How I saved over $15K

24 September 20253 min read

And You Can Too Everybody loves a bargain, me especially. But let’s not sugar coat the fact that the cost-of-living crisis is affecting Australian households. Rising interest rates, inflating grocery prices and unpredictable petrol costs are seeing our paychecks go faster than you can say “I’m trying to save!” It is no wonder many Aussies are struggling to boost their savings, with many just trying to stop it from shrinking. But life happens. The car breaks down. The dog eats something it shouldn’t. The kids need to go to the GP. All these unexpected instances eat up your budget. Saving money doesn’t necessarily mean going without. I have a few tips that can allow Aussies to boost their savings and make the most out of their dollar. If you are able to integrate these habits into your ongoing purchases, I have no doubt you will come out the other side with more bang for your buck! Groceries – one of the biggest necessary expenses for families and individuals. I regularly cut my grocery bill by more than 50%. The secret? Markdowns! Every supermarket has a routine for when they mark down produce, so get to know your local grocery stores’ markdown times and days. Usually, this is in the late afternoon or early evening. By shopping smart and being flexible with meal planning, you can slash your total cost in half and still eat well. One of my biggest savings tips, which has allowed me to accrue over $15,000, is cashback! Everyone already shops online, so why not get some money back whilst doing so? Cashback sites like TopCashback have multiple retailer partners where you get a percentage of your purchases back – clothes, beauty, flights or even insurance. You can use it for regular grocery expenses like Woolies online and even boost your savings by using it during big sale periods like Black Friday, Click Frenzy and more. When it comes to shopping, loyalty isn’t important anymore. You can shop around for the best deals across the big brands. Don’t be afraid to chase the deals, to politely ask for a cheaper price – this works well if you have done your research beforehand and have past or current sales to point to – and to buy from whichever shop has the best price on what you need. There are dedicated online forums and groups where everyday Aussies share their markdown finds and sales on at the time, so utilise that too. It’s easy to fall into the trap of being financially overwhelmed and feel as though you can’t wrangle your savings, but by being strategic and shifting habits, it is possible! You don’t need to change your lifestyle, just approach it slightly differently. Building these smart habits will pay off in the long run. Pairing markdown shopping, sales hunting and cashback opportunities will see you spending less and getting more value. That extra cash can go straight into your savings accounts! By Amanda Dean aka @bargain.boss

Moving House? Don’t Trust Your Treasures to Just Anyone

Moving house is stressful enough without watching someone casually balance your grandmother’s antique cabinet on the edge of a trolley. While price will always play a part when choosing a removalist, there’s a big difference between hiring someone who can move furniture and engaging professionals who understand how to protect, transport and deliver the things that matter to you. So, before you hand over the keys – and your treasured belongings – here’s what to look for. 1. They ask questions before moving day A professional removalist should want to understand exactly what they’re moving. Ideally, this includes an onsite consultation or detailed assessment of your home, access points, larger pieces and anything particularly valuable, fragile or difficult to transport. It allows the right vehicle, equipment, packing materials and number of people to be allocated to the job – and reduces unwelcome surprises on moving day. 2. Packing is taken seriously There’s a reason professional packing looks different from throwing everything into boxes and hoping for the best. Quality removalists use appropriate, heavy-duty packing materials and know how to protect furniture, artwork, televisions, mirrors and sentimental or valuable pieces. Companies such as SECURIER offer professional packing as part of their moving service, as well as unpacking and installation at the destination. If you’re packing yourself, ask how this may affect responsibility for damage and whether additional insurance is recommended. 3. They have experience with the difficult stuff Grand pianos, artwork, antiques, oversized furniture and delicate pieces require more than muscle. They need experience, specialised equipment and careful planning. Ask your removalist how they handle high-value or unusual items and what systems they use to protect them during loading and transport. 4. The quote is clear The cheapest hourly rate isn’t necessarily the cheapest move. Ask exactly what your quote includes: travel time, number of removalists, vehicle size, packing, dismantling and reassembly, stairs, tolls, storage and any potential additional charges. A professional operator should be comfortable explaining costs upfront rather than surprising you with extras later. 5. Ask about insurance Never assume your belongings are automatically covered if something goes wrong. Ask what insurance applies during the move, what isn’t covered and whether additional transport insurance is available. It’s also worth reading the company’s terms and conditions before booking – particularly when moving expensive or irreplaceable items. The real benefit? Peace of mind. SECURIER’s approach is a good example of what a premium moving service can look like: onsite consultation and inventory, professional packing, scheduled communication, secure transport, unpacking and installation, followed by removal of packaging and rubbish. Because ultimately, you’re not simply paying someone to carry boxes. You’re trusting them with pieces of your life – and that’s one move worth getting right.

Home and Lifestyle

Forget Spring Cleaning: The Spring Reset Your Home Really Needs

Spring is a time to peel back the layers, feel the warmth of the sun on our faces and embrace the colour and freshness of a new season. For many of us, it’s also time to roll up our sleeves, throw back the curtains and start scrubbing. I have strong memories of my mum on a ladder, bucket of soapy water at hand, furiously washing the walls. But what if, instead of cleaning our homes from top to bottom, we used spring as an opportunity to reset them? Reset your space Look around your home and, rather than asking, ‘What needs cleaning?’, ask, ‘What’s no longer working?’ Is there an armchair in your bedroom that has become a dumping ground for clothes? Is the hallway permanently cluttered with shoes? Or perhaps you have a room whose only purpose seems to be displaying dusty books and old school trophies. You don’t need new furniture or a renovation. It’s about editing, rearranging and making more intentional choices about the way you use your space. Move that armchair from the bedroom and place it near a sunny window to create a reading corner. Clear a neglected surface. Give an underused area a new purpose. Tip: Choose one room and remove three things you no longer love. Then rearrange what remains before deciding whether you need to buy anything new. Reset your routines Our homes are shaped by our habits just as much as they are by our furniture. While routines can make life easier, a new season is a good opportunity to reconsider the ones that have started to feel more like ruts. Could mornings be calmer with a dedicated coffee station? Would evenings feel more relaxing if devices stayed outside the bedroom? Could a forgotten corner become a space for meditation, journaling or simply sitting quietly? A home should support the life you want to live, not just the one you’ve fallen into by habit. Sometimes changing how you use a room is more transformative than changing the room itself. Tip: Introduce one new ritual this spring – breakfast in the garden on weekends, fresh flowers every Friday or winding down with a book by lamplight each night. Reset your colours Spring naturally inspires us to lighten and refresh our homes. While a coat of paint can transform a room relatively quickly and economically, there are plenty of ways to embrace the new season without picking up a paintbrush. Pack away heavy winter throws and darker accessories and bring in lighter linens, soft greens, warm whites and gentle botanical tones. Fresh flowers, leafy branches or a bowl of colourful fruit can instantly breathe life into a space. Think of your home’s colour palette as something that can evolve with the seasons, rather than something fixed. Tip: Refresh one room using only what you already own. Swapping cushions, artwork and decorative pieces between rooms can create an entirely new look without spending a cent. Reset your outdoor living As the days grow longer and the weather warms, our living spaces naturally begin to extend outdoors. You don’t need a sprawling backyard to make the most of the season. A balcony, courtyard or even a sunny windowsill can become an inviting retreat. Wash down outdoor furniture, pot a few herbs, add some cushions or string lights, or simply create a comfortable spot to enjoy your morning coffee. Spring is the perfect reminder to make the most of Australia’s beautiful weather and reconnect with outdoor living. Tip: Create one outdoor destination – even if it’s simply a chair, a small table and a pot of herbs where you can enjoy your first coffee of the day. Reset your mindset Perhaps the most important reset has nothing to do with your home at all. For years, we’ve been told our homes should look a certain way: minimalist, perfectly styled and free from clutter. But a truly welcoming home isn’t about perfection. It’s about reflecting the people who live there. Rather than aiming for magazine-worthy rooms, focus on creating spaces that support your wellbeing, reflect your personality and make everyday life a little easier. Keep the artwork that makes you smile. Display the travel souvenirs that bring back memories. Let your home tell your story. Tip: Instead of asking, ‘What should I get rid of?’, ask yourself, ‘How do I want my home to feel this spring?’ Then let that answer guide the changes you make. Spring has always been associated with fresh starts, but perhaps the best refresh isn’t found in a bucket of soapy water and a scrubbing brush. It’s about creating a home that works for the life you’re living now. This season, forget striving for spotless perfection. Reset your space, your routines and your mindset – and you might find a few thoughtful changes make a much bigger difference than the deepest spring clean. Happy styling! About the author Kylie Harding Founder of Styled to Sell, Stylist and Contributor Kylie Harding is the founder of Styled to Sell, a property styling business she has run for more than 25 years. Instagram Website

By Kylie Harding

Home and Lifestyle

Since when did everything need an app?

Remember when you could just… do things? You parked the car, put some coins in a meter, and walked away. You ordered dinner by speaking to an actual person. You turned on the air-conditioning by pressing a button. And if you wanted to see a restaurant menu, someone handed you one. Simpler times. Now, apparently, everything requires an app. Want to park? Download the app. Create an account. Enter your rego. Add a credit card. Verify your email. Allow notifications. Decline location tracking. Reset the password you created in 2023. “I JUST WANT TO PARK THE CAR.” Restaurants have joined in too. Sit down, scan the QR code, open the menu, select your meal, create an account, enter your table number and pay online. Meanwhile, a perfectly nice human being is standing three metres away. And don’t even think about joining a loyalty program without handing over your name, email address, date of birth, mobile number and colour of your undies. Then there are our homes. The lights have an app. The TV has an app. The security camera has an app. The robot vacuum has an app. Even the washing machine would apparently like to send us notifications. Why? I don’t need a relationship with my washing machine. I need it to wash my clothes. Of course, every app also needs a password containing 14 characters, a capital letter, a number, a symbol, an ancient Egyptian hieroglyph, and the name of your first pet. Then comes the inevitable: Incorrect password. So, you click Forgot Password, receive an email, create another password you will immediately forget and vow that from now on you’ll write them all down somewhere sensible. You won’t. Technology was supposed to make life easier. And much of it absolutely has. But somewhere along the way, convenience became remarkably complicated. So, here’s a radical idea. Sometimes I’d like to walk into a shop, buy something, hand over my money and leave. No app. No account. No QR code. No password. And please, for the love of everything holy… DON’T ask me to download anything.

Home and Lifestyle

Would you buy a house that works against you?

Buying a home is one of the biggest decisions most of us will ever make. We spend months scrolling through listings, attending inspections and comparing suburbs. We look at school catchments, transport links, renovation potential and property values. We calculate budgets, organise finance and imagine where the furniture might go. But there is one question many buyers never think to ask: How will this home actually feel to live in? It’s something Classical Feng Shui consultant Lisa Burman encourages people to consider before signing on the dotted line. “People often focus on the practical aspects of a property, which are absolutely important,” she says. “But a home is much more than a floorplan and a postcode. It’s the environment you’ll wake up in every day, raise your family in and build your life around.” While Feng Shui is often associated with lucky bamboo plants and carefully positioned furniture, Classical Feng Shui takes a different approach. It examines factors such as a home’s orientation, age and surrounding environment to better understand how the space may influence the people who live there. According to Lisa, every property has its own unique energetic blueprint. “Just as no two people are exactly alike, no two homes are either,” she explains. It’s a concept that resonates with many homeowners. Most of us have walked into a property and instantly felt comfortable. Others might tick every box on paper, yet something doesn’t feel quite right. That feeling, Lisa says, is often overlooked during the buying process. “We’re very good at analysing properties from a financial perspective, but we don’t always stop to consider how a home might support our wellbeing, relationships or lifestyle.” Of course, location, affordability and practical needs should always come first. But understanding how a property feels can add another layer to the decision-making process. The same principle can apply when it’s time to sell. While fresh paint, decluttering and good styling can certainly help attract buyers, Lisa believes creating a welcoming atmosphere is just as important. “People make emotional decisions about property,” she says. “Often within moments of walking through the front door they’ve already formed an impression of whether they can see themselves living there.” Simple changes such as improving natural light, creating a sense of flow and removing visual clutter can help buyers connect with a space more easily. At its heart, Feng Shui is based on a fairly universal idea: our environment influences how we feel. Most people would agree they feel different in a calm, light-filled home than they do in a dark, cluttered space. The places where we live can affect our mood, energy levels and overall sense of wellbeing. “When you’re buying a home, you’re not just buying a building,” Lisa says. “You’re choosing the environment that will shape your everyday life.” Whether you’re a firm believer in Feng Shui or simply curious about the concept, it offers an interesting reminder that a home is more than bricks and mortar. It’s the backdrop to your life, and that’s something worth considering before you pick up the keys. About the author Suzanne Butler Founder of Harmonising Energies, Classical Feng Shui Practitioner and Contributor Helping people create homes that support their health, relationships, career success and financial wellbeing. With a unique blend of environmental analysis, mindset work and practical strategy, Suzanne helps clients understand how their surroundings influence their everyday experiences and long-term outcomes. Facebook LinkedIn Instagram Website

By Suzanne Butler