Alexandra Koster* shares 21 of the weirdest, most creative ways women are saving on discretionary spending.
Last week, I was absolutely gobsmacked when I walked into my local sushi shop and discovered that a roll is now a whopping $5 (remember when they were $3, not that long ago?!).
Australia’s cost-of-living crisis is in full swing and it’s clear that we’re feeling the pressure on our bank accounts (and our lunches).
In times of financial stress, many experts preach cutting back on luxuries.
No, you don’t need three streaming accounts.
Stop ordering takeaway food.
Stop spending money full stop.
But honestly? You can pry my Netflix account from my cold dead hands.
It is possible to cut back on spending without completely blacklisting your ‘fun’ expenses or sacrificing the things you love.
Ahead, we’ve compiled some of the best, most creative, and downright weird ways to save a buck on discretionary spending when cash is tight, courtesy of Reddit.
“I get the last bit of wax [out of my candles] and make a new candle out of it.”
“I currently have 15 nearly empty candles sitting on my kitchen counter with boiling water in them so I can get the last bit of wax out and make a new candle out of it.
“Candles are expensive, there’s plenty left in there that I want to use.”
— captainsaveabro
“Put a couple of ‘fakeaway’ items in your grocery shopping every week.”
“Put a couple of ‘fakeaway’ items in your grocery shopping every week — things you can keep in the freezer and pull out on the nights you want Uber Eats or whatever.
“I often have frozen dumplings, pizza separated into slices or individual curries.
“It’s not as good but can guarantee you can have it ready in the same amount of time and will be cheaper.”
— Katiecupcake
“Find buy/swap/sell groups on Facebook for your favourite clothing label.”
“Find buy/swap/sell groups on Facebook for your favourite clothing label.
“I like a label called CityChic for work clothing, but I refuse to pay their retail price ($90+ for a dress).
“I am part of an AU and Brisbane-only group for this label where people in general won’t sell anything in excess of $50.
“This is useful for special events and for swapping out [items in your] wardrobe and means you don’t spend too much.
“It’s also good as clothing doesn’t end up at the op shop or landfill.”
— lestatisalive
“Don’t spend coins.”
“Don’t spend coins.
“You’d be surprised how quickly you can rack up a good amount of money if you save your coins.
“Just keep them in jars in a certain place.
“I’ve found my jars average $25 when they’re filled, but of course, that depends on what coins are in there.
“It’s been two years since I started, and I have maybe $400? I haven’t counted in a while.
“It literally doesn’t hurt and as long as you still have a safety net in the bank it doesn’t go anywhere.
“I’m going to get a really big jar and start using that because I feel like it’ll be more impressive than my small army of little jars.
“It’s a simple discipline but adds up well over time.”
— Thread
“Bottles are crushed within an inch of their lives.”
“My toothpaste bottle, sunscreen bottle, face lotion, body wash, shampoo and conditioner bottles are crushed within an inch of their lives because I’m using every single morsel of them.”
— didntstarthefire
“I will wait to wash my jeans/heavy items until I’ve earned the free wash.”
“My laundromat charges by the pound, but your 10th wash/dry is free.
“I will wait to wash my jeans/heavy items until I’ve earned the free wash (this ends up cheaper than DIY coin-op, plus I hate sitting in the laundromat for hours).”
“I use only a small area of the big makeup wipe and keep reusing the blank spots on the wipe until there are no clean spots.”
“The only makeup I need to use a makeup remover wipe for is my eyeliner (the rest rinses off with water pretty easily) so I use only a small area of the big makeup wipe and keep reusing the blank spots on the wipe until there are no clean spots, then I throw it away.
“Each pack of wipes lasts me a super long time.”
— Thread
“I shop maybe once a year and usually in cheap countries like South East Asia.”
“I don’t buy clothes in Australia.
“I shop maybe once a year and usually in cheap countries like South East Asia.”
— Ristique
“Learn to dye your own hair.”
“It might be worth learning to dye your own hair (if that’s what you’re getting done).
“Doing a single colour with no ombre/highlights is extremely doable by yourself using the tubes and developer you can buy at any chain pharmacy.
“I spend maybe 30 minutes in the bathroom a month touching it up, occasionally a longer 1 hour to get the whole head.
“The annual cost is about $100 for materials.”
— Thread
“Wait for the 50 per cent off sale to get a year’s worth of laser.”
“I used to wait for those 50 per cent off sales to get a year’s worth of laser.
“I don’t need to use it anymore but did this for about three years.
“If you have multiple zones getting laser, maybe focus on those that give you the most impact/benefit to [your] mental health.”
— lestatisalive
“I dye my clothes when they start looking too worn.”
“I dye my clothes when they start looking too worn.
“I don’t own many white clothes, because bleach breaks down the fabric.”
— clocktopustheoctopus
“Put back the $7.47 ground beef.”
“Put back the $7.47 minced beef, and choose the $7.36 one.”
— madamelex
“Bulk buy things on the internet.”
“Bulk buy things on the internet.
“That’s sort of a weird thing to do where I live (Amazon is not really a thing here).
“I’ve bought stuff ranging from toilet paper to dish detergent.
“It saves me money and the effort of carting that stuff home on my bicycle.”
— spekoek
“When the ranch dressing, shampoo, or conditioner gets low, I add water and shake it up good.”
“When the ranch dressing, shampoo, or conditioner gets low, I add water and shake it up good.
“It doesn’t really save money, but I get a few more uses.”
— breathingcorpse91
“Make some of your catch-ups in the day…
that way, you can get the bus.”
“If you’re spending lots on Ubers, make some of your catch-ups in the day, like brunch or shopping, rather than at night.
“That way, you can get the bus.”
— aeowyn7
“I quit drinking.”
“I quit drinking.
“Saved me a tonne.
“I wasn’t a big drinker, but would meet friends out once or twice a week.
“The amount I spent on alcohol and on food while I was drunk was way more than I realised.”
— hifhoff
“I camp so it’s cheaper.”
“I like to go away maybe one weekend a month, but I usually camp so it’s cheaper.”
— No-Concentrate-9786
“Take five minutes to look at the cost of your ride on each app and pick the cheapest.”
“Download the Ola, DiDi and Indriver apps.
“When you need a ride, stand somewhere well-lit and safe and take five minutes to look at the cost of your ride on each app and pick the cheapest.”
— universe93
“For makeup, find a palette that has a lot of versatility in colour.”
“For makeup, find a palette that has a lot of versatility in colour and use that.
“Makeup is so expensive and such a waste that I personally was never into spending much on it.
“And wait for Black Friday or Boxing Day sales.”
— lestatisalive
“I’ll refrain from buying something I don’t really need because it would break up my twenty [dollar note].”
“I always try to have money in cash (because I tend to spend that less easily) and then not break it down.
“Like, I’ll refrain from buying something I don’t really need because it would break up my twenty.
“This is more an impulse restrained than a legit saving money tip, I guess, but it saved me a lot in unnecessary buying.”
— lesmiserablecandles
“A slow cooker is truly amazing… it’ll easily pay for itself by your second meal.”
“I found a slow cooker is truly amazing.
“I wish I had bought one when I was in my early 20s.
“Get a big one and without much effort, you can make meals for a week.
“You can get one for about $60 and I assure you it’ll easily pay for itself by your second meal.”
— Whidzee
*Alexandra Koster, Money Diaries Editor at Refinery29.
This article first appeared at refinery29.com
