Jump to:
- 🍔 Food (12 tips)
- 📺 Streaming (5 tips)
- 🎟️ Entertainment (9 tips)
- 🛍️ Big purchases (7 tips)
- 🚗 Driving and commuting (6 tips)
- 🛒 Groceries (6 tips)
- 📦 Online shopping (3 tips)
- 💡 Bills (4 tips)
- 💰 More ways to save money (8 tips)
Stop buying lattes and cut out your avocado toast… kidding.
As Spaceshippers we've got full faith in the future – and, while we wait for inflation/the cost of living/house prices/global conflict to give us a breather, there are some small things we can do to save money in Australia.
One great thing about personal finance is it's personal.
These tips may not work for you, and we're not making any particular recommendations. But we do have some ideas and examples of things that have worked for others for how you could save more money in Australia in 2026.
🍔 How to save money on food
1. Use super cheap recipes
Make cheap meals. It can save you heaps.
Sites like Budget Bytes and No Money, No Time exist to help people eat good food on tiny budgets and get their cost per serving as low as possible.
(We're not affiliated with them but some Spaceshippers are personal fans.)
2. Eat the food at work
If your workplace keeps a well-stocked pantry, make the most of it.
3. Compare meal delivery fees
Meal delivery services charge different delivery fees. Make sure you compare them.
Here's an example at the time of writing (October 2026), for some food for thought.
| Service | Big Mac | Delivery fee | Service fee | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DoorDash | $10.65 | $7.49 | $1.28 | $19.42 |
| UberEats | $10.65 | $8.49 | $1.34 | $20.48 |
4. Buy the ugly fruit and vegetables
Whether they're sold as 'imperfect picks' or 'odd bunches', there are savings to be found when you buy the non-standard fruit and vegetables at supermarkets.
5. Be a hydro homie
Staying hydrated has non-monetary benefits - according to Harvard University it helps with sleep quality, brainpower, and mood.
And, if you carry your own water bottle, it's basically free.
6. Turn off your food app notifications
Ever notice how meal delivery and food apps tend to send you notifications around mealtime? They can’t plant the idea of getting takeaway into your head if you shut off their line of communication to you.
7. Become a prepper
Meal prepping means choosing and cooking your meals ahead of time – whether it's for your whole week, or just your work lunches.
Typically you need a microwave.
There are resources and apps that can help you figure it out – we like the MealPrepSunday subreddit.
8. Don't buy all your coffees
Baristas who know your name and prepare your order before you even speak are one of life's great joys.
But some people find even more joy in becoming their own barista.
Take Blair.
"I drink a lot of coffee, like three a day.
During Covid I started making them myself as I couldn't head to the local cafe to buy the liquid gold. After a little while I realised how much money I was spending on coffee.
This led to me finding enjoyment in the hunt to make that perfect brew. The other upside has been being able to talk shop with my local barista when I do buy a coffee, such as getting tips on the best roasts and learning new techniques.
On top of finding enjoyment in making coffee, I now save about $70 a week (I allow myself to buy one every day)." Another option? Only buy your coffees on the weekend. You might find with more time to enjoy it, you appreciate it more.
9. Embrace boring lunches
This is a standard tip, we know, but the savings are real.
Bringing your lunch from home – or giving yourself a weekly lunch budget – can help cap the price of what's an otherwise spendy time of the day.
10. Bring snacks from home
It's the same deal with snacks. An easily accessible piece of fruit or muesli bar can stave off hunger pangs until it's time for dinner.
Do not pass Starbucks. Do not collect venti cappuccino.
11. Visit a community pantry
If money's really tight and you find yourself going to bed hungry, find out where the food pantries are in your area. There's absolutely no shame in it.
Organisations like Food Bank and Addi Road have been set up to help address the hunger crisis, and can be good places to start.
Bonus tip: they're good places to volunteer, too.
12. Embrace the leftover
We don’t necessarily mean your own.
Too Good to Go is an app you can check daily for discounted food left over after peak hour.
Depending on where you live, you might find bakeries, groceries, pastries, and even doughnuts available to you at discounted rates.
Your experience will vary but it could be a good way to cut down on both your food waste and your food spending.
📺 How to save money on streaming
13. Replace your paid subscriptions with their free counterparts
If you primarily watch movies on streaming services, websites like Letterboxd help you match the movie you want to watch with the streaming services you have access to. It still works if you only have access to free streaming services. If you’re more of a TV show kinda person - JustWatch is a similar service.
14. Replace your paid subscriptions with their ad-supported counterparts
There’s an increasing amount of ad-supported platforms that won’t cost you actual dollars outside of your internet connection and your attention.
Check out Brollie and Tubi to see if they have anything that takes your fancy. There are also a lot of old-timey movies, as well as a seemingly endless range of music, websites, and audiobooks available at the Internet Archive.
15. Check out free to air channels online
Speaking of free services, there are a surprising amount of options on SBS On Demand, ABC iview, and the other free to air channels.
Jack really likes ABC iview because it lets him catch up with news on the sly.
"I like ABC iview because I don't come across as a news freak to my housemates between the hours of 6pm-8pm each night.
I can be that freak quietly from 7am-9am as I make my way from the bedroom to the office each day."
16. Use your local library as a front door to streaming
Seriously. It’ll depend on your council and what they offer, but joining your library could get you access to free streaming services that let you watch tv, movies, read magazines, read ebooks, listen to music, listen to audiobooks, and more. Services are updating all the time. It could be an extra step or two - but it could also save you a lot of money.
17. Use one streaming service at a time
If you have more than one paid streaming subscription, consider rotating them. Pay for one service at a time. Figure out what's dropping this month and schedule your viewing into your calendar. Being more mindful about what you watch is a great way to get your screentime down, too. You can generally Google to see what’s coming up.
You can also see if your streaming service will let you pause your subscription.
🎟️ How to save money on entertainment
18. Take a chance on a last minute ticket
You’re not alone if you think that concert tickets have become outrageously expensive. And, sometimes they get announced so far in advance that by the time the show rolls around, ticketholders can’t or don’t want to go anymore.
You could take advantage and tempt fate by holding off on buying full-priced tickets and seeing how cheap they get closer to showtime on a platform such as Tixel. The closer to the event date, the more tickets may become available, the cheaper they could get. It’s not guaranteed but it’s a chance you could take.
At the time of writing, you can buy La Dispute tickets for $79.90 at Moshtix, and $60.51 at Tixel - and it’s still a week away.
19. Be a cheap date
An entertainer’s worst fear is an empty room, which is why services such as ShowFilmFirst and PromoTix exist to discreetly fill the seats. They often offer tickets to movies, comedy shows, theatre performances and festivals for just a booking fee and the understanding you won’t tell the person next to you that your ticket cost a lot less than theirs did.
20. Celebrate your birthday tactically
As a great sage once sang, “The years start coming and they don’t stop coming.” If you're OK with sharing your personal details with brands, your birthday month can become an opportunity for a lot of freebies and discounts. Someone even created a whole website of Aussie birthday deals.
21. Check out events in your area
Sometimes it feels like you can't leave the house without spending $50, especially if you live in a high cost of living city. An easy way to find free things to do is to Google ‘Free stuff near me, no money’. Another easy way is to ask AI. You can even ask it to plan a whole day for you.
22. Volunteer for events for cheaper entry
Have an interesting but exxy event coming up? Try reaching out to see if they have a volunteer program.
Writers festivals, film festivals, music festivals and city festivals are all run on the power of volunteers who often receive cheaper entry to events as payment. It's the same deal with conferences, galleries, and exhibitions. Even massive festivals such as Laneway have volunteer programs.
Often, Googling the name of the event and the word 'volunteer' will net you the result you're looking for.
23. Check out your local Facebook groups
They've got the hook up on the next street party, Farmer's Market, or Christmas in July. They're also good for discussion about mystery lights, sunset pictures, and Kids These Days.
24. Keep a list of free attractions
This can help you when you want to get out of the house but don't want to spend any money.
Local galleries, scenic walks, annual fairs, and sunset spots can be great experienced alone, or with visitors – but only when you remember they exist.
25. Pick your friends wisely
If you're on a budget, don't hit up an expensive restaurant with your big spender friend (unless it’s their shout). It sounds obvious but FOMO and peer pressure are real.
Offering alternate suggestions, such as getting in first with a coffee-and-a-walk rather than drinks-and-a-degustation, can help you out here.
26. Have a free adventure
We don't wanna be 'that guy' but there's a whole world out there, which engineer Aaron learned when he started cycling.
"One of the big realisations that I had when I started cycling was how little outdoors and nature I was getting. Sure you do get a bit when walking/running, but because of the speed cycling just gets you seeing way more places."
"Bikes can get real expensive, but if you don't care about the bells and whistles, you can easily get a decent bike for a few hundred, and it'll be 95% as good as a $10,000 bike."
"I also know an older couple (a friend's parents) that actually started bringing their bikes on holiday with them. They reckon it's a way better way to experience a new destination - getting to see and explore places, stopping along the way whenever they want."
🛍️ How to save money on big purchases
27. Go dopamine shopping
If you prefer the thrill of online shopping, finding a bargain, adding it to your cart and tracking the purchase over the logistics of actually owning the thing, dopamine shopping could be for you.
It’s when you visit a site like dopamineshopping.com, browse, choose and buy something, but everything is make believe and no money ever leaves your account.
The idea is that people like the thrill of the chase more than they like owning the thing. So you can finally order the Metallica Pro Pinball Machine you’ve always wanted, and never have to work out where to put it, how to power it, or how to keep the noise down.
28. Only check out on a particular day
This rule comes from The Every Girl, and the idea is that, similar to dopamine shopping, you can go wild adding things to your cart but you can only check out your particular designated purchase day. So you go wild adding to cart Monday through Saturday, and then on Sunday you figure out what you actually need, and only make purchases then. It could help you think twice about what’s a need and what’s a splurge. If you have an online shopping habit, particularly one you finance with credit or buy now pay later options, you might find this helps you out.
29. Do you need a new phone, or do you need a new battery?
After our homes and our cars, our phones are amongst the most expensive purchases we make. If you’re not someone who wants to shell out a thousand dollars or more every couple of years, consider replacing your phone battery instead of replacing the whole thing. It sounds basic but paying a couple of hundred dollars instead of more than a thousand, for similar functionality, can make something old feel new again.
30. If in doubt, OzBargain
"Before you buy anything, google the name of that thing and add 'OzBargain'," said one of our Spaceship colleagues.
OzBargain's a bargain-hunting website that has an active community adept at hunting out deals, particularly around travel and tech. It makes sense that many hands make for more bargains.
We're not affiliated with them in any way and it's entirely up to you to do your own research.
31. Buy things at auction
Singer-songwriter April bought a used car at an online auction instead of a car yard or other car dealer.
"I'm definitely not interested in buying a brand new car when there are much cheaper, good-quality second hand options," she said.
"I bought my hybrid at an online auction for $13,000 with 50,000km on the clock. I'm really happy with it.
Many cars at auction are ex-government or ex-fleet vehicles so they're relatively new and well-maintained."
If you're considering this, make sure to do your due diligence and only buy from reputable sites.
32. If it’s more than $100, wait a day or a week before buying
This can work with any purchase but especially those that cost $100 or more.
Adding things to your cart, and coming back in a week, can help give you the space to figure out if you actually still want them.
33. Plan ahead
Let's say you want to spend Christmas in New York.
If you pick a target date (say Christmas 2027), and a target amount (let's say $5,000), then over the next 14 months you'll need to save $357 per month.
Now your purchase is planned for and you're less likely to put the whole thing on a credit card or BNPL.
🚗 How to save money on driving and commuting
34. Set up some walking rules
We got this one from AusFinance. If your destination is less than a set amount, such as 2km, and you’re able to, consider walking. If you need to pay for parking, get public transport instead. Need extra inspo for walking? Challenge yourself or others to reach a minimum number of steps.
35. Take public transport off-peak
If you catch public transport, find out when the off-peak times are in your area. Travel will often be cheaper then.
For example, Sydneysiders get a 30% discount for off-peak travel on some metro and city transport.
Victorians have a whole bunch of ways to get cheaper fare.
Google your local area and 'off-peak fare' to see if you benefit.
36. Check a Fuel watch app
Petrol is a current necessary evil for many commuters.
There are apps available that scan your local servos for the cheapest prices and update you in near-real time.
Choice put together a whole list of them
37. Or use the 7-Eleven app
It scans the closest five 7-Eleven servos and lets users lock in the cheapest petrol price for up to 7 days.
Ryan does this every couple of weeks.
"It's good when you come across really cheap petrol but your tank is still full but you can lock in that price and use it when the petrol prices go up."
38. Be strategic about parking
If you're driving to work, see if it makes financial sense to drive part of the way, get free or cheaper parking, and use public transport for the rest of the way.
39. Work from home
One of the good things to come from the pandemic is that it's a lot easier to convince your boss to let you work from home – and it can be a lot cheaper when you don't have to pay for petrol or parking to get you there. Or lunch. Or coffee.
🛒 How to save money on groceries
40. Have you seen the half price apps?
They list the weekly half price specials from supermarkets such as Coles and Woolies. Search 'half price' in an app store if you want to check one out.
41. Use a shopping list
The Journal of Consumer Behaviour showed that using a shopping list made participants save at least a little bit of money.
42. Pay attention to unit prices
In 2009 it became mandatory for supermarkets to tell you what the unit price of each product is.
Now each product must be clearly marked, so you can compare products without being swayed by packaging or confusing promotions.
If you keep a record of what you usually pay per unit, it can help you spot deals, shop around, and see what’s worth stocking up.
43. Seasonal produce is usually cheaper
Buying food in season when there's heaps of supply tends to give you the best, and cheapest experience.
Here's a guide showing which food is in season, when.
44. Visit your local seed library
If you have a local seed library, you’ll have a free source of the seeds and cuttings you’ll need to start growing your own herbs, spices, and other food. Seed libraries are local collections of native seeds that residents have access to, to take home and grow. When they’ve successfully grown a plant, they’re then able to save seeds and take them back to the library to share with others. It could be a good way to nurture your green thumb and your savings account.
45. Shop with gift cards
Compare The Market reckons the average Aussie spends $9,683.96 on groceries each year. Saving just 5% on that would net you an extra $484, and the way to do that could be to purchase gift cards when they’re on special. These are often offered as part of rewards programs for services you may have signed up for.
📦 How to save money online shopping
46. Don't link your card details to shopping websites
If a shopping website remembers your card details so you don't have to, it's likely because they want you to buy without really thinking about it.
It's why Amazon patented the 1-click buy button in 1999, and why other companies paid to license it until it expired in 2017.
47. Investigate cashback sites
These are relatively new in Australia.
Cashback apps and sites act as front doors to online shopping that incentivise purchases by giving you a percentage or dollar amount refund of the purchase price. Some also deposit into your super. Canstar compared the bigger cashback names in Australia.
Mavis has used one cashback app to accrue nearly $1,400 in refunds since she started using it in 2017.
"You need to be very devout – basically search everything you need to buy on it before buying it…
It's just an added step before I do any shopping."
Just be careful you don't spend more money than you normally would.
48. Wait for the online sales
Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Amazon Prime Day and AfterPay Day are all regularly occurring online sales that you could wait for if you wanted to buy something in particular and get it for cheaper.
💡 How to save money on bills
49. Shop for the best deal
If you're signing up for a new service or renewing a contract for your power, insurance, phone, or internet, consider looking around for the best deal.
The Australian Government lists comparison sites for energy, while sites like Choice and Canstar can help compare consumer products.
Don't be afraid to call your providers and ask for a cheaper deal, too. The worst they can say is no.
50. Review your subscriptions
If you're paying for an app or membership you pay for but don't really use - that's an easy saving there.
Regularly occurring fees and charges, no matter how small, add up.
Take a look at a bank statement or go to the Subscriptions section in your phone to see what you're paying money for.
51. Use off-peak electricity
Electricity prices in Australia work on a supply and demand system; it's generally more expensive to use electricity when everyone else is, too.
If you pay a time of use tariff, find out which times your electricity provider considers to be 'off-peak' and do your energy-heavy chores (such as using the washing machine or dryer) then.
Fair warning: they tend to be late at night and early in the morning.
52. Keep a bill calendar
Rent, water, phone, internet, electricity, rego, sports fees… plot them out on a calendar or set reminders in your phone so you can plan toward them.
💰 More ways to save money
53. Use your vouchers
Don't forget about any gift vouchers you may have lying around.
It's estimated that there are nearly $1.25 billion worth of unspent gift vouchers around Australia.
54. Consider frugal hedonism
It’s the idea that when you can choose between cheap fun, and expensive fun, why would you choose to spend extra money? The authors of the book of the same name suggest that if you can have a great time catching up with a friend at a bar, and just as good a time joining them for a walk, then do the cheap thing. It costs less and you get the same value.
55. Set up Boosts
At Spaceship we offer Boosts, which make the most of everyday moments and round your purchases into your Spaceship Voyager portfolio of choice. Spaceship Voyager is an investment, not a savings account. Investing involves risk, including the risk of losing money, returns are not guaranteed, and Voyager is designed for long-term investing rather than short-term access to your money. Consider the Voyager PDS and TMD before deciding whether it is right for you. Here's some more about Spaceship Voyager Boosts.
56. Pay with cash
It's just harder to break a crisp $50 note than it is to tap and pay for something.
2015 research revealed that people spend more money with debit cards than cash.
57. Keep a savings buffer
Unexpected expenses are hard to manage. But if you keep a savings buffer, that is, a small amount of money for accidental spending blow-outs, it can make it easier to manage.
That way if you forget to turn off your aircon, you can pay for it with your savings buffer instead of your emergency fund, or credit card.
58. Keep a separate emergency fund
One of the worst parts about emergencies is paying for them long after the fact. Keeping an emergency fund means you're prepared for both challenges and opportunities. The best part? You get to decide what counts as an emergency.
"I remember when I bought Jimmy Eat World, Blink-182, and Women's World Cup football tickets in the space of about three weeks, unplanned...
That was when I knew I needed a 'concert ticket emergency fund'," said Kelly.
59. Get into thrifting
It's better for the environment - and your back pocket – to wear something great that somebody else doesn't need anymore.
"I had the most amazing luck yesterday in Bankstown. A Rebecca Vallance dress with a price tag of $699 still on it for $40. A Shona Joy dress for $20. A Gorman X dress for $18," said Cora. "I love treasure hunting!"
60. Make fortnightly or weekly debt repayments and pay your loan off sooner
If you're paying off a debt, switching to weekly or fortnightly repayments can mean one extra month’s worth of repayments each year, if each fortnightly (or weekly) repayment is half (or a quarter) of your monthly repayment. Check with your lender first, as terms, fees and interest calculations vary.
This is because there are 12 months in a year, but 26 fortnights.
Are your savings already in order?
Here are five reasons to think about setting up a regular investment plan.
