As promised in my previous post, I’m going to use this space to share with you guys some of the general money-saving tips that I have picked up over the years.
Events and entertainment
Eating out: It’s a Friday night and you’ve gone out to your local restaurant for dinner with friends. The meal was nice enough but you had to wait forever and the tiny serving meant that you were hungry again an hour later – sound familiar? Why not try something different and host your own dinner party? Rather than paying through the roof prices to eat out, why not get your friends together to decide on a couple of dishes they would like to eat – everyone splits the cost of the ingredients and the cooking. Not only is it a far cheaper option – it’s actually a lot of fun!Free events: Brisbane City is an amazingly vibrant place that plays host to a vast variety of free events. Throughout the year there are wonderful festivals such as Chinese New Year and Brisbane Festival; there’s also free entry to places such as the Museum and the historic City Hall; and free events are frequently held at the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA). While you’re out why not take a stroll through the weekly Collective Markets at South Bank, held on Friday nights and all weekend, and take advantage of the free live entertainment?
City Hall – One of the many amazing places to explore in Brisbane
Tickets: It’s also worth noting that many places, like the cinema and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) for musical and theatre performances, offer discounted ticket prices to holders of a concession card (like your Griffith Student ID). Make sure you check out any deals before purchasing tickets because savings can be substantial. At my local movie theatre I can purchase student tickets for $5.50 instead of the regular $8.50 adult price and last year I saved over $70 on a performance of Othello at QPAC – for front row seats!
Money
Take a list: In my experience, this tip works in both department and grocery stores. Before you head to the shopping centre make a list of all the items you absolutely need to buy and go only to the areas in the store where these are located. Don’t tempt yourself by strolling through the whole store!
Shopping lists – Having a clear and concise list will help you avoid impulse purchases
Open a separate savings account: make the conscious decision to put a portion of your pay check into a separate account as savings each week – $1, $20, $100 it doesn’t matter – just put it away and work towards a savings goal; maybe you want to buy a car, go on a holiday or just reach a certain dollar amount. I have found that once I get myself into a ‘savings’ mindset it is much easier to resist impulse purchases and temptations.
I hope these posts have given you some ideas about some simple methods to be a little thriftier with your hard earned cash. If you have any more tips or tricks feel free to share them with other readers here. Good luck and happy saving!
– Elizabeth
