Helpful tips for Financial stress and hardship

[Former-Member]

@Shaz51 I love this post so much. Thank you for posting, I really have been looking for some tips! 

Some things I've been doing

• Food:
  • My partner and I have been cooking cheap but delicious bulk means. Often rice, protein and veggies with lots of delicious sauce and flavourings. Plus we try a new pasta each week
  • Going to the supermarket after 7.30 at night to get marked-down bread
  • This app shows you all the half-price items in coles and woolies
  • I do groceries online and get them delivered. All sale items go on a sale every 4 weeks so I stock up on thinks like soy milk ect
  • Find a local mutual aid, community cook-out or support group! 
• Housing
  • If you're in Victoria, Justice Connect has a platform called "Dear Landlord" which started during lockdowns and has templates for asking for rent reductions, challenging eviction ect
  • Many banks have a mortgage repayment pause for 3-12 months. Always talk to a financial advisor about this, but not a lot of people know. Someone else linked them, but the National Debt Helpline has free financial counselling
  • This Justice Connect webpage also has tips for a lot of these housing stressors
• Healthcare
  • Lots of universities have cheap dental care, osteo, physio so their students can learn!

I know none of us are alone in this. Financial stress is something I grew up with and is a massive trigger for me. I found focussing on the things I can control is really useful so I have a budget which I try to stick to. Even when I was on Centrelink, I found it really empowering to know where my money. This might not be possible for everyone, but it's worked for me. 

[TAB]

Thanks @Former-Member  I couldn't get app to work but there is another one w yellow logo same name that does work.

it shows usual $1 choc bars but  I set it to 'food' and dearest first shows me frozen fish $5 down from $10 thats better lol

Oh My dole just went up $27 /fortnight for cpi which never used to apply plus getting $50 pf soon for turning 60 lol

so was on $770 pf inc rent relief will be $850 soon

just wish they would let you keep more of anything earnt

declaing After Tax income would be a huge help 

oh. Just realised am jobless again so will contact advocacy mob who wanted to take pore ole @ Tab to MPs to make case for putting dole up ha har 

they dropped me as was working 

[Former-Member]

So sorry to hear about the job @TAB, that just really sucks 🙁 I don't know if you've heard of these guys, but sounds like you might be up for a bit of advocacy? The Unemployed Workers Union are really awesome. It's free and they do a bunch of advocacy and support of people who are unemployed

[TAB]

Thanks @Former-Member looks like I deleted email asking me if was up for going to MPs etc ugh

[hanami]

Great tips @Former-Member !

[BPDSurvivor]

I agree! The tips here are great! @hanami @Former-Member @Shaz51 @tyme @TAB .

To be honest, I’m a real waster. Often because I live on my own. When I buy ingredients to cook with, I use so little. The rest often gets stored for a bit, then I toss it. I never bother scraping anything clean, because I actually don’t want that much. I just throw things out.

I really need to come up with better ways. But it feels rude to give people things that are opened, or to ask people for a bit of tomato paste etc. So even when I buy the little tubs of tomato paste, I only use a little…. You may say to freeze it, but there are only so many things you can freeze!

[TAB]

I think that's Okay @BPDSurvivor  lol 

.. just dice it .. lol .. !!..

hopefully you have the necessary assistance to help with said Disposals okay when the Time .. comes.. lol

[BPDSurvivor]

I've tried 'saving food'... @TAB . It absolutely doesn't work. Like I've had a bag of onions sitting on the bench for a month. They started to sprout lol... when I buy a little bag, I use one or two, thinking I will use more.

So I started buying 1 or 2 onions.... a poor lone onion is still sitting on the bench...

Arghh, in the end, people end up giving me meals. I don't beg or borrow. They just give me their 'left overs'. I've just finished a stroganoff meal. 

What do you do with cooking for one @TAB ?

[TAB]

I throw out heaps of veg. Was rotten red onion other day prob bought 2 wks ago might be 12 months old going rotten who knows.  I cook once a day usually plus dont have oven anymore just 240V combo hotplates on top of 'oven'/grill  not a lot of heat in it Hotplates functional. 
microwave frozen veg , bbq chook from supermarket lots canned fish . Eggs chops 

ok takeaways lol @BPDSurvivor  😺

[BPDSurvivor]

I’ve got three meals to eat now @TAB . Someone gave me chicken biryani yesterday, then I have a rice and vege meal as well as tuna Patties… thank God I don’t have to cook. I feel like I’m putting on so much weight though. I really need to spend my holidays exercising and getting back into the routine of exercising. I’ve slacked off so much since lockdowns ended.

i was seriously the healthiest during the lockdowns here in Vic.