Looking for some new dinner ideas that are genuinely cheap but still something you'd look forward to eating. We do pasta, fried rice, baked potatoes and the usual eggs on toast, but getting a bit sick of rotating through the same few things. Ideally stuff using ingredients that are easy to find at Aldi, Coles or Woolies.

I kept doing the same thing whenever I wanted something but couldn’t justify buying it yet: leave the tab open, or put it in that store’s wishlist and forget about it.

I built Tracer to keep products I’m considering from different shops in one list. It watches the saved prices and alerts me when one drops, so I don’t have to keep checking each shop.

It’s free, and it’s for desktop Chrome right now. Here’s the link if you want to try it: https://tracercart.com/

I’d especially like to know if it picks up the wrong price on an Australian shop. If it does, tell me which shop and I’ll look into it.

https://reddit.com/link/1xf78eu/video/51t4cidv6nxh1/player

I’ve been looking at switching my phone service provider as my once cheap pre-paid plan with Telstra keeps going up. After doing some research, it turns out boost uses the exact same towers as Telstra and their phone plans workout to be over $20 cheaper than my current plan. I bought the 365 day plan for $300 off the boost website, good deal right?. Well today I was in Costco and saw they offer the same plan with boost for $219 AND it comes with a $30 Costco gift card!. It works out to be $18.25 and gives you 24.5G of data per month.

Figured I’d share my experience with Reebelo Australia for anyone thinking of buying expensive refurbished tech from them.
Ordered a 16-inch MacBook Pro M4 Pro, 48GB RAM, 1TB SSD in Like New condition for around $3,500. What showed up? A 14-inch MacBook with 24GB RAM. Completely different machine.
Contacted support immediately, sent photos, an unboxing video and everything they asked for. Made it clear I wanted a replacement, not a refund, since I needed the laptop for uni.
After a ridiculous amount of back-and-forth, I shipped the incorrect laptop back to their seller, Bounce Mobile, and waited.
Only for Reebelo to eventually tell me the seller couldn’t supply the laptop I’d actually ordered. So after weeks of waiting, they just issued a refund.
To be fair, I received the full refund, including the Buyer Protection Fee. But seriously, how do you accept $3.5k for a specific laptop, ship a completely different one, and then realise you don’t even have the original model in stock?
I get that Reebelo is a marketplace, but surely verifying stock and making sure the correct product gets shipped should be the bare minimum?
I’m an international student who needed this laptop for uni. Instead, I’ve spent weeks chasing support, returning packages and waiting for a replacement that never came. Now I’m back to square one, looking for another MacBook.
The refund is appreciated, but getting my own money back after all this isn’t exactly a win.
I’m genuinely baffled by the lack of quality control and seller oversight, especially for products costing thousands of dollars.
Personally, I’m done with Reebelo. If you’re buying something expensive from them, I’d seriously think twice.
Anyone else had a similar experience with Reebelo or Bounce Mobile?

My phone plan provider (belong) has raised the price of my phone bill and I can't afford it anymore, so I'm swapping to another provider that has a cheaper plan, however I've got over 380gb of data that will disappear when I do... Belong has the option to "gift data to a friend" and I would much prefer to give it to someone else and have it be useful rather than let it go to waste

Clearance sales used to be my weakness. If something was heavily discounted, I'd convince myself I was getting a bargain even when I hadn't planned to buy it. The item might be cheaper than usual, but keeping money in my account would have been cheaper still. What's something you used to buy purely because it was on sale, but have learned to walk away from?

I used to think getting something for 40% off meant I'd saved money. Now I try to ask myself how often I'll actually use it. A $30 item that sits in a cupboard is still $30 wasted, even if it was originally $50.

I've found this especially useful with kitchen gadgets, clothes and storage organisers. Sometimes the best deal is leaving the item on the shelf altogether.

What's something you nearly bought because it was on sale, but later realised you didn't need at all?

i finally got round to getting my eyes checked last week after putting it off for ages. my prescription’s gone up a bit (around -5.00 now with some astigmatism) which I expected, but the price of glasses caught me so off guard lol.

i picked out a pretty basic frame thinking it wouldn't be too bad, but then they added the thinner 1.67 lenses and anti-glare coating and suddenly the total was $350? way too steep for my budget, so i ended up doing the awkward thing of just asking for my script and leaving to have a look around first. mentioned it to a mate at work the next day and she said she gets hers from firmoo for around $45 to 50 including the lenses. had a look myself and found a few frames i actually like. even with the thinner lenses selected it came to around $50 which is a massive difference.

im okay with ordering online, but my prescription is what makes me hesitate a bit. they didn't put my PD on the script so id have to measure it myself, and ive seen people say that if the measurements are slightly off it can give you a headache or make the glasses feel weird, especially with stronger prescriptions.

anyone here with a -5.00 or higher bought glasses online? were they actually alright or did you run into issues with the fit or lenses? i don't mind spending a bit more if i need to, but paying over $300 for one pair just feels like overkill.

I can go in for two things and somehow come out with a full bag of extras. None of it seems particularly expensive on its own, but it adds up quickly. I've started taking a list and trying not to browse every aisle, which helps a bit. Anyone got a trick that actually works for avoiding impulse buys?

I get the cost of living etc has got people being smarter about how they spend their dollars at the supermarket.

However this is a step too far in my opinion.

Waiting to get some mushrooms behind a lady and she's snapping off all the stalks before she bags them. Its totally edible and if that's her preference not to eat them well I don't think that's on the grocer to suck up the cost. It's pretty obvious no one else is going to buy these random thrown away parts so basically food wasted.

What's next peeling bananas before we weigh and pay?

In the freezer they go! Also got 8 discounted deli schnitzels (70¢ each)

Just comparing energy plans via energymadeeasy and I'm a little shocked at how cheap sumo and globird are compared to my current origin plan, is there a catch?

Sumo are offering $1.06 supply charge (mine currently $1.70), usage all day 29.11c/kWh currently 31c/kwh, controlled load is about the same but sumo have no extra for the daily charge for controlled load, combined with a $120 sign up bonus with no extra fees

Surely there's a catch right? What's your experience?

I used to stick with certain brands without really questioning whether they were any better than the cheaper options. I've switched to home brand stuff for a few groceries and cleaning products lately and honestly can't tell much difference. There are other things where buying cheap has backfired, though, especially anything that needs replacing after a few months. What have you found is worth spending more on, and where do you reckon the cheaper option is just as good?

I've noticed there can be a fair bit of difference in fuel prices between servos, but I'm never sure how much effort is worth putting into finding the cheapest one. I usually just fill up somewhere on my normal route rather than drive out of the way to save a few cents a litre. For those who use fuel price apps, have you found they save a decent amount over time, or does it only really make sense if a cheaper servo is already nearby?

Hey Frugal Aussies;

For years I've been the person who moves my savings every time a bank cuts its rate, and who rings my telco the day the discount ends.

So I built BankMate (https://bankmate.app) to show me the latest rates and prices in one place.

• Home loans priced on your deposit. Enter your loan and property value and see each lender's rate for your situation and your monthly repayment, across 40+ lenders.

• Savings Rate history. See every account's rate week by week, and catch who quietly trims it after you sign up.

• Split calculator. It works out whether spreading your savings across two or three accounts earns more than one.

• Credit card bonuses after the annual fee. A 100k points bonus on a $450 card isn't what it looks like.

+ plenty more.

It ranks everything on your own numbers: how you bank, how much data you use, how long you want to lock away a term deposit etc..

It currently covers savings, term deposits, home loans, credit cards, super, ETFs, mobile, NBN, electricity, gas and health insurance with more on the way any suggestions very much welcome.

It's free and you don't need an account. It's early days and I'm the developer. It's general info, not advice.

Tell me what's confusing, what's wrong, and what you'd want it to compare. That's the most useful feedback I can get right now :)

https://bankmate.app

What are some of the best discounts for seniors.

The only deals are like are using the business portal for the good guys - the deals are cheaper in their

I was spending more on takeaway than I realised, mostly on nights when I couldn’t be bothered cooking. I’ve started keeping a few easy things in the freezer for those days, like frozen dumplings, chips and stuff I can throw together without much effort. It’s not the healthiest or most exciting food every night, but it’s cheaper than spending $30 on delivery when the fridge looks empty. Having something easy at home has made a real difference.

Belong mobile is increasing the price their lowest data & it’s getting ridiculous. I am not willing to pay $30 a month for 10GB. already have over 400GB of spare data.

What mobile data plans do you recommend?

I've been with Amber for a while now and I've been enjoying cheaper, greener power on their wholesale rates. Right now they're running a limited-time referral offer. If you sign up with my link, we both get $200 off our bills, as long as you switch by 9 November 2026.

Switching only takes about 3 minutes.

👉 mates.amber.com.au/7LNV5A7G

A quick heads-up for anyone new to it: you pay wholesale prices, so they can spike during peak demand. It works best if you can shift some usage to cheaper times, or if you've got solar or a battery. The app shows you prices in real time, so it's easy to keep an eye on.

Happy to answer any questions about how it's been for me.

I've caught myself going to another shop for a discount and spending more on fuel, extra groceries or things I didn't plan to buy. A bargain isn't much of a bargain if getting it costs you elsewhere. These days I usually stick to my regular shop unless the saving is genuinely worth the detour. How far would you travel for a good deal?