Shop at the Market

   Today I paid a visit to my local market and made quite a saving. I bought my fruit, vege and eggs from the market and then went to the supermarket for the rest of my items. All together these items cost me $28. I saved approximatly $8- $12 by shopping at the market.

DIY Decorations

The Christmas season is fast approaching and tomorrow is the 1st of December... Time to get up all those beautiful christmas decorations. 

But why spend a lot of money? My little DIY christmas  tree only cost me $6.... So it takes a bit of muscle, but all you have to do it find a nice twiggy tree and give it a chop. Get some white spray paint and spray the branches. I got the decorations really cheap from kmart and used a vase i already had... and now we have a funky modern Christmas tree :)...  

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

Buy Factory Seconds

I picked up these awesome pair of 'Bang' shorts for $10 at a fatory seconds shop because the zip was broken. I payed an extra $20 to have the zip replaced by a seamstress and now I have a perfect pair of shorts that only cost me $30. The fabric is beautiful, and looking at other items in the shop they potentially retailed at aroud $200.

Make Your Own

I recently had my 21st Birthday, and to celebrate the occassion I had a Dessert Party :). It is amazing how much you can save by making your own scrumptious goods. Including items such as Vanilla slice, cake pops, lemon kisses, mousse cups, toasted marshmellows, blackforest cake and the list goes on. Some items were also purchased from the previously mentioned webiste "Groupon" which was also a great saving :). So make use of your cullinary skills and get baking!

Desperate Times Calls for Desperate Measures

Catch Public Transport

For those of you that understand the joys of traveling around Melbourne... sitting in your car for long periods of time, not moving and then upon arrival discovering that you have to pay for parking. You would understand the frustration that driving your own car can sometimes have.

So a great money saving option that i participate in on a weekly basis is catching public transport. I came to this decision when it took me almost the same amount of time to drive to university as it did to catch the bus, plus i had to pay $5 parking. With public transport i only have to pay $2.80 for the day and it also means i can get plenty of study done during my trip home :).

Buy in Bulk

So i recently made a visit to Costco to check out what everyone was raving about and what an amazing place.

You can get such an array of items there from American chocolate to kayaks :).

The only catch it that you have to be a member which is $60 a year and you need to be prepared to initially spend some money to save some money. But i definitely suggest a visit....

Well if its Free
While at Doncaster Shopping Centre, I spotted this cool kid having his own little movie night with his lap top and head phones. What an opportunist, making use of the available power point and wifi. I think we could all learn a few lessons from this guy :).

Get Creative

Its amazing what you can find at the op-shop, but sometimes it takes a little bit of imagination and some  handy man skills (or handy women skills) to make something old look beautiful again. I picked this Queen Anne dresser along with 2 bedside tables and a bed head, up from a local Vinnies store for $160. 

When i got it, it had deep red paint on it and stick on laminate in the draws. So with lots of paint stripper, sanding and some fresh white paint (along with the handy skills of my step dad) I ended up with a beautiful bedroom suit. And it only cost $270 :)

 Make Full Use of What You Pay For

In our everyday lives we pay fees for things. Whether it's our study at university, our weekly gym membership or Public transport. So why not get your money's worth?

Upon my stealing paper expedition I discovered that the university library now locks the paper draws on their printers, but I did manage to find one that wasn't locked. If your like me and paying $3000 a semester you want to get your moneys worth, so scabbing a bit of paper here and there is a great way to save money.

Another money saving idea is to make full use of your gym membership, by having your after workout shower at the gym, to save on water bills.

Take a Trip to Ikea

It was suggested to me by one of my followers, that i check out the deliciously affordable food at Ikea.

This meal here involved Swedish Meat Balls, Unlimited Soft Drink and Chocolate Mousse - all for under $10 :).

If you can get past the screaming children and the service that makes you feel a little like your at a high school camp, its worth the visit.

  Breakfast!!!

I love Breakfast :), but sometimes I dread the thought of spending $10 or more to eat breakfast out.

Save money by making a yummy breakfast at home. It really is one of the easiest meals to make.

This pancake stack with strawberries and maple syrup only cost $6 for two servings :).

Bargain!  

Save With Discount Vouchers!

Here is as great discovery for all you bargain hunters out there.

Groupon sends new and diverse deals every day on restaurants, leisure, spa, beauty and sports for a discount of up to 90%!

I make a lot of use of this site, such as getting cheap manicures and dinners and they also make great presents. Check it out http://www.groupon.com.au

Save on Phone Bills

If you find that your bills are sky rocketing high I have a massive piece of wisdom for you.

Save on calling people by pranking them and they will call you back.

The End!

Make Something Old Look New Again

Save money by making something old look new again.

My housemate and I got this fridge for free but unfortunately it had some rust on the front.

I decided to get creative and covered it on black, white and red photos to match our decor, that I found on google.

So all up this fridge cost us $8.50 

BARGAIN!

Yes I Eat 
   Out

I am happy to say that I eat out 1-2 times a week, and you might wonder how do i afford it?

Some Simple Tips

- Eat Simple at Home  i.e Make a big pot of soup and freeze it , eat lots of tuna and baked beans. This leaves plenty of room in the budget to enjoy the finer things in life.

-Try Sharing with someone- My boyfriend and I often share a main and dessert, that way we get to enjoy a variety in one sitting.

-And one of my favourites - restaurant VOUCHERS.

What chu talkin bout!?

If you are a uni student you might know what I'm talking about.

Do you ever wonder how you manage to live off that small amount of money, and yet still feel like you never go without?

I  live out of home, am paying off a car loan and studying full time just to set the scene. This blog is a fun way of giving everyone out there some useful tips, of how to live off $300 a week :).