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“Our house feels ... PAUSE … boring.” 😑 That’s the answer I got about 2 hours after walking in the door from our Easter holiday trip (clearly looking past the brand new pickle ball set, the 15+ board games gathering dust, the homework left over from term 1 and the trumpet buried behind it all).

Yes, the school holidays have arrived, and the dollars already seem to be sailing out the door. Find out how to recoup at least some of the cost by exploring our national art galleries and museums, using discount codes at fun parks out and checking into government-subsided vacation care.

The cost-of-living crisis is one of attrition and, if it’s not there already, the freezer section of the supermarket should be on the ‘must-do’ list. My mathematically-minded colleague Eden has crunched the numbers on popular fresh-to-frozen swaps and, for a typical family, switching over half of your fruit and veg shopping could save more than $675 a year. No chopping, no peeling and no wilted spinach in the bottom of your fridge (otherwise known as the ‘crisper graveyard’).

Remember, money looks better in your bank than as a green puddle in your fridge.

Could swapping fresh for frozen groceries make a noticeable difference to your weekly spend? See how the numbers compare—and where the biggest savings might be hiding.

Energy plans that bundle streaming can sound appealing, but how much are you really saving?

Score high-end treatments at a fraction of the cost by visiting your local TAFE. These student-run clinics offer everything from haircuts and facials to restaurant meals, often at a hefty discount, as students need practical hours to graduate. If you prefer a specific spa, Best Wellness gift cards are a pro tip for savvy spenders. They are accepted at hundreds of locations across the country, and you can often find them at a discount through major retailers or rewards programs. Right now the code to know is BEWELL50. That will give you $50 off a $200 gift card.

The latest round of RBA credit card data shows debt, which is pretty stagnant at an eye-watering $19.6 billion, is collectively costing us $10 million a day in interest charges. But what is perhaps even more staggering is that this is actually just 18 per cent of the money we have access to on our cards. 😱. Can you imagine what this might translate into if we all maxed them out? $55 million a day. If you’ve got a rubber arm when it comes to shopping or are prone to panic when a big bill comes in, consider switching to a card with a lower credit limit and build an emergency fund instead.

Petrol stations sting in more ways than just the sky-high fuel prices. A bottle of water at a servo can sting you $3 or $4, while a couple of meat pies can push your bill over $20. Sure, you get an extra 10 cents a litre off your petrol at some servos when you spend this kind of amount, but unless you’re filling up a big beast like a 150 litre dual-tank Land Cruiser, you’re probably cutting off your nose to spite your face. Our colleague George’s antidote? He keeps a pack of Vita-Wheats in the car for every time the kids say “I’m hungrrrrry”. I only wonder if he’s got the mandatory butter and Vegemite in the glove box as well.