Our Frugal Lifestyle

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Passionate about eco-frugality. I used to party hard, clubbing my way from pay-packet to pay-packet. Never getting ahead, just getting by. Then came our much wanted baby with no savings in the bank - only an old car. Changes were made to our lifestyle and we didn't turn back. In the past 6yrs we purchased a flat, found employment, lived below our means, built an emergency fund, purchased a reliable car and saw the financial benefits of our frugal lifestyle. Our only debt is our mortgage. Our aim is to manage our cash flow wisely, pay off our home quickly and eventually work for pleasure, not necessity. Join us on our journey, share insights, tips and tricks to help us and others to get ahead while having a good time.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Pizza and Taxis

The Rambling Expat is on holidays for 4 weeks. We celebrated with bought Pizza (I was too tired to do any kitchen work in this heat). The cheapest pizzas were $10.95 each and we wanted 2. I found this was much too expensive so I searched online and found a voucher for $6.95. Then I decided to look another 3 minutes to see if I could find a better deal to really squeeze my dollar. And yep, another voucher code was found within a few seconds at $5.95 each.

If you have internet access I encourage you to look at getting better deals. It's just there at your finger tips and doesn't take much effort. Instead of paying $21.90 we paid $11.90. Thats a $10 savings! Now lots of people can't be bothered but $10 in my pocket is gold!

We took our pizzas and bottle of cold tap water from home and watched the sunset over the sea next to a playground. Something for all of us and a very nice way to end the day...

...except The Rambling Expat had to be at the airport at 11:00pm for his 1:00am flight to Sydney. We were booking a taxi as waking our 4 year old seemed too mean. However after spending $$ on pizza I really didn't want us forking out another $20 in taxi to the airport and another $20 on the return. Mentally torn I chose to get Dolly up. I lifted Dolly out of bed, popped her into her car seat, drove the 20 minute round trip and popped her back into bed. She slept through the whole process! It only took 20 minutes and we saved ourselves $20. I asked Dolly about the airport trip, she doesn't remember a thing. Tonight I think we will be picking him up to save ourselves another $20.



Had this been 2 years ago.. Pizza at full price and taxis wouldn't have been a problem in our eyes as we had the cash. But we now prefer to save that hard earned cash and put it towards the future. That $50 we didn't spend will be able to work harder for us in online saving accounts and extra payments into mortgage.

I'm aiming for those good things in life! What about you?

9 comments:

  1. I sure am! I got away with spending $25 on school books today instead of the schools marked price of $40 each!! that's a $55 saving. I am stoked:D
    We check coupon sites for pizza etc it saves a few dollars here and there but it all adds up.
    Good job on your efforts:)

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  2. I reared three children, waking them when we needed to do an errand like yours. They survived very well, even when they waked to find themselves out on a dark night. They were with their mother, so everything was alright in their world! It is amazing how money can flow through our fingers when we don't figure out how to hold it tight. If I lived in the tropics, I am not sure I would ever cook. Of course, I would have ac on ALL the time...lol.

    My book arrived today. Thank you.

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  3. that's cheered me up ! there's always a deal to be had, if I still lived in plymouth, I could get cheap pizza with tokens, discounts and self collect - none out here in the boonies so that saves me money?!

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  4. Welldone on the savings. I have to say that as much as I enjoy some of those blogs about saving money etc, there's a hint of Angel in the House (see Woolf) crossed with Feminine Mystique (see Friedan)that I am vastly uncomfortable with. So it's refreshing to see this blog, even though you don't need mine or anyone else's approval. If you want a takeaway pizza at discounted price, then please go ahead and good on you for taking care of yourself, because from your blog entries I get the impression of a hardworking, ethical, compassionate and intelligent woman who doesn't have to justify herself by spending hours at the stove.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Anonymous,
      I'm a feminist trying to balance it and live the life I want. Getting there step by step - but will cook or not cook as I see fit.

      Thank you for your praises. I like to think myself as hardworking, ethical, compassionate and intelligent except.... I live in a mess because I tend to drop and leave, to do something better. I sometimes know I am doing/buying the wrong thing. Sometimes I turn a blind eye so I can get on with my day. And boy do I do dumb stuff daily :-)

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    2. I looove seeing the money of other countries! Tanzanian money has elephants on it! :)

      Excellent savings!

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  5. I like your style. I read your blog on a regular basis. Keep up the good work x

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  6. Feminists come in all types--working or mothers, career women, or crafters. We will not be defined. There is no one way to be. However, being a feminist implies caring about other females having opportunities and taking advantage of what comes your way if you can. (We have male children and marry males and live around them, so we care about them, also.) Cleaning house is not a gendered job, but often we take on the job without expecting men to share in the responsibilities...sigh. We are all guilty.

    If you can go out with Dolly or to the garden and must leave the house messy, so be it. We women try soooo hard to be everything. You said you and expat cleaned together for a few minutes each night. If all three continue to keep the house up, then it is not just your job. Messy is okay! You have a really good blog. That is why I put it on my blog list, right at on the sidebar. Have you ever read The Second Shift by Arlie Hochchild? Check it out of the library.

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  7. Hi Thriftmumma, Books can be a killer. Don't forget Fishpond in Australia. You can find excellent deals. When I was a uni student I was about to purchase a book I needed. However I said to myself I will check my 3 local op shops 1st. And there was the book I needed saving me $80. I was thrilled and lucky!

    Practical, you wouldn't have the AC on all the time as it eats a huge amount of money. Having a spa and sitting in it all day would probably be cheaper. (My neighbour has one and it's heaven).

    Hi Frugal Queen, Pizza is only a 3 minute drive away. Much too easy to obtain. However I've improved a great deal in self control.

    Byallen, Our money is made of plastic - perfect for a sweaty and beachy lifestyle. Wash and wear money. The Rambling Expat forgot to take his money out of his pockets today ($25) and I did a load of laundry. Not a problem, it needed a dry but was in perfect condition.

    Lisa, Thank you, I'm aiming to give a little guidance in saving money and keeping myself accountable in the process. I'm also trying to improve my writing skills, content and grammar with each post. Looking at my 1st posts I feel that I am improving.

    Practical (again) I haven't read the second shift yet.. Yes I had always planned to be 100% equal on the home front... I hopelessly messy, so is he and so is our daughter. I think it's because we are soooo busy doing other "important" stuff.

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Thanks for commenting - I love getting feedback, sharing experiences and learning from you.