Save Money? "Lentil as Anything" a most unusual Melbourne restaurant,

                                                                            

In Melbourne right now its winter time and the streets are windy and cold. However there is one restaurant that is guaranteed to warm even the coldest heart. The restaurant known as "Lentil as anything" invites all comers to eat there fill of fine vegetarian fare but there are no prices on the menu. Customers are invited to pay as much or as little as they want according to how they feel and there particular circumstances. A donation box is placed near the exit for those customers who feel like making a contribution. It is a remarkable fact that the restaurant continues to thrive and prosper after 12 years and now has 3 branches in the suburbs. The cuisine is multicultural and includes delicious dishes from Africa,India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and China. The restaurant is mainly staffed by enthusiastic volunteers. The clientele is a mainly youthful mixture of students and international backpackers seeing Australia on a shoestring types. The atmosphere is friendly and convivial. Live entertainment is provided by a variety of buskers. The philosophy behind this restaurant is wise. It offers charity to those in need whilst allowing them to keep there dignity intact. In this way it builds a stronger community. I certainly hope that this enterprise continues to thrive and that other folks consider emulating it around the world. You can read more about Lentil as anything by following this link: Lentilasanything

The Road out of Debt.

                                                         The Road Out of Debt!
                

“Some of you, we all know, are poor, find it hard to live, are sometimes, as it were, gasping for breath. I have no doubt that some of you who read this book are unable to pay for all the dinners which you have actually eaten, or for the coats and shoes which are fast wearing or are already worn out, and have come to this page to spend borrowed or stolen time, robbing your creditors of an hour. It is very evident what mean and sneaking lives many of you live, for my sight has been whetted by experience; always on the limits, trying to get into business and trying to get out of debt, a very ancient slough, called by the Latins aes alienum, another's brass, for some of their coins were made of brass; still living, and dying, and buried by this other's brass; always promising to pay, promising to pay, tomorrow, and dying today, insolvent; seeking to curry favor, to get custom, by how many modes, only not state-prison offences; lying, flattering, voting, contracting yourselves into a nutshell of civility or dilating into an atmosphere of thin and vaporous generosity, that you may persuade your neighbor to let you make his shoes, or his hat, or his coat, or his carriage, or import his groceries for him; making yourselves sick, that you may lay up something against a sick day, something to be tucked away in an old chest, or in a stocking behind the plastering, or, more safely, in the brick bank; no matter where, no matter how much or how little.”

                                                                                 

Since the global financial crisis many folks in the blogosphere are relating there experiences with debt and how to escape from it. In the above quote Henry David Thoreau is speaking eloquently from his own experience. As an ambitious and thoughtful young writer he published his first book at his own expense only to find that it did not sell and he was left with a large debt and a pile of unsalable books in the attic. Many an enterprising person if not the whole world has been caught up in the irrational exuberance of the boom years and invested in a property or business enterprise with borrowed money only to find that suddenly the return is not there. It seems that the inevitable consequence if not out and out bankruptcy is a long period of struggle and most drastic austerity for everyone. At the moment some of the hottest words on google search are “thrift”, “frugality” “How to save money” and so on. It seems every one is watching every coin these days. It seems that the economic system has seized up and is just not capable of delivering even sufficient necessities for everyone anymore. Thoreau describes a similar situation in his time “The nation itself, with all its so called improvements, which by the way are all external and superficial is just such an unwieldy and overgrown establishment , cluttered with furniture and tripped by its own traps, ruined by luxury and heedless expense, by want of calculation and a worthy aim, as the millions in the land, and the only cure for it,  as for them, is in a rigid economy  a stern and more Spartan simplicity of life and an elevation of purpose”  

                                                                            

Many people today are feeling crushed under a mountain of debt and are desperately seeking a way out. In “Walden” Thoreau describes how he lived for 2 years a life style of radical simplicity in a self-built cabin in the woods on squatted land. His cabin is described in loving detail was 15 feet by 10 feet by 8 feet high, about the size of a small shipping container. He baked his own bread, grew his own beans and minded his own business. From his experience he wrote his book “Walden” which although not recognized in his day is now seen as one of the greatest of American classics which continues to inspire millions of people to live a simpler life to this day. It is particularly useful to those of us trying to escape from debt. You can read more of Thoreau;, Walden at this link:

Walden, or life in the woods.

Thrifty Communications.

        

              Save money make free calls through Tango, Heytell and Viber video and free text.

                                                                           

How we make free calls on our new Smart Phone with Tango, Heytell and Viber. We just love our new Samsung Galaxy phone. We can make free calls with Tango, Heytell and Viber. These services make calls through the internet so we need to be at home to use our home Wifi internet or in in a Wifi hot spot the library or a cafe.   



We have told all our friends around the about Tango, Heytell and Viber too. We use our mobile numbers for user ID on these services so its easy to remember. Tango provides free voice and video calls to other phone users who have installed Tango, Viber provides free talk and text. Heytell is walkie Talkie style calls to other Heytell users. Sometimes if one service is busy so we use the other one.

Save Money for Luggage

                                                   Singapore Changi Airport.
                                           Playground area Lounge at Changi Airport.

               
The real secret of happy frugal travelling is to take the absolute minimum of luggage. It is even possible to manage with just 7-10 kg of cabin luggage if you are really thoughtful and disciplined. If you travel with a budget airline that charges extra for checked luggage you will save a lot of money and time if you don't have any checked luggage at all. Provided you are able to easily carry your own luggage and are willing to do a little homework it is often possible to save a lot of money on airport transfers by using public transport. You can research frugal airport transfer arrangements online .or by making a phone enquiry or at the enquiry counter at the railway station

 

For example, recently we discovered how to save a lot of money getting to and from the MelbourneAirport. Suppose for instance you have arrived by train from the country at the Southern Cross station in down town Melbourne and have a plane to catch. The options would seem to be. Catch a taxi for around $50 or catch the Skybus direct to the Airport. The Skybus costs about $15 per person so for a family of 3 thats $45. 
In fact under these circumstances it is possible to get to the Airport free of charge. This is because your V-line country rail ticket includes use of the suburban network for at least 1 hour after arriving in the city.

The trick is to catch a suburban train to Broadmeadows station and then catch the 701 public bus to the airport. The 701 bus will drop you just across the road from the Tiger Airlines terminal. You will need to walk a few steps from there to all the other terminals.
If you are travelling from Northern Victoria the country trains stop at Broadmeadows you will save both time and money by hopping off the train there. Your ticket to Broadmeadows will be up to $5 cheaper than if you travelled all the way in to the downtown station at Southern Cross. It is only about 20mins to the airport from Broadmeadows by bus.

Save Money for Pastimes.

Reading can be the most frugal of all pastimes!

 

 

  Here in Australia it is possible to read a lot of books without spending big at the bookshop. Here's how: first stop is your local public library. Here in Portland our local municipal library offers books for children and adults, magazines, cds and dvd's can also be borrowed. The librarians are friendly and helpful. There are comfortable chairs, There is even free internet access and PCs to use. Of course you will come across some books that you will want to read over and over again. All homes should have a library of their own, We recently came across a relevant quote: "Rich people have big libraries poor people have big tv's". The challenge is how to build up a nice private book collection without breaking the bank. The answer is to buy good quality second hand books from garage sales and thrift shops. Another alternative is to buy books from surplus library stocks. Of course you will need a lot of time to find the book you really want this way. Used book stores are also a great option if you are prepared to spend a little morecash and want to save time. If the collection grows unmanageably large you can always have a garage sale and sell them and get most of your cash back or maybe even make a small profit. Many people also make a little extra cash re-selling used books on Amazon. Our preference nowadays is to buy hard back books rather than paper backs. A good quality hard-back book will last for centuries if cared for. Most paper backs will fall apart after a few decades. The hard backs look so much more impressive on the shelf and are a good long term investment. We are quite proud of our "Great books of the western world", collection there is at least 10 years worth of serious reading there, the whole collection of more than 50 beautifully bound books can be picked up on Amazon at a very reasonable price Favourite books. . A good quality reading lamp is a worthwhile investment and consumes a lot less power than a TV or PC. Of course If you read in the day-time of sunshine is free of charge! Another challenge is how to combine an interest in travelling with an interest in reading. We always travel with at least one good book and swap with travellers we meet. In some English speaking countries you will find books cheaply and easily, but in some other countries it is more difficult. The 21st solution here is really the e-book. It is possible to download a lot of classics for free and a small external harddrive weighing around 100 grams can contain 1000's of e-books. It is not really necessary to buy a Kindle or e-book reader if you travel with a netbook or laptop you can download the Kindle for PC software free of charge, Many public libraries now have e-book collections so it is possible to "borrow" e-books these days without even visiting the library. There are some excellent websites for readers, book-lovers and collectors. For example reading-the-great-books offers guidance and reading suggestions on the great books. Perhaps it is best to just follow ones interests. 

If you find an author you enjoy read all that authors books. If you find an interesting subject read more about it. Before too long you will discover you are smarter, wealthier and wiser. Making her own story books.

Save money burn fire wood for heat.

                   Wood Heat                          

                                                   

 

A big advantage of living in a rural area is that wood heating is often a viable option. Firewood can usually be purchased more cheaply in rural areas. If you are prepared to be a little resourceful it can sometimes be obtained virtually free of charge. Our friends Lita ans Sam have a large wood heater in their home which keeps them warm and cosy in the winter months. We have some experience of wood heating because recently we lived for 18 months in Condobolin N.S.W. in the house with a wood heater. We found that we need to purchase around $200 worth of firewood to get us through the winter, however we also made use of scrap wood found around the place. Wood can also be obtained from state forest at very low cost. A license to gather firewood from State forest can be obtained on line from relevant state government department. To gather firewood you will need a robust trailer or pick up truck. Chain saws are dangerous. If you do not have the necessary experience knowledge and skill to operate, a chain saw it is strongly advisable to do a formal training course at your local TA FE. In a small town there is also likely to be a wide variety of sources of scrap wood available. from , For example from old pallets, small factories and construction sites. You might like to place an ad in your local newspaper, "Scrap wood removed free of charge". It is important to avoid burning chemical treated , painted or damp wood. If you obtain green freshly cut wood you will need to cut it, store it for 6-12 months in an airy dry place before burn it. It is even possible to make briquettes using waste paper by soaking them and them compressing into handy blocks with a special press, and them allowing to dry thoroughly, this process is of course a little labour intensive. If you buy a house without a wood heater,

                                             

 

 will need to invest a fairly large amount for installing good quality wood heater to make efficient use of your wood. This investment will pay for itself in just a few winters because of the savings on heating cost. We found that our stove with a window at the front gave an abundance of cheery light and radiant heat and was usually more entertainment and relaxing to watch than T.V. The stove also produced a steady supply of wood ash which is useful source of potash and minerals for the garden. There is a certain art in lighting and managing your stove which comes with experience. It is certainly a comforting sight to have a large pile of firewood ready for the next 2 or 3 winter particularly it has been obtained at negligible cost. It means that you have to worry about a heating bills. If you are living in a rural area and you are planning a new house or renovations a wood heater is certainly well worth considering. 
           
There are thousands of other wood stove  on amazon to choose from to suit your situation.  We recommend you find out more about wood heating by reading this book;
            

                                   

Save money on entertainment: Read a book!

                                          Reading can be the most frugal of all pastimes!

Here in Australia it is possible to read a lot of books without spending big at the bookshop.

Here's how: first stop is your local public library. Here in Portland our local municipal library offers books for children and adults, magazines, cds and dvd's can also be borrowed. The librarians are friendly and helpful. There are comfortable chairs, There is even free internet access and PCs to use.

Of  course you will come across some books that you will want to read over and over again. All homes should have a library of their own, We recently came across a relevant quote: "Rich people have big libraries poor people have big tv's".

The challenge is how to build up a nice private book collection without breaking the bank. The answer is to buy good quality second hand books from garage sales and thrift shops. Another alternative is to buy books from surplus library stocks. Of course you will need a lot of time to find the book you really want this way. Used book stores are also a great option if you are prepared to spend a little morecash and want to save time. If the collection grows unmanageably large you can always have a garage sale and sell them and get most of your cash back or maybe even make a small profit. Many  people also make a little extra cash re-selling used books on Amazon.

Our preference nowadays is to buy hard back books rather than paper backs. A good quality hard-back book will last for centuries if cared for. Most paper backs will fall apart after a few decades. The hard backs look so much more impressive on the shelf and are a good long term investment. We are quite proud of our "Great books of the western world", collection there is at least 10 years worth of serious reading there, the whole collection of more than 50 beautifully bound books can be picked up on Amazon at a very reasonable price.

                                             

                                                                           
A good quality reading lamp is a worthwhile investment and consumes a lot less power than a TV or PC.  Of course If you read in the day-time of  sunshine is free of charge!

                                        

Another challenge is how to combine an interest in travelling with an interest in reading. We always travel with at least one good book and swap with travellers we meet. In some English speaking countries you will find books cheaply and easily, but in some other countries it is more difficult. The 21st solution here is really the e-book. It is possible to download a lot of classics for free and a small external harddrive weighing around 100 grams can contain 1000's of e-books.

 

It is not really  necessary to buy a Kindle or e-book reader if you travel with a netbook or laptop you can download the Kindle for PC software free of charge, Many public libraries now have e-book collections so it is possible to "borrow" e-books these days without even visiting the library.

There are some excellent websites for readers, book-lovers and collectors. For example reading-the-great-books offers guidance and reading suggestions on the great books. Perhaps it is best to just follow ones interests. If you find an author you enjoy read all that authors books. If you find an interesting subject read more about it.   Before too long you will discover you are smarter, wealthier and wiser.

Save Money on Transportation

Here in Australia most families have a car and many families have 2 cars.
The cost of owning and running a car is accepted by many as just the necessary overhead cost of everyday life.

However when you stop to consider all of the expense involved it starts to make sense to consider alternative transport arrangements.

We sold our car in August last year just before we went overseas.
We certainly don't miss the depreciation. service charges, maintenance, fuel, tyres, insurance, registration, parking charges, speeding tickets and carwash expenses. Many people spend 20% or more of there income on these car expenses. So in effect they are working one day a week just for the car,

For the last 3 months we have managed fine without a car. We Ride the bus. everyday or two and walk or ride a bicycle around sometimes. The supermarket and other local business will deliver goods for a small fee. We calculate that in about 6 months without a car we will save enough to go overseas for a month or so.

We have noticed that we are getting a lot fitter since we sold the car.

We are fortunate that our daughters school is just 5 minutes walk from home. My daughter first day of school just walking distance from home.

It is true that we have to plan our outings and shopping a little more carefully but this is a small inconvenience really. We have found that travelling interstate is much easier and cheaper by public transport. It is also possible to hire a car or even a truck very easily  for a day or two at reasonable cost.

In recent months I have noticed an increasing number of folks zipping around town on motorised bicycles. These bikes have motors of less than 200 Watt power output and can be ridden without registration
license or insurance just like a bike. These bikes can have electric or petrol motors and are certainly a low cost way to travel that may become more fashionable soon particularly amongst the more intrepid retirees.

Electric Bikes are an interesting alternative. 

If you are considering a motorised bike you should investigate rules for your state, the 200 watt petrol motor conversion kit are a low cost ($385)option compared to the electric kits. There are some stylish 48cc "Easy Rider" style choppers about.

It is possible to spend thousands of dollars on a top of the range push bike.

However I bought my machine for just $30 at a thrift shop and it goes just fine.  In summer time it is just a 15 minute ride from our home to some really magnificent scenic beaches and fishing spots. It makes more sense to me to spend a day at the beach than a day working to support a gas-guzzler.

For some readers it may be more practical to buy a bicycle or conversion kit online. There is a very large range available on Amazon.com for example.

How to save money on the hot water and heating.

We Installed a gas boost Solar hot water system in 2009. Our gas bill for70 days during summer was $48 consisting of $23 service to property charges and $25 for actual consumption.

 

 

Solar energy provides most of the heat required for hot water with gas boosting only required occasionally as a result our gas bill in manageable. In winter we use a gas space heater in the receiving room which provides adequate heating for the household because we have good insulation in the ceiling of the house.

 

                                                    Energy choices at the home.

Saving Money Using Solar Panels. EnergyAustralia Solar.

We installed a 1.5 Kw Solar Panels (photo voltaic cells). On our roof a few years back in 2009, together with an inverter, an installation cost it was a sizable investment at the time, but it has proved to be worthwhile as the price of electricity continues to increase and the equipment has proved to be maintenance free.

 

 

Today is a cloudy day but the panels are still producing 500 watts. Electricity now cost around 26 cents a KWH, so each day the system generates about between $1 to $2 worth of power.

 

 

 

If we generate more power then we are using the power is fed back into the grid and we receive A$0.23 per kWh.

                                                                                    
If you are planning to sttle down for a few years and have some ready cash investing in your own solar system is something to consider. Particularly if you are fed up paying high electric bills.

Save money on toys.

It is certainly possible and very tempting to spend a small fortune on toys for the kids.
However  thrifty parents would rather save that cash for future education expenses and travel adventures. 

The secret is the 3Rs ,"reduce, reuse, recycle" .
Firstly reduce, don't buy a lot of cheap toys that will break within days but invest in a small quantity of good quality toys. It is also possible to borrow toys from the toy library here. We also save on batteries by using rechargeable batteries.
                          

Secondly reuse:  simple toys can be used in all sorts of elaborate ways which will develop your childs imagination. For instance our daughter has a collection of soft toys that star in all sorts of "pretending
games". She plays school, circus, olympics and pirates with them. A large collection of wooden blocks is also used in lots of different games. 
Thirdly:  Recycle we buy almost all of our toys at thrift shops and garage sales for a tiny fraction of the new price. We have fun making all sorts of toys out of recycled material like plastic bottles and cardboard boxes.   

One of our daughters favourite toys is "Robot Dog" he cost only $1 at a garage sale. He is missing an ear but still is a brave and very economical watch dog. Robot dog in action.
If you want occasionally  buy a brand new toy as a special treat you will find the widest choice and the cheapest prices online.
                           
Remember buy only safe age appropriate toys make sure there are no small parts or other choking hazards. A dog toys for sale at amazon.com buy now.
                                   
It is much wiser to spend more quality time with your child reading and playing with simple toys than to spend that time working to buy expensive toys.

Free Camping with a Caravan.



A Caravan Low Cost holiday acommodation in Australia.

 

 

 



 

 

In December 2009, we bought a second hand caravan from a private seller who advertised in our local news paper for just $2,200. It was a 14 foot 1980 Millard pop-top. We used it to tour around South Australia, Victoria and New South wales until August 2012. We some times stayed in caravan parks, but quite often in rest stops.  We bought a useful publication about free camping spots, it even had GPS references of each camp spots. 


Many country towns have realised the wisdom of being RV friendly and often provide free campspots just out of town with lots of facilities.

One of our favourite campspots was Gum Bend lake, just out side Condobolin, NSW.  Shower facilities, Picnic tables, boating, fishing and playground all completely free.  Generally the further away you are from the state capitals the easier it is to find free campspots.

We had no problem with the van and sold it easily on EBay after 3 years and got our money back.

We found that our Ford falcon had no trouble towing the van. The van provided cheap accommodation during our holidays at minimal cost. Smaller older model pop-tops are a good investment if you choose carefully. Be sure to check the bearings, tyres and brakes are in good condition. Smaller older vans are easy to tow and are built to last. It is wise to try a low cost van for a while before committing a newer more expensive van.

How we bought the best value house in Australia.

 

 

 

 

 

We bought a beautiful stone house with town water and eletricity on one acre of land for just $59,000. ( + Stamp duty and conveyancing about $2000.)

                                  We painted the interior  and replaced floor coverings.

 

                                                                       

                                We  mowed the lawn and tided up the backyard.

We sold the scrap wood and other materials found in the backyard tidy up for $300.

 

 

 

 

 

                              
                                                                                   
The town of Peterborough is a town that time seems to have passed by. It is well suited as secure low cost a home base for grey nomads and other retired people good health care and public transport available. Or others with steady passive income. It is only a matter of time before it is discovered by the bohemian artistic set from Adelaide, just 230 km away.
To find low cost real estate go to www.realestate.com.au select the state then search under "All suburb" then sort by price.

It pays to track your rewards points.

We cash in some reports reward points from our credit card and recieved $100 shopping voucher. If you pay for groceries etc in your card and other shopping on your card.  Chances are after a few months you will accumulate enough points for another shopping trip.

Home made bread is thrifty and tasty.

An authomatic bread maker produces a delicious and healthy loaf of bread in a few hours.
Its very simple to use weighing the ingredients ensures a excellent result everytimes.
500 grams of flour a 400 grams of water teas spone of yest and the pinch of salt. Is all you need to make a delicious loaf of bread.Here is our bread machine in action.

It is wise to buy an accurate set of digital scales and weigh the water and flour. Makes
 We actually buy our flour in 5kg bags at the supermarket, as "bread mix". Its virtually the same price as flour about $2.20 a kg and incluses a dash of salt. We use wholemeal wheat flour but there are a number of other tasty varieties available. Each 500g loaf costs about $1.10 compared to $3 or more ready made loaf at the super market.

Latest model bread maker costs around $86 new:

It will pay for itself in no time, and can even be used to make jam as well.