6 household swaps that could save you $3K+ a year
Switching doesn't have to mean sacrificing. Here are a few swaps that cost less without cutting quality.
Sponsored by felix mobile, Australia's new subscription phone service offering one plan at one price. Get unlimited data at speeds up to 20Mbps, all for just $35 a month and no lock-in contract. Learn more.Household expenses are endless. From utility bills and subscriptions to cleaning supplies and groceries, there's always something to pay for.
But with so many ongoing expenses, there's also lots of opportunity to save. Make some savvy swaps and you could save hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year.
As an extra bonus, lots of money-friendly swaps happen to be environmentally sustainable too. So where do you start?
Here are a few of our favourite money-saving swaps.
Your phone plan
Finder surveyed over 6,000 Australians and found that, on average, we're paying $51 a month for our phone plans. But there are cheaper alternatives that can still meet your needs.
For example, felix Mobile is one of the few providers on the market to offer unlimited phone plans. For $35 a month, you can get unlimited data, calls and texts within Australia.
Speeds are capped at 20Mbps, but that's usually fine for day-to-day phone usage. We even tested this recently (you can read about it here) and 20Mbps was more than enough for browsing the Internet, using social media, streaming HD movies and even online gaming.
In this instance, if you switched from the average of $51 to the $35 felix Mobile plan, you could save $192 over the course of a year. And that's just for one phone plan – if you're footing the bill for a family of four, you might have just saved yourself $768 a year.
Car insurance
Comparing car insurance can be a pain because you have to fill in your details every time you request a quote from an insurer. But if you knew just how much it could save you, the task might seem a little less tedious.
Earlier this year, Finder researchers requested comprehensive car insurance quotes from 43 different insurance brands across 8 different driver profiles. Shockingly, they found an average price difference of $2,252 a year.
How much speed do you really need? We test it so you don’t have to
[SPONSORED] Data is one of the biggest factors when choosing a phone plan, but there’s still lots of uncertainty around speed.
Read more…Your utilities
In May 2021, we asked thousands of Aussies about their gas and electricity bills to find out how much people were really paying. Looking at NSW alone, the average quarterly cost of electricity was $360. For gas, it was $194.
But while writing this article, I requested quotes from 5 different electricity providers and 5 different gas providers, giving details of a home in Sydney, and found far cheaper options.
For electricity, I was quoted as low as $258 while for gas I received quotes as low as $114.
Over the course of a year, that's a potential saving of $728.
Now, obviously these quotes are general and your own specific usage will have a big impact. But clearly there are savings to be had by switching providers.
Cleaning items
How often are you buying paper towels, cleaning cloths or dusters? They can all be swapped for scrap fabric from old clothes.
Let's say you spend $5 on paper towels a week. After a year, you've saved $260 – and that's without taking any tea towels or dusters into account. The swap also means worn-out clothes get more use before heading to land-fill.
If you're really committed to saving some cash, you might also want to consider making your own cleaning products. Many homemade cleaners rely on household products such as baking soda or vinegar and cost next to nothing to make.
Supermarket bags
If you haven't gotten into the habit of taking bags to the supermarket, where have you been? Not only does it make more sense for the environment, but it's kinder on your pocket too.
Okay, they might only cost around 15c but let's say you buy an average of 7 bags over the course of a week. By the time the year is over, you've wasted $54.60.
Start swapping with felix Mobile's $35 phone plan
Compare other mobile plans here
*Then $35/mth on a no lock-in contract. New customers only. Ends 31/03/22. T+C apply.
