How Frugal can we get in 2021?
Last year was a bit of a wipe off for alot of people. Our incomes were uncertain and toilet paper was even more uncertain! So I thought I would pick up my frugal ideals again this year and see where we can get as things return to some semblance of normality.
"It's life Jim, but not as we know it."
My budget for this year.
Rent - This is as cheap as I can get it. We are very comfortable. The only thing that could be better was if we were more central to my work and weekend activities but that would mean moving and paying the same or more, so a bit of a hassle.
Groceries - I already am very frugal at groceries thanks to being brought up in a way that I don't like fancy things like salmon or steak. I'm a plain mince and bread kind of girl haha. However I can certainly cut out take away which I get about twice a week. (down from 7-8 times in 2019). At $16 for a lunch and $40 for dinner delivery it really adds up when your fortnightly budget is $100 for groceries!
Phone - This one is something I am planning to fix this year. Last time I needed a new phone I went with a cheap $400 telstra tough phone which was $9 a month on a 24month contract but the plan was $59 for just 3GB of data. The phone is really struggling now and the battery life is terrible, barley half a day and the camera is shot so I do need to upgrade.
I did my research and the ALDI prepaid sim is by far the cheapest at $5 for the sim, then $15 a month for 4GB of data, SMS and calls. There is no contract it just automatically charges you the same each month until you cancel and your data rolls over so it builds up if you don't use it. As I am mainly at home or work both of which have wifi there is no need for heaps of data.
If I was to get a phone on a plan it would cost me $45 a month for the phone and at least $55 for the data. That's $100 a month! I worked out that over a 24month contract (2 years I don't know why they use months) Its about $2,360 including a cheapish phone. Where as if I buy something outright like an iPhone SE which is their flagship budget model and every one is raving about how brilliant a phone it is considering its price tag (about $650), then the ALDI $15 a month plan it will be $1,010 over 2years. That's a saving of $1,360! And there is no contract so I can change the phone easily if it breaks or I decide I need to upgrade.
Parking - I would love to be able to find a solution to not having to pay for parking at work. If I'm full time then its $150 a fortnight. Because I'm part time in the office and part time at home at the moment its still a hefty $90. Bus isn't really a good option in this current climate for for now that's where its going to have to stay unless I can find someone driveway to steal :P
Electricity - I pay a set price fortnightly which is calculated to cover my average bill so I never pay more or less and it gives me a 25% discount doing it this way. However this is calculated every 6months off my past bills so I am going to try and lower my energy usage. Turning my computer, printer, and Silhouette powerboard off each night as well as the washing machine, microwave and kettle etc at the powerpoint. Doing this should save me about $50 a bill. I will also have a hunt around and see what I can unplug so its not accidently drawing power when Im not using it.
Rewards - I am using my Woolworths rewards card more which has already saved me $20 off my shop this month. As long as I activate the rewards I do seem to earn alot more points. I use Flybuys also but not as often because this is generally only when I shop at Kmart.
