![You're not Gordon Gecko, the Michael Douglas character pictured left in Money Never Sleeps.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170827205946im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/y/3/z/i/7/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.gy3z73.png/1503626518690.jpg)
Saving
![You're not Gordon Gecko, the Michael Douglas character pictured left in Money Never Sleeps.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170827205946im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/y/3/z/i/7/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.gy3z73.png/1503626518690.jpg)
How one couple is saving $19,338 a year on childcare
![Amber and Rowan Joyce are $14,000 a year better off living in Thirroul than Sydney.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170827205946im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/z/k/p/1/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxxgg3.png/1503040250435.jpg)
For the Joyce family, one partner being assigned to a project in Wollongong, south of Sydney, set the wheels in motion for a sea change.
The average Australian is six paydays away from being homeless
![Dress for Success helps women get back on their feet by providing professional outfits for job interviews and other ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170827205946im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/v/k/p/m/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxvisg.png/1502811558407.jpg)
Build financial resilience and confidence to buffer yourself from the risk of homelessness.
Ten ways to save time and money
![Bapcor supplies about 500,000 car parts to independent mechanics and chains like Ultra Tune and Kmart Tyre and Auto and ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170827205946im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/u/m/9/z/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxuk5g.png/1503463515277.jpg)
Like many working parents I'm time poor, so my favourite savings tips are ones that save time as well as money.
The top 10 tips to boost your household budget
![Cutting immigration could hurt sharemarket returns, according to fund managers.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170827205946im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/a/8/d/f/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxt0i0.png/1502436413396.jpg)
In this week's episode of It All Adds Up the team shares their top finance tips.
First home buyer saving scheme has merit
![The proposed scheme for first home buyers to use superannuation to save for a deposit has merit.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170827205946im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/t/b/j/s/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxtbmb.png/1502419005481.jpg)
Despite industry criticism, many Australians stand to benefit from the plans to use superannuation as a savings scheme for first home buyers.
How to make our kids money smart
![Innovative technology may be able to help teach children how to handle money.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170827205946im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/7/5/e/5/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxsx3m.png/1502316113367.jpg)
By comparing the financial outcomes of their choices with those of their peers, Banqer facilitates learning from outcomes, not just theory.
The real reasons you can't save
![Australia's soaring household debt, the largest of any advanced economy excluding Switzerland, shows that saving doesn't ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170827205946im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/j/p/s/w/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxs6us.png/1502250660975.jpg)
If you suspect some sneaky Jedi mind tricks are beating your efforts to save, you're on the money.
Term deposit interest rates dwindle to record lows
![Major banks often pay savers significantly less than the market leader through their term deposits.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170827205946im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/o/t/4/d/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxo0g0.png/1502201024856.jpg)
The Reserve Bank may have kept official interest rates unchanged for the past year, but it's a different story for people with savings in the bank.
Households are doing it tough. Here's how to tighten your belt
![If you need to tighten your belt, look to the older generations for inspiration.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170827205946im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/p/8/r/1/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxp8me.png/1501861579250.jpg)
Many Australian families are struggling because the price of education, healthcare and power continue to rise, and pay packets aren't keeping up.
A Millennial shares her savings tips
![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/20170827205946im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/n/4/i/d/image.related.landscape.120x80.gxmo21.png/1501636256854.jpg)
Most money savings advice for Generation Y recommends living with your parents, but for many people that's not an option.
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/20170827205946im_/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/20170827205946im_/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/20170827205946im_/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/20170827205946im_/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/20170827205946im_/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/20170827205946im_/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/20170827205946im_/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/20170827205946im_/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/20170827205946im_/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/20170827205946im_/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/20170827205946im_/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/20170827205946im_/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/20170827205946im_/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/20170827205946im_/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/20170827205946im_/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/20170827205946im_/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/20170827205946im_/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/20170827205946im_/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/20170827205946im_/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.