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Last year, my son came bursting through the door with a new toy: a shower timer – a Sydney Water handout from a cricket match he’d been at. “How cool is this mum?” It was one of those old-school, sand-through-the-glass timers with a suction cap to stick on the shower wall.

He got in the shower, used it, and never mentioned it again. Three minutes was a lot shorter than he realised.

Getting into the habit of saving electricity, whether it’s shorter showers, doing your washing in cold water, or putting the dishwasher on timer to use off-peak electricity prices, are lifelong habits that can help both the environment and your wallet. They’re also the type of small daily routine that can get passed down the generations (yes, my son’s addiction to hot water MIGHT come from his mother’s side 🙈.

The key is to pick what works for you and your lifestyle. Just be mindful of the choice, and where a cutback can be made, go for it.

PS. Shout out to our colleague George who was the latest health insurance negotiator to nab himself a 12% discount on his insurance. How? He made the move to switch, and his insurance provider came chasing after him.

Starting July 1, if you earn over $105,000 (singles) or $210,000 (families) and don't have eligible private hospital cover, you'll pay an extra 1%–1.5% tax.

• Earning $120k? That's an extra $1,200 tax bill.

• Family earning $250k? That's an extra $3,125 tax bill.

Instead of paying more tax, put that money towards your own health cover.

Get your health cover sorted before July 1 →

If you don't have private hospital cover by July 1 after your 31st birthday and decide to take out cover later in life you'll pay an extra 2% on premiums for 10 years (up to 70% - ouch!).

Get quotes today →

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Not long ago, my partner and I had an issue with our Playstation 5, and by issue, I mean it didn’t turn on anymore. We were less than pleased at the idea of dropping $900-plus dollars to replace it, until we remembered we’d bought the extended warranty.

For once, paying the extra ‘just in case’ money came in handy! Unfortunately, the relief was short-lived. The terms in the extended warranty said that the PS5 would need to be sent off for repairs first, so that’s what we did.

After a long wait, repairs proved impossible, so we expected to be handed a new PS5…but no. The console had increased in price since we bought ours (thanks, inflation), and the store would only refund us the original price we paid. This meant we had to fork out an extra $250 for another PS5.

This was incredibly frustrating, but legal, as the terms of the warranty gave the store the option to refund the original cost, rather than replace our item. Word to the wise: always read the fine print and check what your warranty actually covers.

Jasmine Tait
Consumer Writer

Global fintech Revolut is trying to woo big spenders with a different kind of offering–a rewards debit card. Its Ultra plan costs $99.99 per month ($999 annually). It earns one ‘RevPoint’ per dollar spent, redeemable for frequent flyer miles and other perks. Revolut says Ultra offers features worth $9,000, including digital subscription services, investment tools and travel perks. While a rewards-earning debit card is certainly unique, the annual fee is more than double what you’ll pay for many premium rewards credit cards, so unless the extra features are really worth it to you, cost will outweigh benefits.

A cheap fast food feed is hard to come by lately. Maccas’ cost-of-living-friendly McSmart Meal ends on June 30, but a new value menu launches July 1, with prices starting at $6.95 for a four-piece meal on the app. Takeaway costs add up! The average Aussie family spends around $2,000 annually on fast food. Mind you, Canstar research found you can save $2,242 annually on groceries with careful switching, so maybe with some extra cash in your pocket, a takeaway splurge now and again is justifiable.

The halving of the fuel excise is due to end in less than two weeks time, and, unless the government extends it at the eleventh hour, we’ll likely see petrol prices rise by 26.3 cents. Enter the 7-Eleven fuel lock app, which lets you lock in a price for up to seven days at a 7-Eleven pump near you at a discount of up to 25 cents a litre. Not a bad way to extend the honeymoon for an extra week, if the price you lock in is competitive and the app doesn’t fail.