Around here

Around here "the cost of living" is all doom and gloom and honestly it's really noticeable with prices of everything going up.  The last time I really noticed everything this bad was when it was the GFC [Global Financial Crisis] in 2008 & 2009 [started mid 2007].

Petrol -  Petrol was the one major thing I remember back in 2008 that it cost $60-$70 more to fill my Prado's dual petrol tanks.  We can all relate to the fuel costs at the moment all around the world.  In September our fuel will be going up by 22 cents as the Government halved the excise rates for a period of 6 months however for some reason it doesn't even feel as if we are getting a discount because as soon as this happened the price of fuel went up anyway.  So in the USA petrol is approximately $4.68 USD [$6.96 AUD] a gallon.  It's roughly 4 litres per gallon therefore in Australia 4 litres of petrol at $2.20 is $8.80 AUD so still way dearer than the USA.  

I have long been a fan of doing tasks on the same day and/or in the same area to save on fuel and time so if I know in two days time I'm going to a suburb near the bulk food store I'll save that shopping trip until I'm near there.  It just makes sense and why waste time and money if you know you can do that in a couple of days time if it's not urgent.  There

Electricity - The cost of electricity from 1st July, 2022 went up significantly and I've heard of an increase in 70% more unless you switch.  I've been happy with my electricity provider for many years after not being happy with one of the main players and I keep up to yearly reviews to make sure it's still a good deal.  My current supplier hasn't worked out the new rates until the 1st August so I'm still waiting to do my research.

With the cost of living going up for instance with electricity, it's not as if you are getting better electricity because you change providers.  Electricity is electricity, so I don't understand how it can cost different as the supply is exactly the same.  You don't get anything more for your money so why is the same thing cost more with one provider vs the other.  It's not as if you have one company's lines newer and fancier to your property.  It's all the same you don't get "extra" offered to you like say a streaming service where they might throw in a sport channel for free but the price per month is the same as their competitors.  It doesn't make sense and one company in Australia were actually telling all their customers to go to another company because all the rates were going up and they couldn't supply the electricity at a reasonable price.  What does that tell you!  Crazy.

Car Insurance - This year car insurance has gone up by an increase of 50% on last years premium which is crazy.  I have made no claims during the year and they advised me it's due to supply and demand, increase in the cost of parts, Covid, floods etc. everything is more expensive and hard to get.  I was on the phone to them last week for 35 minutes to see if they could do me a better price or match another company and the answer was no.  I'm not the first to hear of this as I've been a big fan of ringing up and getting a better deal to stay but it appears these days it's very tough and they wouldn't even match the price and even reduce it by $50.

Mobile Phone Plan - I have just come off contract with my mobile phone and I'm always a few years behind in the models so it's affordable.  There is no way I'm paying $1,200-$2,000 for a phone.  I was with Optus for over 25 years and every year for the past 10 years I've checked each year to see if the deal I was on was the best one for me.  My phone is paid off now so I opted for a $120 a year 120GB Sim Card with Kogan which has saved me $360 for the year.  You can keep your same mobile number, order the Sim Card online and when it arrives in the mail go through the steps to change it over.  My advice before you change providers is to back up your phone and jot down a few important mobile numbers of your family and friends.  Years ago we all had an address book with people's phone numbers in them however now they are in our phone and I don't even know my own family's mobiles because I just dial them from my contact list.  So backup your phone, write down some important numbers and switch.  They do all the cancelling with your previous provider.  I understand if you live rurally in Australia this wouldn't be a great option as I think it's with Vodaphone however my IT techie nephew has used them for years so if it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me and saving $360 is worth it.

Groceries - I have been lucky enough to pick up some "markdown" meats from the supermarket to use that day or freeze for the next couple of weeks.  Even saving $2 on a packet of meat makes a difference because after 5 packets if you have saved $10 which can be used for another meal.  It may seem small however it seems that lots of general things at the supermarket have gone up apart from fruit and veggies so even 20 to 50 cents on every item all adds up.  I made a beautiful lasagne with the beef mince and added carrots and zucchini for extra veggies too. 

Cleaning Products - I have written a blog post on what I'm doing by making my own cheaper, non-toxic cleaning products.  I do still use detergent to wash up items in the sink and I have always bought Morning Fresh when it's half price at Woolworths.  So a 400ml bottle is normally $5.00 and I always buy it at around $2.50 and usually but 2 or 3 bottles.  I saw an add for $1.00 a bottle at a chemist which is not near me however it was near to where I was going today so I made the effort to go there and purchase 10 bottles at $1.00 a bottle so at full price 10 bottles would be $50.00 and at half price would be $25.00 and I got 10 bottles for $10.00.  There was nothing on the sign saying there was a limit because I checked [didn't check the catalogue however if there was a limit it should clearly be displayed on the sign too].  When I got to the counter the lady told me it was maximum of 3 bottles per person.  I explained I had driven over there especially for these items so she kindly put them through 4 dockets [3 bottles at a time and the final 1 bottle].  Their cash register was obviously set up for the discount however I was grateful she did that for me saving me $40 off the normal price.  I won't need to be buying it even at half price at the supermarket.

Garden - I've planted some lettuce, bok choy, corriander, spring onions, chilies so far and need to weed another garden bed.  I also need to start raise some seeds a few things to save some money at the supermarket particularly with herbs that can be $3-$4 and don't last in the fridge.  It's better to pick fresh from the garden when needed and it makes me feel great when I have some veggies on the go in the garden.  Top priority given also the price of vegetables at the moment.

Wendy from My Abundant Life has heaps of tips and tricks on keeping the cost of living down.  I first saw her on A Current Affair [Australian TV Show] years ago and was very intrigued and I can tell you she is very very thrifty.  She also posted this blog post about "not being poor".  They have saved cash to put in a brand new kitchen, they go on an annual holiday and they eat really well.  It's all about making your dollar work for you and also often you may find people on huge salaries live pay day to pay day because life style creep comes in when they get a pay rise.  At the end of the day if you have $3000 a month or $7,000 a month you can still only allocate that money to things that you value.  Another blog post "The Frugal Life is it Worth it"

Clothes - Op shopping is very on trend and whilst saving money in your pocket you are helping out charities which in turn helps the really needy.  My daughter bought 5 items the other day for $13.50 and was very happy.  She has a part time job and is an amazing saver but loves buying op shop clothes.  I bought a red dress last Christmas for $6 and in summer wear it all the time and feel great.  My son also goes op-shopping with his friends as well and he bought a really nice pair of pants/trousers for $8.  Spending your money wisely and saving where you can is a great way to go about it.