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.

Save Money make your own Pickles from your garden.

Pickled garlic, Jalapeno chillies and tomatoes.

 

Home-made pickles are easy and fun to make. First thing to do wash carefully the bottles and sterilize in the hot oven for 20 minutes. Wash and prepare the chillies, garlic, onions. Soak in salty water for 24 hours. Drain well pack into jars and fill with a boiling hot venigar. You will save cash and enjoy tasty and healthy pickles.

For pickling garlic adding 2/3 cup of white sugar for each 2 cups of white vinegar is recommended.

Pickled Tomato Recipe:
Prep the Tomatoes
Wash your tomatoes and remove the stems.
Poke 2-3 holes through your tomatoes with a skewer. This allows the brine to seep in. You could also peel the tomatoes, but they tend to turn to mush and peeling cherry tomatoes is a pain, trust.
Place the tomatoes in a sterilized jar (simply boil the jar or run through the dishasher with no soap).
Add some fresh dill on top. You could also add some pearl onions or peppers or whatever you like.  

We like to keep our pickles in the refrigerator for approximately three weeks before serving. Recently we planted some giant garlic in our garden it is growing fast and should be ready to harvest in about 6 months. We are looking forward to making pickles giant garlic!

Pickles Jalapeno peppers:

Directions:

1. Wash peppers; cut off the stems.
2. Slice peppers into 1/8-inch rings and place them in a pint jar (with a lid).
3. Peel the garlic clove and place it in the jar with the pepper rings; set aside.
4. Mix vinegar, salt and turmeric in a small saucepan and slowly heat to near boiling.
5. Pour the warm brine over the peppers in the jar.
6. Allow the mixture to cool slightly; seal with the lid and store in the refrigerator.
7. Let chile peppers marinate for several days before using them.

                                                           
And view our video: Save money mow your own lawn and get exercise.