http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/blog.php?12750-The-Thrifty-Mama-s-Guide-to-More-Life-for-Less! en Wed, 22 May 2013 19:47:14 GMT vBulletin 10 http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/images/styles/BubHub/misc/rss.jpg http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/blog.php?12750-The-Thrifty-Mama-s-Guide-to-More-Life-for-Less! http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?627-Be-Thrifty-and-Frugal-not-Scungy-and-Stingy! Thu, 16 Aug 2012 00:10:39 GMT I am accused of being tight by people because I don't waste money in the same way they do - this doesn’t worry me but actually being stingy, scungy, whatever is not good for anyone. I am talking about little or big things you can do which may impact negatively on other people’s lives or your own, involves fraud, setting a bad example for your children or is just plain stealing.

You often see streaks of this behaviour in the newly frugal, filling up their pockets with sugar sachets beyond their needs, filling rooms with egg cartons for reuse (but they somehow never are used for anything- great for lighting wood heaters though!) and signing up for as many samples of everything they can knowing full well the samples will go to waste and they were never interested in the product in the first place.

It's easy to fall into when you start trying to save money with zeal! This doesn't sit well with my ideology. I am frugal and thrifty but I believe in the essential abundance of the universe (bear with me here - not going too hippy on you I promise), these actions come from a different place. One of believing that you have to grab everything you can or someone else will get it and that there isn't enough for everyone. Your thrift and frugality should sit well in your life. It should fulfill a genuine want or need you have and when done it should enhance your life and not detract from other people's (except when those other people want you to spend money in an unwise way and they directly benefit from it!).

Example: Taking lots of samples of products you will never buy and don't even want because they are free! The result: company stops giving samples for those genuinely interested as it costs too much money and does not result in an increase if sales. This is bad for other people who are genuinely interested in the product and would like a sample and bad for the company who loses money and doesn't make any extra. It is also bad for the environment when you just throw the pointless samples away.

Example: Taking the TV guide from the office newspaper after checking with the administration manager. Result: You get a TV guide which no one else was going to use and was just going to be recycled, you save money on not buying the paper you weren't interested in and there is one less paper to deal with waste wise. No obvious negative effect.

There are lots of other examples but I just wanted to get you thinking, being stingy is a negative thing but being frugal can be a life-enhancing one, growing your own vegies is frugal and life enhancing, stealing your neighbour's paper first thing in the morning (or their Meals on Wheels which I have heard of!) is not - it is stingy and wrong … I'd bet you can think of some more pertinent and subtle examples (that don't involve newspapers?).

If you like my blog posts please like my Facebook page and see my other ramblings at The Dull Roar Philosophy ! ]]> Thrifty Mama http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?627-Be-Thrifty-and-Frugal-not-Scungy-and-Stingy! http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?618-Breastfeeding-Thrifty-as-it-gets! Mon, 06 Aug 2012 00:26:14 GMT OK so it’s world Breastfeeding Week so here’s a little post from The Thrifty Mama and The Dull Roar Philosophy on Breast feeding. Let’s take a couple of things as read: Breastmilk is the perfect milk for babies. It can be tricky to establish. If you are unable to breastfeed I don’t judge... OK so it’s world Breastfeeding Week so here’s a little post from The Thrifty Mama and The Dull Roar Philosophy on Breast feeding.
Let’s take a couple of things as read: Breastmilk is the perfect milk for babies. It can be tricky to establish. If you are unable to breastfeed I don’t judge you for it or think you are compromising your child or your womanhood.
Right now those elephants in the room have been banished let’s get back to why I like it.

• The milk is free. Have you seen the price of formula? I just couldn’t choose to bottle feed with formula being so expensive even if all other things were equal! I have a real problem spending money when I can get the same (or better) for free!

• Preparation is easy hungry baby + milky breast = sorted. I am not great with measuring, sterilising and washing things at the best of times. I can’t imagine how much worse I would be with an infant robbing me of sleep too!

• No waste! Ok so not strictly true as any breast feeding mum who has woken up in a puddle of her own milk or watched the milk pouring out in the shower knows but at least you don’t sit there looking at the 50 mls of (expensive) mixed formula that bub won’t drink and you can’t keep (then you have to wash up the bottle ergh..) And breasts adjust automatically to the baby, I just don’t think I would be as fastidious…

• Snuggling and sitting. There are things I like to do. Two of those things are snuggling babies and sitting on my backside. Breastfeeding rolls the two of them into one delicious chore with a boost of oxytocin to boot.

• Accessories aren’t necessary. I have washable breast pads (about to be used for a third baby!) and an electric pump and bottles (from the first bubby and expressing at work) I have nursing bras and a wedge shaped pillow for supporting baby but really all you need are breasts and a baby. Other things are handy but optional.

Can you think of any other reasons Breastfeeding is the thriftier and less effort option that I have missed?

You can find more of my blogging at The Dull Roar Philosophy and find me on Facebook! ]]> Thrifty Mama http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?618-Breastfeeding-Thrifty-as-it-gets! http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?600-Online-savings!-Argh!They-are-everywhere! Fri, 27 Jul 2012 02:27:29 GMT I support buying locally, especially for fresh food. I am also against buying rubbishy items on the Internet simply because hey look good and are cheap to purchase. They are nearly always a poor proposition as they don’t work or break and then end up in landfill wasting resources, time and money.... I support buying locally, especially for fresh food. I am also against buying rubbishy items on the Internet simply because hey look good and are cheap to purchase. They are nearly always a poor proposition as they don’t work or break and then end up in landfill wasting resources, time and money. Then you have to buy another one.
HOWEVER I am also a tightwad so if something is good quality and saves me a substantial amount of money or I can’t source it locally and it is something I need I will buy it online.
We all know about online department stores and I have to say that my forays into purchasing from them have been less than satisfying. Pilly easily torn sheets were one lesson learned so I tend to stay away from them BUT I have found a few online stores that have good quality and good prices and are worth a look (but don’t get sucked in by gorgeous things you don’t need!)

www.petersofkensington.com.au Oh boy. If you haven’t been to this website and you like homewares please be warned, there is some seriously gorgeous useless stuff here. RESIST! But if you are looking for quality knives, pans, cookware, cutlery etc this should be your first port of call. The savings can be huge. They also offer great savings through their Daily Deal Newsletter but if you are a slowly reforming shopaholic maybe it is best if you don’t sign up.
www.harrisscarfe.com.au Did you know that my favourite discount department store offers great online specials? I love Harris Scarfe, our is like stepping back 30 years in time which is fun (also unintentional- a perk of living in Tasmania, there are lots of “retro” style shops that have no idea they are retro- long may they prosper!)So I prefer to go in but there are lots of online only specials for homewares, clothes, footwear etc. Worth a look!

www.groceryrun.com.au This is an online grocery clearance shop(I know, you never would have guessed!) run by Catch of the Day. Gifty chocolates are something I see a lot as well as pantry items. Sometimes they have free items on Fridays you can grab whilst you put in an order. Very tempting to buy too many chocolates.

Also by the People who bought you Catch of the Day we have www.mumgo.com.au where you can get great specials on baby products and things for mum.
Whilst we are on the topic of baby and mum products www.dailybabybuys.com.au and www.dailymummybuys.com.au have daily deals you can sign up to have emailed to you. Remember to resist the unnecessary! I bought my boys Green Toys trucks considerably discounted from Daily Baby Buys. www.bambinobrands.com.au is similar and has great quality and brand name baby products on sale.

If you are in an isolated area buying nuts, beans and seeds can be expensive (even though they should be cheap foods) so buying in bulk online can make a lot of sense. I buy most of my nuts and seeds from www.salfood.com.au and get almonds for $10 a kilo! Another great bulk foods supplier is http://biodistributors.com.au where I buy organic panela/rapadura sugar amongst other things.

The most important thing to remember with online purchases ( I am assuming you have bought online before so won’t waste my time with utter basics) is that of course it is something you would otherwise have purchased and it isn’t a total impulse buy because it is cheap and/or cute and that after you add on shipping the numbers still come out in your favour. I can’t tell you the amount of times I have had a great order ready to go but the price of shipping to Tasmania would make you weep!
So go forth and save!

More of my particular brand of more life for less at the Dull Roar Philosophy and find me on Facebook! ]]> Thrifty Mama http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?600-Online-savings!-Argh!They-are-everywhere! http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?587-Looking-Reasonable-on-a-Budget! Fri, 20 Jul 2012 01:57:48 GMT OK so maybe today's blog title isn't punchy but hey we're all parents or parents to be and sometimes looking reasonable is the best we can hope for. It sure beats having weetbix in your hair and snot on your trousers.
I am generally a low maintanence girl when it comes to beauty products. I use a microfibre cloth to wash my face or I oil cleanse both of which work well for me. Once or twice a week I use a Burt's Bees exfoliating scrub( I got it with a Myer voucher I earned from surveys) and I have also been using the Burt's Bees body lotion on my face (I got that free when I purchased my scrub with my free voucher!) I have fairly sensitive skin so when I find any moisturiser that works I want to stick with it. I will be buying more of the body lotion with my next Myer voucher! Coconut oil is great for face, hair and body moisturising and is very good for you too so worth tracking down a supplier of cheap organic coconut oil and having come in the house (it's great for babies skin too!).
I try to avoid petrochemicals and un-pronounceable nasties in my skin and hair care but that can be a bit of a challenge when you don't want to spend a fortune which is why I stick to the above for my skin (generally).
I was really excited to find a shampoo, conditioner and kids wash range that fit my stringent criteria (I really was waaaay to excited considering you just wash in the stuff) and even more excited to find you can get it at major supermarkets- I found ours in Coles.
It is petrochemical free.
Smells good.
makes my hair clean and shiny (many more natural hair products make my hair lank)
Comes in a non-petrochemical 100% recyclable bottle.
is CHEAP! (under $4 a bottle!).
it is an Australian company.
Let's face it, this shampoo is a better person than I am!
It is Organic Care and the kids love it as the shampoo/conditioning/body wash all in one smells like fruit and has dinosaurs on the bottle. you can also get a pink girly one that I think smells like berries. Look for it waaay down on the bottom shelf!

In the spirit of sharing and caring Cole sent me the whole range of their Derma Intensive+ skin care products and after getting over the initial shock of having so many products (Toner.. what? Do I put on the anti-wrinkle cream before or after the anti-wrinkle eye cream?) I have given them a good try and can report this: they are very good value, the creams are just as good as any other major brand I have tried (Loreal, Ulay etc) but prices are under $5 per product. there is a full range and they are full of all kinds of scientifically tested sort of things just like the more expensive brands. Being all scientific and wrinkle fighting they aren't very natural but my skin didn't do weird things and I think the texture has improved. It sure smells good and at least my wrinkles are no worse than before!
I didn't find the hand cream much good but the face creams are good feature packed value and the face cleansing wipes are coming with me to hospital, they are very cleansing and handy and I think they are $2 a packet which is hard to beat. They come in a fragrance free option too. The Derma Intensive oil is a great one for baby bump massaging and more natural than the famous Bio Oil (and much cheaper!)
If you are lucky enough to live in a part of the country that has an Aldi you may have tried their range which gets rave reviews. The Coles Derma Intensive+ range seems very similar and is made in Europe.
If you are looking for a new skin care range it is worth giving it try- such good value (and it smells good!).
Apart from washing and face creams my other big tip is do try home haircuts! the are free and you can learn so much from Youtube these days. I have long hair with a fringe so mine is pretty easy but I am sure a lot of you out there are capable of keeping your hair looking presentable in a more advanced fashion....try it!! I bought some hairdressing shears on eBay for $6 for two pairs (yes they are Chinese) so I have a pair of scissors and the feathering shears and they are really good for our uses so the outlay is minimal!
I would bet that you have lots of other tips to stop us looking like snot smeared ogres....I would love to hear them so leave comment and share with everyone! ]]> Thrifty Mama http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?587-Looking-Reasonable-on-a-Budget! http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?564-Own-your-Hood! Mon, 09 Jul 2012 19:54:11 GMT I have had a shocker of a week with a particularly nasty virus brought home by our eldest son knocking the stuffing out of us all and leaving me feeling like my brain is a marshmallow sitting in a saucer of soapy water. Suddenly though I feel fighting fit and restless which is wonderful but being... I have had a shocker of a week with a particularly nasty virus brought home by our eldest son knocking the stuffing out of us all and leaving me feeling like my brain is a marshmallow sitting in a saucer of soapy water. Suddenly though I feel fighting fit and restless which is wonderful but being at present 5am, a little cold and lonely (soon to be hungry I feel).

Never mind, it gives me a good opportunity to catch up on overdue blogs such as this one! This week my focus is on getting to know your local area and reaping the thrifty benefits!

Some of these benefits I have brushed on previously but I think it is so important in the quest to squeeze more out of life for less money that I think a whole blog is needed.
I want you to take control of your ‘hood (is there anything more cringe worthy than a middle class white mother trying to use Ebonics or other street slang? Maybe it could be worse if I was a politician as well!) Ok so I want you to start feeling ownership of the area you live in, the street the suburb, the town or city.

Start by walking around it regularly- I found this tip in my much beloved Thrift Book by India Knight- she pointed out how many interesting features you find if you “march proprietarily” around your neighbourhood. It might be architecture to look at or a hidden park, it might be an Asian grocers or a shortcut to town. I have lived in this suburb for three and a half years now and still find things I have never seen. Driving doesn’t count as you miss a lot driving, you might not pop into the deli on a whim and find reasonably priced free-range meat or you won’t see the stand out the front of the local chemist (which you wouldn’t have noticed has changed its signage if you hadn’t been walking) you know the stand- it has the ridiculously cheap detergent and toothpaste. Another bonus is the free transport and exercise (can be a Godsend with small children if you have a pram or a carrier! It helps keep you sane and saves on counselling fees too).

Start feeling at home in the free services provided by your council and State Government such as libraries (do they have free internet? Free classes, story and song time for littlies? School holiday programs?)Museums and Galleries (children can be surprisingly receptive to a little exhibitionistic culture and learning and there are often family fun days, launches etc.) parks with exercise equipment or free concerts, free seminars for small business owners (I have attended a few lately and made some great connections- both for business and socially) I bet you can think of more around your town or city (maybe not Accident and Emergency- I really don’t want anyone to feel at home there!).

There are public events such as farmers or craft markets and festivals where you may spend money but get great local produce, meet the people growing and raising the food, lower your carbon footprint by buying locally and handmade and forge a stronger sense of community. You might want to get involved with Community Garden working bees and other Community days to really get hands on!

Getting to know your area means finding the best place for bulk buys in town and knowing when the fresh food is marked down (but still fresh) and which fruit shop to stop at on the way back from the supermarket. Knowing your area means that if you buy something online you are doing it because you can’t get it at all or for reasonable price locally. Knowing the local shops is much more interesting than just hitting the usual chain shops every time.

Equally as important is getting to know where the good coffee is made for occasional worthwhile indulgences!

So go out and own your part of the world, it may not be glamorous or elegant (mine sure isn’t but that’s a whole other blog post!) but you can only enjoy what it has to offer if you get exploring! ]]> Thrifty Mama http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?564-Own-your-Hood! http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?534-It’s-Time-for-Can-(We-Can-But-We-Won’t) Fri, 22 Jun 2012 00:38:09 GMT Things have been happening here at Thrifty Manor (Thrifty Manor may look like a small tumbleddown cottage to you, she’s still our Manor!). Well things have been trying to happen. Our business is looking to expand, it is solid and there is a market we have tested out in the big city, just waiting... Things have been happening here at Thrifty Manor (Thrifty Manor may look like a small tumbleddown cottage to you, she’s still our Manor!). Well things have been trying to happen. Our business is looking to expand, it is solid and there is a market we have tested out in the big city, just waiting for us to get our hot little hands on. As you know I wouldn’t be throwing my cash around without just cause but we have been trying to buy a property for another (second) business premises in another city.

We found the place (Yay!) It valued well (Yay!) and we took this to our bank. You may know them. They are a major player in the world of banks and at the moment they are swamping us all with gorgeous, evocative advertising telling us “Yes We Can”.
I love the ad with Toni Collette reading that Dr Seuss-esque poem telling us we CAN! The website tells us:
“The greatest impediment to progress is the word Can't.
Can, on the other hand, makes things happen.
Can helps us move forward.
Whatever you want to achieve, our technologies and know-how will help to get you there.
Discover the power of Can.”

Even the bottom of the email they sent us said:
“Our vision is to be the best client focused business bank that CAN, wants to and will deliver for our customers.”

The bottom of the email which says; "Sorry- you don’t have quite enough equity in your existing property portfolio (after we take a 20% margin off for arbitrary reasons) so we can’t help you at all." Obviously this positive Can attitude only applies if you have so much money right now you don’t actually need any financing.

Essentially this says: “You don’t have enough of your own money (actually we only looked at the property and completely ignored the worth of the business and haven’t even looked at the figures and assets of this) but anyway, you don’t have enough of your own money right now to fund this whole shebang so we won’t lend you any money. End of story. Maybe we can, but we won’t”.

This is possibly the most conservative and can’t do approach a bank could possibly take in the circumstances. It shows that far from being a “Can” bank they are a “Won’t” bank. There was no “Now let’s see how we can make this work by looking at your other assets or other loan products” There was no “In these economic times it is time we looked at how we can make things happen. For many small businesses the property market has hit a slump so bad that we really need to look at how we can help you to improve growth in other ways” No, the Small Business Bank of the year simply said,
“Computer says No” and went back to staring at the monitor.

Shame, Commonwealth Bank, you have not got the innovation and vision to support your very pretty advertising, our dealings with you have shown you to be misrepresenting yourselves, on top of the failure to pass on full interest rate cuts; so we won’t be able to be your loyal customers any more, we will take our assets, our loans, our merchant facilities, our business accounts and personal ones, even the high interest online ones, the ones for our little kiddies and our gold cards and we will find someone who will deliver on their promise, who does pass on rate cuts and most of all someone who actually can and we will move our whole business elsewhere. We are only a small business but Small Businesses are supposed to be their focus and their reason for being!
If The Commonwealth Bank treat us (reasonable tangible assets and all our business and personal accounts with them) like this, what hope for the one house family who goes to them wanting to finance an extension, or try a small business venture, what of the family wanting to buy a first home in a depressed market?
Please make sure when you trust your financial assets to a bank, that the institution has the courage and integrity required to look after your family and not just a flashy campaign!

Thanks to the team at Effective Naturally for making me more brand aware, it won’t surprise me at all if we see the CBA on the BooBoo of the week! ]]> Thrifty Mama http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?534-It’s-Time-for-Can-(We-Can-But-We-Won’t) http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?525-Get-your-Value! Mon, 18 Jun 2012 06:12:00 GMT I am stingy. I will admit it. On the occasions that money can be coaxed out of my wallet I want to make sure it is worth it. Mama needs to get her value! Getting value is wonderful. It does mean that garage sales are slim pickings at my house (I get my value good and proper- most of the time by... I am stingy. I will admit it. On the occasions that money can be coaxed out of my wallet I want to make sure it is worth it. Mama needs to get her value!
Getting value is wonderful. It does mean that garage sales are slim pickings at my house (I get my value good and proper- most of the time by the time I have finished with something no-one in their right mind would want it!) but it means a whole lot more.


Have you read the calculations showing that a $300 wool dress you wear 3 days a week for 10 years is cheaper than a $5 dress you wear once? Or the great ones that show your $1500 handbag was a great purchase? These are not just tricky calculations making you feel better about big purchases, they can show you the true cost of not getting your value (you know, all those unworn but "cheap" clothes you have?) and the value of buying good usable quality.
For the most part this doesn't mean buying at the high end stuff, I tend to find the best value lies in the upper part of the mid-range of products. I have found this to be true of some toys and homewares and clothes. Cheap toys just don't past muster in our exuberant household so our boys have a giant bucket of Mobilo, one of Duplo and a couple of hard wearing trucks made by Green Toys (from recycled milk bottles- the toughest toys I have found) throw in a couple of pairs of roller blades, some squeaky tricycles waaay past their prime, sturdy wooden dolls houses (from Freecycle) and an array of teddy bears and soft toys and that's the sum total of the toys that have lasted at our place. The cheap, the free (given by well meaning market stall holders) and the dinky just disintegrate, make mess and go in the bin. Even free isn't good value then!

Our Ergobaby was on special so only $120 and is about to be used for baby number three so the value we will have had well outweighs the purchase price of the fanciest organic full priced one... at around 900 uses (probably more) it represents great value (and is the best carrier I have used so far- I think carriers are much better value than prams!). I did have another cheaper carrier but we could only use it until our son was 6 months old and it hurt our backs so the value just wasn't there!

Homewares are a great place to find value, shop well, on special and get good stainless steel pots, Dyson vacuum cleaners (OK maybe only one of those!) and a good washing machine and they will do you well for years! ours have been going for over 7 years now on average and nothing needs replacing whereas a cheap product is lucky to last a year.
All those "oh well it only cost a few dollar" purchases add up, not just in dollar terms but the cost to the planet in resources and landfill and your time and frustration, shopping for them, having a substandard product to use, disposing when they break and shopping again! Isn't here something else you would rather be doing?
I know anytime I buy something I know is cheap and poorly made I think "Ah how bad can it be? It will do the job" and I am surprised at how terrible some cheap stuff really is!
So save your pennies and spend once and spend wisely, keep your eye out for quality at a good price and save yourself from frustration and waste- get your Value! ]]> Thrifty Mama http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?525-Get-your-Value! http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?498-Thrifty-Mumpreneurship Mon, 04 Jun 2012 04:03:11 GMT I have noticed that "Mumpreneurship" is on the rise. Whilst I may have just invented the word I did not invent the movement and even a cursory peep around Bubhub shows that more women are being prompted into pursuing a work/life balance through their own small and micro-businesses by the birth or a baby than ever before. The Bubhub itself is a the brain child of a Mumpreneur and it looks like my business is too (but to be fair to the other half of parenting and business in this house- I have a Daddypreneur who has equal standing).
Starting up a business of any kind can be daunting and it can be expensive. It is also tempting to get all the little perks oooh gorgeous business cards, fancy signs for the market stall etc but really you can set up the basics for very little outlay. My accountant tells me that setting up as a sole trader is the cheapest and that setting up a company is the most expensive but that's all sort of boring.
Let's look at what you can do for your business for free. Get the basics and then spend some dollars once the cash flow is running. There are lots of places to get free tips (and then buy the books for more in depth understanding later) such as http://strawberrycommunications.com.au/ where you can sign up for a free newsletter. There is lots you can do online for promoting your ideas. A cheap domain with a built in site Builder is great. Social media, that great time waster is showing itself to be the ultimate thrifty ally of the mumpreneur so use Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Youtube.
The more places you can get yourself online the better- with spending a cent if you forgo a website initially (sometimes Facebook page is a good way to dip your toe in the water). Don't be like the woman I saw on the Dragon's Den last night, she had ordered 180,000 pairs of childrens knickers to personalise for her business idea...and she couldn't pay for them and had no orders in the pipeline. That scenario will haunt my dreams!
Not free but cheap Vista Print are the first stop for business cards, just don't buy the extras they tempt you with. you can get more professional cards later when the business has proven itself.
Read read read. Online, at the library, actually buying books (gasp, I know!) educate yourself woman and you will be off to a good start. I went to two free seminars last week and they were amazing so find out if your State has Enterprise Centres or support for startup businesses, they do lots in Tasmania!
So go, pursue your dream but don't remortgage the house for thousands of kiddies knickers in the process! ]]> Thrifty Mama http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?498-Thrifty-Mumpreneurship http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?463-OK-Who-Wants-to-Save-Thousands-of Fri, 18 May 2012 07:20:43 GMT Would you like to save thousands of dollars and still have just what you want? I have a very simple piece of advice for those of you who want to save money without compromise. It's not difficult, it's not a trick. I promise.

Here it is.

Never buy a new car. I don't mean never buy another car and keep driving that same one around for ever- we change family cars every few months in this house! I mean never buy a brand new car from a dealer. Never.

Buying a brand new car means you lose thousands in depreciation the moment you take possession of you new ride. Would you give $15,000 for no benefit to yourself? Unless it's for charitable purposes I doubt it very much (and we aren't all in a position to splash our cash like that!). So never buy a brand new car.

A bit of research on online car websites such as Redbook will show what I mean. A 2012 plate Holden Commodore Omega has a new price of $42,490, the 2011 plate had a price of nearly the same- $41,990 BUT now, with 15,000 kms on the clock it is valued at between $23,700-$26700! That's a saving of at least $15,290- the price of a another small car!

So-called demonstrators or program cars don't offer the same savings as just buying a 12 month old car sorry- sometimes you can save a bit but I would estimate the savings to be around one third of that saved if you buy a 12 month old car on the private market. " But Thrifty Mama," I hear you say, "You said I wouldn't have to compromise and I love new car smell!" Well, let's ignore that these days most new car smell is potentially toxic outgassing from plastics for now...a 12 month old car still has that smell, feel and drive quality that you desire, basically it's a new car and almost half price!
If you are a bit tricky, keep the car tidy and don't drive a million kilometres you can sell the car on after 12 months or so for the same amount you paid so you have none of that ugly depreciation! In order for this to work it is best to familiarise yourself with the frequency of model changes so you aren't stuck trying to sell an old shape car (some people have husbands and partners who like to research that sort of thing if you don't think it is your bag...) It is worth noting that this turnover of cars doesn't work well with Ford Falcons, the market is flooded with ex fleet, hire car and taxi Falcons due to the deals Ford Australia do so they don't hold their value.

Speaking about not holding your value, if you are like me and don't care if you have a new car, just want something safe, solid, economical and good to drive you can't go past a SAAB or Volvo. they plummet in value so fast it would turn your stomach but the upside is you can get a good family car for very little money.

So remember my advice, (I feel I have a good source of information right here, my husband has a bit of a car thing and has bought and sold in excess of 200 personal cars in his driving life so far) if you don't care two figs about value and saving money and just want that new car dealer experience that's fine but if you don't like wasting great wads of cash never buy a brand new car! ]]> Thrifty Mama http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?463-OK-Who-Wants-to-Save-Thousands-of http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?414-Make-Your-Own-Luck! Tue, 01 May 2012 04:31:29 GMT I know some people think I am lucky, I have a highly domesticated husband, fancy cars at my disposal, investment properties, a business instead of a 9-5 job, an exclusive breed of cat and beautiful clever children (well I suppose we all have them don't we?).

First of all none of this is as glamorous as it sounds but that is beside the point here which is that we had to work hard to get the luck to happen. If we had sat around doing the same thing everyday and moping about not being lucky, doing nothing more than buying a lottery ticket every week and complaining about those who have "all the luck" we would have none of it.

Some of it is down to a bit of luck but it is being in the right place at the right time by ensuring we are often in the right place! Our lovely Devon Rex was $80 from a cat home rather than $800 from a breeder but we regularly visit cat homes so we are on hand to meet any unusual breeds should they pop up so it's not so much lucky as fairly likely we would find him! Our fancy cars were bought (for our business) by researching daily what was on the market and chasing every opportunity, our properties were good buys at the right time (not always... but you live and learn). The business was hard graft and chutzpah rather than luck, we started with nothing and built it from scratch but people see the surface and assume it's "luck".

Luck is finding a $20 note on the ground when on a walk... luck is having good weather for your wedding in a wet spring, finding bargains and buying well to enhance your life takes a bit of dedication.

One of favourite books is The Tightwad Gazette By Amy Dacyczyn which is actually a collection of newsletters she published herself in the 1990s. She is a great one for making her own luck and through hard work, research and dedication she ended up with a farmhouse, minor celebrity status through her books and newsletters and a thriving business she built from scratch as well as a house full of antiques and an ability to dress her six children for US $50 a year (this was the 90s and the American dollar had some value then...)! The "secret" to her luck was sometimes extreme. She would plot "Yard Sales" (Garage Sales) on a map, start early in the morning (really early) with a few snacks and a thermos, pre-dress the child she was taking the night before (so she could pull them out of bed and go the next pre-dawn morning) and methodically peruse each sale, bargaining and buying clothes to suit her children, those that didn't fit yet were filed in archiving boxes. She was often told she was "lucky" with her Yard sale finds- luck had nothing to do with it!

So when you think that some people are lucky with what they have in life remember that they probably put in some hard yards to get that luck be it researching the best catalogue buys for the week's groceries so they have more money for their holiday fund or tracking down the best price for the Porsche they drive. Also remember the odds of you winning the lottery are very very slim and most people aren't happier or even much richer a couple of years after a win...they have blown it all (because they didn't work for it maybe?).

So if you aren't feeling lucky, go out and find ways to make your own luck... I did and it worked. Oh I didn't tell you how I managed to snare a domesticated husband did I? ... Now that was just luck! ]]> Thrifty Mama http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?414-Make-Your-Own-Luck! http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?399-Don-t-believe-the-hype! Sun, 22 Apr 2012 01:33:15 GMT It's a simple one but sometimes it takes someone to point something out to you for it to click. My mother always had cupboards full of products with bright boxes and bags, new improved, Heart Foundation approved products that did nothing more than plainer products except drain her money away! She would wave the box at me saying "Look! It's new! And improved!" (On an aside- can something be both new AND improved? Surely it's newness suggests it has not existed before and therefore was not around to be improved?)

Brightly coloured packaging, health claims, proprietary "ticks". These all cost money who pays for them? you if you buy the products. A simple way to cut down on spending is to avoid anything making outrageous claims in brightly coloured packaging. These days you can't make many claims without backing it up with a study or trial and these are paid for by the company who makes the product (in the vast majority of cases).
The more health claims something makes the more processed the product generally is and that doesn't sound healthy to me!

I bought some frozen chips the other day, I like the chips, they taste great but I was amused to find that on the really bright plastic bag was the statement "from the goodness of the earth". I suppose they are right, the potato they were long a go did originally come from the earth but the fresh potatoes I bought direct from the grower the other day have dirt on them and make no such claims... they also cost 1/5th the amount of the chips. The chips are tasty and convenient but I wouldn't be buying them on the strength of them being "from the goodness of the earth" for heaven's sake- I would rather they didn't make such talkative packing and passed the savings onto me!

If you stop buying products which have to get your attention via bright plastic wrapping and loud claims and instead buy the quiet products like fresh fruit, vegetables, generic brand basics, clean with vinegar rather than a self promoting eco friendly spray which is mostly vinegar etc, you will find you can get more for your money and have a healthy home and family to boot- not to mention less packaging is great for the world in general! ]]> Thrifty Mama http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?399-Don-t-believe-the-hype! http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?367-Sometimes-it-s-hard-to-be-a-Thrifty-Mama! Wed, 11 Apr 2012 06:37:52 GMT I had my morphology scan today and have found out I am having a healthy baby girl (we have two boys aged 3 and 5) and I am over the moon and fighting back an urge to run out and buy lots of pink stuff and chocolate ( I don't think the chocolate is baby girl related- more of a default for me). I realise that this is me experiencing a strong emotional response and wanting to have an action I can take! I will of course collect lovely "girl things" (hmm doesn't sound right) over the course of the next 20 weeks (and beyond!) mostly second hand. I have a lot of neutral tiny baby clothes as we didn't know if son#2 was going to be a son or not but I can feel an attack of pink frills lurking in every op shop and all those market stalls I have had to walk on by because the cheap clothes were all for girls.
Anyway, it's hard to think of such trifles when one is so delighted! ]]> Thrifty Mama http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?367-Sometimes-it-s-hard-to-be-a-Thrifty-Mama! http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?348-Grateful-in-April Wed, 04 Apr 2012 06:31:59 GMT A really important part of having more life for less is being grateful for what you have. Not in a “think of the starving children in Africa” way (Although that can help!) but in seeing the beauty and joy in your life right now. If you rely on bigger and better things coming into your life you... A really important part of having more life for less is being grateful for what you have. Not in a “think of the starving children in Africa” way (Although that can help!) but in seeing the beauty and joy in your life right now. If you rely on bigger and better things coming into your life you will find you are not living in the present and when you ultimately achieve your goals (more money, fancy car, holiday) I am sorry to say that it won’t make you happy.

Being thrifty and frugal means being grateful for what you have and what you can achieve right now rather than focussing on what you are missing in your life. Who can stick to a budget (or diet) if they are constantly thinking “I wish I had enough money for pizza”? Make the pizza with what you have on hand and enjoy eating it with your family and friends!

Do you know what makes my life great? It’s not owning investment properties (believe me!), it’s not having had lots of fancy cars (nice enough, but just cars after all). It’s the beauty of the world around me, spending time with my wonderful husband and children, breathing the clean air, seeing plants grow into food, the feel of dough when I am baking, dancing, seeing my eldest boy learn to read…. Every thing you can buy just pales in comparison. More and more people are downsizing, downshifting and simplifying for the same reason! Look for the wonder and beauty in your life and ways to keep it!

There is a great campaign called Grateful in April… well worth looking at to see how other people find reason to be grateful for what’s in their lives. Being Grateful is fulfilling, enjoyable and free! It also saves you money as you aren’t trying to fill the void in your life with “Stuff”.
http://gratefulinapril.com/ ]]> Thrifty Mama http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?348-Grateful-in-April http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?331-Indulge-me-here Wed, 28 Mar 2012 04:37:52 GMT Sometimes being thrifty and frugal can get same old, same old. We've heard so much of it before: Menu plan (I don't actually), buy in bulk, stick to a budget, use a list. Let's face it, it's been heard before, it's boring and it smacks of depriving oneself which (anyone who has been on a diet knows) can lead to a petulant backlash!
So this blog I am going to focus on ways of getting what you are after and feeling indulged without racking up credit card debt or blowing the budget.

• Speculate. We bought a high value antiquey thing at auction the other week, cleaned it up and put ot on eBay. even in this depressed market it doubled it's money and that money went towards our treat- a shiny NEW coffee machine (25% off and well reviewed model- we did our research).If you find a high value item for sale cheaply buy it and see if it sells online for more than your costs. this money then goes in your treat kitty!

• Review. Here on Bubhub, your own blog and through a number of word of mouth marketing companies. There are people wanting to give you some of their products in exchange for a review online. I have received a variety of things to keep and share including books and chocolate- if I can get someone to give me shoes my indulgences will be covered!

• Online Surveys. Sure it isn't going to give you the income you need to support your family but I have had over $500 worth of gift cards over a few years which has let me buy homewares and magazine subscriptions I wouldn't let myself have otherwise but I love!

• Mystery Shopping. I have done this in the past and I had to start get choosy about the jobs I took as some of them I hated! But some had me shopping in frivolous places and being paid a small amount for it and getting clothes, pizza, cosmetics, test driving new cars. Also not going to support the family but can be fun and if you are good at it you will get a few jobs.

• Samples. Sometime receiving a sample of something indulgent in the mail is enough . Tea, skin creams, coffee are all commonly sent out as samples and you might find a great product you love too. I like them because I love getting things in the post!

• Make it yourself. I love artisan bread but not the price, I love cakes and biscuits too but I generally don't have them unless I make them myself as it is much cheaper and healthier (as I can control what goes into them) of course then I eat lot's more but I am talking of being indulgent!

I would bet there are lot's of ways I haven't thought of yet- do you have ways of ensuring you feel pampered without spending? ]]> Thrifty Mama http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?331-Indulge-me-here http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?314-Keep-it-Simple Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:06:11 GMT These days, things are complicated. Too complicated in my opinion. Yesterday my five year old told me "Daddy said I could have a touch phone for my sixth birthday." daddy in question looked aghast, scared and confused and then said " I don't think I did- what's a touch phone? Don't we already have a phone we touch?".For us six year olds having mobile phones is too complicated (he just wants it to play games on- I don't think it has occurred to him that you can call people with it!). Keeping things uncomplicated makes things easier and cheaper.

A simple Christmas celebration or Birthday party is less stressful for the host, less over stimulating for the children (they can get pretty cranky when overwhelmed and who wants that?) more fun for participants and *dadada* cheaper. Much cheaper.
We have all seen the little one surrounded by new toys and wrapping paper who decides the cardboard box is the most fun (much to the frustration of the parents who spend lots of time and money choosing the rejected gift!). That baby knows, simple is best, simple lets you use your imagination! Do you know what the difference is between a simple Christmas or Birthday and an elaborate one? One tends to be more relaxed and enjoyable for everyone concerned. Celebrations are about people (and a few treaty eats perhaps) not about impressing everyone with amazing table laying prowess and ten kinds of meat (which you then have to think of how to use up because you overcatered!)

Our boys prefer going to the beach or a park than anywhere else and most of their games involve a tricycle, an old scarf used as a cape and a stick. To them this allows them to be variously superheroes, Arthurian Knights, pirates, "space guys" and whatever else pops into their heads. They are also big fans of cardboard boxes which are boats, cars, spaceships, houses and bear caves. wonderful for their imaginations and wonderful for the bottom line. When the cardboard boxes or sticks are spent I use them as fuel in the wood burner or compost them. The planet is happy as no plastics, no fossil fuels, carbon cycle friendly and all that trendy green stuff.

Of course you may have children who are beyond the cardboard box and stick stage (I am not sure I am!) but there are still good simple activities to encourage them into bike riding, blackberrying, building things, kicking a soccer ball around etc. My hope is to get you thinking whilst your little ones are tiny so you don't fall into the trap of giving them more and more expensive amusements which raise expectations, rarely live up to these and ultimately lead to dissatisfaction. They are often pretty passive too, keeping things simple tends to keep things more active physically and mentally which is better for overall health.

Even now I prefer to keep things simple, I like baking, gardening, dancing, skating. I don't enjoy going to loud overstimulating places very much and tend to find myself surly and tired afterwards so I know how children must feel!

What do you do that keeps you entertained simply, using imaginations and saving money?


P.S ( The Five year old will NOT be getting any kind of phone when he becomes the Six year old!) ]]> Thrifty Mama http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?314-Keep-it-Simple http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?290-From-Little-things-Big-things-grow Wed, 14 Mar 2012 00:59:03 GMT It might not seem the best time to start banging on about gardening as we slip into the cooler seasons but planning is always good and there are lots of things you can do now! Some view gardening as an expensive hobby and others as a full on challenge to see how much they can eat from their own... It might not seem the best time to start banging on about gardening as we slip into the cooler seasons but planning is always good and there are lots of things you can do now!

Some view gardening as an expensive hobby and others as a full on challenge to see how much they can eat from their own garden but there is so much room in the happy medium.

The boys love gardening so I can't be too precious about it but I let them choose some plants, guiding them towards things that would be expensive to buy in shops or that are too delicious to not grow. We have wonderful vegetable farmers and box schemes in Tasmania and onions, potatoes, carrots and apples are so good and cheap that it isn't worth my while trying to grow at the moment as they also take a lot of room. If you haven't got a big garden and lots of time, grow the tizzy stuff like tarragon and raspberries and purple podded peas (which look great) and let the professionals grow the cheap, space consuming staples- this way you can have your posh food for less!

We only have a courtyard garden but I am growing a few things, miniature capsicum. chilli, French Taragon, lots of herbs, a couple of raspberry canes, some zucchini in a tub and some cherry tomatoes (oh and a pumpkin- everywhere we go a pumpkin grows itself!) radishes and beetroot are starting to grow now- chosen and planted by my sons. We like to grow heirloom plants for the unique flavours and the seeds can be saved from the fruit meaning you don't have to buy seed for next year! The boys love tomatoes and tiny baby carrots from the garden and harvest herbs with me which means they are developing tastes for healthy, fresh foods, learning about where their food comes from, learning about eating seasonally, how the planet works and getting outside for a bit of healthy pottering instead of screen based entertainment so growing some our luxuries has many benefits beyond saving money.

You can grow your own food indoors cheaply too, sprouting seeds grows a wonderfully healthy fresh superfood from a few dried seeds and all you need is a sieve and a jar. (To be honest I have three different sprouters including a whizz bang auto sprouter but I am absolutely mad on sprouts and have acquired my collection over many years of sprouting!)

If you are interested in growing your own food of course have a look online but there are some great books to guide you on doing things easily and cheaply:

Grow your food for Free ( Well Almost) by Dave Hamilton

The Self sufficientish Bible By Andy and Dave Hamilton

The Thrifty Gardener By Alys Fowler

How Can I grow and Use Sprouts in My Daily Life? By Isabell Shipard (This is a great book on sprouting!) ]]> Thrifty Mama http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?290-From-Little-things-Big-things-grow http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?273-Better-second-time-around! Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:11:52 GMT Ok so I can let you off your leashes a bit this week,let's go shopping!

I love shopping, well that is to say, I used to be a compulsive shopper particularly prone to buy unnecessaries when premenstrual (by the way, very bad idea to try on clothes in fitting rooms when suffering PMT- hot tip for you there) so I would go to get something for dinner and some home with two litres of topshelf icecream and a satin basque heavily reduced (basques are always heavily reduced by the way because no-one actually wears them outside of lingerie catalogues!). So I had lots of gorgeous clothes and impractical shoes and wore about a third of them. It had to stop.

But one must shop when one has a family and if one is me one wants gorgeous quality things but one forgets to change before gardening or has a child throw up on them or put a carrot in the c.d player and one does not want to spend all of one's money and have heaps of stuff going to landfill and cry because a $100 jumper has been ruined. So one buys second hand. And I do, for nearly everything I can I buy second hand (men's socks are not something to buy used in my experience...).

There are many great reasons to buy second hand and not many for buying new.
My lovely BMW 4WD is decidedly second hand but it means that I don't feel as bad and shrieky when the scruffy family piles in with paintings and muddy feet as I didn't spend $80,000 on the car, I spent the price of a new cheap and tiny Korean car but the ride quality is amazing!

Today I am wearing my favourite Diana Ferrari shoes, a Lisa Ho skirt, a great black and white maternity top and chunky beads, total cost of original comfy outfit- $6.50.
My Children can rough and tumble in their clothes (and they do- I can't stop them!) and I don't feel bad, the second hand clothes they wear have stood the test of time and cost next to nothing so when they spontaneously go blackberrying I am not looking at losing $40 of outfit (or if you buy cheap but new losing the outfit on it's first wash cycle- they always lose shape and fall apart on me!).

I love vintage and have furniture and clothes from the late 40's to early 60's and the stuff is indestructible, a lot of my vintage dresses are amazingly hardwearing and the colours are still as bright as when they wear made (and sometimes that is seriously bright!).

If you are serious about saving money and having the best you must start buying second hand- don't give me that old chestnut about not wanting to buy something someone else has worn or used- do you think that factories are gentle sterile places free from dust and germs? Of course not! They are filthy, dusty places, the clothes are dressed in strange chemicals and everything new needs a wash or wipe before use so why not do the same with second hand goods? Make sure you buy quality brands and look for wear, stains, rust etc and that you are paying a low price (I like to pay half new price or less for appliances, furniture etc and very little for clothes except genuine Vintage which will out last life on Earth).

Embrace markets, online auctions, op-shops, garage sales and classifieds and give your family quality that has stood the test of time for much less moula whilst using less of our children's future resources! ]]> Thrifty Mama http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?273-Better-second-time-around! http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?252-Fun-for-Free-(or-cheap)! Sun, 26 Feb 2012 04:47:47 GMT We can all fall into the trap of thinking we need money for entertainment. I love food so eating out is fun for me but hardly frugal! The media drums it into our heads that having children is expensive because of all the entertainment we have to pay for and advertisements always have happy beaming... We can all fall into the trap of thinking we need money for entertainment. I love food so eating out is fun for me but hardly frugal! The media drums it into our heads that having children is expensive because of all the entertainment we have to pay for and advertisements always have happy beaming people getting there by spending money, so you can be forgiven for thinking that free or cheap means boring.

One way around this is making the necessary things in life your hobby- I love cooking, my husband is passionate about cars and along the way we have picked up some gardening and renovating skills, so a day of being productive and saving money can be more fun than attending an event that leaves your wallet malnourished.

Craft is fun, craft is hot right now, craft can save you money, if you do it right ( no- not scrapbooking oooh that is expensive!) but making your own cards and up-cycling clothes and if you really get into it un-ravelling past it knits and re-knitting them are cheap or free and you can make something you would have had to buy.

Plant and grow, use your scraps to make compost and use this to feed the plants you grow from seeds you have saved from your fruit and vegies (local small producers are more likely to heirloom produce which will grow true to type but most seeds will grow), grow sprouts from beans in your cupboard, or beans from beans in your cupboard. This will not only bring you some healthy food but keep you and the family out of money spending mischief whilst you teach your little ones important lessons about life cycles and where food comes from.

Books are expensive especially when you are buying for children who outgrow them all the time, so please use your library, if you don't they will be gone and an amazing resource with books on everything you can imagine from pulpy romances to how to service your Jaguar will be lost forever. Most libraries have online facilities too and e-books for borrowing as well as DVDs, magazines and music CDs so you really don't have an excuse to buy them either! Of course you can learn how to do lot's of things using the free books from your library too. Extra frugal points there! Also reading is fun and people don't do enough off screen reading these days in my humble opinion.

We have a great museum around the corner that is free to get into and has a great hands on science exhibition which the kids love on rainy days and of course it is educational (but to tell you the truth, if it is a rainy Sunday I don't really care if it is educational, just if it keeps the children entertained!), there are also places to swim for free with a pool and various swimming spots being council run here, I know Brisbane has Southbank and I bet a lot of other places have great council run facilities you can access for free. Councils often sponsor free events around the place so make your rates work for you and keep an eye out for what the council is doing for you (they tend to be great for children's events)!

Some less obvious ways to have fun:

• Invitations to exhibition openings (free food and drinks, socialising and sneak peaks at exhibitions).
• Being extras for promotional shoots and TV shows (tends to be free food and an opportunity to see behind the scenes- I was an extra last week and had a great afternoon tea as well as meet a national celebrity who is just lovely as well as see how a big TV show works!).
• Colouring sheets and freebies online for the kids for rainy days.
• Foraging for food (once you know what you are doing- knowledge is power!).
• Making things from other things you have on hand- I just knocked up a soloar food dryer using and old insulated bag with a foil lining... the apples are nearly done!

These are just some examples but I hope they get you thinking, fun doesn't have to be costly!
]]> Thrifty Mama http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?252-Fun-for-Free-(or-cheap)! http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?240-Knowledge-is-Power! Sun, 19 Feb 2012 06:31:28 GMT You love to use the internet, (I know you do)! but are you using it for good as a tool to enhance your life or are you reading Brangelina gossip and playing games? These days we have so much access to information but seem to consume it rather indiscriminately but if you are wisely with your... You love to use the internet, (I know you do)! but are you using it for good as a tool to enhance your life or are you reading Brangelina gossip and playing games?
These days we have so much access to information but seem to consume it rather indiscriminately but if you are wisely with your surfing and reading you can save yourself a lot of money (and time!).

Starting with the obvious there is price comparing and subscribing to "daily deals" newsletters (remember only buy what you were already looking for, not just anything that is a good deal!) and good old eBay and Freecycle (more on Freecycle later). This is good when you are buying things you will use to save you money in the long run like bread makers or if you are a caffeine addict- coffee machines!

Less obvious is what I do more often which is find out how to do something I would normally pay for- me and my boys love a locally made elderflower cordial and the elderberry concentrate but it is too expensive for me to buy regularly so I have learned to make my own (with free flowers and berries to boot!) so now the only costs are for the sugar and electricity used! I now make my own jam, bread, relish, pickles, nut butter, tahini, tentatively attempt to sew things and instruct my husband how to fix the car (sometimes I do it myself too- I am not a helpless woman, he just likes the car stuff). If you want something- for instance artisan bread-type it into a search engine and you will find out how to make many varieties and which books to read to find out more (books from the Library of course!) maybe you love sock monkeys? I bet you can find out how to make them too! Sometimes first attempts aren't the greatest but it is fun and a learning curve and very empowering to know you can learn how to make or fix many things yourself!

Another way knowledge will save you money is if you have done some research before you get quotes for anything you can't do yourself (it might be installing an air-conditioner, having your auto transmission rebuilt or a getting a new telco plan) if you know your stuff people can't scare-monger you into buying unnecessary warranties or paying for services you don't need- this is also good if buying a second hand car- know the make and model and it's potential problems before you start test driving and quiz the seller on the maintenance of the vehicle (I know that if you are buying a 3rd generation Chrysler Voyager and it still has the original gearbox you shouldn't touch it).
there are lots of helpful websites- one great one for making or repairing stuff is: http://www.instructables.com/ but a search will uncover lots of them!

There are also a lot of You tube videos showing you everything from how to trim your fringe (or bangs if American!) to how to repair the convertible roof on your BMW (I have used both successfully!).
So go! Learn and Empower yourself and save money at the same time go forth and learn to make sock monkeys, or cloth pads, or baby slings, or cut your own hair, or make sourdough bread, or jam,or a chicken tractor or repair the abs pump on your ML 320 Mercedes-Benz or .....? ]]> Thrifty Mama http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?240-Knowledge-is-Power! http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?226-Be-Like-Bob-the-Builder!! Sun, 12 Feb 2012 05:58:19 GMT This week I want you to be like Bob the Builder, not in his “all forgiving patience of a saint way” (how does he stand that scarecrow?) which is after all, very admirable but not on topic- but using his mantra of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”. Great for the planet of course but it also has great... This week I want you to be like Bob the Builder, not in his “all forgiving patience of a saint way” (how does he stand that scarecrow?) which is after all, very admirable but not on topic- but using his mantra of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”. Great for the planet of course but it also has great benefits for your spending!

Reduce:
I have already covered a bit of "reduce" in the previous entry by encouraging conscious consumption which should be getting you thinking about reducing your spending (and try to reduce the amount of packaging while you are at it, second hand stuff is great for this but refuse bags and choose products with less packaging, they are often cheaper too!).

Reuse:
I reuse as much as I can, glass jars and bottles are my favourite, I fill them with bulk goods in the pantry, jams and chutneys and stock concentrate and cordials in the fridge. I rarely actually buy products in glass jars so I hang on to them when I get them and I have cut down on the amount of plastics I buy as jars are just as good if not better (and they don't leach nasty things into your food!). I don't buy plastic wrap but reuse the bags from the fruit and veg shop for storing things short term- in the Frugal bible " The Tightwad Gazette" Author Amy Dacyczyn describes how she washes and dries her ziplock bags but I don't do this as I don't buy ziplock bags and it is really time consuming (oh my goodness the drying errrrgh!), my boys have containers or paper bags (reused from the bulk foods purchases) in their lunch bags.
For birthdays and Christmas I have some cheap gift sparkly gift bags in various sizes which are trotted out year after year for our little family and no-one minds a bit- easy to unwrap and no wasted wrapping paper!

Recycle:
OK I am taking a wee bit of creative licence here as what I am actually talking about isn’t recycling as such (IE sending a used product to be processed into something new) but “up-cycling” and “Re-purposing”. I have hardly any actual plant pots in my little courtyard garden, most are repurposed found objects such as an old zinc tub I put drainage holes in and is currently growing zucchini, large olive tins make pots too, a wooden box is growing some lovely tomatoes and I made a raised bed with bits of wood from around the back of the shed (a treasure trove for me- looks like the previous owners were hoarders or didn’t like going to the tip!). old wrapping paper, torn books, calendars and diaries provide nice images which can be used for cards and to jazz up plain wrapping for presents, clothes and linen past their prime make new lilbrary bags and aprons, altering the look of something drab with new (re-used) buttons or adding darts or trim, An old scarf is a superhero cape for a small one or a shirt with a belt is a lovely dress (for dress-ups).
The only danger is that you collect so many “useful things” that you are featured in the next series of Hoarders- don’t let me inspire you to build mountains of egg cartons and become buried under old rags!
Remember if you can’t think on anything to do with it now you don’t need it!

There are lots of great ideas online and in library books.
Some more great books for more ideas are:

The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn

The Self Sufficientish Bible By Andy and Dave Hamilton ]]> Thrifty Mama http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?226-Be-Like-Bob-the-Builder!! http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?222-Become-a-Weapon-of-Conscious-Consumption Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:00:31 GMT Do you know that as women and mothers we have an enormous power in our hands? We are the target of many marketing teams, we generally hold the household purse strings, we even have right of veto on house purchases (have you ever seen a woman looking at a house for sale and she doesn’t like the... Do you know that as women and mothers we have an enormous power in our hands? We are the target of many marketing teams, we generally hold the household purse strings, we even have right of veto on house purchases (have you ever seen a woman looking at a house for sale and she doesn’t like the kitchen or bathroom? If the woman doesn’t like it, it just doesn’t get bought). Being the main purchasers (and comfort shoppers too) means that we are responsible for a large chunk of the current mess we are in. Sure evil mining companies are pouring poison slurries into the waterways, sure there are empty jet planes flying all over the world and it’s not us employing children in sweatshops (you’re not are you?), but unless we are conscious about our consumption all our little thoughtless purchases add up to a whole lot of waste, landfill, using up the planet’s resources, house-clutter and a lot less money in our wallets.

I was reading a fluff piece on the fact that old fashioned home making skills (cooking a roast, sewing a button) are being lost by “Generation Y”. In the comments was a remark made by a young woman who said that she didn’t need to know how to sew a button as she had a job, if her skirt lost a button she would buy another one! Really? I am an appalling seamstress (I passed the theory of year 7 sewing at 100% but didn’t manage to make anything at all- the miracle of the grading system meant I passed without actually being able to sew!) but the thought of throwing away a skirt because I couldn’t be bothered sewing on a button doesn’t sit well with me, sew that button on woman! If the skirt was worth buying it is worth the three minutes to sew on a new button! Do it whilst you are watching “Please Marry My Boy” but don’t waste your money and our planets resources on a whole new skirt!

If you buy second hand you can get what you need for very little money and you save our precious resources leaving more for our future generations, if you do your research and buy something that reviews well you can take some of the guess work out of your purchases and shop around for the best price too. If you buy good quality you are also saving things from going to landfill, our Ergo carrier is going to be used for a third baby which more than offsets the cost price. Fair trade, organic and local things are also worth buying (but still consider them carefully!) as the benefits are powerful for the planet and people living on it.

If you buy things you don’t need just because they are cheap or gorgeous (lots of things are gorgeous these days!) you will end up broke, cluttered and lots of it will go to landfill, oh and it is probably made in a nasty sweatshop exploiting their labourers to boot! sort of takes the gloss off an indulgent girly shopping trip doesn’t it? (Just call me Buzz Killington!).

1. Subvert that shopping urge; put it into researching the best (baby carrier, bread maker, mobile phone- whatever it is).
2. Make sure everything you buy passes the famous de-clutter test, “Do I love it, do I need it, does it make me money?” so you stop the clutter getting in and the money leaking out.
3. Learn to love second hand which allows you to buy quality cheaply without worrying if you ruin it (hello Cashmere cardigan!), you don’t have the same (clothes, furnishings) as everyone else and if you buy vintage you can be sure it has stood the test of time too!
4. Make sure everything you buy is life enhancing Good cherries and chocolate are and bad takeaway isn’t-the takeaway would cost more too!
5. Give yourself room to breathe. Never sign a contract or take up an offer without thinking about it for 24 hours. A good offer will still be there the next day but impulse buys are rarely good ones.

So there you have it, today’s tip will save you a lot of money (especially if you are like me and become all over stimulated by all the cheap things in K-Mart- $15 pasta machines aaaaahh!!) become aware of your purchases, examine each one (yes even the groceries) and avoid impulse buying.

Become a Weapon of Conscious Consumption. Your wallet, your home and the planet will all benefit!

If these ideas tickle your fancy check out (of your Library of course- we are saving money here): The Thrift Book by India Knight (easy to read friendly and gorgeous) and;
Radical Homemakers by Shannon Hayes (heavier going for those very interested in change) ]]> Thrifty Mama http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?222-Become-a-Weapon-of-Conscious-Consumption http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?218-The-Thrifty-Mama-s-Guide-to-More-Life-for-Less Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:45:38 GMT Hello and thanks for reading - I hope that this Thrifty Mama can share some helpful wisdom to help make your life better for less money! Every week I will post another idea for you to try and see how it helps you live more life for less money! Fingers crossed I can keep the nausea down long... Hello and thanks for reading - I hope that this Thrifty Mama can share some helpful wisdom to help make your life better for less money!

Every week I will post another idea for you to try and see how it helps you live more life for less money!

Fingers crossed I can keep the nausea down long enough to write a useful post. (No it's not you! It's baby number three due in September causing mischief with my digestion, as they do!).

Having children is always a steep learning curve but one thing I am amazed is how much we parents are conned into spending money unnecessarily because we don't realise there is another way or because we are guilted into thinking that i we don't we aren't doing what's best for our children!

Pre-children I was no poster girl for thriftiness, (compulsive shopping anyone?) I Love clothes, shoes, homewares, gourmet foodie stuff and gorgeous cute little kiddie things as much as the next mama but if had kept going the way I did in my single days I would be calling one of those slightly dubious looking companies advertising debt consolidation in no time!

My Thriftiness doesn't mean I go without things I want it just means that my buying is different. I have everything I need AND everything I want (well ... one more pair of shoes to get me through pregnancy ... of and some larger sized vintage dresses for maternity wear?) if you will indulge me for a minute here's what I can do now I manage my life better:

We run our own small business which we started ourselves (not the Royal We - I mean me and my lovely husband!)

I start everyday with an organic fairtrade cappuccino.

I drive a luxury German SUV.

I have a walk-in robe full of cute clothes (good quality brands too - I like to think I am stylish after a fashion!),

A property portfolio.

A Thermomix (Major deity amongst kitchen appliances - you have to trust me on this one - it is an expense worth having for us as it saves money in the long run!).

We eat really healthy delicious food, much of which is organic and locally grown.

We eat out and visit gorgeous places regularly.

Doesn't sound very frugal does it? (It does sound rather boastful but I am trying to convince you after all - life is not good because of these things, it is good because of my wonderful family but the odd creature comfort doesn't go astray especially when wrangling small children and running your own business!)

I do think if you follow my advice (which, controversially doesn't involve writing a budget or menu planning - although I would probably benefit from both!) you can find more in your own life than you previously thought possible and it's fun and enriching too as well as being healthier, teaches your children good habits and helps the environment too!

I bet you will get into the swing of things and come up with ideas I've never thought of!

Stay tuned for the next exciting installment! ]]> Thrifty Mama http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/entry.php?218-The-Thrifty-Mama-s-Guide-to-More-Life-for-Less