Saving money doesn’t have to be a complicated chore. Make your life easier – and save your hard-earned cash – with these simple hacks.

1. Bag hack: Keep your reusable shopping bags in the boot of your car so you have them ready to shop anywhere, any time. At New World you save 5 cents for every reusable bag you put over the checkout, so make sure you have three or four ready to go.

2. Bin spin: If you do end up with a plastic supermarket bag, don’t toss it. Use it as a bin liner and save money. Just attach adhesive plastic hooks partway down both sides of the bin, pointing down, and then hook the handles over them.

3. Auto-save: Set up an automatic payment into your savings each payday, so you never have to think about putting money aside. Tip: You can save more than you think, and it’s not irreversible, so set aside more than you planned. If you get close to running out of cash, don’t worry, with time you’ll find yourself reducing how much you spend and you won’t run out.

4. Easy lunch: If you work, buy lunch items when you shop at the supermarket. Pot noodles, a $5 supermarket pizza or a can of soup warmed up in the office or workshop is much cheaper than heading to Domino’s at lunchtime. Tip: Leave a reminder by your keys to take lunch out of the fridge or cupboard.

5. Freeze and save: Make a bigger batch of dinner than you need, and freeze portions. Then you can defrost them when you’re in a rush, instead of buying takeaways.

By Brenda Ward

First published 15 February 2018

JUNO does not contain financial advice as defined by the Financial Advisers Act 2008. Consult a suitably qualified financial adviser before making investment decisions. This story reflects the views of the contributor only. Content comes from sources that JUNO considers accurate, but we do not guarantee that the content is accurate. Charts are visually indicative only.