By Lia Spencer
School fees. Sports registrations. Entertainment. Food. Bills. The list goes on and on.
It’s easy to blow the budget with the list of expenses families incur, but one mum is sharing her super-savvy tips to help others stretch their dollar.
Christina D’Sylva began posting buck-saving posts on her Instagram account after giving birth to her son Leonardo.
“I have always been strict with money, but more so since my husband took up a career change and become an adult apprentice and I began maternity leave with my son,” she said.
“I started the Instagram page in November 2016. Being on mat leave means you have a lot of time to hit the shops but not necessarily a lot of spare cash, so I wanted to show other people how they can still have some nice new things without breaking the bank.”
The page has drummed up a lot of interest from like-minded parents.
“I often get messages from followers saying they have started implementing some of my ideas in their home and it has helped them save money,” she said.
“Most of my friends live in my area, so they’ve loved that I’ve tagged what store I’ve been in, so they too can go and buy those items if they want. I only post what’s current so that those items are still available.”
Christina said she did a big grocery shop fortnightly using supermarkets and discount shops, spending on average $200 and using all ingredients in her meals to avoid wastage. She also has set up direct debits for all her bills meaning they are never behind, and often, in credit, and she rarely pays full price for anything and only splurges on gifts or items that have long-term benefits.
“One of my favourite buys has been my Thermomix. This is not cheap by any means, and it took me a lot of contemplating and saving to actually buy one. It ended up being my 30th birthday present. But it has helped saved me time and money since I’ve had it,” she said.
The money the family is saving on discounts will go to hosting and attending family events such as birthday parties and weddings in the short-term, and in the long-term, paying off their mortgage and contributing to a saving account for their son.
“We want him to have a great start in life and with the way things are going with housing in Melbourne, we would love to be able to help him with a house deposit in the future,” she said.
Christina said the biggest advice she had to those wanting to save some money was to make a budget!
You can follow Christina’s Instagram page at @the_stingy_mama
