‘Technically stealing’: Aussies’ money-saving hacks shock

Melburnians have revealed the frugal ways they cut costs in this economy – with one person’s ‘hack’ raising a lot of eyebrows.

Melbourne locals have revealed the “cheapskate” hacks they use to save money amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

The Melburnians were stopped on the street by the popular business management platform, MYOB.

The company has launched a series on TikTok that has amassed tens of thousands of views by interviewing everyday people about their lifestyles and spending habits.

The first person stopped, Nathan Smart, told the interviewer, “I buy gift cards for everything at Woolworths, then use the rewards points to pay for all my international travel, so you don’t pay to fly”.

While commenters accused him of being “hyperbolic,” Mr Smart explained to news.com.au exactly how his hack works.

“Essentially, Woolworths and Coles run gift card promotions every week, where you usually get 20 x points that convert to Qantas/Virgin Frequent Flyer points,” he said.

“For all my big purchases (JB Hi-Fi, Good Guys, Myer, Airbnb, etc.), I buy gift cards during these promotions to pay for those purchases.

“If I have a $5000 spend at JB, for example, I’ll then earn 50,000 Qantas points, which is usually enough for an international flight.”

Mr Smart says he’s taken about a dozen trips using these points, sometimes in business or even first class, which normally cost over $10,000.

Gift cards are the key to earning frequent flyer points, according to this man. Picture: TikTok/MYOB

This woman saves her bread crusts to make breadcrumbs. Picture: TikTok/MYOB

In another interview, a woman shared the frugal strategy she uses to save money on food staples.

“I think it comes down to food in a big family,” she said. “I save the crusts of loaves of bread. I put them in the freezer and then turn them into breadcrumbs for when you need to crumb things.”

Another person’s cost-saving measure involved an act that most definitely is theft.

“When I go to the supermarket, I like to put dates in the brown paper bags meant for mushrooms,” she revealed.

The final person simply stated, “Cooking with flatmates is always pretty cheap”.

Date/mushroom lady is unashamed of her supermarket behaviour. Picture: TikTok/MYOB

This woman says cooking with flatmates makes things cheaper. Picture: TikTok/MYOB

In the comments, people shared their thoughts on the tips, which all had varying degrees of ethicality.

“The gift card trick has changed my life,” one person declared.

“Yes to all except the third one, which is technically stealing,” someone else wrote.

Another person claimed that the dates-in-the-mushroom-bag trick doesn’t work “anymore” because an employee will check inside your bag.

“Um, we open the brown bags to check what mushrooms are in there anyway,” one alleged supermarket employee said.

Others raised their eyebrows at the DIY breadcrumb tip, with one person asking, “Aren’t breadcrumbs like $1?”

Originally published as ‘Technically stealing’: Aussies’ money-saving hacks shock