![Movie popcorn is overpriced.](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/y/r/7/b/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.gryqm4.png/1476355258736.jpg)
Saving
![Movie popcorn is overpriced.](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/y/r/7/b/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.gryqm4.png/1476355258736.jpg)
New ways to save on travel with summer just around the corner
![Dreaming of boating in the Whitsundays?](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/x/n/s/y/image.related.landscape.120x80.grxnlm.png/1476159159547.jpg)
It's the time of year when I start daydreaming about my summer holiday.
Savings hit by record-low interest rates
![George Ray, 85, has small amounts of money in super and in savings accounts.](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/x/5/u/5/image.related.landscape.120x80.grw1vx.png/1476171013286.jpg)
George Ray reckons the banks could easily afford to increase the interest they pay on their cash deposits given the amount of money they are making.
Plan ahead for the festive season to avoid a financial hangover
![A little pain now in terms of planning can mean you avoid a financial hangover later on.](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/t/k/f/1/image.related.landscape.120x80.grtkcu.png/1475455706297.jpg)
A little pain now in terms of planning can mean you avoid a whole lot of pain later on.
Solar households to earn up to 200 times more in Urth Energy offer
![The NSW Solar Bonus Scheme ends in December.](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/s/c/r/z/image.related.landscape.120x80.grschi.png/1475217892553.jpg)
A company offers people the chance to be active players in the energy market.
Commbank slashing its term deposit rates in another sting for savers
![Many Australians, especially seniors, rely on the security of term deposit rates.](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/l/g/j/0/image.related.landscape.120x80.grryxh.png/1475557008573.jpg)
The Commonwealth Bank numbed the sting of its decision to partially hold back the RBA's cash rate cut by increasing term deposit rates. Now it has unwound them.
How families can cut their mobile data bills
![Jane and Morgan Cook, with sons Jonathan (left) and Benjaman, save about $1000 a year by pooling data.](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/m/q/z/r/image.related.landscape.120x80.grmm1n.png/1474936475620.jpg)
During holidays, watch that your phone costs don't grow exponentially.
How to save money on a beautiful wedding in the social media age
![Caitlin Fitzsimmons wore a Cymbeline gown she bought on sale for her wedding in 2009.](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/n/c/x/f/image.related.landscape.120x80.grnczx.png/1474758273393.jpg)
The key to saving money on your wedding is creative thinking and a lot of research.
Keep your teen's mobile data under control in the school holidays
![Teenagers' phone bills can soar in the school holidays if you're not careful.](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/l/w/z/q/image.related.landscape.120x80.grlx3o.png/1474510313684.jpg)
More free time may mean more mobile usage and bigger phone bills.
Making six figures? Chances are you've saved nothing
![There may be different income levels, but the piggy banks are often equally empty.](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/k/x/f/b/image.related.landscape.120x80.grkwd7.png/1474420324926.jpg)
It's hard to feel sorry for someone making six figures, but a new survey attempts to drum up some sympathy for the deflated bank accounts of these high rollers. See, the more you earn, the more you spend.
Households hoarding $40b of unwanted items as secondhand economy booms
![Hannah Richardson is preparing to sell unwanted children's toys ahead of the influx of Christmas gifts.](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/i/y/z/q/image.related.landscape.120x80.grivrh.png/1474227932633.jpg)
Hannah Richardson is one of the more than one in two Australians who regularly sell secondhand items.
Rivals sink teeth into new Medibank carrot
![Dentists in demand: Medibank to provide free annual dental checkup to "extras" policyholders.](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/d/d/8/y/image.related.landscape.120x80.griytz.png/1474202169334.jpg)
Australia's biggest private health insurer Medibank Private has joined many of its peers in offering free annual dental checkups for its 2.7 million 'extras' policyholders.
What do Australians really spend on their weddings?
![You can cut the costs of a wedding without cutting corners.](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/i/d/t/9/image.related.landscape.120x80.grhroc.png/1474260753171.jpg)
Whenever you read a story on the cost of weddings, it comes with an alarmingly large number. You should take that with a grain of salt.
How to find more comfort, by having less stuff
![Decluttering and consuming less can make you happier and wealthier.](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/h/7/v/p/image.related.landscape.120x80.grh6bx.png/1473936955151.jpg)
When we feel out of control or uncertain about the future we feel anxious.
The most common scams and how to avoid them
![Once a scammer steals credit card details online, they can launder the money on eBay before too many red flags go off.](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/q/3/j/4/image.related.landscape.120x80.grdyk9.png/1473631628049.jpg)
Call it an occupational hazard, but I've become so nervous of scammers and fraudsters that I now delete even legitimate emails from my providers.
How to score a free smartphone
![If you're fiscally constrained or simply not hung up on having the trendiest gadget, there are decent smartphone options ...](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/c/k/h/s/image.related.landscape.120x80.grck51.png/1474850952682.jpg)
If you're nonplussed by the latest smartphone with a selfie mode that autocorrects blemishes, there is a decent range of phones on offer that are basically free.
Money-saving secrets of the commuters who drive 1000 kilometres a week
![Chez Tonelli works for a financial company in Parramatta and commutes from the Central Coast.](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/6/w/c/i/image.related.landscape.120x80.gr6wac.png/1473219227192.jpg)
A fitness tracker for your car is one way to keep costs down, writes Adam Courtenay.
The financial spring clean that will save you $7500
![Spring cleaning time.](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/5/n/6/z/image.related.landscape.120x80.gr5mhp.png/1472714982345.jpg)
How to turn messy money into tidy profit without lifting more than a few fingers.
Coalition's childcare reforms duds city families in fine print
!["It takes a whole village to have me work," says Sydney's Betina Naiman with husband Clarence and two daughters Libby, ...](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/y/0/k/v/image.related.landscape.120x80.gqwwfo.png/1472343785900.jpg)
This is the formula to figure out if you'll be worse off under the Coalition's childcare changes.
Dogs v cats? We'll pay vets almost double to treat one
![Gen Xers are the biggest cat lovers.](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/0/x/a/x/image.related.landscape.120x80.gqz1og.png/1472343039693.jpg)
The average dog owner is prepared to spend up to $4128 in one hit at the vet.
Three ways to make your tax refund last longer
![It's easy to spend a tax return and not even notice it, just like you feel hungry after eating white bread.](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/w/q/j/z/image.related.landscape.120x80.gqwqh5.png/1471586035722.jpg)
The average tax return is just more than $3000 but it's often frittered away.
How to be your own real estate agent
![Laboratory manager Marina Tretiach sold her house recently through an online marketplace, bypassing the services of a ...](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/w/9/h/i/image.related.landscape.120x80.gqvc79.png/1471565099978.jpg)
Can't see the point of paying thousands of dollars in commissions to real estate agents when you could do a better job of selling your property yourself?
With a 0 per cent interest penalty, it's time to rethink 'bonus' savings accounts
![Since becoming an apprentice carpenter, Sydneysider Sean Hourigan has found it harder to earn the bonus interest each ...](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/q/m/x/i/image.related.landscape.120x80.gqlxgo.png/1470963524190.jpg)
You might be earning 0.01 per cent interest some months if you have a "bonus" savings account. So is it worth having one?
Finally, some good news for savers
![Banks are hungry for term deposits, which means they will pay savers higher interest rates.](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/j/z/a/l/image.related.landscape.120x80.gqknnw.png/1470371037154.jpg)
Banks are once again paying more for deposits, but savers may have to part with their cash for longer.
As paper tickets vanish, Australia still lags on mobile transport innovation
![The convenience offered by the Opal card system is still behind the rest of the world.](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/i/o/6/o/9/image.related.landscape.120x80.gqg6zw.png/1469759168523.jpg)
This week marks the latest evolution of the Opal system but innovation still lags behind the rest of the world.
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 $18.9 billion agreement with the sector.](/web/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/w/n/d/a/image.related.landscape.120x80.gqbuzl.png/1469735384291.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/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.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/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.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/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.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/20161021021147im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/z/o/m/3/image.related.landscape.120x80.gq8w5p.png/1475348711918.jpg)
There's a great con job targeting younger Australians, and the government and insurance industry are in cahoots.