknee: 95 tokens, roughly 10 bottles of coke he meant.

        • bluedufflecoat on 04/08/2014 - 17:05

          Yup. Sorry, wrong term.

        • sparkles on 04/08/2014 - 18:12

          @ronnknee: The only come along every so often. Not available at the moment ie. they've been OzBargained.

        • ronnknee on 05/08/2014 - 09:45
          +2

          I still think purchasing from Optus for $10 is the better option.

      • ProjectZero on 04/08/2014 - 11:52
        +2

        I think there's going to be an influx of diabetics…

        • bluedufflecoat on 04/08/2014 - 12:53

          Coke Zero & Diet Coke are options, though not great, because of the artificial sweeteners / chemicals.

        • aaronaldo on 06/08/2014 - 14:29
          -3

          @amelyn: Using artificial sweetner doesn't actually reduce your chance of diabetes compared to having sugar. Your body reacts the same way and produces a heap of insulin. Having artificial sweetner only stops your body converting the sugar to fat.

        • bluedufflecoat on 07/08/2014 - 17:45

          @aaronbaron: hi. I didn't neg you… But could you please reference your info? Am interested to find out more.

        • aaronaldo on 08/08/2014 - 09:51
          -2

          @amelyn: Quick google search found this:

          http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/261179.php

        • GnarlyKnuckles on 09/08/2014 - 04:35

          @aaronbaron: I did neg you. You should not post comments like that on something you clearly know nothing at all about.

        • aaronaldo on 11/08/2014 - 13:14
          +1

          @GnarlyKnuckles: Honest question: Why do you say that? Did I misunderstand the paper that I referenced? I agree that after re-reading my original comment I may have come off as a bit pretentious, however there were some merit to the topic?

    • Architectonic on 05/08/2014 - 18:42
      +3

      A truly tight person wouldn't buy a car full stop. The cheapest, funniest and often fastest way to get around is on an electric bike. You can even ride in the rain if you aren't a coward and buy decent clothing (which keeps you 100% dry).

      • chiefbodge on 07/08/2014 - 16:24

        Can confirm - I am extremely tight and have an electric bike that I ride in all weather for that reason.

        For those that are interested top speed is abut 67km/h and range is around 40km if cruising at 40km/h. Total cost was about $1400 including the bike. Before some smart arse points out, of course it's 250w and pedal assist :)

        Picture of the beast: (I have added more batteries since this picture was taken) http://i.imgur.com/XLLxqPa.jpg

  • RockyRaccoon on 02/08/2014 - 12:11
    +40

    ACA - doesnt mean tight, it means uneducated and manipulated.

  • pao2x on 02/08/2014 - 12:54
    +54

    They are not Ozbargain level tight.

  • laura85 on 02/08/2014 - 14:13
    +8

    I wonder where they live to only have had a $100k mortgage? Suprised she doesnt get homebrand dishwashing liquid. To me dishwashing liquid is dishwashing liquid.

    • tonyjzx on 02/08/2014 - 14:17
      +4

      if they bought 20yrs ago and they have an avg. house in a suburb that is only $300k at the time, then yeah $100k left on their mortgage is fine, esp. if they were dumping heaps of their dual income into the mortgage

      hell some of us here have property all paid off…

    • sparkles on 02/08/2014 - 20:39
      +1

      They are in Melbourne. I can tell because I recognise the op shop store she was shopping at, Fountain Gate. They must have made some headway into the mortgage before they went all tightwad because a around there basic house would be $300K.

      • WT on 03/08/2014 - 09:42
        +4

        so cheap, 30 mins from Melb! In Sydney you would struggle to get a 2 bedroom unit 30mins from the city for that price

        • coolhand on 03/08/2014 - 18:48
          +7

          Its an awful area though

        • sparkles on 03/08/2014 - 21:21
          +3

          Rapidly transforming into a bogan ghetto.

        • Bullion78 on 04/08/2014 - 16:36
          +3

          The transformation was complete nearly a decade ago when I lived there and subsequently shifted. It represents everything that is wrong with middle australia.

        • cannedhams on 05/08/2014 - 07:58
          +2

          A boghetto

        • Utopian on 06/08/2014 - 01:57
          +2

          30min @3am (40 to CBD)
          90min @8am

          Kath & Kim's hometown. "Fountain Lakes" (NarreWarren).

          Fountain Gate have spent megabucks expanding/upgrading, but the bogans are outbreeding others. Frankston & Dandenong have suffered similar for decades.

    • aussieaubs on 04/08/2014 - 09:04
      +1

      They are in Narre Warren - there are lots of cheap stores in the area. A few years ago (5 or so) the average house price was under 350k.

  • TheAviator on 02/08/2014 - 14:15
    +5

    If they were truly tight they'd have saved up for the year and bought the car with cash. A lot of interest expense saved!

    • tonyjzx on 02/08/2014 - 14:18
      +2

      it really really depends… ie. they could be doing a business lease where they can buy a new car every 3 yrs and 100% deduct all interest running costs etc.

      then it makes no sense to buy 2nd hand

      YMMV

      • grog on 02/08/2014 - 20:50
        +1

        I buy my cars on "lower purchase" does that count?

      • mohan76 on 02/08/2014 - 23:58

        100% delectable against income not against tax so a true tight should buy cheaper one :)

      • Blockey on 04/08/2014 - 08:49
        +15

        Who keeps telling people to buy cars on lease because it saves tax!?!?!?

        It drive's me nuts as an accountant. Let's say you're on 200k a year paying the highest marginal tax rate of 47c inc medicare levy. If you pay interest of $10,000 and it's 100% deductible, you save $4,700 in tax.

        You are spending $10,000 to save $4,700… It's still $5,300 out of pocket! You almost never should make a purchase PURELY for tax reasons…

        • xsacha on 04/08/2014 - 12:11

          What sort of car are you getting for that $10k/year? Seems fairly expensive so you would likely get a nice car. Then you only spend $5,300 out of pocket? Also sounds good. New car every year and paying only a fraction of what a car costs.

          Edit: I had a look at a few sites and they want $10k/yr for a $35K car which seems very expensive. Guess it depends on how cheap you can get it.

        • SlickMick on 04/08/2014 - 13:38

          yeah but isn't the point that, given that you're buying a car, then getting it on a lease saves tax?

          However, my rough estimates indicate that getting finance at home loan rates vs lease company rates approximately balances the tax advantages.

      • Osprey06 on 04/08/2014 - 12:34

        a: Some leasing companies will lease a second hand car, meaning a lower up front purchase cost and less depreciation over the live of the lease.

        b: Leasing does not always 'save' money versus just getting a cheaper car or paying interest at a home loan rate, rather than a car lease rate. If you're on a high income (high tax bracket) and you want a no hassle new/new-ish car it might work for you, but not always.

    • SupeNintendoChalmers on 07/08/2014 - 10:44
      +1

      you paywave that sucker.

  • donga100 on 02/08/2014 - 16:32
    +206

    Seriously a joke of a story. She is wasting money on so many things in that story:

    • 1:26 Seen buying a box of tissues. This is a luxury item that could be replaced by toilet paper. You only blow mucus on it after all.

    • 2:39 Using Pace Farm cage eggs to make hamburgers. She could be using homebrand cage eggs instead to save money. I am slightly impressed by this image though as she claims that her chickens lay an excess of eggs that they sell to cover the cost of their feed. The chickens most likely only lay a couple of eggs every week and she sells her neighbours cage eggs at a profit.

    • 2:39 Full rack of McCormicks herbs and spices can be seen in the corner of the kitchen. Why waste valuable garden space on cheap things like lettuce rather than expensive herbs?

    • 3:12 Buying canola oil in aerosol spray cans for $0.55/100g is extremely wasteful. She could have bought Homebrand canola oil for less than half the unit price and spray it out of a normal spray bottle. Better for the environment too.

    • 3:30 Buying 450ml Morning Fresh for $2 each was a bad mistake. It could have been had for less than half that price. Comments from that thread suggest it isn't that great nowadays anyway since they moved production to Indonesia. She bought 14 of them too for a total loss of $14.14 on just one product.

    • 3:49 Cupboard full of tinned soup. I hope she didn't pay any more than $1 for 18 of them.

    • 4:01 Ripped off at Woolies again! Cleared the shelf of $3.94 Pantene when she could have got it for $3.60 instead.

    • 4:34 Shower gel is not the same as antibacterial handwash. Why not just use tap water instead?

    • 4:43 Admits to paying $5 each for Tresemme when it could have been had for only $3.99* *Based on 900ml, even bigger saving if she had bought 500ml or 750ml bottles as appears likely from Woolies.

    • 7:45 They bought a new car…

    • 8:52 Daughters have ipods for school? Hardly a necessity and wouldn't it have been better to buy an unbranded model instead?

    Oh well, good on them for trying.

    • tonyjzx on 02/08/2014 - 17:15
      +4

      lol donga you da man

    • stemcell on 02/08/2014 - 17:25
      +3

      Quality post donga :)

    • Emilia on 02/08/2014 - 17:58
      +19

      Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Antibacterial soaps are not necessary. Wash your hands thoroughly with ordinary soap and warm water.

      • donga100 on 02/08/2014 - 18:08
        +4

        I stand corrected on that point. Was speaking from a background of microbiology (growing bacterial cultures) at uni but seems for normal consumer use it doesn't make much difference.

        Link for those interested:
        http://www.cdc.gov/getsmart/antibiotic-use/antibiotic-resist…

        • Osprey06 on 04/08/2014 - 12:59
          +5

          I think there's still a decent point to be made about the cost of a bar of soap v using liquid soap, though.

      • johnno07 on 03/08/2014 - 13:06
        +9

        Buy up some lye and make soap with your own body fat? Cheap AND you lose weight!

    • [Deactivated] on 02/08/2014 - 18:43
      +7

      donga, you need to copy/pasta that into a letter to ACA. lol

      I look forward to the War of the Tightarses episode that should ensue.

      • donga100 on 02/08/2014 - 20:02
        +1

        I'm far from the tightest person on these forums too.

        • [Deactivated] on 02/08/2014 - 21:58
          +11

          That's the scary part. ACA won't know what they're in for… meeting you is just the tip of the iceberg.

        • mafmouf on 03/08/2014 - 22:18
          +6

          @waterlogged turnip: We need to see an interview with jv. Prime time TV right there I'd actually watch.

    • Commonwealth Pig on 02/08/2014 - 19:16
      +13

      I don't understand why she is using a top loading washing machine. If she's looking to save on water costs she should be using a front loader.

      • donga100 on 02/08/2014 - 19:26
        +1

        Save on electricity costs that way too.

      • wtfnodeal on 02/08/2014 - 23:37
        +1

        Or handwash?

        • [Deactivated] on 02/08/2014 - 23:58
          +1

          What's wrong with handwash?

          IMO they're better than bars of soap. Buy a filled pump when it's on special (just for the pump) then refill it with bulk-buy big bottles of handwash from like Aldi or wherever… rather than buying a new filled pump each time (which works out far more expensive and wasteful with all those pumps then being thrown out/recycled).

        • [Deactivated] on 03/08/2014 - 02:39
          +4

          @waterlogged turnip: Okay, apparently my handwash stance is a controversial one lol…

        • Davo1111 on 03/08/2014 - 04:17
          +4

          @waterlogged turnip: I think you're are getting a bit confised.

          wtfnodeal is talking about handwashing clothes (as an alternative to a washing machine), not using handwash to wash your hands

        • [Deactivated] on 03/08/2014 - 04:28
          +9

          @Davo1111: LOL right you are. I need sleep. Tried negging myself as well but I'm not allowed :(

        • GnarlyKnuckles on 03/08/2014 - 11:08
          +2

          Tried negging myself as well but I'm not allowed :(

          No worries Waters, as a special favor, I'll do it on your behalf :P

        • [Deactivated] on 03/08/2014 - 17:52
          +3

          @GnarlyKnuckles: Thanks mate. lol

    • JimmyF on 02/08/2014 - 19:48
      +4

      Ummm each chicken will lay about 5-7 eggs a week. My laying girls average 6 a week, not the couple you claim.

      • Davo1111 on 03/08/2014 - 04:03
        +16

        a true ozbargainer, got everyone in the family working ;)

      • GnarlyKnuckles on 03/08/2014 - 11:17
        +7

        "… each chicken will lay about 5-7 eggs a week."

        That's only in their prime Levy, and it also varies with the type of chook ('broilers' are not as consistent I'm told, etc.). When my trusty Rhodesian-reds got old, their laying went down a lot (to about two a week, as it happens). I suppose it's at that point that 'proper farmers' knock them off and eat them, but there was no way I was gonna do that with my beloved "Honey-soy" and "Schnitz", despite their misleading names.

    • hj0809 on 02/08/2014 - 20:16
      +1

      Just because a deal happened once before at a price doesn't mean this is story is a joke.

      • donga100 on 02/08/2014 - 20:41
        +10

        Some parts of my comment were meant as tongue-in-cheek. The story is still a joke though as none of the savings are particularly great when compared to the standards on this site. The Morning Fresh and Pantene deals I linked to were both from the last 2-3 weeks.

        • sparkles on 02/08/2014 - 20:46
          +24

          I think the biggest thing to take away from the story is that she's all "Look at how much I'm saving!" on all these small things which take time and kinda make life shite, when the biggest saving she could make was sitting in her driveway with her bragging that they bought a "new car". She think she's got it all worked out. She hasn't.

    • GnarlyKnuckles on 03/08/2014 - 03:01
      +2

      Aye, that's tellin' em Donga!
      The new car was the silliest thing.

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