Using D.I.Y. to stretch the household budget

As the cost of living continues to rise, it's important to make every dollar count.

It would be great to hear what Bunnings Workshop community members are doing to save money in these challenging times.

Simple things can help save cash like sealing gaps around doors and windows to improve the efficiency of air conditioning during summer or stay warm during winter. I’m also planning to continue to growing my own vegetables such as tomatoes from seed.

I would love to hear any other cost-saving ideas, hacks or projects you’re working on to stretch your dollars further.

Let me tag @Renowayoflife, @Tyro and @prettyliving to see if they can kick off the discussion.

Akanksha

How to grow tomatoes from seed to harvest.jpeg

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Comments

Jason

One thing I try to do at least every year is check I am on the cheapest gas and electricity plan. Energy prices have increased so much in recent years it has become so important to not get complacent and make sure your plan is competitive. It can save hundreds of dollars each year. I live in Victoria and the government's Energy Compare website is each to use and a great service. I'm sure community members can use other services elsewhere to help check.

Jason

mich1972

Our local Supermarket is selling Passionfruit for $1.50 EACH !!! 😳😳 why pay a fortune for a fruit you enjoy eating. If you are able to, GROW YOUR OWN. If you can grow just a few edible plants you truly enjoy , then yes it will help cut costs instead of buying them at the supermarkets. You will actually enjoy watching the whole process of growing them in your own Garden. I get so many, I share mine 💜 This is Sunshine Special which is perfect for cold weather here in Perth. It’s Non Grafted so it won’t send up suckers everywhere. Try to plant a non grafted Passionfruit if you can 😊

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/34419#Comment_34419

Great crop! I also get a shock when I see lemons and limes at $1 each @mich1972.

Jason

mich1972

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/79517#Comment_79517

Absolutely @Jason and ANYONE can grow a lemon or lime tree easily, even if they have a small backyard. With Dwarf and Semi Dwarf varieties available to buy, you can grow them in the garden or in pots !!! 🍋 🌿😃

Dave-1

Morning @Akanksha and All

I usually worry about heating and cooling costs, Comes down to "No way" can I afford to run air con for the house or heat the whole house in winter.

So curtains, shutters and overhead fans are the answer. Its not that icy cold but definently cooler to live with. I generally wait until 3-4pm inthe afternoon when the outside temp is about the same as the inside temp and then open all the windows up, you can feel the heat woosh out!

Winter its the reverse, keep all the windows and doors closed type deal and have even considered the Japenease style blinds to curtian off sections of the house, I would like one between the kitchen and the back room as in winter that area gets cold fast! One day I will do it, its on the list.

I have tried the whole DVD/CD curtain wall to trap that layer of air between the window and the discs, It actually seems to work well in both Summer and Winter. I have had the direct intense summer sun on the whole surface of the window for the Libary and inside the temperature dosnt change.

Dave

sara22au

P_20240524_153634~2.jpg

I bought a green heater from Bunnings way back in 2004! I live in the upper mid Blue Mountains, so our winters are brisk, to say the least. No air con, I hate it, and it's unnecessary for our summers, if you insulate walls and roof, plus use blinds and block out curtains ( and position your house correctly for passive environment if building, and utilise gardens), there's no need for air con. Even when we had 40°c days back when we had a summer in 2019, no where in my house did it top 24°c.

The green heater, which runs on ethanol, Costs about $90 over winter, and heats the family/kitchen area well. Built and installed a barn door for the abnormal sized doorway that led to the hallway, and got a chippie to build another door to close off the split lvl stairwell...totally enclosing this space.

I use electric blankets on my bed, and also have an electric snuggle blanket, that can be plugged in and wrapped around me anywhere in the house else!

Currently in process of clearing privet ( oh so evil grrr) and building a walk in veggie/fruit garden. I have MECFS, so, this project is still incomplete, and pushing 2 years, but will post up when finished! Mostly berries, as they can be easily frozen, so having an all round year source is ideal.

On that...buying a chest freezer in addition to your kitchen fridge/freezer, means you can store more food (that you may chuck out now) go shopping less ( I loathe shopping), cook multiple meals in batches ( takes same time, same energy use, but freeze and nuke when too tired/busy), and better than takeaway junk food.

Robotosize everything possible. For the minority that like doing housework, ignore!

Buy an electric car, install solar if you haven't already, walk/bike/scooter instead of drive where possible, use interest free buying plans instead of using a credit card ( if you buy online from Bunnings using click and collect, and use PayPal, you can use pay in 4!), buy items that both increase your enjoyment, create a lifestyle savings, and enrich your life! If you enjoy gardening, building a veggie patch meets that criteria! Travelling overseas to countries who have similar, or vastly different, issues, will still give you ideas to improve your own life!

Set goals, and live within a budget.

Meh, that's enough 😁

Dave-1

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/37747#Comment_37747

Good Evening @sara22au

Love the green heater description, even started going down the rabbit hole of looking them up 🙂 I had thought they were purely decorative and hadnt thought of them in any other ways. Do they give off any scent?

Dave

sara22au

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/81109#Comment_81109

A little scent when first lit, but within 5 mins that's cleared. I notice a start up smell with most electric/gas/wood/Kero heaters anyway, so it might just be me 🤣! They won't heat up a huge open area, but for any reasonably sized medium/small area, with insulation, they're great!

I just bought a small tabletop one for my bedroom, that only burns for an hour....and I was kicking the doona off in 2°c! Then freezing 6 hrs later, but anyway....I've put the electric blanket back on now, so all's good.

Bunnings unfortunately no longer sells the green heaters, at one point around 2010, they were banned unless under very strict criteria. That criteria has lessened since around 2020, but it killed the market at the time, as well as pushed the price up. The one I bought, which is permanently wall mounted, cost less than $100 in 2004, and met every requirement over time....prolly looking at $1k minimum now.

Still....it's so nice having an open flame green heater. Cheap to run, heats the area beautifully, and it's environmentally friendly! Plus...fire! Mesmerising flames🔥

It takes 3.5L on metho to fill, and that burns for over 8 hrs. I usually turn it down ( half close the lid) after a couple of hrs, I'm too warm....and that also extends the burn time over 8 hrs.

EricL

Hi @sara22au

Thank you for sharing all those suggestions you posted earlier. I'm in total agreement, having your own garden will definitely help you with the grocery bill. Having tomatoes and all sorts of vegetables is just a big plus.

Again, thank you for sharing your experience and ideas with us.

Eric

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