![The convenience offered by the Opal card system is still behind the rest of the world.](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/i/o/6/o/9/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.gqg6zw.png/1469759168523.jpg)
Saving
![The convenience offered by the Opal card system is still behind the rest of the world.](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/i/o/6/o/9/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.gqg6zw.png/1469759168523.jpg)
How average income earners will be pushed into private health insurance by 2020
![Health Minister Sussan Ley launched the pharmacy review in 2015 as part of a $18.6 billion agreement with the sector.](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/w/n/d/a/image.related.landscape.120x80.gqbuzl.png/1469683877400.jpg)
By 2020 average income earners will be forced to buy private health insurance or pay extra tax after the government quietly extended a freeze in the threshold for the Medicare Levy Surcharge.
Upcyclers and rubbish rescuers boost the second-hand economy
![Danielle McDonald buys second hand furniture and restores it for profit.](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/b/f/3/2/image.related.landscape.120x80.gqbi30.png/1469508693334.jpg)
Remember that ghastly old table and chairs you ditched last kerbside collection day? Former steel industry worker Danielle McDonald has rescued dozens like it.
A good life doesn't have to cost the Earth
![Lauren Dircks and Andrew Casey shopping at the Abbotsford Convent farmers market in Melbourne with their children, Gus ...](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/c/v/p/c/image.related.landscape.120x80.gqatof.png/1469508828536.jpg)
There are opportunities to put your ethics front and centre every time you open your wallet.
Raising happy children doesn't have to break the bank
![Unstructured play can be just as beneficial as formal lessons.](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/a/c/k/j/image.related.landscape.120x80.gqacoj.png/1469240258401.jpg)
Make your dollar go further with these tips.
Why you shouldn't rush to buy private health insurance
![<p>](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/z/o/m/3/image.related.landscape.120x80.gq8w5p.png/1469787001995.jpg)
There's a great con job targeting younger Australians, and the government and insurance industry are in cahoots.
10 money tips for the new financial year
![<P>](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/1/3/j/n/l/a/image.related.landscape.120x80.gq33iy.png/1468985516319.jpg)
Get organised for the new financial year.
Tips to teach kids about money
![What responsibilities do your kids have for household chores?](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/i/i/8/e/n/image.related.landscape.120x80.gq35cu.png/1468290765104.jpg)
Some financial literacy is taught in schools but there's plenty that you can teach your kids at home.
How you're being charged seven times the price
![Elizabeth Blanchard says buying a second hand car is an 'overwhelming' process.](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/0/f/6/u/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpz5ci.png/1468107003499.jpg)
When Elizabeth Blanchard wanted to check the car she was buying was legit, she almost paid $25 for a certificate she could get for $3.40.
Tips to make most of your savings
![Kate Donnelly could be doing more to grow her savings.](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/z/3/d/b/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpz2wy.png/1468403236492.jpg)
Kate Donnelly has tens of thousands of dollars saved. The problem is the money is held in an online saver and a bank account earning next to nothing.
Bank cash from under the mattress
![It is not safe to keep large amounts of cash under the mattress or hidden elsewhere in the house. Illustration: Simon Letch](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/y/y/9/m/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpyxkl.png/1468074320187.jpg)
Financial expert George Cochrane answers readers' questions.
How to haggle without regret
![Tsering Wangmo, Petronia Nzirubusa, Luz Restrepo and Lhakpa Chodon at their stall at St Kilda market.](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/i/8/e/9/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpyhvg.png/1467855874977.jpg)
Haggling is not just for the markets or travel overseas, it's also becoming more common in the Aussie shopping mall.
A master stroke for insurance savings
![There are many inexpensive alternatives for vehicle insurance.](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/5/5/5/c/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpuzj7.png/1467240433736.jpg)
Prime Minister: This change would cost you nothing and save us a fortune.
How to choose best home broadband plan
![You need more data if you plan to stream TV such as Netflix original series <i>Orange is the New Black</I>.](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/i/e/9/6/8/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpsfvg.png/1467075048040.jpg)
Fast broadband has reared its head as an election issue, with three out of four households not yet connected to the NBN. In the mean time, this is how to find the best broadband deal available now.
Horror stories from the rental market
![Luke Fennell has had to previously deal with a bad landlord.](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/p/v/i/r/image.related.landscape.120x80.gppvfq.png/1466921467575.jpg)
A previous rental turned into a horror story for 47-year-old Luke Fennell and his wife and two children.
How to have a party lifestyle and still save money
![Party-goers at Dark Mofo 2016 in Hobart.](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/g/c/o/z/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpo2kn.png/1466563828163.jpg)
Some of my husband's 20-something colleagues like to rib him about having a "famous" wife and want me to talk to them about money.
Bargain airfares - if you get the timing right
![Angus Kidman searches the comparison sites and then checks the airline sites directly to find the best flights.](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/f/7/b/r/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpezp6.png/1465702654126.jpg)
Booking flights at particular times before departure can yield big savings. The busy Sydney/Melbourne route has the biggest variation in ticket prices among the mainland capitals.
The Aussie family that saves $60,000 a year
![Jasmine and Aaron Boothey of Adelaide and their children, daughter Blair (5) and son Hamish (2).](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/e/f/3/4/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpefoe.png/1466223489391.jpg)
Consumerism is the norm for many Australians but not for Jasmine and Aaron Boothey who save two-thirds of their take-home pay.
Why the winter sales will be better this year
![Myer and David Jones both started their half-yearly clearance sales last week, the first week of winter.](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/8/5/b/0/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpayp0.png/1469561643752.jpg)
If you feel that the winter sales are earlier and better every year, you're right. And this year the bargains will be more plentiful than usual.
Apps and tools to manage your money
![Robo-advisers won't fully replace humans just yet.](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/g/n/i/y/image.related.landscape.120x80.gp5is4.png/1464746130533.jpg)
Our mobile devices are becoming the go-to instruments of convenient commerce, offering something that consumers are only just beginning to come to terms with – a world of instantaneous self-wealth management.
Save on winter heating
![<p>](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/5/m/b/u/image.related.landscape.120x80.gp4c0t.png/1468376477342.jpg)
Winter officially arrives this week and many households will be worried about the cost of keeping warm.
Safer shopping on your mobile phone
![Shopping on a smartphone is convenient but there are security risks.](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/3/k/m/l/image.related.landscape.120x80.gp3k9t.png/1467636410176.jpg)
Shopping on your mobile device is obviously convenient, but it also can create potential security risks.
Is an au pair right for your family?
![Greens leader Richard Di Natale copped flak for employing an au pair.](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/h/f/9/a/image.related.landscape.120x80.gp12lu.png/1464206823502.jpg)
Greens leader Richard Di Natale copped flak for having an au pair, but for those of us outside politics it might be worth considering.
Sisters are doin' it for themselves
![Marg Joiner, a volunteer manager with Zoos Victoria, has recently completed the VicSuper Super Woman money program.](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/y/a/h/g/image.related.landscape.120x80.goya26.png/1463972649182.jpg)
Women are tackling budgeting and finance head-on with help from VicSuper's online financial fitness course.
Why learning money smarts is like fitness training
![Keep on running: Make your finances as healthy as your body.](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/6/0/m/n/image.related.landscape.120x80.goukl3.png/1465029051668.jpg)
Taking control of your finances is a bit like moving to a healthier lifestyle.
How to supercharge your savings with honeymoon rate hopping
![Erica Jong is prepared to put in the work to switch savings accounts for a better rate.](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/s/n/f/s/image.related.landscape.120x80.gog8az.png/1463528269962.jpg)
With interest rates at record lows, switching between high interest savings accounts could make you four times what you would otherwise earn in interest. But beware the catch.
Set stage to keep fun in your life
![A limited number of $20 tickets to see performances by the Sydney Theatre Company, such as Disgraced, go on sale every week.](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/p/q/0/8/image.related.landscape.120x80.goqa6m.png/1463401613059.jpg)
I found myself sharing a stage last week with a hip hop artist, a jewellery designer and entrepreneur, a medical doctor and a singer-songwriter.
How to get a 4G mobile service for less
![Save money by choosing the right monthly SIM plan.](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/7/9/w/9/image.related.landscape.120x80.gohpf2.png/1465878475386.jpg)
Only Telstra, Optus and Vodafone operate mobile networks in Australia, but you don't have to buy your service through them.
Financial lessons from the Third World
![Reaping rewards: Savers can learn from the lending criteria that microfinance group Grameen places on loans in Third ...](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/s/2/n/u/image.related.landscape.120x80.go5loe.png/1461029837368.jpg)
The requirements microfinance lender Grameen Australia places on poor borrowers in the developing world read like a play book for good financial management in any country, even Australia.
Savings at seven-year low and may dip further
![Lower petrol prices deliver a windfall to consumers.](/web/20160807114506im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/o/y/1/s/image.related.landscape.120x80.gn9gtk.png/1461749744389.jpg)
For years, we've been told "the cautious consumer" is making life harder for retailers and other businesses that rely on household spending.