Comprehensive guide to frugality (Australian Edition)

Introduction

I am writing this guide to help out regular Aussies with saving money and making every dollar stretch further. It's comprehensive in the sense that it contains all the information I know all in one spot. None of this information is absolutely ground-breaking or new, but I hope by collating this all in the one spot, it creates value for someone out there. It is also organised in reverse-order. So the most significant money/time savers I put first and the more niche I put later. 

Disclaimer: None of this is financial advice and I do not endorse any specific investment or financial products. I may include referral links to certain programs that help save money (e.g. cashback programs) that reward me for referring individuals. I will steer cleer of recommending financial services and products (e.g. investment brokerage platforms, investments, publically listed securities, ETFs, ETPs). For those products, seek out professional financial advice. I may link several trusted resources (eg. Australian Government MoneySmart website) if appropriate. 

The guide is broken up in several sections with more detailed guides if you wish to click through. 

1. Saving money on groceries

2. Saving money on transport (car/public transport)

3. Saving money on energy (gas/electricity) 

4. Cashback programs

5. Making your things last longer

6. Choosing a good savings account 

1. Saving money on groceries

This is my step by step that I take to reduce my expenses on groceries. 
 
1.1 Assess my options and seek out cheaper groceries. 

When purchasing groceries (especially fresh food), I generally look for items in the following order

  • Fresh food market. Examples include
  • Fresh food grocer
  • Aldi (if items not on special at Coles or Woolworths)
  • Coles/Woolworths
    • Be sure to use a Coles/Woolworths gift card. You instantly save 1-5%. For example, if you can purchase $100 worth of Coles/Woolworths credit through your rewards program for $98. If you keep track and spend it all, you get $2 back (tax free savings!). 
    • Everyone can get access to Cashrewards, Shopback and TopCashback rewards programs (all referral links). These programs can get you discounted gift cards.
    • Have a look at other avenues sides the cashback rewards platforms. Cashrewards/ShopBack/TopCashBack rewards programs provide your base case that you can potentially do better. (see cashback programs for more information)

2. Saving money on transport (car/public transport)

2.1 Reducing expenditure on cars 

2.1.1 Fill up where and when petrol is cheaper.

What I have done  

  • PetrolSpy to find cheap petrol
  • ACCC to find the cheap part of fuel cycle to fill up 
  • Jerry can to store petrol (ONLY DO THIS IF YOU CAN STORE IT SAFELY AND DOESN'T VIOLATE BUILDING INSURANCE) 

One tool I recommend to find the cheaper petrol near you is PetrolSpy. It uses crowdsource data (which you can also help submit). There is an website, Android and iOS (iPhone) app. 

In Australia's five largest cities, petrol prices fluctuate in predictable cycles. Prices often rise sharply within a short period and then decrease more gradually over a longer span, repeating this pattern regularly. This cycle is driven by competition, as fuel stations lower prices to attract customers. When discounts become unsustainable and profit margins shrink, retailers raise prices again, prompting competitors to do the same. These petrol price cycles typically last four to six weeks. To find out when petrol is likely to be cheaper, use the government ACCC site.

For example, as of writing, ACCC predicts that it would be a good time to fill up in Perth. 

 

At one point, I purchased Jerry cans to store petrol for when I was out of the fuel cycle. Delaying filling up on a fuel spike saved me significant money. However, I personally stopped when I couldn't store it safely. Something to consider.  

2.1.2 Do you own car maintenance

If you want to save money and are willing to learn the skills, doing your own car maintenance can save you a lot of money. I do my own car maintenance and then pay a mechanic to check if there are any problem areas. I pay them for difficult jobs I can't do myself. 

Please be safe. Make sure you securely lift the car safely before working under it. Some chemicals are also toxic/corrosive so please read warning labels and do things safely. If in doubt, pay a mechanic. 

Where to go for advice?

  • ChrisFix (before doing any job on your car, check out the ChrisFix youtube video on how to do it. Lots of tips and tricks and he makes it look like 2+2) 
  • Searching up your car + model + job on youtube. (eg. Toyota Corolla 2012 engine oil change). 
    • READ THE COMMENTS. If the video maker is doing something incorrect, often the commenters will point it out. 

From easiest to hardest, in my opinion. Here are the car maintenance I do myself.

Easy
  • Washing and waxing the car: Keeping your car clean can help prevent rust and corrosion.  
  • Checking and topping off fluids: Engine oil, coolant, brake fluid, power steering fluid, and windshield washer fluid are all relatively easy to check and top off if needed. 
  • Inspecting battery terminals: Keeping the terminals clean and tight can prevent starting problems.  
  • Checking and inflating tires: Do it at a servo after filling petrol
  • Replacing air filters: Engine air filters and cabin air filters are generally easy to replace. 
  • Replacing windshield wiper blades: This is a simple task that can be done with a few basic tools.  
  • Replacing light bulbs: Many headlights, taillights, and turn signal bulbs are easily accessible and can be replaced with basic tools. 
Moderate:
  • Changing engine oil
  • Changing transmission fluid (only transmission drain and fill with or without pan drop/flushes require bringing it to a workshop)
  • Flushing brake fluid
  • Flushing coolant - most tedious job I've listed. It requires flushing with deionised water until the water runs clear. Definitely a big job, but not difficult. 

Harder 

  • Changing brakes - people say it is as easy as changing engine oil. I've done it but think its definitely harder and more tedious. 

3. Saving money on energy (gas/electricity) 

Use the government site https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/ and Victorian Energy Compare Website (only Victorians) to find the best deal. 
 
If you can be bothered, you can do electricity and gas "churning". Often, many retailers will give good signup bonuses if you sign up with them and stay for a certain amount. If you cycle through different retailers, you can often obtain many sign up bonuses. As you aren't staying with them for an extended period of time, often the signup bonuses far exceed the losses from more expensive rates. Obviously, please do the calculations beforehand.  

If Lumo energy (who I use - as of 15th July 2025) turns out to be the cheapest retailer, you can use my referral code (code 8424687). We will both receive a $25 eGift card. (Please only do this if Lumo is a good retailer for you based on the calculation/energy compare websites).
 

4. Cashback programs

 The three main rewards programs are 

There are others but these are the important 3.  

5. Making your things last longer

Cooking
  • Stainless steel pan. Non-stick pans don't last that long, so buying a stainless steel pan and taking care of it will come out cheaper in the long term. It is also potentially healthier as it doesn't have PFAS/teflon/forever chemicals.
    • It will be better for the environment (no need to continually make pans that go to landfill) and your wallet 
    •  IKEA 365+ pan is $25 (as of July 2025). I will post a review on it later. I use it but it is not the best pan for several reasons (exposed rivets making cleaning slightly harder, separate bottom plate and folded edges that can collect food). It is however excellent value for money. I have not found a new stainless steel pan for cheaper yet. 
Cleaning supplies
  • Spray and wipe (my blog post - quick summary: the concentrated spray and wipe is more cheap from Bunnings Warehouse compared to Coles/Woolworths because how many more sprays you get) 
 
Making clothes last longer
  • Fabric shaver (my blog post - quick summary: fabric shaver can make pilling clothes look much newer)

6. Choosing a good savings account 

 

 

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