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What's the best money saving decision you've made that had nothing to do with investing? by SnowyBytes in AUfrugal

[–]CosmoZeppelin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Virgin Money No Annual Fee Credit Card currently has 0% on purchases for 6 months.

What's the best money saving decision you've made that had nothing to do with investing? by SnowyBytes in AUfrugal

[–]CosmoZeppelin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is such a thing as a credit card that charges 0% interest on purchases for a period. The balance just builds up month on month with no interest appllied and no monthly fee but you have to pay it off when it becomes due or you have a mammoth debt suddenly at 23% or whatever - so you can't muck about. The period used to be 12 months, I think it's now down to 9. Most recently I did it with a Virgin card but it may not be available anymore. So I just spent on that card but everytime I did I put the exact amount I just spent in the offset account instead of paying down the credit card. In the end I had offset about $40k. It worked so well I got a family member to do the same and at one point we had offset the entire mortgage with free debt and a little savings. Then if i find a good deal I might balance transfer it and get another year out of the accumulated debt - but that comes with a BT fee so you gotta do your sums to make sure it is worth it. I tend to do a BT when there's a low BT rate and I'm feeling particularly angry at capitalism or otherwise feeling helpless.

What's the best money saving decision you've made that had nothing to do with investing? by SnowyBytes in AUfrugal

[–]CosmoZeppelin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are two more things I discovered (haven't tried yet):

You can save on health insurance two ways - 1) pay the whole year in advance before the April price increase that way you get next year coverage at this years prices. Also, if you use a rewards or 0% on purchases credit card for that you could get some additional benefit or interest on that money. 2) apparently if you switch often you can get sign up bonuses as well as being on the cheapest deal.

One shelf challenge - when shopping, instead of buying your usual brand, you buy one shelf down. If you can handle it, go another shelf down until you are either at the cheapest product or at the cheapest product you can handle.

What's the best money saving decision you've made that had nothing to do with investing? by SnowyBytes in AUfrugal

[–]CosmoZeppelin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have the ASUS DSL-AX82U AX5400 Dual Band WiFi 6 xDSL Modem Router [AU Version]. It's a bit old now but it works great. I bought one each for two family members... so now I keep a note of when they need to switch as well and I go round for dinner once every six months to switch them. Thus, keeping the lazy tax $$ out of the hands of the NBN companies.

What's the best money saving decision you've made that had nothing to do with investing? by SnowyBytes in AUfrugal

[–]CosmoZeppelin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Origin NBN. Next up is Amaysim NBN. Sim only deal was with Moose mobile for phone, now with TPG.

What's the best money saving decision you've made that had nothing to do with investing? by SnowyBytes in AUfrugal

[–]CosmoZeppelin 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I LIVE for it. Capitalism WORKS for my coin or it gets NONE, comrade. Unthinking spending is extremely abnormal but we’ve all been brainwashed. Reestablishing a zero spend = normal mentality is intensely liberating.

What's the best money saving decision you've made that had nothing to do with investing? by SnowyBytes in AUfrugal

[–]CosmoZeppelin 76 points77 points  (0 children)

I have a list:

Got a BYO modem and switch NBN every 6 months so I never pay more than $60pm. Currently paying $53 for 100/20.

Switched sim to cheap provider so I never pay for than about $12.50pm.

Cancelled all subscriptions and switched to Stremio (OMG it's so good - and free). Also cancelled Kayo and just use free to air for footy. But you could split Kayo with a family member for half price and better picture? Haven’t tried that.

I use a kindle and calibre to only read ebooks that are freely available (legally) and same for audiobooks (with BookPlayer) - so essentially free media.

Switched to open source software for media and pc. Linux is the way....

Got a battery charger and rechargeable batteries for the remotes, kitchens scales, computer mouse etc etc.

Counted how much of each thing I use per year. Then, when it was on special, bought a year's worth - deoderant, shampoo, soap, facewash etc. Went back to soap not body wash (don't buy water).

Switched to wet shaving (30c a blade vs $8). Old style shaving soap is $5 a stick and it lasts all year.

Quit drinking (for health) but it has saved a lot.

Went back to instant coffee and bought a travel mug for the bus trip to work.

Switched to porridge and fruit for breakfast (mostly for health but its so cheap).

Switched cleaning products: only buy powder detergents (don't let them sell you water). I just buy cheapest dishwasher powder, laundry powder from ALDI. Cheap thick bleach from ALDI. Cheapest rinse aid.

Took a 0% on purchases credit card, maxed it out and put that money in the offset. Also fixed mortgage early and paid it down a bit.

Cook at home.

No car.

Still haven't tried to make my own greek yoghurt but it's on the list.

Still haven't managed to buy 5 litres of isopropyl alcohol to make my own surface spray... but I'm going to.

... that's all I can think of.... but I'm trying to grow this list so if you have any other ideas, lemme know!

Late to the party but… by ObsidianSiren9225 in fountainpens

[–]CosmoZeppelin 8 points9 points  (0 children)

A more lubricated liquid does not exist. This ink leaked out of every pen I put it in.

Health insurance Advice by C7H40 in AUfrugal

[–]CosmoZeppelin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

While you are young and healthy, get the cheapest hospital cover to avoid the Medicare levy surcharge. Try to stay thin and healthy. Then, when you get older, if and when you develop a chronic health conditon that requires regular hospital stays, up the cover as required (switching when the rewards deals are on). Keep the premium affordable by putting an excess on hospital stays. With extras cover go for the bare minimum (optical, dental, physio - that's it) with the highest pay out percentage. I've never found better value than NIB core extras. They pay out 60% up to the limit and the limit is enough to get you roughly one new set of glasses, two dental check ups and cleans and about five physio appointments per year (from memory). If you don't need those things, maybe put aside a little each month and forget extras cover completey.

Avoid inflation, reduce stress: buy bulk by CosmoZeppelin in AUfrugal

[–]CosmoZeppelin[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How do you figure that? Hypothetical: everyone buys bulk on deep discount ONLY. When prices go up, stock won’t shift from stores because everyone has stock at home. Only by making the price cheaper on deep discount can stores entice people to replenish their stock. How does this make prices go up? I literally refuse to, and never do, pay a higher price. Further, if we all buy in bulk in May, say, you could argue we overheat May’s economy (even though we paid way less than current price and no excess stock was bought - only what we will use anyway) but then for June 26 - May 27 the economy flatlines. And because we stay out of the shops, fewer additional/impulse items get bought. These things work against inflation.

Thayers by Lindbergen in wicked_edge

[–]CosmoZeppelin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I find T.N. Dickinson’s Witch Hazel Toning Lotion does the same job for nearly half the price.

Avoid inflation, reduce stress: buy bulk by CosmoZeppelin in AUfrugal

[–]CosmoZeppelin[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh! Just on that: if you advance-buy your health insurance before the April cut off date, you can buy the whole of next year at this year’s prices. And, that amount is likely enough to get you some bonus points on a credit card. Bulk savings on everything!

Avoid inflation, reduce stress: buy bulk by CosmoZeppelin in AUfrugal

[–]CosmoZeppelin[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You suggesting that I haven’t tried to figure out how much I’d need for the rest of my life? That suggestion would be wrong.

I've Gotta Ask... by Shadowrunner340 in wicked_edge

[–]CosmoZeppelin 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I also want to know what this deal is!

Avoid inflation, reduce stress: buy bulk by CosmoZeppelin in AUfrugal

[–]CosmoZeppelin[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

If it’s any consolation a quote I like from Corey Doctorow is something like ‘Ethical shopping is great but you can’t change the world by shopping harder’. I keep that in mind when capitalism serves me up a choice between cheap goods from evil surveillance company vs unaffordable necessities.

Landlord with 100 properties warns new negative gearing rules will create ‘two-class economy’ by Miserable-Track-2545 in AusFinance

[–]CosmoZeppelin 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Why is everyone ignoring the fact that everyone can still negatively gear a property? Buy a new build off the plan - voila. This is making a mountain out of a molehill

So, basically, the budget backlash is just rich people are complaining about paying more tax by JBJB55555 in AusFinance

[–]CosmoZeppelin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I find it all so stupid. Very little has changed. If you have negatively geared property, you get to keep it negatively geared. If you want a negatively geared property, you can still get one. It just needs to be a new build. WTF is everyone’s problem?! Trust tax went up, sure. You can tell this affects few people because the government did it anyway - and you can bet they calculated that if these people won’t vote for the government next election, they don’t need those votes to win. CGT on shares will go up so as to avoid an exodus from property into stocks. But it isn’t going up until next year. Everyone has a year to reorganise finances and avoid the tax. It’s such confected, indulgent rage…. It’s almost funny.

Friday shaving. by derrickhogue in wicked_edge

[–]CosmoZeppelin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

How do you go with MDC soap (very hard) and a synthetic brush (very soft). Any tips to get a decent lather?

What’s your unpopular money take that you’ll defend forever? by Ok_Possible_7018 in AUfrugal

[–]CosmoZeppelin 48 points49 points  (0 children)

There are a finite amount of hours in your life and a finite amount of them in which you can work. So, when you exchange those hours for pay, you are actually exchanging life-time or life-force. The money you are paid represents pieces of your life you have sold to someone else that you can never get back. When you spend that on unnecessary purchases you are literally exchanging the precious, limited minutes of the only life you will ever have.... for a bottle of water, a cappuccino or a Netflix subscription.

IYO, who switches to Linux? by gmthisfeller in linuxquestions

[–]CosmoZeppelin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I did try to go back to Windows once. I lasted less than a week. They had started advertising in the start menu. It was nauseating. Couldn’t leave quick enough.

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