Ways to save!
 

Some one suggested this thread, so here are a few ideas.

Don't use rinse aid in the dishwasher. We use really cheap white wine vinegar..seems to do the trick. Use one third of the recommended amount of dish washer powder..you get a better clean and it saves loads!! Don't use fabric softner, heard from the experts that it ruins your washing machine, haven't used it for ages, no difference atall in the clothes, if you like the smell just buy a well scented GOOD powder....cheap wash powders are a false economy.

Get the night tariff from Genesis electric...if you can use electricity between 11pm-7am....its almost 60 % cheaper (8 cents a unit as opposed to about 20 cents peak time..we save a fortune!!). It only cost us $60 for the new meter..a one off payment.

If you call 'home' use the cards you get from the grocers and the post office, it can be as little as 3-5 cents a minute as opposed to Telecoms 20 cents. We didn't find out about these for ages..they are a HUGE money saver!!

If you have a salt pool use the salt from Farmlands, its half as cheap as the stuff from the pool shops and does the same job.

Don't buy anything from anywhere until you have looked on www.trademe.co.nz (NZ's eqivalent of ebay). I wish I'd known about it afore I spent $9k on kitting out a new kitchen and laundry!!!!!

More ideas please on a post card.............................................: thumbsup:

Re: Ways to save!
 

Always go to The Warehouse before you buy anything elsewhere.

Never shop in Briscoes at full price, always wait til there is a sale on, which is about every week anyway!

One of the banks does a credit card that allows you to collect Air NZ air miles as you spend, a good way to save up for even domestic flights for your next holiday

www.strawberry.net for your cosmetics and aftershave/perfumes, its cheaper anyway, but the more you buy the cheaper it becomes!!!

Buy alcohol on international flights into NZ, you can have 3 x 1 litre bottles of spirits and 6 bottles of wine!

Look at buying fruit/veg straight from the farmer/supplier or the roadside shack selling it, cheaper and probably fresher than the supermarkets

Re: Ways to save!
 

Bulk buy food when it's on special and freeze/dry store it.
Get a multipack of cheap energy saving bulbs from a DIY store and swap out all the lights in your downlighers.
Insulate your house now before winter sets in, it may be cheaper to do it now, or you can negotiate a good discount.
Grow some fruit and veg.

Re: Ways to save!
 

Don't buy a European car, more expensive and parts are costlier than a Holden/Japanese equivelant....oops! :rofl:

Re: Ways to save!
 

Here's one for the kids!

Coco Pops are well expensive and don't last 2 mins so we do a 50/50 mix of them with Ricies. Kids love them, they get their choc cereal but only half of it in one go. Lasts twice as long too :thumbsup:

Re: Ways to save!
 

Buy a house with a lot of land. Keep a cow and a couple of chickens and grow kumara, limes and tamarillos. :rofl:

Go shellfish gathering and fishing and never pay for seafood again

Shop for bargains but don't buy cheap as the stuff is inevitably rubbish and falls apart. Better buying something good once than forever replacing a dud with a dud

Join www.yourvoice.co.nz and earn free shopping vouchers

Register with Flybuys and get free stuff - we've got about $150 worth of stuff for nowt in a year

Register with ASB Rewards - again money for nothing. Load everything onto your credit card, settle the bill in full each month and you actually get paid for using the credit card. Plus if you'd usually be overdrawn you don't pay any interest

If you transfer money from the UK pay by cheuque from your UK account - total cost 50c. This saves on all transfer fees and you usually get a better interest rate. The monet does take around 20 days to transfer but you earn interest as soon as the transfer is agreed and the exchange rate is fixed at that time

Only buy things in season. In my experience cucumbers cost anywhere between $1 to $5

Never shop in Pak n Save. The $'s you save are far outweighed by the amount of wine/beer you have to drink afterwards to recover from the trauma :beer::beer:

Re: Ways to save!
 

This thread pastes a real picture of things to come for us! :huh: :rofl:

Re: Ways to save!
 

Never shop in Pak n Save. The $'s you save are far outweighed by the amount of wine/beer you have to drink afterwards to recover from the trauma :beer::beer:[/QUOTE]

OMG that is so funny. I know what you mean! I had depression after visiting the one in Chch. Lost the will to live.

Re: Ways to save!
 

http://www.freecycle.org/search

One person's cast offs may be just want someone else is looking for. This is like trademe without cash. I'm using freecycle to clear my junk in the UK and would like to use it to acquire new junk in NZ. There seems to be groups in several places but I'm not sure how active they are.

Save money and save the planet :thumbsup::thumbsup:

(End of lecture.)

Re: Ways to save!
 

OMG that is so funny. I know what you mean! I had depression after visiting the one in Chch. Lost the will to live.[/QUOTE]

What is it about that shop? :D
When I had a bit of morning sickness (the kind that lasted all day) it was always 100 times worse if I was in there shopping.
On the plus side, excellent deals on wine, and the Albany one has great fruit and veg section.

These money saving ideas are excellent, I shall read with interest!

Re: Ways to save!
 

What is it about that shop? :D
When I had a bit of morning sickness (the kind that lasted all day) it was always 100 times worse if I was in there shopping.
On the plus side, excellent deals on wine, and the Albany one has great fruit and veg section.

These money saving ideas are excellent, I shall read with interest![/QUOTE]

Thankfully for me, if not my wallet, I have now discovered New World Thorndon in Welly, its the best supermarket shopping experience I've had since I got here! Nicely laid out, clean, good selection and someone scanning the items and another bagging, wow!

Pac n Save depresses me!! :rofl:

Re: Ways to save!
 

The last time I went to Pak n Save I got buffeted about like a pinball. I got my toenail half ripped off by a trolley and nearly had to have another surgially removed from posterior.

Then I had to queue for about 20 minutes with people trying to push in the whole time - needless to say I was less than happy by this time so they had no chance. When I got to the counter the checkout girl just threw everything into the trolley. We then had to unload everything into the carboot and then the same at the other end.

Four times I've been there and no more! It's a shame as it is cheaper and the food's pretty good on the whole, but hardly worth the effort. I know the fruit and veg is very good but it's probably less time consuming and stressful to grow your own. :curse:

Re: Ways to save!
 

I used freecycle in uk but I joined the one in Tauranga and found it hadn't been used for 6 months! So I guess freecycle hasn't taken off here yet?!

Re: Ways to save!
 

We have just signed up for 'trustpower', I wonder if there's a night rate ?
our first bill was $144 for one month. seems high to me!

Re: Ways to save!
 

Did they take a bond as well?