6 Simple Tips on Budgeting for Daily Expenses in Australia
Being a student is expensive. Rent will use a portion of your expenses, but sometimes you need to cut back on certain expenses so that you will still have some left over by the end of the month. So how do I learn to budget then?
No. 1 Instant-food: Indo Mee, canned pork, tuna or any instant soup.
They are convenient, quick and cheap. Plus if you try and buy them when they are on special or in bulk, well, the more you save. But please try to cut down on the intake as they are not the most healthy of foods.
No. 2 Buy Unbranded
As a poor student in Australia, I learnt the benefit of buying the store’s home brands. The major supermarkets Woolworths & Coles have their own ‘brands’ which basically comes in plain packaging. Some of the basic items such as bread, milk and eggs sell for half the price compared to the “branded” items.
No. 3 Use Your Student Card
Do some research to see which stores, pubs or even movie theatres offer student discounts. There are certain nights of the week such as (Tuesday or Thursday) which offer better prices or discounts for students.
No. 4 Second-Hand Materials
I thrived on second-hand material through university thanks to some students who were rich enough to get rid of things they didn’t want. I actually got a printer, bed frame, spare table, fan and couch for free. You may call me a miser but these things were going in the bin anyway. I just made good use of them.
No. 5 Buy Cask Wine
I still needed my alcohol for entertainment. It cost me $4 which had about 4 litres of wine as compared to spending $10 – $20 on a decent bottle of Merlot. Though it did not taste as nice as the Merlot, it managed to serve his purpose. ☺
No. 6 Photocopy
I was doing a course where I do not need all the text books for future use. So why bother spending hundreds of dollars buying them? Instead, I would photocopy the important chapters from friends.
Lucius graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology from Murdoch University (2007 – 2009) in Perth, Australia. Prior, he did a Diploma in Biotechnology in a leading Asian Tertiary Institute.
Upon graduation, he spent 7 years in a 5-Star Hotel in Australia, leading European Bank and the world’s top 10 largest Pharmaceutical Company. He is currently involved in projects in financial technology and is actively contributing to the global community in financial education.
Studget is a collection of students’ experiences in universities. They play, travel, work, budget till the last dollar. And maybe, they study. Is that you? Join us at the complete college collection at studget.com | student on budget
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