An Australian bargain hunter has revealed the nine handy money-saving hacks he'll be relying on in 2024.
The 30-year-old is getting the most bang for his buck in the coming year by doing things like switching between meal kit delivery plans to get discounts, making the most of solar rebates and renegotiating his contracts with health insurers and phone providers.
The savvy spender will also enjoy all the benefits of Woolworths' Everyday Rewards program, 7-Eleven's Fuel Lock and credit cards that can earn Qantas or Virgin points.
He said he will use credit cards and open accounts to earn frequent flyer or Velocity points by shopping online.
“I have the Qantas widget on my desktop. When I search for items I just click on the widget icon and my Qantas account is immediately linked to it,” he said in a Reddit after.
An Australian budget manager has shared his nine money-saving hacks for 2024. He said he will open credit card accounts to earn frequent flyer or Velocity points by shopping online
The money saver 'churns' through meal delivery services such as Hello Fresh and Marley Spoon 'to take advantage of each provider's discounts in a cycle'
Points can then be redeemed for cheaper flights or upgrades.
The budgeter was a fan of the fuel lock feature on the My 7-Eleven app that allows Aussies to get fuel at the lowest possible price.
Drivers can use the app's search feature to browse prices at 7-Eleven gas stations around them and choose the amount and location that best suits their needs.
Users can 'save' the prize for seven days to redeem when their car is running low by showing the attendant the deal in the app.
Although the locked price can only be used once, the man came up with a cheeky loophole to get the best rate every time he fills up by changing his phone's IP address to access the best deal in all of Australia.
“I've been doing it twice a week for the past 12 months and the savings are now great as petrol in Queensland is in the 160s and the northern suburbs of Sydney in the 220s,” he said.
Through Woolworths Everyday Rewards, the man said he plans to get “cost-effective insurance” and a subscription to get a 10 percent discount on his groceries once a month.
He added that he can get 20 times more reward points on purchases with gift cards and discounts on bulk purchases such as paper towels, toilet paper and washing powder.
The money saver 'churns' through meal delivery services such as Hello Fresh and Marley Spoon 'to take advantage of each provider's discounts in a cycle'.
Many of the services offer free boxes and discounts of up to 50 percent within the first few weeks of signing up.
He switches between subscriptions to take advantage of all the discounts and compare which one is the cheapest.
The budgeter was a fan of the fuel lock feature in the My 7-Eleven app that helps Aussies get fuel at the lowest possible price
“My best suggestion would be to visit the websites and if it doesn't openly appear there, wait for them to pop up your desired social ads on different platforms,” he said.
The financial guru said he will negotiate more of his contracts with services such as health insurers and telephone providers.
“Yesterday I reduced my monthly phone/NBN bill by $40 per month and got six weeks of free private health insurance on the current policy (which equates to a 12 percent discount),” he said.
'I recently really wanted to change my (telephone) provider and started a discussion about what my exit costs would be, which made them want to save the relationship.'
He added that it is worth negotiating based on current offers for new customers.
“For example, (Optus) had the same data contract for $20 less than what I currently pay at Christmas,” he said.
Rebates on solar energy and electric vehicles are another useful way to make extra money.
Those who purchased a qualifying electric vehicle before December 31, 2023 can recoup up to $3,000 of the cost through the rebate system, depending on the state in which they live.
Likewise, each state has its own rebate system for those who install solar panels on their homes.
Rebates on solar energy and electric vehicles are another useful way to make extra money. Each state has its own rebate system for those who install solar panels on their homes
For business owners, the money saver suggested exploring temporary full expenses on car purchases to immediately deduct the full cost of the asset for their business.
Although the incentive ended on June 30, 2023, those who purchased a car for their business before then may be eligible.
Another money hack the savvy saver recommended was negotiating variable interest rates below 6 percent.
Australians with a variable rate mortgage can 'haggle down' interest rates if they are in a strong financial position as home loan lenders save their most competitive rates for 'ideal' borrowers, according to Info Choice.
Finally, the money hacker said he will start comparing prices on “big ticket items” before purchasing them to ensure he gets the best deal available.