People have been gardening for free for thousands of years – you don’t have to rely on expensive nursery plants and products. Here’s everything you need to know to start a garden for free or very cheaply. When I was a kid, my parents had extensive gardens. All the tips below – collecting seeds, taking cuttings, making fertiliser and compost, using free mulch – they did as a matter of course. Because free gardening isn’t novel; it’s how people have been growing food for thousands of years. Thirty years on, I have a tiny courtyard that intermittently blooms like a tropical paradise or languishe ..read more

Growing your own vegetables can save you money and be a satisfying hobby. Here are nine of the easiest garden vegetables to grow. Herbs, silverbeet, lettuce and chives are all easy to grow. Looking for a fulfilling hobby that can save you money on food? Why not start growing some vegetables at home to supplement the grocery budget? You don’t need to become farmer Jo overnight – even a few alfalfa sprouts on the kitchen counter or herbs at the back door can add some cheap and tasty greens to your diet. Here are the top nine vegetables that are the easiest to grow at home. NOTE: I’ve written ‘be ..read more

With the cost of living going up, it’s even more important to shop savvy. Here are some grocery comparison shopping tips to help you save. Rising food costs, housing costs, energy costs, fuel costs.  Everything is on the rise, except for wages. So we’re all looking for ways to reduce the cost of living.  I wish I could give you a Tik-Tok worth hack on how to save money, but the truth is, old-fashioned methods for keeping costs down are still relevant today because they work. The only difference is, there’s an app (or two) that makes it easier. One underrated method for saving money ..read more

Spoil dad with a special breakfast just for him. These cafe-quality Father’s Day breakfast ideas are sure to please on any budget. A cafe breakfast can be a wonderful treat. But if the budget doesn’t stretch that far, you can make cafe-quality breakfasts and brunches at home for a tiny fraction of the cost of eating out. These aren’t the most frugal breakfasts around, but if you’re wanting a special for Father’s Day, there’s something here to hit the spot. Some of these recipes probably cost less than you might think. An eggs benny, for example, comes in at under $2.50 per serve. This is far ..read more

The costs of having a baby can add up! This article covers all the ways you can have a baby on a budget and save money on baby stuff over the first year of bub’s life. Having a baby is an immense joy and a big responsibility. As new parents, we want the absolute best for our new babies. We’re excited and a little nervous, which makes us prime targets for marketers who tap into these emotions and try to convince us their product is a ‘must-have’ baby item. As a parent of two, I’ve found a lot of the so-called essentials are not so essential, and there are plenty of ways to keep costs down. Whe ..read more

Give your mood a boost through the power of smell. How to use scent, the Proust Effect and aromatherapy to improve well-being. Of all our senses, our sense of smell is our most underappreciated. Smell can alert us to danger; it factors in who we choose as a partner (pheromones); it’s also responsible for around 80% of what we taste.  Different scents can also impact how we feel. Studies indicate that scents can increase positive emotions, decrease negative moods, disrupt cravings, lower stress, and decrease inflammatory immune responses, thus enhancing psychological and physiological wel ..read more

Of all the cleaning jobs around the house, cleaning the shower is my least favourite. It was one of my chores when I was a kid, and for most of my adult life, I cleaned the shower exactly how my mum taught me. The problem was, the cleaning method I was taught used a LOT of water.  Many years of drought means we have all looked for ways to reduce the amount of water we use around the home. If you are on tank water, you probably already keep water use to a minimum. But us townies can have a few bad habits we need to change. The key to saving water when you clean the shower is to use a bucke ..read more

One crucial strategy for managing your finances is setting and working towards financial goals. Financial goals give you a sense of purpose and control over your finances as well as financial security. Over the years, I’ve set many financial goals. Sometimes, when money has been super tight, progress towards our goals has been slow. It once took me a year to save for a good quality fry pan because I could only save one dollar each payday.  (Hubby dropped the brand new frying pan and snapped the handle off, and we used it broken for years, but that’s a story for another time. On the upside ..read more

Here’s a retro recipe from our grandparent’s era – lamb’s fry and bacon with onion and gravy sauce. For those who haven’t heard of lamb’s fry before, it’s the liver. Liver has a texture and flavour distinct to the cuts of meat many of us are used to eating, and that can make it a shock to the palate. Offal is almost as polarising as an election – you’re either for it or…yeah nah. I grew up eating lamb’s fry and bacon. This recipe comes from my mum, who got it from her mum. One of the biggest benefits of eating lamb’s fry and other offal compared to more standard meat cuts is the cost. The live ..read more

Homemade Crispy Baked Potato Chips (Fries) Print Ingredients 5 potatoes, cut into wedges 2 Tbsp. plain flour 1 tsp paprika salt and pepper to taste Instructions Preheat the oven to 220°C. Heat an oven tray with a couple of tablespoons of oil until very hot. Par boil the potatoes until just tender. Drain and return the potatoes to the pot and sit over the heat for a few seconds to ensure they are quite dry. If you prefer, give the chips a good shake to roughen then up and give them texture. Sprinkle the potatoes with a tablespoon or two of flour (to give a very light coating), a litt ..read more