Speaker 1: Hello, my name's Santasha Nabananga Bamblet. I'm a proud Order
Speaker 1: Order Kerni Whaltbury and a waddery woman. And before we
Speaker 1: get started on She's on the Money podcast, I would
Speaker 1: like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land of
Speaker 1: which this podcast is recorded on a wondery country, acknowledging
Speaker 1: the elders, the ancestors and the next generation coming through
Speaker 1: as this podcast is about connecting, empowering, knowledge sharing and
Speaker 1: the storytelling of you to make a difference for today
Speaker 1: and lasting impact for tomorrow.
Speaker 2: Let's get into it.
Speaker 3: She's on the Money, She's on the Money.
Speaker 2: Welcome to She's on the Money the podcast. It's all
Speaker 2: about me. Your dollars stretch further than your favorite pair
Speaker 2: of yoga pants. That's really far. That's my favorite yoga pants.
Speaker 2: Made it through a whole pregnancy. That's a lot. That
Speaker 2: sounded very like you did stretch them, But I did objectively.
Speaker 2: It didn't look like the case literally and physically. You
Speaker 2: know that. But with the cost of living crisis squeezing
Speaker 2: your all at tighter than ever, you've already cut out
Speaker 2: your daily coffees. Unsubscribed from those extra streaming services and
Speaker 2: feel like your belt can't get any tighter. If you're
Speaker 2: feeling helpless, you're not alone, and today we are here
Speaker 2: to tell you it's not personal failure. Now, I couldn't
Speaker 2: talk about money really without bringing the Queen of budgeting herself,
Speaker 2: Victoria de Vine. Hello, It's not like I didn't interject
Speaker 2: myself into this conversation. Earlier. You mentioned yeroga pants and
Speaker 2: I was like, this episode got a jump for me.
Speaker 2: It's absolutely for me. I'm here for it. And I
Speaker 2: feel like everything when it comes to talking about the
Speaker 2: Cause he Lives is really negative. At the moment. I
Speaker 2: feel like everything is doom and gloom, and we don't
Speaker 2: want it to be. I want to make sure that
Speaker 2: we are being positive at the same time as trying
Speaker 2: to manage our finances. Like finances can be overwhelming and uninspiring,
Speaker 2: and they can make you feel like trash sometimes, Beck
Speaker 2: But I think that we need to do a bit
Speaker 2: of a reframe, and I hope that this episode is
Speaker 2: the episode for that. I think we're all kind of
Speaker 2: like in a similar situation right now. I think that
Speaker 2: you know, there's some people that it's not as hard on,
Speaker 2: but regardless of where you are financially, things are getting
Speaker 2: more expensive. So obviously we hear about Cozi lives on
Speaker 2: the daily, but should we start with what it actually is.
Speaker 2: So basically, the cost of living crisis happens when prices
Speaker 2: go up faster than our paychecks do. Things like groceries
Speaker 2: and ren and fuel they all get more expensive, but
Speaker 2: our wages they just don't keep up. That gap makes
Speaker 2: it so tough for people to maintain their standard of living.
Speaker 2: And the big culprits here are inflation, supply chain and
Speaker 2: the fact that demand for goods has absolutely skyrocketed. Beck,
Speaker 2: Oh my god, it's scary. Hey, what about the state
Speaker 2: of the world right now? Like, is that making things worse?
Speaker 2: Are you asking for an economic up date?
Speaker 4: Beck?
Speaker 2: Is it okay?
Speaker 1: Oh?
Speaker 2: Obviously Google events have played a really big part in
Speaker 2: this crisis. So if you think about how the COVID
Speaker 2: nineteen pandemic through absolutely everything off balance, and supply chains
Speaker 2: worldwide ended up messed up. When factories in China ended
Speaker 2: up getting shut down, it didn't just mean fewer electronics
Speaker 2: on the shelves. It also caused delays and price hikes
Speaker 2: for stuff like toys and furniture. And even building materials.
Speaker 2: We also can't forget about the impact of global politics,
Speaker 2: like the ongoing war in Ukraine. It's pushed up the
Speaker 2: cost of things like oil and food all around the world.
Speaker 2: Beck The World Bang says that because of the war,
Speaker 2: prices for basics like wheat and sunflower oil have absolutely
Speaker 2: gone through the roof, and we're feeling it here in
Speaker 2: Australia as well, especially when it comes to how much
Speaker 2: we're paying in the supermarket. Beck, when was the last
Speaker 2: time you bought olive oil? I went to buy olive
Speaker 2: oil a couple of weeks ago and it was so expensive.
Speaker 2: Olive oil not part of my journey anymore. Oh, it's
Speaker 2: really not. And I was like, sunflole oil. That sounds healthy.
Speaker 2: I'm gonna go with that. SCLA, I'll take it. You
Speaker 2: know what, we're not even going to google those things.
Speaker 2: I totally get that, though, and I feel like everybody
Speaker 2: is feeling it. But I feel like oil for me
Speaker 2: was the one thing I saw it and I was like,
Speaker 2: this can't be right. Typo. This is a typo. And Beck,
Speaker 2: let's move away from oil. Let's talk about numbers for
Speaker 2: a hot second. Recent data from the Australian Bureau of
Speaker 2: Statistics shows that inflation hit six point one percent by
Speaker 2: June twenty twenty two, which is the highest we have
Speaker 2: seen in twenty years. What does that mean for us?
Speaker 1: Though?
Speaker 2: Basically, literally everything costs more so grocery is fuel, everything
Speaker 2: beck For example, bread went up by seven and a
Speaker 2: half percent and fuel prices shot up by over thirty
Speaker 2: percent in just one year, and I feel like our
Speaker 2: entire community is feeling it totally. Between May twenty twenty
Speaker 2: two and November twenty twenty three, the Reserve Bank of
Speaker 2: Australia raised interest rates thirteen times, driving the cash rate
Speaker 2: to a twelve year high of four point three five percent.
Speaker 2: These interest rate hikes were a direct response to inflation,
Speaker 2: which peaked at around eight percent in late twenty twenty two.
Speaker 2: While the increases were intended to curb inflation, they've significantly
Speaker 2: raised the cost of borrowing for households, particularly those with mortgages.
Speaker 2: The impact on ossie households has been pretty brutal. Let's
Speaker 2: be honest. On average, families now have ten thousand, seven
Speaker 2: hundred dollars less each year to spend on discretionary items
Speaker 2: like dining out and holidays. Mortgage holders have been the
Speaker 2: most affected, though, with their discretionary spending being reduced by
Speaker 2: twenty one thousand, three hundred dollars compared to twenty twenty.
Speaker 2: Renters have also experienced a considerable reduction of thirteen thousand,
Speaker 2: three hundred dollars in non essential spending, while homeowners without
Speaker 2: mortgages have seen a decrease of seven one thousand, two
Speaker 2: hundred dollars. Jeez, I'm not done yet either. Beck. Low
Speaker 2: income households have been particularly affected. For those lowest twenty
Speaker 2: percent of earners, essential expenses such as groceries and utilities
Speaker 2: now exceed their income by an average of seventy five
Speaker 2: dollars a week. Oh man, they're going into debt. Bek.
Speaker 2: This has led to significant reductions in discretionary spending and
Speaker 2: delayed essential purchases. The prolonged financial strain has resulted in
Speaker 2: substantial lifestyle adjustments, including cutting back on clothing and groceries
Speaker 2: and making really tough choices when it comes to managing finances.
Speaker 2: Are out It is scary, and I know it's the
Speaker 2: reality of the situation, right Like, yeah, it is what
Speaker 2: it is, and we're out here trying our best to
Speaker 2: help you through it. But we just need to get
Speaker 2: on the same page, totally get where people are feeling
Speaker 2: the pinch, especially those who are like already on lower incomes.
Speaker 2: When your essentials cost more than you actually make each week,
Speaker 2: it's impossible to not feel the pressure. And it's stressful.
Speaker 2: It's ely stressful, absolutely, and it's so easy to start
Speaker 2: blaming yourself, thinking that like, I'm not good at money
Speaker 2: or have done something wrong. But let's be absolutely clear here,
Speaker 2: it is not your fault. There's an immense amount of
Speaker 2: societal pressure to keep up with the rising cost of living,
Speaker 2: and when it becomes overwhelming, you know what we do back,
Speaker 2: We naturally turn inward. But the truth is we're living
Speaker 2: in a system where the cost of essential goods like groceries, rent,
Speaker 2: and fuel keeps climbing, and wages they're not catching up
Speaker 2: no matter how hard you try. There's only so much
Speaker 2: control that you can have. We really need to shift
Speaker 2: the narrative away from individual responsibility and understand this is
Speaker 2: a broader economic issue. People are doing absolutely everything that
Speaker 2: they can to keep up. The problem is that the
Speaker 2: system we in currently isn't set up for that. So
Speaker 2: if you're feeling really guilty or you're stressed about your finances.
Speaker 2: I need you to remember that this is bigger than
Speaker 2: your budgeting skills. It's not about failing. It's about surviving
Speaker 2: in an environment that has become more more and more
Speaker 2: challenging for everyone. I think that it's not going to
Speaker 2: surprise anyone, but you really need to look at exactly
Speaker 2: where your money's going. And I know right now that's
Speaker 2: really painful. I know that it's not what you want,
Speaker 2: and you want to bury your head in the sand.
Speaker 2: But I want you to get a fine tooth comb
Speaker 2: and I want you to go through your finances, and
Speaker 2: I mean everything from those sneaky little app subscriptions to
Speaker 2: the quick trips to the shops where you pick up
Speaker 2: extras when you don't need to, when you were there
Speaker 2: just to get some milk. I want you to get
Speaker 2: clear on where all of those small amounts are dropping away,
Speaker 2: because they add up, and they add up so fast
Speaker 2: they call them money leaks. And once you've spotted them,
Speaker 2: you can decide what's really necessary and what's just here
Speaker 2: draining your bank account. Pick absolutely, and there are like
Speaker 2: apps that you can use to like find those subscriptions
Speaker 2: that you've forgotten about and connect and how many podcasts
Speaker 2: have we done where we're like, okay, cool, this is
Speaker 2: how you call your subscriptions, this is how you do this,
Speaker 2: this is how you do that. And I think the
Speaker 2: one thing I want you to remember is that before
Speaker 2: you dive in, it's not about restricting yourself. It's actually
Speaker 2: about getting an idea of what the big picture looks like.
Speaker 2: Let's have a look at the bigger picture and see
Speaker 2: if we're comfortable with it. Let's see if there's any
Speaker 2: shifting to do. Let's see what that looks like. Because
Speaker 2: if you get rid of it right now, beck doesn't
Speaker 2: mean it has to go forever. Maybe you just want
Speaker 2: to build up a bit of an emergency fund to
Speaker 2: feel a little bit more comfy and then revert back
Speaker 2: to the way that you were spending. I totally get it,
Speaker 2: but I think that we just need to approach it
Speaker 2: a little bit differently. Big thing here is, do not
Speaker 2: feel guilty about anything. Don't feel guilty about wanting to
Speaker 2: indulge and maybe like you're in a really stressed out
Speaker 2: situation because you're financially not doing too well, Like, just
Speaker 2: don't feel guilty. This is not on us. This is
Speaker 2: just the state of the world, and we all have
Speaker 2: those small purchases that slip through the cracks one hundred percent.
Speaker 2: And the good news, Beck, is that once you identify them,
Speaker 2: it's super easy to make adjustments that give you so
Speaker 2: much more control over your money. And that's empowering. Like today,
Speaker 2: I'm going to get all Marie Condo on you because
Speaker 2: if you've seen my draws, all my yoga leggings are
Speaker 2: like folded perfectly, and we're going to do that for
Speaker 2: your finances. If these things don't bring you joy, it's
Speaker 2: time to toss them out. And do you know what
Speaker 2: I saw on TikTok the other day because I'm chronically online, Beck,
Speaker 2: So someone was saying that Marie Condo doesn't work for them.
Speaker 2: I get it because like they go through and they're like, oh,
Speaker 2: but like I'm a little bit of a hoarder and
Speaker 2: I just need that maybe i'll need it later. And
Speaker 2: someone did a stitch Beck and they said, all right,
Speaker 2: I'm going to teach you the dog poo method. Have
Speaker 2: you heard of the dog poo method?
Speaker 1: No?
Speaker 2: I have, never mind. Okay, so if dog pooh got
Speaker 2: on that item, Yeah, would you clean it and save
Speaker 2: it or would you toss it out? Yes, I did
Speaker 2: hear about this. That is such a good So the
Speaker 2: dog poom method. If the Marie Condo method isn't going
Speaker 2: to work for you and there was dog poo on
Speaker 2: that item, would you just throw it out or would
Speaker 2: you clean it and save it and look after it anyway? Oh,
Speaker 2: that's a really good way look at it. Yeah, because
Speaker 2: there are so many things that I would just yeet
Speaker 2: straight out if I had dog poo on it. But
Speaker 2: like I would probably second guess about keeping in my house.
Speaker 2: And recently that has been working for me. So like,
Speaker 2: I don't know if that helps other people, but it
Speaker 2: helped me, so I thought i'd share it. So sorry,
Speaker 2: what's the Mariecondo method? Some Mariecondo is if it doesn't
Speaker 2: spark joy in your life, it is time to remove
Speaker 2: it from your life of course, of course, right, So,
Speaker 2: things like those sneaky subscriptions that you don't even remember
Speaker 2: signing up for or don't live up to the hype.
Speaker 2: But let's go into our iPhone settings and into our
Speaker 2: Google Play account and just get rid of them. Press
Speaker 2: pause and do it right now, like literally press pause
Speaker 2: on this podcast. Go have a look. I'm a wait.
Speaker 2: We'll wait by here by wait, We'll see you on
Speaker 2: the flip side. Okay, I'm going to do it too.
Speaker 2: What about the things that do make you happy or
Speaker 2: you do need? And these two things aren't mutually exclusive.
Speaker 2: We're not here to reign on your parade. Times are
Speaker 2: tough enough as it is, and we still need to
Speaker 2: enjoy life. So if they make you happy, I want
Speaker 2: you to ask yourself, is there a cheapest swap that
Speaker 2: could work just as well? And we know in our
Speaker 2: She's on the Money community it's full of savvy individuals,
Speaker 2: so I actually asked them for you for a little
Speaker 2: bit of help on this episode. So after the break,
Speaker 2: let's get clever about our spending together. Yay, okay, everyone,
Speaker 2: we are back, and before the break, you promise us
Speaker 2: some clever cost of living hacks. Va I did? I
Speaker 2: set myself up for success because I asked the Sheese
Speaker 2: on the Money community when I put up the post
Speaker 2: in our Facebook group, and if you're not in there,
Speaker 2: what are you doing? I will link it in the
Speaker 2: show notes for you. You need to join us. The
Speaker 2: post got so many people just putting the comment f
Speaker 2: in there to follow the post. So I know that
Speaker 2: this is one that all of you have been wanting
Speaker 2: and one of the biggest reoccurring themes. Beck no surprise,
Speaker 2: it was food. I totally get it. We need it.
Speaker 2: Meat is definitely one of the more expensive items in
Speaker 2: our grocery cards, and it's no surprise when you consider
Speaker 2: that according to the University of Newcastle, Australians spend around
Speaker 2: fifteen percent of their weekly food budget BECK on meat alone.
Speaker 2: That can add up, and it can add up really fast.
Speaker 2: But our community have some super clever ways to make
Speaker 2: it stretch without cutting it out completely. I know there
Speaker 2: are so many people that are going to be like meals,
Speaker 2: not a meal unless there's a big source of animal protein.
Speaker 2: So for example, you can bowlk up your meals by
Speaker 2: adding cheaper ingredients, like you could add some lentils or
Speaker 2: some mushrooms. They blend super easily into dishes. I've been
Speaker 2: doing it in spag bowl. I also do like a
Speaker 2: grated zucchini and a carrot. I feel like a zucchini
Speaker 2: and a carrot grated have the same volume as mince,
Speaker 2: but cost me like a dollar. Yes, that's true, legit
Speaker 2: money win. They blend into dishes so easily, so you
Speaker 2: can still get the flavor of the meat, but at
Speaker 2: a fraction of the cost. And as a bonus, you're
Speaker 2: getting some sneaky veggies in you're making your meals healthier
Speaker 2: as well. Another spart tip, Beck is to buy larger
Speaker 2: cuts of meat, like a roast and slow cooker truo oh,
Speaker 2: I love coming home to like a slow cooker smell.
Speaker 2: That way, you're going to get multiple meals from the
Speaker 2: one cut, think leftovers for sandwiches, tacos, or even meal
Speaker 2: prep for the week. And if you're looking for some
Speaker 2: extra savings, maybe consider a meat box, which often offer
Speaker 2: a variety of different cuts at a lower price. Plus
Speaker 2: you can get some freezer portions for later, making it
Speaker 2: easier to plan and budget. These small tweaks can really
Speaker 2: help make your grocery dollars go further without sacrificing your
Speaker 2: favorite meals. I think too often, Beck, we're always looking
Speaker 2: for like a budget version of your favorite meals, and
Speaker 2: you're like, well, I don't really like lentil tacos, but
Speaker 2: like you could use lentils to beef up your tacos,
Speaker 2: meaning that you still get your favorite foods. But it's
Speaker 2: more cost effective, yes, exactly. And with the slow cooker thing,
Speaker 2: isn't it so nice? It's so wholesome to just chuck
Speaker 2: everything in a pot, honestly objectively, And I know this
Speaker 2: is universal. The slow cooker is the hardest thing to
Speaker 2: clean ever in the entire gosh, I did you know
Speaker 2: you even buy slow cooker liners side? How do you
Speaker 2: do that? Oh? I mean they're probably not that cost effective.
Speaker 2: But if that's the biggest issue for you at this
Speaker 2: point anytime, it's just good to know that exists. That
Speaker 2: is so good to know. So v when it comes
Speaker 2: to saving on groceries in general, I love this, Hannah says.
Speaker 2: She looks at the lower and higher shelves for the
Speaker 2: cheaper price per kilogram. She says, the eye height is
Speaker 2: usually the most expensive. Oh so true. Have you ever
Speaker 2: watched one of those documentaries on supermarket marketing? They're all
Speaker 2: over YouTube. That's a good activity for tonight. Look up
Speaker 2: supermarket marketing documentaries. There are so many of them. And
Speaker 2: it's all about the layout, like how all of the
Speaker 2: fresh food and the milks at the back, and all
Speaker 2: of the stuff that you don't actually need is in
Speaker 2: the middle of the supermarket, but you have to walk
Speaker 2: through it. Oh my gosh, it is so clever, so clever.
Speaker 2: And of course the She's on the money community are
Speaker 2: loving the supermarket rewards programs at the moment and getting
Speaker 2: their monthly ten percent off shop and saving up their
Speaker 2: points for Christmas time. Beck and we are all stocking
Speaker 2: up and buying in bulk when those big ticket items
Speaker 2: are half priced, which beck A love a half priced moment,
Speaker 2: love a bug. I love when you see that something's
Speaker 2: fifty percent off. You think this is a good money win.
Speaker 2: But then I don't know about you. It sets me
Speaker 2: up to expect it next time, and so next time
Speaker 2: that item is not on sale, I'm like, what is this?
Speaker 2: Maybe that's a good thing to do. I'm a TikTok master. Yeah,
Speaker 2: there's a dude on TikTok who tracks when the sales
Speaker 2: are going to happen, and I think we need to
Speaker 2: drag some of that content over, obviously giving him credit,
Speaker 2: but like sharing when things are going to go on sale.
Speaker 2: That's really clever. I do notice. So some things are
Speaker 2: always half priced, you know, back rat knives, use wise
Speaker 2: house always clear it. I don't know how can they
Speaker 2: afford to always a sale. Is that their marketing strategy?
Speaker 2: It must, because I feel like the half price is
Speaker 2: what they're actually worth, but you're buying it because it's like,
Speaker 2: oh my god. Anyway, that's why I just don't go shopping.
Speaker 2: I can't set for in Chadstone. It's a slippery slope
Speaker 2: for me.
Speaker 1: It really is.
Speaker 2: Should we talk about one of the biggest budget killers
Speaker 2: when it comes to food? Yes, and you know what
Speaker 2: it is, Beck, it's food waste. Yes. The average Oussie
Speaker 2: household bin's about thirty eight hundred dollars worth of food
Speaker 2: each and every single year. To me, that is insane.
Speaker 2: Storing your food properly is of course going to help
Speaker 2: with that. And Angels swears by the Tupperware fridge smarts.
Speaker 2: I hadn't ever heard of these, She says. She bought
Speaker 2: them like years ago and uses them religiously. She says
Speaker 2: she almost never wastes fresh food anymore. Beck, Oh man,
Speaker 2: that is so good. Oh this is like a subtle plug.
Speaker 2: Obviously not a paid sponsorship from Marley Spoon, but my
Speaker 2: food waste, Beck has gone down so significantly since getting
Speaker 2: Marley Spoon, Because I'm just ordering the meals that I'm
Speaker 2: cooking and like because they're also like pre bundled together.
Speaker 2: I can see them, like I know that they're there,
Speaker 2: and I know I'm going to cook them. Like it's
Speaker 2: not forgetting that there's a zucchini in the bottom of
Speaker 2: the fridge and I can't remember what that was for.
Speaker 2: I don't know, Like it has just been a game
Speaker 2: changer for us. Obviously, I have a code for you.
Speaker 2: Use the code Victoria, and you'll get up to two
Speaker 2: hundred and thirty five dollars off your first five boxes. Beck.
Speaker 2: I did the maths, and obviously this is a bit
Speaker 2: of a money win. Like, if you're not into it,
Speaker 2: don't do it. I order Marley Spoon every week. I
Speaker 2: do three meals for two adults and get enough for
Speaker 2: our baby as well to have, like, you know, a
Speaker 2: little bit of a sneaky snack on the side. Ye,
Speaker 2: And I worked out if you use the code of Victoria,
Speaker 2: it becomes thirty eight dollars and thirty four cents delivered
Speaker 2: next week for your three dinners of groceries. That is extraordinary.
Speaker 2: That's actually a good deal. So I thought I just
Speaker 2: dropped this on the pod because we're obviously talking about
Speaker 2: saving money, and like even if you just try it,
Speaker 2: like it's not a subscription. You can just go, oh,
Speaker 2: I have one box and try it and see if
Speaker 2: I like it, and if you don't like it, don't
Speaker 2: stick to it, and that's your groceries. Yeah, one hundred percent. Beck,
Speaker 2: I have been using Miley Spoon since twenty seventeen, so like,
Speaker 2: I'm committed. Anyway, let's get back to the show. Because
Speaker 2: it wasn't meant to be about Marley Spoon, but I
Speaker 2: just thought in that moment, I could save you some money. Yeah,
Speaker 2: if I got to deals for you.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: And I have noticed it too, like there's no wasted
Speaker 2: that's really nice. It's like they only give you what
Speaker 2: you need for your recipe. Yeah, And a lot of
Speaker 2: people used to be really worried about like the plastic
Speaker 2: and all of the I do stuff about that. Yet
Speaker 2: they don't do that anymore. It comes in a paper
Speaker 2: bag and like literally they'll just be like an onion
Speaker 2: and some tomatoes at the bottom of the bag. Like
Speaker 2: they don't package them up. I would say, the only
Speaker 2: thing they package up is things that you have to
Speaker 2: package up. And you would get packages at the supermarket already,
Speaker 2: like if they're like capers or something, they're in a container,
Speaker 2: or if you're getting like herbs, like the herbs would
Speaker 2: get smashed if they're not in a container, if their own,
Speaker 2: but all of it, I just chuck you my recycling
Speaker 2: money we have and you can say those little containers.
Speaker 2: That's also if you hold the boxes, you can put
Speaker 2: them on Facebook marketplace and someone will come and get
Speaker 2: them for free when they're moving. He's what I did
Speaker 2: last time, because like everyone loves a free box. I
Speaker 2: don't know about you anyway. Anyway, So back to the pod. Yes, okay,
Speaker 2: should we move on to some other smart ways to save? Yes?
Speaker 2: And I mean, let's move away from food and let's
Speaker 2: talk about the things we all just accept as kind
Speaker 2: of a given, things like your phone plan and your
Speaker 2: internet bills. We tend to think of them as non negotiable, right,
Speaker 2: But the truth is you can get real creative here.
Speaker 2: So take Lucy's tip from the group. She's ditched her
Speaker 2: internet bill completely. Whoa how she got a phone plan
Speaker 2: with unlimited data and now just hotspots her laptop, no TV. Obviously,
Speaker 2: she lives in a good area and probably has good
Speaker 2: you know, five G, no more separate internet costs, and
Speaker 2: I think that's genius, right, She's already paying for data,
Speaker 2: so why not just use it to its full potential totally.
Speaker 2: With the average internet bill monthly being seventy five dollars back,
Speaker 2: she's saving under one thousand dollars a year for that.
Speaker 2: Oh my god, that's a grand So how good. And
Speaker 2: then we've got Chloe who's really got her phone built
Speaker 2: down pat She and her partner were previously with Telstra,
Speaker 2: paying one hundred dollars each a month, and they so
Speaker 2: spano that's all too much. They have now switched to
Speaker 2: a family plan with Alimobile paying just fifty five dollars
Speaker 2: a month for both of them, for both of them,
Speaker 2: saving sevente hundred and fifty dollars a year just for
Speaker 2: making a simple switch. I feel like so many people
Speaker 2: in our community always talking about phone plans, and I
Speaker 2: believe that Audimobile actually uses the telstrap. Yeah, so that's
Speaker 2: extra smart. Same thing exactly. And these are costs that
Speaker 2: we all think of as completely unavoidable, but as Lucy
Speaker 2: and Chloe have showed us, you can totally reth. It's
Speaker 2: about asking yourself, Oh do I really need this big,
Speaker 2: expensive plan that I've been on for years, just because
Speaker 2: I can't be bothered looking for an alternative and then
Speaker 2: finding smarter, more affordable alternatives. And I mean, what a
Speaker 2: better time to do this than now coming into Christmas, Beck,
Speaker 2: we all want a little bit more wiggle room. Absolutely,
Speaker 2: are communities so smart, they are actually geniuses. This is
Speaker 2: why I just community funded this episode. I was like,
Speaker 2: tips and tricks from me, No tips and tricks from
Speaker 2: the community by everyone exactly, and they're even finding smart
Speaker 2: alternatives to the gym. According to World Fitness Australia, the
Speaker 2: average gym membership here costs around seventy dollars a month,
Speaker 2: and that's excluding additional services like if you've got like
Speaker 2: a personal trainer yes unrelatable, or you're doing like extra classes.
Speaker 2: But get this, almost a quarter of people with memberships
Speaker 2: don't utilize their memberships as anticipated. So even though people
Speaker 2: are paying almost a grand for something a year than
Speaker 2: not even using it, there very relatable. One of our
Speaker 2: community members, Fiona, told us she ditched her expensive membership
Speaker 2: and has switched to using the sam Woods app on
Speaker 2: her phone at home. Not only is she saving money,
Speaker 2: but she's actually working out more, which is a double win.
Speaker 2: I love that, Beck because I've actually just started that
Speaker 2: because like, I had every intention of returning back to
Speaker 2: plates or gym classes, and I couldn't find the time,
Speaker 2: and then I didn't want to do it. I'm not
Speaker 2: gonna lie when your gym class is at five point
Speaker 2: thirty and you're telling me I could pick my kid
Speaker 2: up early from daycare. Yeah, I'm going to pick my
Speaker 2: kid up. Oh sorry, So I've been going home and
Speaker 2: doing my workouts there. Anyway, back on track, Danielle has
Speaker 2: started doing free yoga and tai chi at her local
Speaker 2: library instead of paying for classes at a studio, saving
Speaker 2: twenty five bucks a class. What. I didn't even know
Speaker 2: that was a thing. Yeah, I didn't know that was
Speaker 2: the thing. That is so cool. It definitely is worth
Speaker 2: looking around your local community to see what alternatives there
Speaker 2: are to a traditional gym, because you know, there's also
Speaker 2: those like, you know, park gyms. I don't even know.
Speaker 2: I know I've seen them, and I love that idea.
Speaker 2: Also YouTube yoga, yes, I love it. Anything really Okay,
Speaker 2: what else have we got? All Right, So a lot
Speaker 2: of our community members are praising the ideas of going
Speaker 2: back to cash for everyday spending. When you pay with cash,
Speaker 2: you experience something called payment pain. I think you'll be
Speaker 2: able to relate to this, because I definitely can. It's
Speaker 2: that little sting you feel when you have to physically
Speaker 2: hand over a Christine note, which makes you more mindful
Speaker 2: of your spending, And studies of showing that people tend
Speaker 2: to spend less with cash because they can literally see
Speaker 2: their money disappearing. Yes, and Georgie has gone back to
Speaker 2: the basics, and she's started asking herself that simple but
Speaker 2: really powerful question, is this a want or is it
Speaker 2: a need? Now? There's actually some science behind this. When
Speaker 2: we pause to question a purchase, it actually engages our
Speaker 2: prefrontal cortex, the part of our brain responsible for decision
Speaker 2: making and impulse control. By taking a really good moment
Speaker 2: to reflect, we can actually override those instant emotional decisions
Speaker 2: sometimes make when we're tempted by something shiny and new,
Speaker 2: which beg I'm really good at I'm basically abour bird.
Speaker 2: It's shiny, I want it, I need it, which is
Speaker 2: why I'm always telling you guys to put twenty four
Speaker 2: hours between you and your spending, because that's basically me
Speaker 2: reminding myself to do that every single time I say that, Yes,
Speaker 2: great idea.
Speaker 4: Oh.
Speaker 2: Mikayla from the group has started to rethink spending by
Speaker 2: calculating how much work time it costs her. So instead
Speaker 2: of seeing a price tag, she's asking herself how many
Speaker 2: hours she'd need to work at work to cover that. So,
Speaker 2: for example, let's say you're craving like seventy dollars worth
Speaker 2: of uberates sure, which, let's be honest, Uber eats nowadays
Speaker 2: is seventy dollars crazy so annoying. Historically, I'm like, oh,
Speaker 2: maybe uber eats like it's a special treat, but in
Speaker 2: my head it's like forty dollars it's not. Yeah, that
Speaker 2: might seem reasonable to you, but if it takes you
Speaker 2: two hours of work to earn that money, you might
Speaker 2: start to wonder is that actually worth? It is like
Speaker 2: dinner worth two hours of my hard earned host tax
Speaker 2: cas Speck, like, do I want to do that?
Speaker 1: Do you know what?
Speaker 2: Eggs just got way more appealing? Oh my god, having
Speaker 2: eggs on toast for dinner underrated. It bend you mind.
Speaker 2: Butter on toast and linked dinner cool dinner back actually
Speaker 2: really makes you think twice. Sometimes it's less about money
Speaker 2: and more about how much of your time you're trading
Speaker 2: for the purchase. That's true. Is yeah, such a good
Speaker 2: way to look at it, So bec as you can see,
Speaker 2: in times of crisis, we really need to get clever
Speaker 2: and a little bit smart with how we're approaching our spending.
Speaker 2: There are definitely some smart ways to cut costs and
Speaker 2: still keep the things that bring you joy. Of course,
Speaker 2: we should be thinking about ways to generate more income.
Speaker 2: Let's be honest. We need to be asking for that
Speaker 2: pay rise or tackling our debt a little bit more aggressively.
Speaker 2: And we're going to deep dive into those strategies in
Speaker 2: the coming weeks. But for today, my friend, it is
Speaker 2: all about finding those small, clever hacks that can make
Speaker 2: a really big difference. Whether it's switching your phone plans,
Speaker 2: or bulging up your meals with cheaper ingredients, or going
Speaker 2: back to cash to stay more mindful with your spending.
Speaker 2: It's all about finding ways to take control in a
Speaker 2: tough environment. Beautifully worded, that is exactly right. And what's
Speaker 2: great is these tips aren't about depriving yourself. No, we're
Speaker 2: not about that life. We're about enjoying the journey. But
Speaker 2: absolutely it can be kind of find like challenging yourself
Speaker 2: a little bit. But they're about being smart with what
Speaker 2: you have and you can still enjoy your life even
Speaker 2: when things are tired. It's just a matter of making
Speaker 2: a few tweaks to stretch adults on one hundred percent.
Speaker 2: If you want the complete rundown of the cost of
Speaker 2: living hacks, head to our Facebook group and add your own.
Speaker 2: If you're hungry for more savvy saving episodes, don't forget
Speaker 2: to hit that subscribe button. I think it's a really
Speaker 2: good place to leave it. Oh, perfect place to leave it.
Speaker 2: Have a really beautiful rest of the week, guys, and
Speaker 2: we will see you on Friday. Bye guys.
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