Recent Hints
Different name, different attitude to saving!
A simple change of tactic can make the world of difference when it comes to getting the family on board with saving! Our family recently did a $21 Challenge. To begin with, I was talking with my daughter, when the children started carrying on about the challenge, (the eldest child in that household in 21!). The other adult in the house said nothing, but his expression said everything. What was I going to do to get them on board? I had a lightbulb moment and told them that I was playing SURVIVOR, with help from my fridge, my freezer and my garden. Did I get any more criticism? No way. What I got was discussions on which family member would be able to survive with what is available at home, and for how long. This discussion went on for a week or more. I heard no more complaints and we spent just $2.99 over a fortnight! Next goal is a $41.00 challenge for a whole month. I just need to set a date, and get my support team going again!
By: Gusta T 3 responses in the members' forumSock it to draughts with cheap 'door snakes'
With every winter, it's important to make our heating systems as efficient as possible. Draughts under doors (both to outside and to rooms not currently being used) let heat escape, driving heating costs up. Door snakes are often advertised at around $10 each. This means for a whole house you may be looking close to $100. Instead, you can use a pair of men's long, knee-high socks! These can be filled with rice (or sand if you have easy access to it). Either tie a knot or see the top to seal. You can purchase ind the socks at cheap shops or ok shops, use the cheapest rice you can buy and you can make a house-full for less than the price of one commercially produced door snake.
By: QLD Girl 5 responses in the members' forumHottest Hints
$20 Saturdays for fun weekends
My kids love doing things on Saturdays but even a trip to the movies for our family costs $70. So I invented '$20 Saturday'. We could go anywhere and do anything as long as it didn't cost more than $20 for the whole day. One Saturday each month we would find a spot in the street directory that looked interesting and take a picnic, other times we visited free places such as museums or community festivals and the $20 bought a drink, small snack or ice cream. Not every place was terrific but we gave each place or activity a score to rate whether we would like to do it again. My boys talk fondly of things we did together and places we visited on $20 Saturdays and they learn that you don't have to spend up big to have fun.
By: Alice Wheatley 1 response in the members' forumSanity saved with Christmas wish books
When my children were young, I dreaded the arrival of Christmas catalogues and their enticing displays of new and expensive toys. So, some months before Christmas, I purchased cheap scrap books and the children spent some time covering them with Christmas paper. These became their Christmas Wish Books!
As each new catalogue arrived, the kids would carefully go through it and select any item they would like to receive. They would then cut out the picture and glue it into their book, with no limit on how many items they had in their book. However, the children knew they would not get everything in their wish book. On Christmas Eve, the kids would leave the books out for Father Christmas, who would be able to look through them and select one or two of the items to leave in their Santa sacks.
This worked so well for us in our one income, cash strapped household. I knew what each child wanted and I could see how much their gift choices were; this meant there was no rude shock when I went shopping for the items. I was also able to tell grandparents what toys the children were interested in, so they were able to purchase a gift knowing it was something the child wanted.
Even as the children outgrew Father Christmas, they still liked to make up a Christmas Wish Book - just to be sure they received something other than socks, jocks and hankies! I've never put a dollar value on what I saved, but I know it saved my sanity at a very stressful time of the year.
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