tighta$$ rituals

Donaldhump on 02/01/2016 - 12:02

curious for ideas/tips

everymonth i do the following to save money, want to know if any others to do:

buy $400 of woolworths vouchers through racq get 5 percent off, so pay 380…. this is for our groceries.
look in ozbargain for online codes for woolworths for $10 off etc.
get petrol at woolies caltex get 4c off plus another 4c off a litre for spending $5 or more. i always get 3 milks for two dollars each, no brainer, i get the 3rd milk for 50c basically.

any other montlhy rituals/etc i could do, or others do.

am going to investigate cash rewards…
currently have no cc as i blazed through loads last yr for a holiday, so qantas points are on hold for the moment.

General Discussion

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 02/01/2016 - 12:52
    +12

    Run appliances like dishwahser and washing machine during off peak hours.

    Be a member of both flybuys and woolworths rewards and split your shopping between the two. This lowers your target for targeted offers. Some flybuys offers have a reward of better than 5% off your shop which means that it's sometimes cheaper to shop at Coles even though you use 5% discounted cards at Woolworths. Figure out whether your closest IGA and Aldi are more than 5% cheaper than Woolworths. My family uses a combination of Woolworths(with discounted giftcards), Coles, Aldi and occasionally IGA. The products we buy at each are carefully selected.

    Investigate Entertainment Book 2016 in case there are businesses that you use all the time in it. There are other retailers apart from Woolworths who offer discounted gift cards via Entertainment Book. The cost is around $65 for the book so you need to do your research carefully to see whether you will benefit from the book.

    Renegotiate your Electricity, Phone, Gas, Water and Insurance rates each year to get price matches and take advantage of "new customer" offers.

    • inherentchoice on 02/01/2016 - 16:14
      +16

      Not everyone has their electricity usage split into peak and off peak.

      • User167511 on 03/01/2016 - 12:48

        True and if peak is considered ~6pm-10pm we do all our heavy appliance load work at this time. Dishwasher vacuum and washing machine. Reason? We are on a high feed in tariff (WA) of 47c. You don't want to be using that power as you are robbing yourself of export revenues. So sometimes it pays to use peak power providing you are on the right tariff.

        • gimli on 06/01/2016 - 20:32

          Yep it pays the electricity company well for you to use peak power mun.

      • cloudy on 04/01/2016 - 14:57
        +1

        Although it's true not everyone has peak and off peak pricing, the reality is its a cost to everyone to use discretionary power during peak instead of off peak.

        We all pay for it in some form, direct or indirect.

        • slugsandsnails on 04/01/2016 - 15:18

          except for if you are in Tas and there is no on peak and off peak option…

      • Oliver on 05/01/2016 - 08:56

        How do i tell if mine is split into peak and off peak? I guess since it doesn't say any of those separate rates on my bill, i just get charged the same rate 24/7?

        • dbun1 on 05/01/2016 - 19:39
          +1

          Your bill will tell you if there is peak and off peak loading.

          If it's the same rate 24/7 then there is no off-peak

    • momov3 on 02/01/2016 - 15:01
      +1

      I need to go house hunting and try to relocate near a creek. :) :) :)

      • gimli on 06/01/2016 - 20:33

        or go creek hunting and relocate it near your house …

    • KaTst3R on 02/01/2016 - 15:03

      That is cool, thumbs up for you.

    • Sage on 02/01/2016 - 15:59
      +3

      that's not really a ritual though. this thread is supposed to be about small daily things that we can all do.

        • Oliver on 05/01/2016 - 10:26

          I think you missed his deadpan humour and misused "where" instead of "were".
          And did you even have hall monitors at your school? I think that's more of an American thing.

        • pebee47 on 06/01/2016 - 14:34

          @Oliver: I was both a milk monitor and an ink monitor (as much milk and ink free, but you had to drink it at school). As I don't live near a creek, could I hook up to the sewer and generate that way?

        • TheOneWhoKnocks on 07/01/2016 - 10:23

          @Cheap Charlie: I predict an argument will arise now.

        • TheOneWhoKnocks on 08/01/2016 - 13:03

          @Cheap Charlie: Hmm. An argument did not arise, interesting.

        • TheOneWhoKnocks on 08/01/2016 - 15:06

          @Cheap Charlie: No no. My line was supposed to be "Knock knock". ;)

        • TheOneWhoKnocks on 08/01/2016 - 16:40

          @Cheap Charlie: Broden.

        • TheOneWhoKnocks on 08/01/2016 - 16:54
          +2

          @Cheap Charlie: Broden Eneloop-overnight-charger.

    • Cave Fire on 02/01/2016 - 23:12

      Yup, there's videos on youtube regarding how to do this with older fisher and paykel machines. Pretty unexpected.

    • DRAGONPHONEIX on 03/01/2016 - 15:23
      +1

      Can you share some photos ? I would love to have a look :)

    • [Deactivated] on 03/01/2016 - 19:45
      +14

      How long ago did you settle your divorce?

      • effgee on 03/01/2016 - 23:49
        +2

        good point, the cost of the inevitable divorce would more than swamp the savings in electricity.

    • bargdebarg on 04/01/2016 - 16:29

      That is awesome

  • momov3 on 02/01/2016 - 15:04
    +1

    Only found out about Cash rewards this year, thanks to Oz Bargain. But I see my total balance increasing, however balance available for transfer takes so long to come through as the 'waiting period' has to be fulfilled in case one returns items. This is a long waiting period. To date my balance has generated nil $ available to transfer to bank account. I know it will happen eventually, just don't count on it being a fast cashback thing.

    • JoFord63 on 02/01/2016 - 18:39
      +3

      I started using the Cash Rewards portal in mid-2015. I figured I had nothing to lose and perhaps a bit to gain. I thought that maybe I might get a bit of cashback at Christmas time … and I did! I was able to withdraw $100+ a couple of weeks ago.

      Hang in there. Yes, the waiting periods are long, but we're not waiting for surgery, just a nice little gift every now and again.

      I've noticed many more stores join Cash Rewards in recent months. So it's worth checking in on CR before you make ANY purchase.

      I joined PricePal last week (when the D/Hero link from CR was not working). Looks like PricePal tells you up-front what the waiting time on your cashback will be. (March 2016 for this D/Hero order - seriously? I'm not going to return my dinner for a refund next month.)

      Thanks OzB, thanks CR, thanks TA. You all helped me keep on the straight and narrow. I paid tens of thousands of dollars off my debt in 2015 and am on-track to be debt-free by the end of 2016.

    • SaberX on 02/01/2016 - 21:13
      -1

      I always see this "cash rewards" on ozbargain deals in order to reduce the price? Can you or someone please explain what on earth this cash rewards thing is that everyone always puts up on bargains? I must be the only person who missed it and the whole 'eneloop batteries' joke , see it mentioned so often but feel like a total idiot asking only now….

      • chill on 02/01/2016 - 22:04
        -3

        1) Have you heard of google?

        2) The eneloop battery joke is not funny so don't worry about it.

      • gummibear on 02/01/2016 - 22:36
        +2

        Here you go.
        Click on the link below.
        Scroll down to "How it works"

        https://www.cashrewards.com.au/

      • User167511 on 03/01/2016 - 12:52

        Eneloop are awesome rechargeable batteries slightly more expensive than normal but heavily discounted occasionally in DS and HN etc but mentioned so regularly here that it has just become a bit of a joke given I suppose that they are just batteries yet attract big attention when they are sold cheap.

        • SaberX on 04/01/2016 - 03:43

          Thanks. I thought there was some sort of special deal or thing that arose in the past given everyone always refers to having a 'lifetime of eneloops' etc etc.

          Maybe I need to keep posted on the Eneloops for anotehr deal - what do they normally sell for on a good deal price?

          Thanks gummibear for the cashrewards link… someone explained abit to me in person atsports today …. interesting concept as to why retailers would pay them for referring to you as it seems most consumers just visit cashrewards only for that purpose (kind of setting themselves up to pay out more commission) but i guess that doesn't matter to us as consumers? :D

  • Bonsaichop on 02/01/2016 - 15:14
    +15

    I do the same thing with Coles Express fuel.

    Fill the tank (usually about 40L), then fill 3x 20L jerry cans with fuel as well to get 100L of fuel. Use 4c discount + 10c bonus to get $14 off in-store which we use to buy Quilton toilet paper which is 2 for $20 (minimum $20 spend for 10c discount).

    We have two cars, in the almost 2 years of owning one it's never been to a petrol station! Just fill up at home with the jerry cans. Have never had to buy toilet paper at Coles as well which helps with bulky items at the checkout.

    I also last year built a small solar station out of tossed out parts on street collections and from the tip-shop. It sounds a bit ghetto, but it's essentially a 220w solar panel that uses a solar charge controller to charge 2x 12v 100ah batteries in series (24v). I use a few buck transformers (around 90% effiency) to bring the voltage down to 12 and 5v which charges all of our portable devices, also powers the lights in our office and a few other 12v dependant devices (switches, modem, cordless phone, media streamer, NAS).

    • Hirolol on 03/01/2016 - 22:19
      +2

      Would your insurance company have any issue with you storing 60L of fuel?
      I guess 3 jerry cans isnt that much but if there was to be a fire it wont end well…

      • Geewhizz on 04/01/2016 - 07:15

        60 litres isn't much.

        • ronnknee on 04/01/2016 - 15:31
          +2

          More than enough to start a blaze and kill you.

        • Bonsaichop on 05/01/2016 - 11:17
          +2

          @ronnknee:

          Lots of things in the house that can do that, and more. And fuel itself, like in most fires isn't what starts the fire. Use common sense and store materials safely.

          The rules around storing fuel before being considered hazardous storage is that 100L can be stored in sealed approved containers. These containers being made of HDPE (high density polyethelene) aka your 20L red jerry can.

          You can also store small amount for decanting (making 2 stroke fuel) which is about 5L and you can also store 1L in an open container which is something i'd never do.

          All our fuel is stored in a cool place and I also have a LDPE tray that it's stored in so that in the case of a leak its still contained.

    • watwatwat on 04/01/2016 - 19:30
      +1

      This is a pretty dumb idea with little saving and lots of effort involved. I probably save more than you by using Woolworths branded toilet paper and filling up with fuel on cheap days.

      • Bonsaichop on 05/01/2016 - 11:03

        Horses for courses. There's not much effort involved and It means that i'm not restrained by how much fuel is in my tank to wait for a cheap day. If there is a cheap day I can always fill up sooner and because I have the extra storage capability I have a bit of freedom.

        I also don't care for woolworths branded toilet paper.

      • [Deactivated] on 05/01/2016 - 12:47

        Some people don't get cheap days for fuel though.

      • Sirocco on 24/11/2017 - 11:10

        Yeh not so dumb, 98 fuel is 1.67 atm where I am and I had it locked in at 1.20…. That's a saving of roughly $40 for 90L. That's awesome.

    • Bludgeman on 04/01/2016 - 23:54
      +3

      Are you MacGyver?

    • salem on 05/01/2016 - 10:36

      wouldn't you be better off putting the batteries in parallel where the circuit will stay 12V? saves a step-down step with loss of efficiency for 12v, you'd only need to step down for 5v. Or does the panel output at 24v or something?

      • Bonsaichop on 05/01/2016 - 11:00
        +1

        I thought of running it at 12V but batteries but didn't for the following reasons.

        • Having two 12v batteries in parallel means that one will always charge a bit faster than the other which will eventually pull both batteries down. Each 12v battery has 6x 2V batteries in series so you'll be running parallel circuits with 6cells in series each.

        • Charging at 12v requires alot more current. More current means I have to use high guage cabling to ensure there is no fire risk. My MPPT charger is rated for 10A output at etiher 12v or 24v. If I charge 12V @ 10A that's 120w/hr maximum charge speed. Whereas at 24V I can charge at 240W, essentially charging twice as fast.

        • Step down losses are not so bad with a SIPEC/Buck regulator. It's not like a linear regulator where you have massive heat losses. They're pretty efficient at around 90%.

        • Gives me more freedom if I have any devices that I need to run that need between 12-20v. Regulating power down is alot more efficient than boosting power up.

        • The variation in voltage depending on state of charge between low 11's to high 13's. I would need to use a boost/buck regulator anyway so that I can maintain a steady and regulated 12V output.

        • salem on 05/01/2016 - 11:02
          +1

          fair enough. :) I guess that's where my high school science class knowledge and your real-world electrical engineering experience show their differences!

        • Bonsaichop on 05/01/2016 - 11:06
          +1

          @salem:

          Highschool science is nothing to knock at. All the basic prinicples are there.

          Research research research all the information you need is out there (plus a lot of garbage insights but you filter through those pretty quickly!).

    • tdw on 07/01/2016 - 17:29

      ah, you're the guy we get stuck behind filling jerry can upon jerry can, while the line extends out onto the road and beyond

      • Bonsaichop on 07/01/2016 - 23:53
        +2

        Not your guy, I live in a regional city. In fact I've never had more than 1 car pull up behind me as I usually do my fuel purchases mid morning when it's quiet.

        And it's 100l of fuel at absoloute most. That's less than a most big 4WDs. In fact years ago my old sedan had a 90L tank.

        Get out of the car, take 3 cans out and open all lids plus fuel lid, fill then close lid while the next one fills up etc. Nice an efficient, just like everything else I try and do.

        I like to get the best deal but i'm not an ass. :)

        • tdw on 08/01/2016 - 01:25
          +1

          sounds like you're more courteous than most other jerry can guys combined.

          then again Pertholes were never known for being considerate at the bowser (or anywhere else for that matter ;)

  • inherentchoice on 02/01/2016 - 16:00
    +1
    • Turn lights off as much as practicable.
    • Don't use air con or fans or heaters.
    • Don't use a clothes dryer.
    • Have small fridge/freezer.
    • Avoid watching TV.
    • Only buy groceries when it's on the way to or from somewhere.
    • Buy most furniture and appliances second hand.
    • Have housemate/s for spare bedroom/s.
    • Eat on the uber cheap most of the time.
    • When looking to travel somewhere wait for a great sale on flights. (Went to Cairns and now going to Adelaide for $40 return thanks to OzB)
    • Keep signing up to credit cards with bonus rewards deals and cancel them before the annual fee.
      • KBZ on 02/01/2016 - 17:17
        +35

        I think his criteria is pretty easy to follow than converting a washing machine into a hydro generator.

    • Bonsaichop on 02/01/2016 - 17:13
      +7

      Some good points but small fridges are from i've seen less efficient than a regular sized one.

      • sareth on 03/01/2016 - 10:14
        +1

        Less efficient per unit volume, but less power consuming due to the low volume probably.

    • SaberX on 02/01/2016 - 21:14
      +1

      I heard running fans are as cheap as a led efficient lightbulb supposedly??? Mainly as i was building, went with ducted air cond haha.. but supposdly fans are very cheap to install and low cost to run, so maybe you might be able to add abit of luxury back in by running them over the air cond?

    • User167511 on 03/01/2016 - 13:39
      +31

      -Live rough on the street or in a cave
      - Use cardboard boxes and styrofoam as insulation
      - Drink rain water or recycle your urine
      -Make fertiliser from Sh..(and your neighbour's dog)
      -Raise chooks and a cow
      - Ride on a unicorn to work (not that you'd need to work)
      - hack your neighbour's router and get on Ozbargain every day!

      • salem on 05/01/2016 - 10:39
        +2

        wait. you're decomposing your neighbour's dog? :(

      • [Deactivated] on 05/01/2016 - 14:51
        +1

        Protip: Ride you cow to work and rent out the unicorn

    • Gershom on 07/01/2016 - 04:22

      You forgot "become a Buddhist monk" :-)

  • Donaldhump on 02/01/2016 - 16:44
    +17

    don't use aircon… I'd rather be comfortable… why not sleep in a gutter

    • tonka on 02/01/2016 - 20:04
      +9

      Yeah, I actually think the point of being frugal is to increase your standard of living.

      • inherentchoice on 05/01/2016 - 11:20
        +2

        Well I live next to the ocean in SE QLD and find it better to just open and close windows to adjust the temperature. I find it way better than using a fan and having to turn it off in the middle of the night. Plus with the window open I can appreciate the sea breeze and hear the surf. So for me at least I find that no fan or air con or heater does increase my standard of living.

        I gave my old fan away.

        Even when I visit colder climates I prefer more layers and blankets than heaters and electric blankets. But maybe I am just weird?

        • [Deactivated] on 05/01/2016 - 12:50

          Jealous. Need a housemate? :)

    • holdenmg on 03/01/2016 - 07:19
      +2

      Hard to find a gutter w/free WiFi. lol

      • mooboy on 04/01/2016 - 10:20
        +1

        Try outside a library. I often see people late at night outside my local library on their laptops.

      • bdl on 06/01/2016 - 13:53

        telstra air with $2 starter sim for the moment :)

    • try2bhelpful on 03/01/2016 - 14:22
      +1

      We have found that a decent airflow fan is as good as an aircon for most of the time. We only use our portable aircon when we get several hot days.

      • [Deactivated] on 03/01/2016 - 19:49

        Fans are useless when you live in 90% humidity…(air cons are also more efficient) I envy you.

        • try2bhelpful on 03/01/2016 - 22:46
          +2

          I can handle the 40 degree days rather than the 90% humidity; you have my sympathies. I visited Singapore once and I felt like I was swimming in my own sweat. I tried walking like I do in Melbourne and I was one big chafe.

        • DarwinBoy on 04/01/2016 - 03:33

          Currently 2am, 28 degrees and 84% humidity and the fans doing a good job. When I first moved to darwin 15 years ago I lived in almost permanent aircon but for over 10 years I can say I don't need it to sleep anymore.
          It did take me getting a really bad persistent cough in the wet season that aircon made worse, was easier to sleep in the heat then a cool room and hacking cough.
          Just have to tough it out and then you are set. Probably saved thousands in my power bill as well.

        • [Deactivated] on 04/01/2016 - 09:18
          +1

          @DarwinBoy: I totally understand I could learn to tough it out, I just don't want to. I feel like I get more restful sleep with air con as well.

        • linnaen on 04/01/2016 - 18:02
          +1

          @DarwinBoy: It's that halo of sweat in the morning that I don't like.
          I use aircon only at night, set at 28-29 - enough to take the edge off

        • DarwinBoy on 08/01/2016 - 12:39

          @linnaen:
          With me there are other variables inplay as well. I have been fortunate enough to live in places with decent ventilation. The in laws post cyclone Tracy bunker house is terrible and a sweat box. Then it's aircon at 26/fan on medium.

        • linnaen on 08/01/2016 - 13:21

          @DarwinBoy:
          Northern Suburbs concrete 1.5 storey bunker for me. With the high ceilings I thought they would be a lot cooler.

        • DarwinBoy on 08/01/2016 - 16:33
          +1

          @linnaen:
          yeah, all i can say in any house design is 'cross ventilation' without it you have nothing.

      • kev98 on 03/01/2016 - 22:08
        -5

        newer air cons are far more efficient than fans

  • Donaldhump on 02/01/2016 - 16:45

    ad not watching tv may as well have no electricity and goto reps every night fake playing pokies ,steal the free coffee and crackers and watch their tv…

    some good tips tho I hae some light policy per person

    • inherentchoice on 05/01/2016 - 11:30

      I said avoid watching TV, which is different to not watching TV. I mostly watch stuff on my phone. There's all the catch up TV apps too so you can watch at your convenience.

      It costs like $4 a year to fully charge your phone every day.

      • Donaldhump on 05/01/2016 - 11:48
        +3

        yeh id rather watch something on a 55 inch screen that a 2 inch screen, plus would only work for a single person…

  • CheapskateQueen on 02/01/2016 - 17:14
    +30

    i think you're on the right track so far with the woolies cards and petrol. there's only so much you can do without reducing quality of life / limiting things you enjoy.

    the way i treat budgeting/my tightness, is about getting all the same things / all the things i want, at the best price possible. It's not about taking things away (well, all things). i mean, some people might say "don't holiday, don't go out, watch tv, don't go to the cinema etc etc" and that's not for me. I'm more about "don't pay full price for movie tickets, buy from Optus/Telstra etc. Don't pay for parking where possible. Make the most of sales, stack coupons etc"

    My biggest thing is limiting my spending for anything work related - eg transport, food, drinks etc. I don't want to spend money on earning money!! So I've gotten my work expenses down to the minimum.

    -Not sure what state you're from for public transport purposes but I can load my Opal card at Woolies. So I use my CR/Scoopon/Other 5-10% off Woolworths cards to load my Opal. That will probably save me $100 on transport next year. Since that's a non-discretionary expense, that's a priority saving for me.

    -I'm a big coffee drinker. Love my coffee. Need my coffee. I have a proper espresso machine at home and use my fav Lavazza, which I bulk buy when it's on special at $15per kg since i demolish kgs of the stuff. I also used to buy one coffee a day @ work which ends up being $800 a year after tax. Insanity for a work expense. Bought a pod machine for work on sale, and buy my pods on sale. Perfect long black each and every time (strong ones) for about $250 a year. $550 savings and I'm not missing out on anything.

    -For about 2 years I paid $9 per day day on parking for work, until I realised that's about $2000 a year (literally throwing money away). I started parking for free 15-20 min walk away which is awesome because I avoid all the traffic congestion around my office which used to kill me.

    -I don't enjoy eating take away for work lunch for multiple reasons (health and money reasons) - but if you're someone who does, try bringing food from home once or twice a week for big annual savings.

    -I also have a stock of coke zero cans and crackers / tuna / frozen vegetables at work. So if I'm hungry, don't have lunch, i always have something to eat. If I go out for lunch, it's for social purposes, and that's the way I prefer it.

    -Get yourself a second woolies card that you use only when they send you awesome offers to entice you to spend more. My mums card ALWAYS gets better offers than mine!

    I guess the moral of the story is to look at all of your regular and recurring expenses and see how you can reduce them because they're the things that add up and usually they aren't fun/enjoyable expenses! Then you can go and spend your savings on other, awesome things

    • iSamurai on 03/01/2016 - 20:31

      I go through both Coles and ww catalogues each week (and the online fruit/veg specials and late week specials). I shop at both supermarkets as they're next to each other. Sometimes we also go to Aldi and have a look at their catalogues before we go.

      I sometimes find Aldi's stuff isn't cheaper than Coles/ww if you factor in the 5% off gift cards and at Aldi you need to pay 0.5% credit card surcharge (but with ING direct you get a net gain of 1.5%). Nevertheless I find several Aldi items better in quality e.g. Their "confidence" toilet rolls ($8.49/24) are much better than Coles' "so soft" rolls ($9/24).

    • Donaldhump on 05/01/2016 - 11:50

      excellent… i used top spend thousnads on work lunches… i just skip em now… i need to lose the kgs anyway…
      i too stock a carton of zeroes under my desk, but try and avoid them too

  • OldBugger on 02/01/2016 - 17:35
    +2

    Now here's an unpopular thought. Once a month, sacrifice one of your days off to work in a casual job. You will be well ahead financially than the status quo and if it's something you like doing, more the better.

    I always think of this when I'm spending time grabbing a deal to save a few bucks. I've yet to take up my own advice.

    • scrimshaw on 02/01/2016 - 18:32
      +2

      I know a woman who works 7 days a week, and has done so for the last 4 years. Got some respect for people who can work endlessly without rest.

      • CletusDB on 06/01/2016 - 22:36

        I currently work 6 days a week and worked 7 full days a week for a bout 5 years

        I was able to save pretty much every cent (excluding a few small gift to myself type purchases) from the 2 day a week job for a $70ishk house deposit in about 3 years (invested some of the money and had a FHSA)

        If you can do something you enjoy (both jobs) then it is a good way to get ahead

    • JoFord63 on 02/01/2016 - 19:50
      +11

      Spending time looking for deals and saving a few bucks IS your casual job, OldBugger. And you do it from the comfort of your own home, at a time of your convenience, without having to talk to anybody, without having to do any unappealing menial tasks, and without having to report to the taxman. All pros, no cons.

      • mmd on 05/01/2016 - 00:30

        +1
        I missed out on many deals due to working extra shifts on sat

    • tonka on 02/01/2016 - 20:12
      +3

      Yeah, I did that right through my 20's. In hindsight I'd say use that time to get fit or improve your education or even network. Any of these things improve your earning potential in your day job and are an investment beyond the $20 odd bucks you could earn at Pizza joints.

      Unless you can get that casual job in something you really love.

      • psdillon on 03/01/2016 - 12:23
        +1

        I agree it's better to focus on increasing your income if you can, whether it's through higher paid work or investments. I know a guy on a meagre salary, who now in his late 30's has managed to acquire 7 investment properties. Hard work now but he'll be able to retire early and comfortably.

      • SaberX on 04/01/2016 - 03:45

        Agreed, unless you can get a casual job on the weekend in a professional job in a different field you might branch off too or are passionate about, it seems better to enjoy your time or improve your knowledge/extra curricular activities than to do a casual job i.e. pizza joint, barista etc, unless that really adds to your enjoyment…. but from a professional career advancing pov i agree with what you said.

  • JoFord63 on 02/01/2016 - 19:13
    +4

    Unclesnake, watch some episodes of Extreme Couponing (USA) on YouTube. While we can't coupon here like they do there, I learnt some valuable lessons which made a huge difference to my spending/saving in 2015.

    Shop the cycles.
    - Some products go on special each month and some every 6-8 weeks. (Tuna is always on special. One week at Coles, the next week at Woolies, etc.)
    - Start scouring the Coles/Woolies/IGA online catalogues each week and pay attention to the postings here on OzB. It won't take long to start seeing how often things go on special.

    Shop the best price.
    - Don't be loyal to one shop. I have been surprised this year that some of my best deals have come from pharmacies rather than supermarkets.
    - Don't be loyal to one brand. You don't necessarily have to go generic, just shop where the best price is on that product, or be open to alternatives.
    - I have to mention it again … get familiar with your online catalogues. Put links on your toolbar. Because the next hint it THE most important thing …
    - When you find a REALLY good special, stock up. Buy enough to last till the next cycle, i.e. till the next time it's on special.

    Shop the seasons.
    - And shop the end-of-seasons. And shop all year. Retailers are doing everything they can to tempt you to buy, you just need to keep an eye out for what's available, for how much, and when. Be prepared and plan ahead. Boxing Day does NOT have the best deals.

  • JoFord63 on 02/01/2016 - 19:43

    Just for clarification …

    • When I say "shop where the best price is on that product", I'm not saying that to trek around each week to each supermarket just to get a few good deals at each of them. I'm allergic to crowds/noise/lights/etc so I rarely go real-world shopping for anything.

    • If you follow the tip about stocking up when things are on special, you generally won't have trouble meeting the "free shipping over $100"-type limits. Put some time into finding out the delivery terms offered by each retailer, e.g. delivery time windows, whether they'll deliver when you're not home etc.

    Oh, I almost forgot the most important thing I learned from watching Extreme Couponing … STACKING deals.
    - In the US, manufacturers publish coupons, retailers publish coupons, stores have double-value-coupon days, etc etc, and often ALL these can be used at the same time, which is called stacking. (The TV show is all about extreme coupon-clipping, extreme coupon-stacking and extreme-craziness, so don't be put off by it.)

    We can't do it at the same level here in Australia, but we can still combine deals to some extent. For example, I stacked all the following in one great deal:
    - used my Entertainment Book membership to buy e-gift cards at 10% off before I shopped
    - used the gift cards to purchase discounted products from a particular brand at a particular department store
    - got a very nice luxury brand gift-with purchase because of what I bought from that brand
    - AND got a very nice gift-with-purchase bag full of goodies because I bought it from that store
    (- and I may have got a Cash Rewards bonus if the deals had been available online).

    • try2bhelpful on 03/01/2016 - 14:27
      +1

      The coupon thing in the states is huge business. When we were in Atlanta you could buy two copies of the local paper at a discount price so people could have twice the coupons. I got a really lovely lambskin jacket where the original 50% discount was stacked with a 20% off the discounted price coupon. By the time you took into account the discount of the original and then added in the state tax it was almost impossible to work out the cost until you got to the cash register. There were things I bought that were 70% off with a 20% discount for coupons - just nuts.

  • Sweet3st on 02/01/2016 - 22:16

    Speaking of stacking, can I ask a newbie FlyBuys question? They sent me some 500 bonus points if you spend $30 at Coles vouchers. Can I pay for the groceries with FlyBuy dollars/ gift cards and still earn the points?

    • kuhari on 03/01/2016 - 13:07

      I have used flybuys dollars & the spend still qualified for the points, a few times. But you have to set your flybuys online account so that you don't get money off for redeeming points when you scan your flybuys card immediately at checkout, you have to redeem your flybuys points online for flybuys dollars & then use them as a form of payment, then the cash register recognises it as a payment, not reward redemption which reduces your spend amount.

      • Sweet3st on 03/01/2016 - 13:26

        Thanks for the reply! I have converted points to flybuy dollars (requires a PIN) and that is how I intended to pay. I thought that was the only way you can redeem points?

        • kuhari on 04/01/2016 - 09:34
          +3

          You can change on your online flybuys account your choice of points redemption. there should be a part, I think its in 'account details', where it says Coles Financial Services, and gives you the option of $10 off your shopping automatically when you have a total of 2000 points accrued.
          Its great if you want regular amounts off when you get to 2000 points, but if you want to save your points, then leave it as 'no'.
          When you do your shopping, check the bottom of your receipts, you should get offers like 'double points', or '1000' points with certain spends. You can use those 'docket deals' at the same time as you scan your flybuys coupons you got in the mail. When you team those two together, and also activate any email offers like triple points offers that you activate via email, you can really add up your points fast, by using three offers in one shop (like stacking coupons).
          I did that (throughout my whole pregnancy when I was pregnant), and chose to let my points accrue instead of getting regular $10 off. Then, when Coles had their lowest specials on Huggies nappies, I converted my points to flybuys dollars, and spent the lot on huggies nappies, and by the time that bub was born, I had a year of free nappies already stockpiled. Now I'm doing it again, and my goal is to get the second year of nappies absolutely free, and will purchase another years of nappies when bub turns 1. Hope this helps :) It has helped me heaps!!!!

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