![Georgia Leaker, 28, earns about $45,000 a year, pays market rent in inner-city Melbourne, and still manages to save ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/n/4/i/d/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.gxmo21.png/1501636256854.jpg)
Saving
![Georgia Leaker, 28, earns about $45,000 a year, pays market rent in inner-city Melbourne, and still manages to save ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/n/4/i/d/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.gxmo21.png/1501636256854.jpg)
Australians waste $70m a year on unused gift cards
![Gift cards can be beautifully presented in a box, but they're more likely to be lost or forgotten than digital versions ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/l/9/l/f/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxl9hi.png/1501575820469.jpg)
When I was a teenager, I used my gift vouchers avidly, but in 2017 not everyone is as diligent with their gift cards.
Why keeping your landline is a waste of money
![Most of us may as well hang up the landline for good.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/n/g/r/h/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxjt5r.png/1501454352213.jpg)
Australians remain surprisingly keen on landline phones, but if you're paying for one then you're probably spending money unnecessarily.
Why you eat like your colleagues
![Many people buy lunch to eat at their desk.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/i/0/8/8/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxhzrz.png/1501216904561.jpg)
They say your friends can make you fat, but your colleagues could be the real culprits.
Cure yourself of the Carrie Complex
![Sarah Jessica Parker, who plays Carrie, left, and Kristin Davis, who plays Charlotte, in a scene from <i>Sex and the ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/5/w/i/7/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxcdys.png/1500286830182.jpg)
Hands up who wanted to be Carrie from Sex and the City when they grew up?
How to fight back against rising energy costs
![Gary and Beancaa Stanley have made huge savings on their electricity bills by installing solar panels and batteries.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/1/0/y/4/image.related.landscape.120x80.gx10sn.png/1498809455743.jpg)
As everyone who pays power bills knows, electricity prices and gas prices are soaring and energy market observers are expecting further rises.
'We built our own home on the pension'
![Liz Hall-Downs is among the 13 per cent of disability pensioners to own a home either outright or with a mortgage.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/z/c/z/6/image.related.landscape.120x80.gwzdan.png/1498606578207.jpg)
It took more than a decade to build but the couple have achieved their dream of home ownership.
Flybuys backs down on charging for its own error
![Flybuys was able to fix their mistake.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/y/r/t/h/image.related.landscape.120x80.gwwa7q.png/1498468238175.jpg)
Why booking online, instead of picking up the phone, is better.
'I moved to the burbs to escape city rent'
![Erin Riley and her 9-month old daughter Abby at their rented home in Panania.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/t/x/v/i/image.related.landscape.120x80.gwtyos.png/1498101246290.jpg)
Before I had my daughter, I wanted to raise any future children in the city. The big wrinkle in the plan was money.
'I'm spending my inheritance trying to find my birth family'
![Gabriella Munoz will travel to Mexico to try to find her biological family, along with husband Cesar Albarran-Torres, ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/o/7/i/y/image.related.landscape.120x80.gwo88g.png/1497538964051.jpg)
The search for my biological family will make us postpone the plans to buy our dream home.
Sydney and Melbourne petrol prices fall for long weekend
![Petrol prices in Sydney and Melbourne are trending lower for the Queen's Birthday long weekend.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/o/k/i/u/image.related.landscape.120x80.gwl7kb.png/1496847386385.jpg)
Sydneysiders and Melburnians heading off on road trips this coming Queen's Birthday long weekend are urged to delay filling their car until later in the week or on the holiday weekend as petrol prices in both cities continue to fall.
'My NAB Traveller Card let me down in LA'
![Elana Benjamin went on the holiday in the USA and her NAB Traveller card didn't work.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/k/g/z/e/image.related.landscape.120x80.gwkhxg.png/1496847745289.jpg)
Difficulties with a travel debit card don't make for a happy customer.
'Giving up drinking saved me $4000 a year'
![Kate Robertson](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/a/w/8/4/image.related.landscape.120x80.gwez3y.png/1496102679041.jpg)
When I was forced to quit alcohol because of long-term medication, I was not very impressed.
Why German speakers are prone to be penny pinchers
![Avoiding more "Schuld": The reluctance of Angela Merkel's government to invest if it means taking on more debt aces off ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/y/u/s/o/image.related.landscape.120x80.gwclm1.png/1495674281342.jpg)
Once again, it's the German speakers who pinch their pennies.
Why can't switching banks be like changing mobile providers?
![The Greens are pushing for full bank account portability, saying it will boost competition.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/3/x/r/e/image.related.landscape.120x80.gw7fdm.png/1498145386703.jpg)
You could be forgiven for getting a sense of deja vu when watching the stoush between the government and the banks.
Bank levy means home owners should shop around
![If the bank levy drives up mortgage costs, home owners should consider refinancing.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/3/9/m/v/image.related.landscape.120x80.gw39k4.png/1494948345537.jpg)
The budget came and went – so what was in it for you?
No lemons: how to buy a second-hand car
![Jeremy Becker, 23, did his research before buying his first car, a second-hand former fleet vehicle.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/2/c/i/i/image.related.landscape.120x80.gw2a6t.png/1494924560717.jpg)
Luck plays a role in buying a great second-hand car, but you also make your own luck with careful research and investigation.
What minimalism can do for your mind and money
![Many people follow Marie Kondo's methods to achieve a decluttered home.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/2/9/f/y/image.related.landscape.120x80.gw28xk.png/1494464794044.jpg)
I am a hypocrite. It's become obvious in recent weeks as I consider two competing – and conflicting – sources of inspiration I seek out through social media.
Where first home buyers stand now – all the help and hits
![Buying vacant land further out or smaller apartments might be the only options for first-home buyers.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/z/s/0/s/image.related.landscape.120x80.gw1d79.png/1499132085844.jpg)
The government has made some concerted moves on tackling housing affordability.
Good savings all about the little things
![Nicolas Butcher,Olivia O'Neill, Lucinda Chismon, Matthew Slate.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/u/m/c/l/image.related.landscape.120x80.gvti8x.png/1493353222852.jpg)
Little things such as one or two takeaway coffees a day can add up surprisingly quickly.
I spent three years paying someone else's tolls
![After getting a refund, Conal Hanna is no longer grieving for his actual cash, just his pride in his budgetary acumen.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/r/7/l/n/image.related.landscape.120x80.gvi9l0.png/1493016378953.jpg)
In our increasingly cashless society, it pays to keep an eye on what's being deducted from our accounts.
Meet the couple who bought their house with cash
![Monique Kinerson with her partner and child, outside the house they bought with cash.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/m/i/7/6/image.related.landscape.120x80.gvk6cb.png/1492595133014.jpg)
These Australians paid for their house in cash and have two years of wages in the bank.
The app for reducing the tsunami of kids' stuff
![Children might be happier with a few signature toys.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/l/9/k/e/image.related.landscape.120x80.gvl8wu.png/1492529596758.jpg)
Three out of four Australians believe they are overspending on their kids by hundreds of dollars each month. And then there's the gifts.
Financial freedom through frugality
![Save money by shopping your pantry first, and avoiding pre-packaged food.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/k/k/a/m/image.related.landscape.120x80.gvk4q3.png/1492125578845.jpg)
How to get rich, happy and save the world.
Where to fill up the car before Easter road trip
![It pays to shop around for petrol before the Easter road trip.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/c/l/f/j/image.related.landscape.120x80.gviaeu.png/1491904237406.jpg)
Filling up the car at the right time and place slashes dollars from the long weekend road trip.
How offline viewing for Netflix and Stan can save you hundreds
![Drew Barrymore, left, and Liv Hewson at the premiere of Santa Clarita Diet, a Netflix original.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/p/7/1/6/image.related.landscape.120x80.gvfufs.png/1491532831280.jpg)
Watching just a handful of video streaming episodes on-the-go can quickly become expensive for your mobile bill.
15 things to do by 30 to create a better life after 60
![Young adults can do things now that will improve their financial future](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/v/e/o/y/image.related.landscape.120x80.gv4rbj.png/1491318509394.jpg)
Your 20s are the time to set in place some basics that will help set you up for a brighter financial future.
11 ways to save on the Sydney Royal Easter Show
![The Sydney Royal Easter Show is fun, but the costs can be scary.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/r/k/t/u/image.related.landscape.120x80.gvarko.png/1491116733469.jpg)
It's almost Sydney Royal Easter Show time again. The show, which runs from Thursday, April 6 to Wednesday April 19, is fun for the whole family, but the costs can burn a hole in the pocket.
Six money tips from someone who saved $1m by age 30
![Now Sabatier runs multiple businesses. But his savings give him the leeway to be selective about the projects he takes on.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/9/w/8/b/image.related.landscape.120x80.gv9iu6.png/1490844513171.jpg)
After college, Grant Sabatier was unemployed, broke and living with his parents. Here's how he reached his goal of saving $US1 million ($1.3 million) by age 30.
How to save on Easter spending
![To save money, Simone Plaza and her family are having a camping holiday this Easter.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803230541im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/9/q/2/5/image.related.landscape.120x80.gv9m3b.png/1490932222275.jpg)
Don't let the Easter bunny eat all your savings.