8 Ways to Save Money in Australia

If you’re feeling the pinch when it comes to spending, not just on luxuries but on the bare essentials too, here are 8 easy ways to save money and still enjoy a decent quality of life. Of course everyone’s circumstances are going to be vastly different, but hopefully there are some things on this list that might help you save the pennies (or cents really!) and enjoy your study in OZ.

Loyalty Cards

If you haven’t already signed up to loyalty cards in stores you regularly shop in, you’re missing out on free money! Coles and Woolworths both offer loyalty programs where for every dollar you spend, you earn a point. On top of this, they send out vouchers for extra points if you spend a certain amount or buy certain products. If you’re already spending that amount or it’s a product that’s on your list, perfect!

Fuel Vouchers

Discount fuel vouchers can be earned at Woolworths, Coles and IGA. Each supermarket is linked to specific fuel stations; Coles is linked with Shell, Woolworths with Caltex and IGA with Puma (Do take note that such deals may change and not all fuel stations are linked to supermarkets though so check this before you start filling up).

Shop Around

Shopping around for the best deals on your weekly grocery shop can result in fantastic savings. Of course this will depend on what you are and aren’t prepared to switch to and what kind of goods you are buying. From personal experience, when I shopped only at Coles or Woolworths, I would easily spend a minimum of $70 a week for myself (disclaimer – I don’t eat red meat, only chicken and fish) and sometimes up to $100 depending what we needed that week.

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Scoopon

A good deals website is Scoopon – you can look through and see if there are any things you want to do or places you want to go which have vouchers available and then buy a voucher. Sign up for the emails and get the offers delivered straight to your inbox.

Groupon

Another deals website, Groupon has local deals too – just pop in your location and they’ll tell you what deals are available in your area.

Birthday Freebies

Did you know that lots of places offer freebies when it’s your birthday? Most have conditions, such as being a club member or having a certain number of days to claim your freebie but they are so worth it! Some of my favourites include free churros for 2 at San Churros, a free Boost juice, a free Cold Rock ice cream and a free meal from Nandos. (Again, promotions and deals like these may vary or change so check before visiting.)

Competitions

There are so many great competitions around and you can win some fab prizes. The best bit is that Australia having a relatively small population; it gives great odds when it comes to winning. Many competitions are ran on social media like Facebook and Instagram so if you have any things you like to follow, like food blogs, kids/parenting blogs, or even specific places or businesses, make sure you follow them on social media so when they do run a competition you don’t miss out.

Switch your utilities

From telecom providers to gas providers! So why not look at competitors as they will offer us a better rate and we ended up staying with them. So just by asking, you can save money! I also managed to get a discount on our Foxtel package just by asking so anything you have that you might be able to reduce, sometimes it just takes a phone call and asking and you might save more than you think.