Hi, I was after some budgeting advice & tips. We are renting, have a two year old. Hubby works full time average wage. I work 3 days a week. We always run out of money & cant seem to manage our budgets even though we seen to try. I know most of our wages goes to coles & groceries. Id love tips from you all we are in a rut & need to change our ways. Thanks
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We are the same I go over and over our budget but just can't find where we can cut back, it sucks when you just can't get ahead.
We shop at aldi and Coles. I also shop by specials things like sauces, washing powder, toiletries I never buy unless on sale.
I turn off all appliances at the wall. Only use the dryer if desperate, only wash full loads.
Clothing I buy some from eBay/ buy swap and sell Facebook pages or when there are sales. And pick up basics like t-shirts, shorts,jeans etc at end of season sales.
I rang Telstra and got a better deal on phone/Internet and mobile plan. Also shop around for gas/electricity.
Get a fly buys card, I get at least $10 a month off a shop know it doesn't sound like much but it all adds up.
I would love to know if there's anything else I can do that I already do.
Have a look at the type of foods your eating and wether food gets wasted. Slow cookers allow you to use cheaper cuts of meat etc. I write a menu for the week and always use a shopping list. That way I'm not buying ingredients I don't need that week. I try to keep to one bought lunch a week and one bought coffee/drink as it's easy to get out of control. Look for family outings that don't cost like picnics where you pack sandwiches etc.
Hi,
Something I found that really helped us was to write out a very comprehensive monthly budget. Allocate an amount to each catergory (groceries, bills, petrol, etc) and anything left goes into the savings acct no matter how small. I'm also strict in that if we run out of money that was allocated to social outings before the end of the month, then we dont get to go out until the next budget starts. Also, I write a meal plan for the week so I know exactly what food I'm using (I try and use whatever I have left first) and I find that shopping online works better for us cos it means I dont buy things I dont need. And if there's any dinner leftover, it is either lunch the next day for hubby so he wont buy something, or it gets frozen. I'm a big list person, and so writing everything down it was helps us the most.
Most of your money goes on groceries? Family of 3?
Don't buy brands, make from scratch, check the pantry and write a list and stick to that list. Budget a certain amount of money for groceries (i like to set ours at $250 per week for a 5 person family and that includes food for 2 dogs and a cat), and walk around Coles with a calculator.
Write out all incoming expenses. Write out all outgoing expenses. Track every last cent. Then you can take back control
A small tip that has helped me is to stop getting cash out when I buy groceries. I used to get $10-$20 out and seem to waste it on little things. It helps me hold back on unnessesary bits and pieces :)