Thrifty mums share the things they've bought that save them the most money

Over 700 people weighed in with their cost-saving tips across food, cleaning, household expenses, beauty and leisure.

Savvy mums have been taking to Facebook groups during the cost-of-living crisis to share their money-saving tips. From forgoing takeaway to giving up expensive supermarket buys, the sacrifices they have been making are nothing short of impressive. 

But now, a new thread has emerged in the Mums on a Budget Facebook group, where people are sharing the products they do buy, that actually save them money in the long run. 

From cooking appliances to coffee machines, these women have cracked the code of smart spending.

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The best products to save you money

"What thing have you bought that saves you the most money?" mum Elisha asked in her post. Then hundreds of resourceful mums weighed in with their favourite cost-effective purchases. 

Strap in, there's... a lot of them. Over 700 to be precise, but here are a few of our favourite ones across food, cleaning, household expenses, beauty and leisure.

Image: Thermomix, Soda Stream and Breville

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Food, cooking and appliances

One popular buy amongst the commenters was the Thermomix. "Been using mine for over eight years now and the best decision I ever made," one mum claimed.  "I make everything from muffins, cakes, slices, dips, custards, yoghurts, and biscuits- sweet and savoury, wraps, pinwheels, breads, rolls, buns, LCM bars or muesli bars. Don't have to buy any snacks for the kids' lunchboxes."

Someone else chimed in, agreeing, "It stops you buying stuff as you make it all from scratch - once you have all the staples in your pantry it saves you so much! Also, it's a huge help in meal planning."

Another woman said hers is worth it purely for the amount it's saved her on yoghurt. "I bought mine ages ago, but we make four kilos of yoghurt a week in it, which costs about $4.20 for just under two kilos (previously we were buying Chobani at about $8/900g). We also make bread for less than $2 a loaf, or 12 large bread rolls or eight hotdog rolls for the same," she explained. 

Another appliance users agreed on was an air fryer. "They save so much on energy," one said. "You can also make cheap 'fakeaways' like fried food and chips etc."

"I'd say my upright freezer," another woman added. "It means I can buy bulk on special. Found chicken breast for $5.50 a kg for example so I bought 10kg."

Lots of people also commented that they loved their coffee machines. "I have a Breville Cafe Barista which was about $650- but I've saved so much. I have two cups of coffee per day so spending $8 to $9 a day was just ridiculous!

"A water filter jug - so no more bottled water," added someone else.

"My soda stream!!" a different mum shared. "No more buying sparkling water, if you drink a lot of it like me, it all adds up." 

Then this mum said, "An ice machine! I was buying a five kilo bag a few times a week."

"Cryovac sealer machine. I mainly use it to freeze meat and vegetables. With meat I have meat in the freezer that has been in there two years, no freezer burn, as long as the bag doesn't get damaged the meat will be good for a lot longer."

"$10 sushi maker from Kmart - saves money on sushi train, especially if you have kids," someone else replied. 

"Slow cooker for meal prep, it's so good for bulk family meals and so many leftovers," another stated.

"Electric grater/slicer/shopper (so much cheaper than pre-cut veggies and shredded cheese), said another group member. 

Then someone else said the best purchase they ever made was chickens! "They cost me next to nothing at all to keep and we get between two and five eggs a day from our five chickens," they said. 

Image: Bissell, Zero Co, Outbax

Household expenses and cleaning products

In terms of saving on heating, one person recommended getting a hot water bottle while another suggested Oodies. Someone else said buying electric blankets meant their winter bill was 40% lower than last year. 

"Buying an electric car saves me so much fuel," wrote another.  "I do 99% of my charging at home, so pretty much free. I have gone from paying $150 per week in fuel to maybe during winter $4.80 for a charge at home. But most of the time I charge from solar. There is an odd time where I'm away from home and pay like $15-$20 for the charge at a fast charger."

"YESSS to solar panels!" someone interjected. "We got them on our new build two years ago now and still haven't had a bill! Biggest saver!"

Then this mum said she saves on expensive carpet steam services by buying the Bissell spot cleaner. "It's about $220, but having a child and a dog and a cat, it's a no-brainer," she remarked. "You can also use it on fabric couches and mattresses."

P.S. ALDI also has a dupe of this for $99!

"Refillable cleaning products from Zero Co. Their subscription also ends up being super cheap," someone else mentioned. 

Image: Life Fitness, Lunette, Sistaco

Beauty and health

In terms of beauty and health products, people saved big in areas such as haircuts, gyms, period care and nail services. 

"Buy some hair clippers, I saved thousands on haircuts between my hubby and two sons," one woman advised. 

"Get a menstrual cup - saves you heaps on period products and lasts years," someone remarked. 

"My Mirena saves me money on the Pill," one other mum weighed in.

And then this person revealed, "A home treadmill and a set of weights will save you so much on gym memberships."

"Sistaco at-home nail kit," one woman jumped in. "It's a small investment but I can do my own nails from home."

She added: "I started during COVID and I reckon I've saved at least $4000 in three years by doing it myself."

Image: Theragun, Happy Hop, Kindle

Leisure, fashion and travel 

Members also offered up some great tips for saving on some of those more 'nice to have' spends. 

"Get a Kindle and use Kindle Unlimited. Saves so much instead of buying books and you can read so many more now without buying them as you can get free ones. Kindle Unlimited gives you 10000s of books and I think I pay $13 a month or something," one commenter shared. 

Another endorsed getting a massage gun to save on remedial and sports massages. 

"Investing in a good capsule wardrobe," was also a popular suggestion.  "It means everything in your wardrobe goes with each other, so you don't need to buy new pieces often," someone said. 

"Getting an Amazon yearly subscription," one mum said, before highlighting the zero delivery fees, next-day delivery and access to Prime movies and music.

"We bought a commercial-grade jumping castle which has saved us heaps. Two years in a row our kids wanted jumping castle birthdays and it cost a pretty penny (they are usually $400/hire). Now we have it for always even play dates or a nice day. Have also had friends hire it for like $50 petrol money to bring it and pick it up. It will also have a great resell when the kids are grown," another commenter added. 

And finally, someone said getting a campervan was the best investment for "cheap and fun family holidays."

Originally published as Thrifty mums share the things they've bought that save them the most money