Helpful tips for Financial stress and hardship

@TAB , I said to myself I’m going to start eating healthy…. then…one hour later, I’m at a patisserie- I bought two cannoli’s, one choc and nut filled horseshoe pastry and 2 sfogliatelle… oooopps…

Oh well, they were yum. I didn’t eat them all of course. I just took a bite from each.

Um pretty much the same @BPDSurvivor if i went to bakery once a week would think was ok but was eating stuff at home that wasn't brilliant either like sauces ok and butter not had either in a few days now

having to enter stuff shows me where coming short eg veg, 'good' fats, water and dairy ok lately Veg and water not good not so fussed about oil and dairy lol

Heyo Peoples. 🙂

One of my big "financial control" things is to have as many bills as possible on direct debit "set and forget". We have them all debited out of a separate account that we don't touch day to day. Originally, it had a Family Allowance payment going into it, which tended to cover bills with a bit of extra. As our youngest has outgrown eligibility for that, we're now trying to deposit a similar amount into it each fortnight.

Others, Centrepay might work better. https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/centrepay
But at the same time, I realise for some people bills have outstripped their fixed incomes... which is a horribly hard place to be in. x

Food... we grow a lot of vegs and fruit, and only buy ones that we don't have in the garden when they're cheap. I've also learned which weeds are edible, and better still, which ones are yummy! 🙂 We have a Chookie Girl, who has recently come back on the lay...yay. Her food is supplemented with garden weeds, and I scoop up soil from under logs and concrete blocks/rocks etc. along with the insects living in it. She loooves her live protein, it's very healthy for her.

Meat is almost always bought on markdown, and I look out for bread, dairy, fruit and veg and deli markdowns too. I buy trays of canned goods (such as tuna and tomatoes) from a bulk grocery outlet, and I also frequent an "imperfect and overstocked groceries" shop, NQR. Beware at such outlets that they sell a LOT of junk food, so you have to have reasonable self control when shopping there. 😛

Other things... we try not to toss out food. Stale bread=breadcrumbs. Meat bones and veg peels=soup broth. (Most vegs we eat peel-on anyway.) I sometimes do home made preserves, but honestly don't always have the energy for it... but one yummy basic one is apple jelly, which can be made from apple peels and cores.

Repair stuff, and have some fun with it. Creative mending can be a way of making clothes unique at the same time as keeping them in use. Buy secondhand when you need something, or better still, look for "freebies" on sites like Facebook Marketplace. BUT don't get things you don't need and/or love. (And if it's out of love... do you have space, or can you make space by getting rid of something you don't love?)

Find your fun in a way that fits your budget. There's plenty of crafts and art activities that can make use of discards. Anything from patchwork to pallet wood furniture. Find interesting public places to walk or jog or make use of an obstacle course, get a cheap or free bike. Team sports might be tricker if you need to join a club... so balance the benefit against the cost. It may be well worth it for you.

And also ask what supports your wellbeing. To some degree, that is a financial question, because it's downright stressful having an unpaid bill hanging over your head, or an empty pantry. But a lot of what really makes us feel happy or secure is less tied to money than we think. Somehow, find time for those things. Hanging out with friends, watching the stars, listening to the birds...

Hi all I'm just coming back to the forum and saw this thread I've read it all one thing I want to do again is gardening grow own vegetables but only have balcony now one thing I do with presents is buy things when I see them especially with Christmas because our family does presents for everyone

Hello @Smc , @Zoe7 , @Jacques , @Former-Member , @ShiningStar , @Emelia8 , @MDT , @Dimity , @Former-Member , @TAB , @FloatingFeather , @Appleblossom , @Former-Member , @Daisydreamer , @Eve7 , @RedHorse , @wellwellwellnez , @WIP , @yellowcorgi , @tyme , @Krishna , @BPDSurvivor , @hanami , @Pepsimax

How have you been going over the last month ??

We have been doing small changes to save time , reducing travelling time for petrol , making lists

@outlander , @maddison , @HenryX , @Aniela , @Faith-and-Hope , @Snowie , @AussieRecharger. @Bow , @Judi9877 , @Boo13 , @pinklollipop15 , @jem80 , @NatureLover , @Historylover , @Sophia1 , @Determined , @Clawde , @BlueBay , @oceangirl , @Oaktree

@Former-Member 😸🤷‍♂️

It's been an age since we've crossed paths @Shaz51. I hope you've been doing alright. I'm not up with your latest, but I hope there's been a fair share of good times.

Sending best wishes. Cheers.