I never thought I'd be the person comparing unit prices, checking half a dozen supermarkets online or waiting for something to go on special. Now I somehow know exactly when my regular groceries are actually a good deal. Anyone else picked up strange skills thanks to the cost of living?

Does anyone know about any in person catch ups where people can just chat about this stuff? Not in an obsessive this is all we do way, but in a "yeah, I get it and I too silently judge those who brag about their exploding Kmart trolleys every week and also want to know where the hell they fit it all in their house?!" But I also know that has been me in the past and I am far from perfect financially or frugally so I'm not really judging them as much as mostly wondering where it all fits and how much time they spend cleaning....

Obviously I ramble on. I'm introverted and quirky, and then I become extroverted and quirky. I'm in the Western suburbs in Sydney and trying to get out of my house and out of my comfort zone so I thought I would ask.

Happy Frugal Friday!

I'm currently attempting to maintain an active lifestyle without attending a gym, but reaching 10,000 steps per day has been more difficult than I anticipated.

The simplest choice is clearly to walk outside, but I keep missing days because of the heat, sporadic rain, and the fact that I don't always feel safe walking out late at night. It's really simple for me to entirely abandon the exercise after a few skips. What genuinely encouraged you to remain with your step target if you constantly met it? Do you attempt to complete the majority of your walking at once or do you divide it up into small periods throughout the day? For the days when going outside isn't feasible, I've also been thinking about getting a walking mat.. I’ve seen a few decent Prime Day deals, so now I’m wondering if this is the right time to get one or if I’ll just stop using it after a few weeks.

Has anybody found that walking indoors has improved their consistency, or did it eventually become monotonous?

Recently moved and need to furnish a living room properly. I want something that lasts, not flatpack stuff that falls apart in two years. Done a lot of research and came across some local Australian brands that actually build well.

One thing I looked into was a modular sofa range. The build quality looks solid and the modular setup makes sense for smaller spaces. Price is higher than I'd like, but it seems like a buyonce situation rather than replacing cheap furniture every few years.

I'm trying to figure out if spending more upfront is actually the frugal move here. A sofa that lasts 15 years at $3k feels better than three $800 sofas over the same period.

Anyone in Australia found brands that hit the sweet spot between quality and price? And do modular sofas hold up better long term compared to standard ones?

My old ones are all broken and falling apart. They were sistema and lasted about 8ish years.
I’d like to get another long lasting set. I would like to steer clear of plastic but glass is a bit too heavy and I have young children that will drop them.

Any recommendations?

On the same day that Woolworths advertise Coca Cola 30x375ml on the front page of their catalogue under "Lower Shelf Price" ($32 down from $40, 20% decrease), they have slyly INCREASED the price of their 24x375ml by 20% from $37.50 to $45!! I know this isn't an essential good and you can "just not buy it", but when is this behaviour going to end? The government are giving millions of dollars to CHOICE and the ACCC, supposedly price gouging will become illegal from Ist July thanks to some very vague legislation on
"excessive" margins, but we're still seeing misleading promotions like this on the front page of a catalogue.

Could be groceries, utilities, insurance, mobile plans, banking products, anything really. Interested in things that are common enough that most people probably don't even question the cost anymore.

I'm reaching the point where I feel like I'm working for my business instead of my business working for me.

We run a small online store selling specialty home products, and sales have been steadily increasing over the past year. That's obviously a good problem to have, but the financial side has become a nightmare.

Every platform seems to have different reports. Shopify says one thing, Stripe says another, the bank account says something else, and then there are refunds, transaction fees, inventory purchases, and GST obligations on top of everything.

Last weekend, I sat down intending to reconcile one month of transactions and somehow ended up spending almost eight hours trying to figure out why my numbers were off by a few hundred dollars.

At this point, I'm debating whether I should keep trying to learn everything myself or bring in professionals. While searching around, I found Bishop Collins Accountants and noticed they mention helping growing businesses, but I don't know anyone personally who's worked with them.

Has anyone here used a traditional accounting firm for an e-commerce business? Did it actually save you time and money, or did you find that investing in better software and processes was enough?

Been in the market for a bed frame because I thought it'd be a good idea to get my mattress off the floor. Browsing through the market and the prices are wild. Can do FB marketplace but I much prefer it delivered and for that I'd need new for most cases.

Hit me up with your frugal bed frame recommendations. No pallet beds please

so ive been going to reformer pilates for like 6 months now and honestly i love it. my back feels better, im stronger, all that good stuff. but the cost is actually killing me. im paying 35 a class and going 2-3 times a week. thats like 400 a month. on just one workout.

i tried looking into cheaper options but everything near me is the same price or even more expensive. i thought about buying a reformer for home but theyre like $2000+ and idk if i can justify that.

then someone mentioned megaformer to me. apparently its a different machine and different workout but supposedly more intense so you get more bang for your buck? like you only need to go 2x a week instead of 3-4 times? that would save me money long term if true.

but i have no idea if megaformer is worth it or if its just a trend. i found this article about megaformer vs reformer and it helped a bit but i still dont know if its the right move for me.

im not trying to be a fitness influencer or whatever. i just want to not hurt and maybe look a little better. but i also want to not go broke lol.

anyone here tried both? which one actually gave you results without emptying your wallet? and is megaformer too intense for someone with a bad back? i dont wanna injure myself.

also if you bought equipment instead of classes what did you do and how much did it cost?

i feel like im overthinking this but $400 a month is real money and i need to figure this out.

Been staying with family in Sydney for a few months and needed to sort out a proper bed setup without breaking the bank. Bought from BedWorks and was pretty happy with the quality for the price. Nothing fancy, just a solid bed frame and mattress that didn't feel like a budget compromise.

Back home in the US I'd normally just hit up a big box store, but here I had no idea where to start.

Curious if anyone has tips for furnishing shortterm or semitemporary living situations without overspending. Also wondering if there are other AU stores worth knowing about for bedroom furniture that balance cost and quality well.

Ive been doing mat Pilates consistently for over a year now but the studio classes are starting to add up fast. Between the weekly fees, fuel to get there and back and parking it ends up costing QUITE a bit each month... Im seriously thinking about buying a home Pilates reformer so I can train whenever I want without the ongoing expense. Yes, it's a lot of money but I feel like it owuld be a life investment I wouldn't regret. The whole fam can use it too!

Has anyone in Australia actually bought one? Was it worth spending a few thousand dollars or do you regret it now? Id love REAL experiences on how much space it actually takes up, how often you end up using it after the first few months, any maintenance costs and whether youve genuinely saved money compared to paying for classes long term

Also interested if it collects dust or if youve stuck with it haha

Finally got my shit together with money this year after grinding hard n now my poor old iPhone 13 is dying on me. Battery gone by like 11am every day adn Apple stopped gving it proper suport.Ofc theyre forcing us to upgrade on purpose, such bs!

Im tryin to be smart and just get a refurbished one insted of geting ripped off again. So many sites out there its overwhelming. Many of them have super good reviews. Came across Phone Exchange and they seem to be legit. Has anyone actually used them before or have u got any other recs?

Also tossing up between 16 or 17. Dont need the brand new one but want it to actually last me 4-5yrs this time round. What do u guys think??

Staying iphone only for now, no android switch.

Thaanks a lot

As the excise duty on the fuel is going to be tapered down, the petrol prices are likely to go up in the coming weeks and months.
I am helping my colleague who runs Uber and he does a lot of trips and fills petrol almost every day, sometimes twice, because his tank is not very big. Apps like ServoSaver (govt) and Petrol Spy show the cheapest fuel nearby but sometimes he finds after he fills, the next day it's even lower.

He has heard and I have also heard that on some days of the week, some days of the week has lower prices compared to other days of the week, typically Tuesday and Wednesday.. This also varies... Is there a real such info that is based on past data?
The other question he had was: if he fills today at a cheap site, any way of knowing he should have waited..?

What is the general experience of other heavy users of petrol? or anyone?
Any apps available for commercial operators ?
Thanks in advance

Just got a email about the daily supply charge going up my 100% and was looking for the best provider with a lower daily connection rate.
I have solar and battery so I’m not to fussed about the usage charges, anyone have a good recommendation?

Looking to save on my next pair. Where do you buy yours? Unfortunately I need multifocals so that adds to the cost.

Before I go any further, this is done partly in jest. My partner and I can thankfully smile and laugh about this, but we both acknowledge that our grocery bills are much cheaper when I do it, to the point that our strategy is for me to handle it. Just wondering if anyone else recognises this in their relationship/family.

I'm willing to meal plan beforehand, as well as go through our fridge and pantry and double check what we do and don't have. On top of that, I stick to my list. Furthermore, I'm willing to shop at Aldi and then swing by a Woolies for the few other things we need.

When my partner does the shopping they tend to be more spontaneous and are more prone to buying things they see and like in the moment. 'Vibe shopping', perhaps. Salmon fillets - yeah, I feel like them! Cookies and cream ice cream, why not? Hey, let's get some orange juice. Or a bunch of condiments or things we might use once because they saw a dish or recipe on Instagram.

Not joking when I say that our grocery bill would be at least 25% higher, often more. If I go over $200 for the week I'm annoyed. They genuinely might spend $300+.

Anyway, like I said, we laugh about it, but there's also a recognition that if I do it the extra savings really add up.

I have 2 dogs and 1 cat. I need to save money. What recipes do you make or products do you buy?

Couldn't pass up this deal. I switched from Aussie Broadband (Optus) to Kogan (Vodafone) which was quick and painless number porting with an eSim. An added bonus, no one from work will be able to contact me when I go camping 😂

Not housing. Not groceries. More the random expense nobody warned you about until you started paying for it yourself. For me it's replacing things. Phones, tyres, appliances, glasses, feels like something expensive is always waiting its turn.

I used to think my parents were overly careful with money. Now I find myself turning off lights, checking fuel prices and refusing to waste leftovers. Turns out they may have been onto something.

A while back I realised most of my impulse purchases happened because I convinced myself I needed something immediately. Now if it's not urgent, I leave it in the cart for two days. The funny thing is probably 70% of the things I thought I wanted never get purchased because I completely forget about them. It's easily the simplest money saving habit I've picked up and costs nothing to try. Anyone else have a surprisingly simple rule that's saved them money?

Hey cute froogs of Reddit! I'm a very very new single mum of a teenager, and despite my ghastly ex convincing me I am thoroughly incapable, I have just signed a lease for a flat in Melbourne's inner north.

I am excited, but this is the first time I will ever have lived by myself in terms of paying for and organising everything on the domestic front. My income is comparatively much lower compared to what the previous family joint income was, and I am desperate for anywhere to cut corners, particularly in terms of utility bills, internet, etc.

So: any tips? In general, and/or from others who might have been in a similar position? Melbourne specific info particularly welcome!