Through my job working at one of the major supermarkets, I have learned all kinds of tips and tricks to save money! Next time you visit a supermarket, bear the following in mind:

• You can save up to 50% on Sara Lee products by buying our house brand bakery items instead - they are made by exactly the same company.

• The meat is no longer as good quality and has gone up slightly in price. I would suggest going to a butcher instead and paying less for better quality.

• In-store baked items are marked down from 40-80% two days before their use-by date (this does not include bread or donuts)

• Buy bulk and buy less often. For example, if you drink coffee, wait until the BIG tins are on special and buy three or four. This will last you for ages and save you $40 and upwards on coffee alone in the long run!

• If an item seems a bit sparse towards the end of the week, chances are there is actually heaps out the back and it is going on special on the Monday, so wait to make your purchase then if possible.

• For those living alone, take another look at those frozen meals. They may look expensive at first glance at between $4 and $6 but then go and price the meat and all the vegetables. Remember also to take into account how much you have to throw out after a few days through not using them!

• If you want to see who makes what, look at the back of the pack to see which company owns it. Visit the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) website and find out which other 'mini-companies' it has under its belt. They often compete with their own brands!

I recently noticed my elderly neighbour was unwell and no longer able to drive or leave the house; relying on taxi services to deliver food (often expensive pre-packaged items), or he would have home delivered takeaways. Being a fussy eater, he was reluctant to consider 'Meals on Wheels', so I volunteered to shop for him and cook him three different meals a week. Each week he gives me enough money to cover the costs of his meals (soups/stews/freezable casseroles) and I make up bulk amounts of each dish. I deliver half to him and keep half for myself, as suggested by him for payment. Not only is he saving money on taxis and home delivery, but he is eating healthy food and my family is also provided with three meals a week as a bonus for giving up a little of my time. Often cooking for one is not inviting, but cooking for others encourages healthier eating habits and helps regain social contact. Often a lonely person will gain a new lease on life to boot. A great savings all round, and using recipes from the Vault saves me even more!

Last Christmas, instead of buying everyone gifts, I bought some small gift boxes for $2.00 each at cheap stores and baked mini puddings and mini rum balls (I made heaps from one recipe), which I put in the boxes. I then tied them with a length of curling ribbon to make them look attractive. Everyone loved the goodies inside, and the maximum cost was $20 for at least six boxes.

I will definitely be doing this again this year. It will probably become a tradition - and why not?

I have come up with a low cost way to give a 'get well' gift that is always appreciated! Instead of flowers, I send the patient their favourite treats from the supermarket. In the past I used to send flowers but the cheapest I was able to get was about $80! So I came up with this cheaper alternative.
Now, when someone is sick, I buy around $30 of the patients' favourite foods and magazines online from the Coles or Woolworths websites and have it delivered to my friends and family in hospital. You simply put in their hospital address. You can even add a note to say it is a gift from you!
Delivery is usually free, or a maximum of $5.00. This saves me $50 a time on flowers and people really appreciate the thought and effort I have gone to in getting their favourite treats. It is also a very welcome relief from hospital food!

Just one plastic container is all you need to organise your freezer and save a small fortune on storing frozen food! I recently read an article which suggested freezing tasty, home cooked meals in small containers so you can whip one out in less time than it takes to get takeaway. Brilliant idea - but going out and getting all the plasticware I needed to do this was going to kill my miserly budget! So instead I bought just one plastic container that was an ideal size and a huge stack of small freezer bags. Now whenever I freeze a meal, I can line my single container with a freezer bag, seal it and once the food has been frozen, I can simply remove the container as though it was a cake tin! I have a ready-made 'freezer mould' and my freezer is still tidy with perfectly rectangular, scrumptious meals in minutes!

I live with my husband and 4 year old twin boys in a unit and we discovered Simple Savings at a time that was very difficult in the life of our family. I wanted to share a bit of our journey that led to saving money and an improvement of our quality of life.

When I discovered Simple Savings my husband was a self employed contractor who was in between jobs and our income became more limited as I work part time and we have many fixed expenses including a large mortgage and preschool fees.

We were feeling very stressed emotionally as well and finding daily living difficult to manage. I pored over the Savings Vault and found a wealth of information so assist us in reducing our expenses. As we were feeling quite vulnerable and finding change a struggle we picked one tip a week to research or implement and we started with the simplest first so we could experience enough success to motivate us to continue.

So the first week my husband put his razor in a small glass of olive oil (to prevent rust and make the blade last longer). Then we replaced our fabric softner with 1/4 cup of vinegar and put vinegar in a pump spray pack to clean our benches. We also used vinegar to clean our floors. As we "succeeded" we began to feel better about life as we were exercising the control we could to improve our situation and it felt creative.

We also:

Researched car/house/contents insurance for the best deal

Started to shop at Aldi regularly, knowing from other Simple Savings users which were the best value products

We found a wholesale butcher (Elvy's Wholesale Meats 2/19 Norman St, Peakhurst tel: 9153 6656)

We started cleaning our dishwasher with citric acid

We gave homemade gingerbread houses and biscuits as Christmas gifts

Our children made gift wrap (painted and glittered) from a roll of butchers paper bought for $10 at IKEA which is very personal and inexpensive.

We joined 3 different DVD clubs and got a free month from each before cancelling which gave us great free entertainment over the Christmas months.

We found websites for children's activites, and a recipe for homemade playdoh that we love and have given to other children as gifts.

We also bought $8 worth of alphabet and flower beads and bracelet elastic from The Reject Shop and made 13 name bracelets for preschool teachers and friends. My boys really knew the joy of giving something that they had helped choose and make. The recipients were joyous at the personal nature of the gift.

I now make my own bath products for our family and for gifts from the recipes and websites reccommended by Simple Savings subscribers.

We are adding to our life routine regularly and we are loving our life. This week I have taken my first week of unpaid leave from work to be with my cherubs during the school holidays and it is such a priceless and precious gift.

I really appreciate the invaluable life tools that I have gained from your website and value sharing this way of life with my children. And I encourage the overwhelmed to add one tip a week to your life...they all add up to big change.

A fantastic and unique gift for under $25 is the 'Useful Box'. It makes an ideal Christmas gift but can be used for any occasion. Basically this comprises of a pretty box which contains lots of those little useful things everyone needs but doesn't always have in one place; such as extra pens, string, Blu-Tac and so on - all the sort of things you want now and again but don't usually have on hand when you need them!

By buying all the supplies at the supermarket and a beautiful gift box at a discount store to present them in, I was able to create an entire Useful Box for just under $25, but you could make it even cheaper depending on where you purchase your supplies. To make it extra special, I wrote a little poem to go with the package! Here is a breakdown of the items I bought and their prices:

Bag of rubber bands - $0.69c
Self-contained sewing kit - $3.98
2-hole pencil sharpener - $0.79c
Paperclips - $0.59c
2-pack of stickytape - $1.19
5-pack of blue pens - $1.99
3-pack of 2B pencils - $1.29
2-pack of erasers - $0.55c
Post-it notes - $0.99c
Permanent marker - $0.83c
Blu-Tac - $1.80
String - $1.99
4-pack of AA batteries - $4.07
Gift box to put it all in - $4.00

TOTAL - $24.75

Other things that might be useful to add include fridge magnets, staples and safety pins. I do recommend keeping everything in its original packaging, to avoid people being stabbed by pins or the erasers getting grubby. Just pop everything in the gift box (including the poem if you wish) and either wrap the box itself up, or simply tie it securely with ribbon.

I printed my poem out and taped it to the underside of the gift box lid, then wrote in the card 'be sure to look under the lid!' You are welcome to use the poem below to make your own 'Useful Box'.

'The Useful Box'

I am a box of useful things,
Gathered from across the land.
Inside me find those things you need
But do not always have on hand.

Next time you scratch your head and think
'I wish I had some Post-it notes'
Just open up my lid and find
The very thing you needed most.

When pencils break or pens run out,
When sticky tape just disappears,
When batteries fail or string is needed,
Let this box allay your fears.

So use me as your Useful Box,
And if you wish please add to me
Those things you like to have on hand
So wanting you need never be!

I am 22 years old and on a low income, but am well on the way to saving for my first house! I developed a simple system that keeps my savings goal at the forefront of my mind and encourages the support of those around me.

I've always found it hard to save, but one day I got a big piece of cardboard and wrote 'My House Deposit' at the top. On the right hand side I cut out images of a house, a kitchen and a loungeroom that I would love to own one day. On the left hand side I drew a giant thermometer and on the side wrote the figures $0 to $40 000 ascending, just like on a real thermometer. Whether or not I need $40 000 is irrelevant; I look at this table every day and whenever I save another $500, I colour in with a red crayon up to the amount on the tally. I use hints from Simple Savings, such as making my own lunch every day and not buying clothes if I don't need them and now whenever I make a purchase I think of my house deposit and how much I want it far more than a coffee or new shoes!

An unexpected bonus of having this chart is that I've found my family and boyfriend have become aware of my goals and I get lots of support along the way. This visualisation technique really does wonders, and most importantly you are making a concrete agreement with yourself and you stop losing sight of your goals. I'm already a quarter of the way to reaching mine!

Skint but stylish. That's how I like to think of my lifestyle, because it is such fun to live on the smell of an oily rag without anyone else knowing! Eighteen months ago, although in recovery from depression, I found myself many thousands of dollars in debt and with several accounts having been sent to collection agencies. I was also 31kg overweight and at risk of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes. The excess weight (not to mention the stress!) was also making my arthritis worse. I was no longer able to work in my former profession and, as I was in my early sixties, I wasn't able to find other work and was on Centrelink (Social Security) benefits. I have since been transferred to the Age Pension. I knew I had to make some drastic changes, and pretty darn quickly too! I had just a few things going for me:

• My Visa card was a debit, not credit, card.

• My account was with a credit union, rather than a bank, and fees are much less.

• I was knowledgeable about nutrition.

• I was willing to face unpalatable facts about myself and make lifestyle changes.

With this small armoury, I prepared to do battle! The first thing I did was to sit down with all the paperwork, and list all the accounts, personal loans and the total. I nearly had a heart attack right there and then, but with the information, I was able to draw up a projected payments schedule. I contacted all the collection agencies and told them how much I proposed to pay each fortnight until all were paid. I did the same with private lenders. Nobody turned my proposal down; it really is true that, if you get in contact and show willingness, most lenders will give you time to pay. They would rather have their money than you in jail!

Step 2 was to organise payment of my electricity account by direct debit from my pension - what you never have, you never miss. Once the phone bill was paid off and reconnected, I did the same with that too. In all, my debt reduction program was going to be about $200 per fortnight, or roughly 34% of my pension and Centrelink allowances. Since my rent costs another 34%, the remaining 32% had to stretch to cover food, cleaning materials, clothing, pharmacy costs over the pharmacy allowance, fares for trips outside walking distance, presents, postage, life insurance and credit union fees (direct debit from my credit union account), occasional small charitable donations and the occasional small treat.

Step 3 was to go on to a sensible eating program (not a fad diet) that would help me to lose weight, bring my blood glucose and serum cholesterol levels into the normal range. A low GI, high carbohydrate, moderate protein, low-fat pattern fitted the bill in all respects. The challenge was: could I do it on $50-$75 per fortnight? The answer is yes! I make my own wholemeal bread, soups, skim milk yoghurt and lots of interesting dishes from many countries, based on grains and vegetable proteins, and stock up on tinned oily fish for essential fatty acids when on special. I have red meat and poultry only once or twice a fortnight and the rest of the time my proteins are derived from legumes, eggs and low-fat cheeses. It's just as well that I like oats! I drink two litres of water a day and make my own herbal teas from homegrown herbs. I don't buy soft drinks and buy leaf tea rather than tea bags, as it's better value per unit serving. I find whole fruit better all round than juice as a rule.

Step 4 was to get mobile! I walk, because I can't afford gym membership, and walking can be done by those who can't jog. Being out in the open air blows away the blues too. Having won a free pedometer, I wear it and try to reach 10,000 paces a day. I also started a vegetable garden and this saves me money where it counts, on vegetables, as well as being another source of fresh air and exercise.

Is it working? Is it what! In the last financial year I paid off $5000 in debts on the pension alone, and am on track to achieve the same amount this financial year. I lost 13kg in the same period - a nice, sustainable rate. My blood glucose level is normal, my serum cholesterol almost so, although because of familial hypercholesteraemia, I need some medication to help with that. I am continuing to lose weight slowly but surely and have much more endurance and less pain. My GP is nearly as stoked as I am. I take care of my clothes, believing that 'well-pressed is well-dressed', so my appearance doesn't give me away either. Occasionally I earn a little money from magazine contributions and this usually goes towards seeds or something else for the garden, but occasionally I restock the pantry with staples. I make my own cleaning products with such simple substances as vinegar, bi-carb of soda, washing soda crystals, soap scraps, eucalyptus oil and - wait for it - Worcestershire sauce (cleans brass and copper a treat, and one nearly always has it handy). I turn my appliances (apart from the fridge) off at the wall when not in use and have noticed a difference in my power usage. All my incandescent light bulbs have been replaced with long-life fluorescent ones, and by crafty use of acrylic-lined curtains I keep my house cooler in summer and warmer in winter. I pile on the clothing layers in winter and wear cool clothing in summer. If I'm watching TV in the winter, I cover my legs with a woollen rug and put on another cardigan if necessary, rather than turn up the heater.

Because I can't afford much for presents, I give of myself. A nice present is a 'book of vouchers', made attractively and containing such redeemable coupons as: 'This voucher is good for two hours' ironing... or an evening's baby-sitting... or... whatever!' Very few people say no to home-made goodies either. It makes me feel truly wealthy to give someone a loaf of bread still warm and fragrant from the oven, or a jar of chutney.