I recently bought a power bank for travel but what I am doing now is charging the power bank at work so that I dont have to use my electricity at home to charge our mobiles and ipads.
I also turn off the gas booster to my solar hot water on sunny days so all my hot water is free…..when the sun is out.
What do you do to save $$
WOW, Thank you all for replying. I didn't expect such a response.
What a community!
Some great ideas and some funny comments too.
Thank You
When you arrive - "Welcome, welcome"
When you leave - "Not him again. He always rocks up unexpectedly on dinner time, empty handed and without notice. Should we pretend were not home next time?"
Families can put up with that (for a while) but your friendships mustn't last very long.
I think I've shared this before on Ozbargain, but getting home from dinner sometimes wife goes to toilet I would ask her not to flush as I just piss in it afterwards and save a flush of water.
I also rinse rice and wash veggies in a bucket that's used for plants, in summer
Yep. In our house we don't flush the water at night (if just urinating).
Flushing is also pretty noisy and might wake others up.
If it's brown, flush it down. If it's yellow, let it mellow.
I just had this vivid mental image of you 'washing' the rice and veggies in the brown toilet water. Ewwww.
Bought a bag of mixed peppercorns and rock salt and separated it by hand because it was cheaper than buying a bag of each.
I reckon a quicker method would be to dump it all in a container of water. Scoop oit the peppercorns, which should float, then evaporate the salt water to restore the salt crystals! ;)
Good technique! Mine was to put them in a container and angle it slightly. The peppercorns were more round so they rolled to one end while the rock salt stayed in place.
I dilute glasses of milk with water for cheaper 'light milk'.
Only thing is, you're also diluting the nutritional content, not just the fat.
IIRC, skim, low fat and full fat milks have around the same amount of calcium.
If you're not concerned about that and just do it for taste, then it's a good idea.. but yeah…
Indeed, though in all seriousness the reason I do it is because I like the taste of milk generally but often experience gastric issues indulging in it, especially in the morning.
IBS
Refilling expensive brand name bottles of alcohol with Aldi house brand alcohol especially for my in laws and for Friday drinks at work. E.g. refilling a Hennessy bottle with baroque brandy and home brew beer in used imported beer bottles for my father and brothers in law or refilling Disaronno amaretto ,also Midori and grey goose vodka for my sisters in law and mother in law.
When they are giving away freebies at like a train station or something, I try going to each person there to get another freebie then I have something to snack on/drink either in my break or something to have at home
I never use condoms, I just use the pullout method. only stuffed it up twice, hmmm… so maybe not so cheap.
I do flight arrivals at airport and I get free food on board
Pinched all the hotel soap while i was overseas a while back. At first it was just for backup incase the next hotel didnt have any. Then for a laugh, then a hoard/habit. By a month in and I had to travel my suitcase was overweight and so I removed the "hotel soap bag" and tossed it. The bag weighed about 2.5kg. Never again :)
Now I just take 1-2 extra incase the next hotel doesn't have any and leave the rest behind.
I've sadly got addicted to those self serve car washes. Not a good savings measure i know but the pressure hose is too much fun and i live in an apartment block without a space to wash the car. However, I refuse to put in enough cash to adequately wash my car and keep getting caught with the timer running out in the rinse cycle. So i end up having to drive down the road and rinse the excess off at the servo using the water.
If you've insufficient space, adopt a 'rinseless' wash method. See the Detail Paradise forums for further info.
Thanks looks interesting. Found any good deals on rinse free wash ? What product do you use?
Spray with high pressure soap then wipe down car with no name chux/wipes then finish off with pressure hose rinse,also check the cost of these car wash places one near me is $1.50 for 1.5 minutes another is $1.50 for 3 minutes
Painted my nails to get free burgers at grill'd.
Created a "Sam" in uber to get free rides to work for a week, saving in public transport costs.
Used the atm at 7/11 for a balance enquiry (ING, no fees). Printed the receipt. $2 coffee for $1.
Later, improved on that one. Just grabbed a receipt out of the bin each time.
I used to just use whiteboard markers from work to pretend I painted nails and rub em off immediately after ordering.
There was a story years back about an older lady who recycled almost everything. Edit; the story was a long time ago but I just have this vague recollection of recoiling at the sorts of things this poor old sausage was actually going without.
Saving money is one thing but even in Australia which has relatively high living expenses you can still get by on a low income and not live with totally deplorable standards fortunately, but I’d assume that you’d largely go without luxuries, which is all relative anyway.
Hmm, interestingly… reading all these posts. You may have saved on actual dollars, although at a considerable expense of your own time? Is your time worth nothing? :D
Buy Groupon vouchers and in the event that merchants miss out scanning,go back after a few days and use it again(or maybe again…).
Idk if your method is even worth it… I'll assume an efficient Xiaomi power bank, say their 20,000mAh. It can store 74Wh. After losses we'll say 65Wh of charge provided to your devices.
We'll assume you get 500 cycles out of the PowerBank. That's a total of 32.5kWh. Even on the most expensive power plans in the most expensive place for power in the world, that's around $15. The PowerBank costs $30+.
tl;Dr: it's literally not worth the power cycle of the PowerBank to save the 65Wh.
Edit: I didn't consider the fact wall chargers aren't efficient… But even if we say it's 50kWh saved, same situation - the power degradation on the battery is worth more than the power saved.
I thought that too….
Filling 10L buckets with collected rainwater and bringing it into the house toilet to refill flushes. Great cost saving strategy but gets surprised looks from guests every time.
You can have that plumbed in I believe.. But that would require spending money
Particularly when you go in to flush with your bucket right before they finish.
saves about 5 Cents per bucket
Twice I used items from minibars in hotels and replenished them next day. No hefty bill.
lol, saving money in hotels… sleep in the car.
That's what we (2 people) did on a road trip around Tasmania (in a small car). It was fun and amazing to see the sunrise/set at a different natural wonder every day. Just park near a public toilet at night. Very convenient to have all your property in arms reach as well. It's also pleasantly surprising how many public shower Tasmania has.
You're in your 20s aren't you.
I re use my dental floss. Use it, sit it on the side of the sink and keep using until it's too frayed. You can get 3-5 days of use out of it most of the time. At, say, $3 per 100m and using 50cm at a time, I figure I save 1.5c per day
Is that hygienic? Don't wanna get infected gums so I don't think I want to replicate this lifehack. Infected gums really hurt
Purchased 2 second hand toilets for a property renovation. Both for 50 bucks total. Pristine clean too :)
Reading a lot of these makes me feel a little wasteful lol. But taking toilet paper from work? I wouldn't even bother touching my behind with that sandpaper, I only buy 4-ply embossed, and only use 4 squares a day, no need to save money there, I've always wondered how people use so much. Best thing I ever did was take home a damaged carton of 72L garbage bags from work, 6 years later and I only just ran out!
what about serviettes ?
they are pretty ok to my bottom.
So before Masters closed down, they had decided to renovate their stores and give them a modern/different look to attract customers.
Anyways, the stores undergoing renovation used to discount various items massively $50 item for $10. So, I used to buy it at one store and return it to another store without receipt. The policy they had was if you dont have a receipt money is returned on the gift card. And each store didnt run the same discount. So I used to get refund for $50 as a gift card which I used to buy groceries at woolworths. I believe I was responsible for Masters closing.
I believe there's a word for this, fraud comes to mind… Lol
I have the popcorn boxes and softdrink cup one each each cinema. I make the popcorn at home and fill the cup with my soda and take it to the movies. Bring the box/cup back home wash and reuse. If you are opportunistic look for clean popcorn boxes lying around to take home. Doing my bit for the environment
Last time I went to the movies I just made microwave popcorn at home, and put that, some soft drink and lollies into a bag and brought it in with me at the cinema. I don't think they have a no outside food policy, just no "hot food", as far as I know.
And honestly, are they going to say you can't bring a bottle of coke in from outside? I would just say here's my movie ticket, mind your own business. They can have all the policies they want, doesn't mean you have to follow them. What are they going to do call the police because you brought in a soft drink?
Used my adult myki in the morning (where there are ticket inspectors in city loop stations), and used my concession myki on the way home because there are never ticket inspectors at my home station in the evening. Saved $2/day
Wouldn't you save half your fare instead by buying a pass?
why bother using the concession myki. I assume it is to get through the gates but you will still be fined if a ticket inspector asks to see a valid ticket and you are unable to provide a concession card.
I have a Freedom staff discount card (50% off at full retail)
So here is what I do to increase my overall discount.
Buy woolworths wish cards at 5% discount with my Amex Platinum Edge card. 3 points per $1. I use the points for big discounts on business class travel…..it takes a while but i get there eventually
Use wish cards to buy Freedom gift cards when on sale at Woolworths, normally 10% discount.
Stingy or not?
WOW,50% off for staff.The profit margin is unbelievable.Thank you for letting us know!
Who said anything about profit margin?
I said I get 50% discount and I only get this because I have worked there for over 15 years
It must be a huge shock to all that retail stores mark up their product…..not
It's pretty standard for places retailers to mark up their prices by 100% of the cost price.
100%? Probably more in places like Freedom.
Yep, cost of rent and cost of staffing are often a lot more than the actual product, I was doing some work once and looking in through the window I saw the boardroom for a well-known bag retailer that had stock samples with the cost and retail price on them on a rack, the markups averaged about 1000%
@Baghern: No, I imagine theirs would likely be more. The one I saw is more handbags wallets etc and at most reasonable size shopping centres, the cost price on most things was around $3-$9.
If I want cool drink, I never buy at shopping center, just go to the parent room and there is the cool drink.
why a neg vote on this?
I empty the soap from the bathroom at work into an empty milk carton and send that milk carton to Ethiopia. It keeps a family of 12 clean for a month
Clean from inside after drinking it.
I fill up Jerry cans of fuel when it is at the low cycle, just before it shoots up.
I also bring said Jerry cans when going on long trips, as rural fuel tends to be more expensive.
Initial investment of $16 each can (I have 2) and saves $4 (the average difference in the price of fuel when I need it) each cycle per can.
Very handy since the cycles have now gotten so long I can't last till the next cycle (even with the 7-11 app!).
On an unrelated note you should check out my 7-11 receipts showing savings of almost $20 on a fill up.
You only carry around 8 litres of fuel?
IDK about your car but my tank is 60L and I generally fill up when it is half way (30L) because my fuel gauge is broken. I might look into this but it seems only enough for 'emergency fuel'.
8L?
Each can is rated 20L (I can squeeze 25L), plus I commandeered another 2x 10L cans, but I don't really need to use those unless I'm travelling.
20L x $0.20/L = $4 per cycle.
I usually save more on the first can (it will be closer to the top of the cycle) and less on the 2nd can, and I considered a 3rd, but I calculated it would take a very very long time to recoup the cost of the can so I didn't. (this was before I found another 2x10L cans)
That's handy to know. I might buy a few 20L jerry cans from SCA and store them in the boot of my car. I will need to make sure there are no dangers carrying fuel in the car.
Worst case is that if you get into an accident, the extra fuel will keep you warm for the rest of your life.
Snapped most of the stalk off the brocolli in the supermarket:/
never tear open a letter, use knife to surgically remove content from letter, then reuse envelopes with cooked rice to seal :)
Raised by parents who reused printed papers as note pad, I used to re-use sticky notes. That was until one of my former companies screwed me hard until I got into depression.
Now I am not so thrifty with paper, instead I just go almost paperless in my current job. Going digital.
Claiming some offers repeatedly. Technically your not supposed to of course (though Im not 100% sure, as who really reads all terms and conditions of every offer) .
Many offers you just require a secondary email. Or just uninstall then reinstall an app etc . Muffin break is good for free coffees free muffins (free muffin birthday, free coffee on sign up) . Red rooster is same, free meal on birthday month (can say its your birthday any day) plus $5 credit sign up in app (or using card).
If they are nice about giving away the freebies etc, i almost always support the business later when i have money.
Can also eat for free forever at hungry jacks . I dont know why people go hungry. Its not great nutrition, but it is OK food . Just complete survey from receipt, get free hamburger for doing it. Then repeat. I think the managers etc get kudos from their bosses if they get good feedback in the surveys. Our local HJ managers usually would give us a receipt for the free burger we collected, then just do the survey again.
Certainly not a recommendation for healthy diet, however… when your hungry and cannot afford anything else. Its an OK tasting free feed.
Tip for hungry poor/broke ppl who might read this … customise the bbq cheeseburger they issue by default, eg. Change sauce, even add tomato, etc . I once even turned one into a veggie pattie burger (just paying for the veggie pattie as an extra)
You still have to purchase something to get the free burger so it's not really "eat free forever". But it's only $1 for a drink or side of chips. I do this once a week. It's my fast food treat.
If the staff there are nice (which they usually want to be extra nice if you give them positive feedback to their bosses via survey) then they are happy to give receipt without buying anything.
ie. They offer me and my friends a receipt when we collect the free burger. Or they can give you a receipt for a ketchup (also free) .
I think manners go a long way really. Be nice to the staff and they will usually be more than happy to give away free stuff. It doesn't cost the staff anything , and manners are free for you to serve up 😉 . So its a win win
Hmmm. I don't think Hungry Jacks staff are going to be "nice" for long if you became the scab that goes there everyday and doesn't spend any money. If the shoe was on the other foot I'd be thinking "damn, not this time waster again, trying to get some freebies. Get a job you bum". Manners will only get you so far. Good luck with your HJ exploits.
@87andcry:
Try using manners, you'd be surprised. And good customer service builds a customer base. Its basic marketing really.
And what makes you think that i dont spend money there ? What makes you think i dont have a job ?
Your obviously ignorant and making false assumptions.
You obviously have no manners, hence your ignorant to the benefits of being well mannered.
So enjoy trolling buddy. Im sure being a rude and ignorant troll will get you far in life
I buy the large dental sticks for my small dog. It's $3 for a packet of 7 sticks.
They have two products - one for large dogs and one for small dogs.
It's the exact same product except the large sticks are longer and have more grams per dollar value.
I buy the large sticks and easily snap them in half for small my dog. That way he gets 14 sticks out of the packet.
It's a no-brainer really.
It's a similar thing with children's liquid panadol/nurofen…Labels say different ages and bottles of different sizes, but it's the same stuff inside.
The baby one is significantly higher strength so that you only need to give them a few drops.
Sorry, let me clarify. Nurofen 3m+ is 200mg/5ml, 1-5yr is 100mg/5ml and 5-12yr is 200mg/5ml.
The 3m+ bottle and the 5-12yr bottle have the exact same dosage table on the labels/boxes.
http://www.nurofen.com.au/infants-children/
I asked RB why they did this and they could not give me a valid reason.
If you were a dinkum no-brainer Ozbargainer, you'd be having a chew on those dog sticks yourself to save any future trips to the dentist.
i worked with some guys that would steal the toilet paper, coffee, sugar, tea from work to save dollars
I banned my children from buying bottled mineral water that cost $3.50 for 6yrs when I have housing loan repayment. Now everything goes!
Only use $0.01 usb led light with powerbank for eating, shower, and carry wherever I need the light at home. Also the cheap xiaomi fan with powerbank instead of using aircon when it's getting hot. My utility bill has been very low and they even suspected the meter was broken and sent someone to check.
That's incredible. Living off the grid with a powerbank and a few Xiomi accessories.
Discarded pizza boxes are an inexpensive source of cheese.
When ING had the 2% cash back i used to offer to 'pay by card' due tp difficulties splinting bills every time i'd go out for dinner with friends to get the cash back and they would pay me the cost of there meal in cash or bank transfer…
would save a dollar or so every time i went out
also do this for group bookings i use cashrewards i always offer to booking hotels/flights etc because if you got enough people you can cash back a fair bit of cash
That works well for Hotels.com.
stay 10 nights and you get 1 free.
i use this with cash rewards to discount the rooms for the people wanting to book and i get the free night!
I don't scan the bags when at woolies lol
Downvote all you like, there are no signs or price tags on the bags at my woolies :P lmao
I drink work supplied instant coffee instead of buying a coffee. Save $4 everyday.
I sometimes eat breakfast at work and use work's milk. Not only do I save milk, it also makes me come in earlier which the bosses like. (Also save on a little bit of soap and water to wash up.)
On weekdays I make meals that can be brought to work the following day. Save $10 there.
We once bought a cow's heart to play a practical joke on a dude from work sleeping with a butcher's wife. (stabbed a note from the butcher through it with a knife) A guy asked if he could take the heart home to feed it to his cat.
some of the things i used to do
done this everyday over 3 years to save up for a house deposit, while some young-uns are complaining about missing smash avos or sharing with parents on smh. hah!
Ruler + toothpaste tube is more effective!
i have the same tuna, veg, noodle meal also. I go with the homebrand aldi 5 back (about 90c total) and just flavour it up with the flavoured tuna.
Officeworks Glebe in Sydney used to charge $2 for parking, but would reimburse you the $2 if you bought something and showed them the parking machine receipt. Most people did not understand this, so there would always be receipts left in or near the machine. There was free 1 hour street parking outside. So I'd park outside, walk in through the car park, collect 1 or 2 receipts, and always get reimbursed someone else's $2. If my wife was there, we'd both do it. It got to the stage that anytime I saw an officeworks price, my mind would automatically subtract $2 from the price. Unfortunately they've changed it since to just have free parking for customers :-/
i would've so abuse that…. buy a $0.4 item and reimburse the $2 …
I ported my mobile phone number every month in the last 24 months in order to consume my prepaid starter kit (Cost $1-$10)
Which carriers have prepaid for $1-10 each month that you port back in?
Just pitch up often to a family members house or a mates house at dinner time and get a free feed…