Money Saving Tips for 2023 – 15 Easy Ways!

It doesn’t have to be difficult to save a bit of extra money. I have been able to do this in many creative ways. Here are 15 money saving tips for 2023, to help you get ahead!

Introduction

There are SO many articles online about ways to save money, how to make extra cash and how to live more frugally.

I have used many of these tips and I have found what works for me and what doesn’t. I was a broke single mum after my son’s father left us when Andy was just 3, and I had to start from scratch, take a good look at my spending habits, save money, build an Emergency fund and get creative about ways to save some coin, to ensure I was doing the best by Andy, and to make sure I wasn’t going to live life on Struggle Street!

Here are my best money saving tips for 2023; 15 different ways you can make big savings!

Disclaimer: This is my own personal experience and you should always do your own research when it comes to making financial decisions that are right for you and your personal circumstances. I am not a financial advisor, I have just done my own research and found ways to save and get ahead financially, that have worked for me. If you are are unsure, you should seek advice from a professional financial advisor who can help to guide you based on your own financial situation.

15 Money Saving Tips for 2023

Go check your bills!

When you receive your bills, do you automatically pay them, or do you read them, compare deals with other providers and switch companies if necessary? I have done this several times. It sometimes takes a few minutes on the phone to do some admin but the savings can be more than worth it.

I used to pay around $60 per month on my phone bill and did some research, realising I could switch to Boost mobile, pay $200 for an entire year, and save hundreds!

I have also compared providers for my car insurance, health insurance and internet.

money saving tips, audit bills, bill comparison
You can make serious savings by auditing your bills, comparing companies and even asking for a better price!

I called my car insurance company, asked them to give me a better price, and they knocked $80 off my premium!

You can make significant savings just by auditing your bills, and even just asking them for a better price.

Pay off high interest debt

High interest debt is usually attached to things like credit cards, personal loans, and car loans. These kinds of loans can seriously harm your financial situation if you don’t attempt to pay them off as quickly as possible. Paying the bare minimum means you’re paying the institution, rather than paying off the actual debt.

If you put effort into making some extra cash, you can put that towards paying off this high interest debt (or bad debt).

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I know once I finished paying off my credit cards and my personal loan, it was like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. This in turn improved my mental health!

Grow your own food

You do NOT need a large space or a big garden to be able to grow your own food. I live in an apartment and have a small balcony garden and I have been able to grow heaps of my own fruits, veges and herbs on my balcony.

Some of these plants include:

  1. Lemon trees
  2. Basil
  3. Chives
  4. Rosemary
  5. Beetroot
  6. Spinach
  7. Tomatoes
  8. Chilies
  9. Snow peas
  10. Radishes

You can read more about what has been possible on my balcony garden in my article HERE.

balcony garden
This is my balcony garden where I grow lemons, snow peas, tomatoes, different herbs and heaps more

Prioritise building an Emergency Fund!

I can’t stress this one enough. Credit cards are not a smart emergency fund as they have high interest debt attached to them!

When something happens and you need some emergency money, you will be SO happy with yourself that you built up that fund for yourself.

It’s not a case of if, it’s more like WHEN. It happens to all of us.

We need car repairs, we have an unexpected medical bill, the washing machine breaks or we need a quick weekend away for our mental health!

Whatever you deem the emergency, the emergency fund will save you!

You could place the emergency funds in an online savings account or in your mortgage offset account (to reduce the amount of monthly interest paid), or keep it as cash, but just make sure it is safe and secure, and it’s easily accessible if you need it.

The Barefoot Bucket strategy also talks about having an emergency fund (or fire extinguisher money – to put out financial fires). You can read about Scott Pape’s Barefoot Investor Buckets HERE.

Once you have built an emergency fund, you might even be able to consider cancelling some insurance? This will be up to you to research and assess but some people choose to ‘self insure’. Your emergency fund essentially becomes your own insurance policy. If you’re unsure, make sure you consult a financial advisor.

Use a local library

Libraries are there to be used and yet I think there are many people who forget they even exist.

You can borrow movies, new release books, magazines, video games and so much more from the library!

My son Andy loves going up to the library (as do I) to see what we can borrow for a few weeks (we usually extend it to 6 weeks).

This can save you so much money if you actually borrow rather than buy new books, video games and magazines.

Op shop!

That’s right, op shops, thrift shops, second hand stores. I love them! Hit a few of them in one day and you just never know what you might find. That’s half the fun!

You can read about my Top 10 reasons to Op shop in my article HERE.

Op shopping can be a bit hit and miss but on a good day I have scored soccer boots for Andy, a brand new jumper, 3 dresses, t shirts for Andy, a Louis Vuitton scarf (for $3!! – which I later re sold for $420), Lacoste shoes for me and some accessories and spent no more than about $150.

This can save hundreds on yours and your kids wardrobes and I don’t know about you, but I treat it like a fun day out!

op shop, money saving tips
Op shopping can save you a lot of money on clothing, shoes and other items. You can even make extra cash flipping these items too!

Use Cashback apps

The two that I use and love are Cash Rewards and Shop Back. They both offer cash back on purchases, depending on the store. They even give you free money to sign up.

Usually it takes a little time before the purchase is approved and you can actually withdraw the cash back into your bank account, but I only use these on purchases I was going to complete anyway. Such as my Christmas shopping or a Friday night Menulog order, or a getaway on Booking.com.

You can get $10 FREE by signing up to Cashrewards HERE (I’ll get bonus cash too).

You can get $10 FREE by signing up to ShopBack HERE (I’ll get bonus cash too).

Exercise for free

There are actually heaps of ways you can exercise for free (or very cheaply). When I decided to cut all unnecessary costs and save hard, I quit the gym and found alternative ways to keep fit.

kids first aid

Some suggestions:

  1. Bushwalks
  2. Bike riding
  3. Swim laps at the public pool, or swim at the beach
  4. Workouts on YouTube, Netflix or other websites
  5. Beach walks or coast walks / runs
  6. Kick a soccer ball around at the oval with the kids
  7. Dance in your lounge room!

Hahaha, do you have any you could add here?

bike riding
Once you have the bikes, it cost nothing to go on different bike ride adventures. Just don’t forget the helmets too!

Share streaming services

Do you pay for Netflix, Stan, Binge, Disney, Amazon Prime and more?

It’s very easy to share logins with family and friends. I have access to 3 streaming services but I pay for only one and a half. My friend pays the other one and a half and we both have access to all 3.

This might seem like a minimal cost but over the year, it certainly adds up!

Read my article on 12 ways to get free food or free groceries!

That’s right, I list 12 ways to score free food or free groceries. Some of these you might already be doing, such as using Flybuys and Everyday rewards, but I’m pretty sure there will be some ideas in there you may not have thought of.

You can read them HERE.

grocery budget, free food, money saving tips
There are a few ways you can actually get free food or free groceries. Making a grocery budget is also a good way to save, as is online shopping.

You can also ensure you plan ahead when it comes to meals for the week, make a grocery budget and stick to this (online shopping can help), to save money faster and reduce food waste too.

Less driving!

Where I live, I’m walking distance to supermarkets, train station and shopping centre so any opportunity I can, I’ll walk to the shops to buy groceries, pop them in my backpack and walk home again. I prefer to get less items more often, rather than a big shop less often, because it encourages me to walk more often.

Public transport can also be a lot cheaper than taking your car everywhere. If you consider not just fuel costs but car wear and tear, servicing, registration and tolls, car costs really add up!

Finding opportunities to either walk or catch public transport can mean big savings.

De clutter and minimise

Not only will your mental health thank you for decluttering your living space but selling those items can mean quick cash!

I have actually made thousands doing this and at one point, when I was listing new items each week, I was making between $80-$300 per week!

You would be surprised what some people are interested in buying so don’t write things off. Every bit counts. Every $5 sale counts! You can save money fast doing this.

Some of my best tips for successful selling include:

  1. A detailed description, including any flaws
  2. Be responsive to buyers
  3. Try to upsell
  4. Take several photos
  5. List in multiple places (incl local Buy/Sell groups)

I actually have about 17 tips that can help you have success with this.

You can read them HERE.

declutter, minimise
Minimising belongings is good for our mental health! If you put the effort into selling these items too, you can really rack up that cash!

Heating and Cooling

Heater and Air Conditioning costs can really add up and mean your electricity bill gives you a smack in the face when it arrives.

In winter, put a jumper on, add an extra blanket to the bed and close blinds and curtains to keep the warmth in.

Find some fluffy socks, a good dressing gown and warm yourself up, rather than warming up the whole house or apartment.

In summer, use fans, drink iced water, keep doors shut if they’re letting the outside heat in and if you don’t have ceiling fans installed, consider paying for these to reduce air conditioning costs in the long term.

Close off any doors to rooms that don’t need to be heated or cooled too, to reduce costs if you really want to use heating or cooling. And be mindful of the set temperature as well as cleaning of the filters to improve efficiency.

Educate yourself through books, blogs and podcasts!

There is so much information available for FREE, online and in print (from the library ; )) that can build your knowledge and awareness when it comes to your personal financial education.

This is how I learned, and I still have so much to learn but some of these books, pods and blogs have had a huge impact.

sharesight
book, reading, financial education, money saving tips
Investing in your own education when it comes to personal finance can have a big impact. It did for me.

Some of the books that come to mind are:

  1. The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape
  2. Money school by Lacey Filipich
  3. Sort your Money Out by Glen James

Some of the amazing podcasts I love are:

  1. The Captain Fi financial independence podcast
  2. She’s on the Money podcast
  3. We talk cents by We money

There are also so many blogs that have HEAPS of articles about saving money, making money, investing, money management and more.

Some of my favourite blogs:

  1. Aussie Firebug
  2. Money Savvy Mamma
  3. Captain Fi

All these resources are FREE and have a wealth of information on them.

Sort your values and priorities

We should all spend money according to our OWN values and priorities, right?

This will look different for everyone so whether you’re single, married, in a relationship or a single parent like myself, it’s worth taking 5 – 10 minutes each month or even just once a year to sort out for yourself where your values lie and what you can and can’t see yourself spending money on.

Some questions to ask yourself could be:

  • What do I LOVE spending money on that makes me feel good?
  • What do I hate spending money on that I could change?
  • What do I want to save up for?
  • Do I own something valuable, that I don’t really value, that I could sell?
  • Am I wasting money on anything?
  • Would I pay money for convenience? (Eg easy, convenient meals, a cleaner, someone to wash the car), or do I prefer to save that cash and spend the time it takes to do those things?
  • How can I best put a savings plan in place?

You might be able to add your own questions or reflective thoughts in here but you get the idea.

Summary

Hopefully these ideas have helped you!

There are hundreds of other ways to start saving money but these are ones that I have personally used and they have made a big difference to me.

Make sure you also investigate whether you may be entitled to any government assistance payments, such as Single Parenting Payment, or Family Tax Benefit.

What would you add here? Let me know in the comments.

Disclaimer: This is my own personal experience and you should always do your own research when it comes to making financial decisions that are right for you and your personal circumstances. I am not a financial advisor, I have just done my own research and found ways to save and get ahead financially, that have worked for me. If you are are unsure, you should seek advice from a professional financial advisor who can help to guide you based on your own financial situation.

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