Please Suggest Ways of Savings in Regular Expenses

welcomeUniverseWorld on 07/10/2024 - 15:21
Last edited 07/10/2024 - 19:21

Our family consists of me, my wife, and our toddler. Please suggest whatever way I can save. We are struggling in finance stuffs. Below are some of the utilities I regularly pay:

Utilities

*AGL gas - $371/last 3 months => Switched to cheaper plan using same AGL. Might look to move again in Jan
*AGL electricity - $773/ last 3 months => Switched to cheaper plan using same AGL. Might look to move again in Jan

Private Health Insurance

*Medibank - $384.33/monthly

Mobile prepaid plans

*Belong for me - $26/month (Need abilities to call Canada and Bangladesh on regular basis. Not much data or other things needed) => Bought Lebara $199/yearly deal. Will activate it end of month when Belong expires

Broadband

*uniti broadband - 89.76/month (We get 100/20 speed on a 24 month contract. We are on 12 month right now)

Car related

*NRMA Road Side Assist - 134.00/yearly => $12/monthly
*NRMA Comprehensive -242.55/month
* Rego renewal (Do not remember)
* Pink Slip (Do not remember)
* Green slip - 499.60/yearly
* Servicing every 6 months (Do not remember)
* License renewal (Do not remember)

Others

  • open ai chatgpt
  • scribe - $34/month (Used at work)
  • amazon prime - $79/yearly => ~$7/monthly (We get many of our monthly deliverables here on cheaper cost)
  • apple monthly - ~$10/month (I get abilities for many anon emails…)
  • optus kayo. - $25/month
  • grammarly - $96/yearly => ~8/month
  • woolies -$60/yearly => $5/month
  • coles- $19/month
  • tweetdeete -~6/month

Edit:
I had gas and electricity bill switched when I wrote it. I updated it. I have crossed out the ones I already cancelled & added more comments of updates

Financial

Comments

  • rogerwilko on 08/10/2024 - 15:11
    +4

    Oddly enough, the woolies everyday extra seems to be the one to keep to save money. Use it wisely though.

    • koplik8 on 08/10/2024 - 17:49
      +2

      That's what I was going to post. Last year during black Friday sales it was half price to sign up. A big way to save money to to reduce the number of trips to the supermarket. Every time you go you end up putting extra items in the trolley. Take a list and stick to it. I use the WW app and add items in as we run out. I stack the monthly 10% off with the 4% off WW gift cards. I do click and collect to stop the temptation of putting extras in the trolley. To save more money you could swap out stuff for homebrand. You know the big companies make most of those products anyway. I worked for Lion (Pura/ Dairy Farmers) and we made most of the fresh homebrand white milk.

      When my home loan was about to in the final stages it was close to when I need to go food shopping. I would see if I could wait just one extra week and live out of the fridge/ pantry. Then I made it to the end. So I tried to make it stretch another week. You get pretty resourceful and use up all that stuff that has just been sitting there. Then try for another week. See how long you can go. You would be surprised that most of the time you go food shopping and you actually still have stuff in the fridge or cupboard.

      The biggest ways to save are on your NBN and your mobile phones. They are the two that people seem to never shop around for.

  • CheapGPT on 08/10/2024 - 21:03
    +2

    Please check HCF for health insurance. Also, review if you need extras that you haven’t used or won’t be using in near future & choose extras cover accordingly.
    For car insurance, there are options which provide Road side assist with comprehensive cover eg. AAMI.
    For energy, Lumo or Alinta may have better options.
    For NBN, you can get better deal with More NBN if you have CBA account else change NBN every 6 months to get promo offer.
    Use Cashrewards or topcashback for further savings on the deals.

  • financialminimalism on 08/10/2024 - 23:18
    -1

    You shouldn't be spending that much on your car insurance. $3k a year for an 8 year old Rav4 is a lot.
    I did a quote for you on budget direct (Quote #N4JAV0701) and it came to $1.1k… there's an extra $2k back in your pocket, along with getting your card serviced at MyCar which gives you free roadside assistance, that saves you another $130/year. But to be honest, I'd just cancel the roadside assistance anyway…. you drive a Toyota - you don't need it… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43MLpdniz_o (one of my favourite ads ever made).

  • payless69 on 09/10/2024 - 12:02
    -1

    I get my free coffee at Hardly Normal Coffee demos.
    So I can block some of their in front of door click and collect parking spots.
    Gives me time to tell them how to play GG against JB to rock bottom out and then get a pricebeat from OW lowering working junk even lower and get an actual warranty.
    If I show them enough interest on how good their TV's supposed to be they usually reverse every marching order they have given me….

  • greenslade on 09/10/2024 - 12:08

    Regarding health insurance: Australia has one of the absolute best public health systems in the world. Most people in Australia don't need private health insurance unless they have specific conditions to be concerned about. As others have mentioned, if it's genuinely cost-effective for you as a tax write-off, it may make financial sense - but OP would need to have a combined household income of over $186k per annum to be charged the levy, which would put them in the top 20% of household income (source: https://grattan.edu.au/news/what-do-australians-earn-and-own…), and an income that high doesn't really square with OP's self-description of 'struggling financially'. If you earn that much, you aren't actually "struggling" - time to get some perspective on what struggling on the poverty line really looks like.

  • pformag on 09/10/2024 - 12:38

    I assume your Medibank includes obstetrics, might want to go down to bronze cover, which will half your yearly rate.

  • Dose Pipe Sutututu on 09/10/2024 - 13:57

    Get rid of road side assist if the car is relatively new and you don't do any long trips.

    Jack up insurance excess to reduce your premiums, in the past 10 years, how many times have you actually claimed?

    Are you with CBA? They have decent MORE NBN plans that are cheap.

  • pformag on 09/10/2024 - 14:15
    +1

    If you don't game, get 5g Home through TPG. $64/ month.

    • JakeyJooJoo on 10/10/2024 - 09:16

      Home 5g is pretty balls, I tried both optus and Vodafone, really close to the cell tower. Couldn't reliably do video calls. Wouldn't just cut in and out half the time

      • pformag on 10/10/2024 - 15:30

        I had optus for a year, and had issues. TPG has been great for the last 6months. 300m from the tower. Can stream 4k in multiple devices at once without buffer. Even watch NFL via on NFL App with NORD VPN works great

  • dufflover on 09/10/2024 - 16:21
    +3

    You don't really mention daily habits like petrol or commute costs, eating out dinners or people who buy that daily coffee or work lunch. Those add up really quick.
    Some can't do much about but helps with the whole picture.

  • Hangryuman on 09/10/2024 - 17:33
    +1

    'amazon prime - $79/yearly => ~$7/monthly (We get many of our monthly deliverables here on cheaper cost)'

    begs the question - how much are you spending on Amazon deliverables ? - those easy-click bargains can add up if unconscious spending

    old school - I once carried a pocket spiral notepad and pen and wrote down everything I spent for a month - then collated it into a spreadsheet - you could probably use bank apps for that these days unless you use cash - anyhoo the point was it identified areas of spending that otherwise went unnoticed - those quick over-the-counter cappuccini and muffins, takeaway lunches, passing snacks, and impulse buys.

    Changing jobs, I happened to have a work-paid financial advisor appointment and showed him my spreadsheet - and he went 'wow - I've never seen anything as detailed as this - may I take a photocopy !?' - I went 'sure …' - thinking I'm glad I'm not paying for this guy's experience and expertise …

  • Discoaus on 09/10/2024 - 18:24

    Internet almost every nbn provider has a 6 or 9 month discount plan, most 100/20 plans are currently around 60-70 for first 6 months. Consider changing and then when your time frame is up, find a new nbn plan for the similar discount price.

    Electricity- weigh up your general usage, supply and hot water pricing and your current use and check these against other providers. A higher supply rate at one company may have better general usage rates and outweigh the higher daily supply costs and vice versa. Energy is person dependent, if you have solar etc etc

    Private health consider if you need extras, and if so, which ones matter to you. Your hospital cover and extras don't need to be with the same provider, I have my hosp with nib, and extras with ahm. As they provide the extras I want, and the hosp cover provides similar things at a lower rate than the others I checked with.

    Car insurance get quotes from every company, weigh up the pricing the the extras they supply, consider trying to pay annually as most/some companies will charge an absorbent more when doing monthly, but some may charge same rate as annual when you add it up.

    My two cents. Take it how you wish

    • Ibz on 10/10/2024 - 12:27

      Agreed on broadband. Leaptel 100/20 is $75pm for 12 months. Or Exetel 50/20 is $64pm for 6 months and then $80. Reason for going 50/20 on Exetel is that it has 5 free speed boosts a month anyway for when you need it

  • AustriaBargain on 10/10/2024 - 01:59
    +1

    I'd look at boosting your income somehow.

  • viper8548 on 10/10/2024 - 03:09
    +2

    Sorry but how do you rack up $700+ electricity per quarter, do you have ac turned on 24/7 regardless of the weather?
    For me 2 person home only costs 200 per quarter

  • lainey13 on 10/10/2024 - 07:44

    You didnt mention your grocery and housing expenses which are arguably a lot more than the ones listed. You can definitely save on those

  • brawndo on 10/10/2024 - 08:07

    Cancel your Amazon subscription so you stop buying stuff you don't need

  • SpendLess on 10/10/2024 - 10:52
    +1

    if you really need Road side assist then try Road Services 24/7 its like $79 a year for 4 call outs a year.
    I doubt anyone would use more than 4 call out a year.

    https://247roadservices.com.au/roadside-assistance-cars/

  • bethepro on 10/10/2024 - 11:30

    This most likely has been stated - but how are you using your electrcity and gas in the house? I assumed most of these bills would be made up with heating or cooling. What types of heating/cooling systems do you utilise? What other appliances are energy intensive in the house? Also - for my home internet - I use my personal Telstra Mobile plan (as you can data share thus I have another sim at home which I put into a modem router). I pay $ 85 per month which gets me 5G speeds with 190gb. It's awesome and the speeds are good - even to watch live sport (that being said I live in inner Melbourne or/and Ballarat). Ballarat actually has better 5G speeds than Melbourne in my opinion - I think the reason it because the network up in Ballarat is not saturated. The other question is how you spend your money? Is there any areas that you could cut down? I'm a thrifter - and always buy stuff second-hand (appliances, tools) and never do impulsive buys. Finally, do you own your house? If so - insulation and eliminating heat losses is crucial. Also - why do you need such amazing car insurance? I assume your car is a premium model? And do you need 6-month servicing for your car? That's pretty excessive. I do my own car maintenance - learnt it by myself.

  • drprox on 10/10/2024 - 12:11
    +1

    Get a worse car and 3rd party because holy shit $242 a month!?

  • ratman on 10/10/2024 - 12:28

    Ditch comprehensive insurance for your car, and PHI. Both useless money pits if you can drive and don't have serious preexisting conditions.

  • Metre on 10/10/2024 - 13:33
    +1

    Tbh there isn’t much savings to be had, if you or your partner has the time and energy, find a side hustle to increase your earnings.

  • mecusherb on 10/10/2024 - 16:19

    This might seem counter-intuitive as you're looking to not spend money but I would seriously consider using YNAB as a budgeting tool.

    I think it's about $180 a year now but you will save more than that by some massive margins if used properly.

    I use it now and this week I really can only buy groceries until next pay day (even though my bank balance looks healthy) - no eating out, no booze, no ozbargain deals for the next 6 days at least.

  • Darude Sandstorm on 10/10/2024 - 17:28

    Your electricity usage is high, not sure how, I have 5 people wfh at mine at $150 a month, gas is substantially more due to heating.

    • Some Human on 10/10/2024 - 19:16

      My electricity is about $180 per month for 1 person because i only have electricity and i leave the split system heater running almost all winter (because my cat gets cold)

      I'm guessing OP does the same, but maybe has it on a higher heat setting.

      • park on 10/10/2024 - 23:30
        +1

        Mine is about $75 per month for one person, only electricity, and a sparingly used split system. Get an electric heat pad for the catto and it'll pay for itself within a couple of weeks.

  • fruxo on 10/10/2024 - 19:27
    +2

    These expenses looks to be a drop in the bucket. What you need to look at is groceries, lunch, doordash etc. Food related expenses is a killer and usually where people have no idea how much they are actually spending.

    Personal spendings and entertainment can also add up pending on what kind of person you are.

    There's the mortgage/rent as well, which I understand is not something that you can always easily do anything about, but might be worth considering if it's significantly above your means.

    From the list you mentioned, the car insurance looks high though at $3000/year. You should shop around there.

  • Vash1984 on 10/10/2024 - 21:47

    I blocked all my heating vents except for main room. I also wear oodies and thick pants to keep me warm. I used to use a smaller fan heater for my feet but now changed to small electric for blanket.
    Your electricity seems very high for small family. You washing clothes too frequently and using the dryer? Or are you using electric heaters?

    • ReaperX22 on 11/10/2024 - 12:00

      I've got a mate who was also racking up ~700 dollar electricity bills. Doesn't make sense to me.

      We're a 2 person household and he was (til this week) living solo. We're always sub 500, and we have Guinea Pigs and run the washing machine more than most others would as a result (their toggles/fleece mats get done every other day).

      I have to assume people are over using AC units constantly.

      • Vash1984 on 11/10/2024 - 17:21

        I have 4 people, 2 dogs, 1 rabbit. I only have one solar panel for gas water. $700 is insane for 2 people.

  • ttt888 on 10/10/2024 - 22:23
    +1

    Wow your initial expenses list ( before u start crossing them off) are higher than my family.

    • welcomeUniverseWorld on 11/10/2024 - 20:27
      -1

      Apology. I had no intention to show off. I am freaking poor. And trying best to gain my life back

  • Pufff on 11/10/2024 - 07:56

    Focus on big ticket items where applicable:
    - Mortgage
    - Vices like drugs, alcohol, s3x, gambling

    • Cluster on 11/10/2024 - 11:44

      If your s3x is expensive you're doing it wrong.

      And indeed, focus on the mortgage. People will sweat the small stuff while blowing $60k per year in interest on the average Sydney or Melbourne home.

      • Hangryuman on 11/10/2024 - 12:58
        +2

        'If your s3x is expensive you're doing it wrong'

        If the seggs is free, the man will pay in other ways

        men pay prostitutes so they will leave, otherwise a woman can tend to stick around, and cost you for the rest of your life … capiche ?

        • Pufff on 11/10/2024 - 13:36
          +1

          Lol

    • welcomeUniverseWorld on 11/10/2024 - 20:28

      I rent.
      No drugs. No alcohol.
      Love to eat.
      Haven’t had sex for years and years.
      No gambling but hodling BTc.

  • welcomeUniverseWorld on 11/10/2024 - 13:01
    +4

    Wow. I am so happy to see so many comments. I am going through all the comments. I am going through all my expenses. My goal is for substantial decrease in spending before end of this month. I really appreciate every one of the comments. I do hope to return back with an update. And, I hope for a good update

    • ReaperX22 on 11/10/2024 - 14:57
      +1

      I gotta know what's killing your power use. That's huge. Gas seems high too?? Like is your water gas heated? In which case, why is the electricity bill so high?

      Heavy AC use? Or just a larger/older house? (maybe with older style globes always on etc..?)

      Genuinely curious!

      • welcomeUniverseWorld on 11/10/2024 - 18:11

        I am not sure. Honestly, I do not know. I am going one by one. You eat an elephant one bite at a time. And I have started with the small first. Going one by one. Irrespective of whatever is my income (which is not substaintial), I would like a full overhaul of my expenses. I am keeping an eye for this month to see what is costing so much on Electricity etc.

        • ReaperX22 on 11/10/2024 - 18:18
          +1

          Yeah interesting. Goodluck! Maybe you can post back an update in a couple months to see how total expenditure has dropped! Would be interesting to see.

          I know that our biggest spend is eating food outside! Or ordering etc. Sometimes just so lazy… Haha.

  • this is us on 11/10/2024 - 18:23

    apple monthly - ~$10/month (I get abilities for many anon emails…)

    You can buy a domain for a few dollars/year and create multiple emails

    There is definitely something wrong with your electricity bill. Check what's causing that to solve the problem.

    • welcomeUniverseWorld on 11/10/2024 - 20:26

      When I am about to register to some random sites, it would auto populate with a random anon email and password and save it for me. That is very handy.

      • this is us on 14/10/2024 - 01:28

        And you pay $10 monthly for that… I thought you were on Ozbargain asking how to stop spending unnecessary money.

        You decide where to put your money.

  • Munki on 12/10/2024 - 03:40
    -1

    Are you running a hydroponic cannabis farm in your house? $700+ per quarter?!

  • inasero on 18/10/2024 - 06:55

    Do you have any car repayments?

    What are your food and dining/entertainment expenses?

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